25 Days of Klaroline + Christmas
Surprise extra drabble dedicated to my fellow Klaroline mag gals, Angie (thetourguidebarbie) and Dani (littlebirdofthenorth). Thank you for filling me with such great ideas, inspiration and most importantly laughs. This came from an hilarious discussion in relation to a "things are going terrible for Christmas AU drabble prompt list" (not mine), you'll remember which one! So belated Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah to both of you lovely ladies.
So this is Christmas...
I brought my friend a neon pink dildo as a gag gift but I accidentally got the presents mixed up and gave it to you instead and now I have to awkwardly explain what happened.
Lounge Room
If there was one thing Caroline Forbes loved it was tradition and the fact that the Mikaelson's dinner she'd been attending for five years never changed was somewhat comforting. It was always the same giant, green wreath that adorned the door of their stately mansion and the beautiful layers of opulent gold and red garlands on display in the entry hall. Their giant tree was like none she'd ever seen, fresh pine needles dotted with antique, golden baubles and twinkling with white fairy lights. This was definitely her favourite time of year even if some of the family members left a lot to be desired.
Caroline had met Rebekah at North Western University six years earlier when they were both freshman studying marketing. At first she thought the blonde was conceited and prickly but they'd eventually become friends and she'd invited her back to their family home on Christmas night every year since given she didn't have much family of her own. Of course it was an adjustment given her siblings were interesting to say the least. Elijah was formal to the point of being a little stuffy and Kol was immature and would tease her mercilessly. She wasn't quite sure which she preferred to be honest. And then there was Niklaus.
Niklaus or Klaus, as he preferred to be called, was most probably a mixture of all three siblings but with an arrogant streak that drove Caroline wild. It wasn't just that he thought he was god's gift to women it was the fact that he knew his behaviour annoyed her. Over the course of five Christmas dinners nothing much had changed but she always gave him a gift even if she didn't think he deserved one sometimes.
Caroline looked at her meticulously wrapped gifts under the gorgeous tree. She had to admit she'd outdone herself given just how picky the Mikaelson siblings were. She'd like to see Kol try and complain about the present she got him this year. Rebekah, however, wouldn't be quite as pleased but she was just getting her back for a joke present of handcuffs she'd given Caroline for her birthday.
"There's the control freak I remember," a familiar voice said behind her. She stood up, turning around a little fast and accidentally brushing up against his toned chest he was that close. He raised his eyebrows curiously, his eyes flickering admiringly over the fitted, black dress she was poured into tonight. At least he had some good taste.
"And there's the smug idiot I remember," she shot back, a fake smile gracing her features and her voice purposely saccharine laced.
"You really need to stop with all the compliments, love," Klaus replied, his crimson lips only inches away curving into a mocking smile. Caroline chose not to respond to that particular comment, after all Klaus lived to antagonise her and she had no intention of engaging.
"So, where's this year's victim? I hope she lasts longer than dessert."
"It was food poisoning," he growled, those blue eyes flashing in annoyance.
"Sure it was, Mikaelson." Camille O'Connor was boring and it was obvious early on that she didn't have the stomach for a full-blown Mikaelson Christmas and it had nothing to do with the food.
"So, where's your date then? I'm not sure anything could top that egotistical loser from two years ago with the hair." Stefan Salvatore was an idiot and he spent longer in the bathroom than she did grooming his hair. Caroline would never admit it aloud but she'd partly brought him along to make Klaus jealous given his string of dates over the years she had to endure."
"Usually we don't need to separate you two crazy kids just yet," Kol teased, taking a seat on the sofa as the rest of the siblings took their usual places on the scattered pieces of furniture around the tree. Caroline sidestepped, moving away so as to avoid any further close contact. There were times, if she was being honest, that she wasn't sure whether she wanted to kiss those teasing dimples to shut him up or just kill him.
"It must be a record given last year it wasn't until after the gift exchange that we had to put them in different rooms," Katherine joked taking a seat next to the second eldest Mikaelson. Katherine Pierce was Caroline's best friend since they were five and through Rebekah she'd met Elijah. It was an unlikely pairing, they all thought so given Elijah was so serious and Katherine so not but they'd been together eighteen months now and were sickeningly happy.
"This is why I love Christmas," Klaus muttered. "Everyone thinks they're a bloody comedian."
"Well, how about we start with a present for Niklaus then given he obviously needs some Christmas cheer," Enzo drawled, handing his girlfriend Rebekah a gift from under the tree. Enzo and Klaus had been friends since college and he was none to pleased when he started dating his little sister last year.
"How about this one, says it's from Caroline. Oh how sweet." Caroline scowled at Rebekah's inference, not really noticing what she'd handed him in the process.
"Could you get anymore sticky tape on this thing, Forbes?"
"Could you be any more grateful, Niklaus?" Elijah chided, always the polite one. Caroline smiled at him thankfully before returning her gaze to the grumpy Mikaelson. It was at that point she realised that it definitely wasn't the right shape. Suddenly she felt cold all over, knowing exactly what it was.
"Oh no, that's not yours..." she managed to bite out, attempting to lunge at him so she could wrestle the present from him grip.
Before she could get to Klaus, it was well and truly too late as she saw her first flash of hot pink. No. This wasn't how Caroline saw this moment going at all. Instead of embarrassing Rebekah in front of her siblings, she was the one mortified. Caroline didn't think she would ever forget the look of shock on his face as he removed the remaining wrapping. He was silent, so too the rest of the room, even Kol. She felt her face burn unable to diffuse the situation at the moment if she tried.
"What the hell?" Elijah murmured after a minute, his brown eyes wide in disbelief. Usually it took a lot to surprise him but obviously she'd succeeded.
"Looks like Christmas just got interesting," Kat chuckled, trust her to relish in a situation like this.
"You said it Kat, I never knew pink was your favourite colour, mate." Enzo chuckled, his eyes trained on the shocked Mikaelson.
"It wasn't meant for him, it was..."
"Like we believe you, Forbes," Kol interrupted her rambling. "I think this is the first time you've managed to render Niklaus completely speechless and I for one am loving the silence."
Even with her multiple protests, they'd refused to believe her even when Rebekah received a box of art supplies and she couldn't draw to save herself. Klaus meanwhile was deathly quiet, only speaking when absolutely necessary. She noticed a few stray glances her way but was far to embarrassed to return his gaze, her face still well and truly flushed.
Dining Room
When every last bit of paper had been removed and every gift revealed they moved from the lounge to the elegant dining room. Caroline moved the quickest determined to get the seat furthest from Klaus, unfortunately he seemed to be doing the same thing and they ran into each other. This time she couldn't ignore his heated gaze and all time seemed to stop still.
"Look who's under the mistletoe," Rebekah chirped, alerting the entire party to their precarious location in the doorway. Could this night get any more awkward?
"I don't think this is really necessary," Caroline stumbled, finally tearing her blue eyes from his.
"Well, you just gifted him a dildo darling, I think a kiss under the mistletoe is rather tame, don't you?" Kol asked, a cheeky grin etched on his face. Caroline had to remember to kill him and Rebekah afterwards for this.
Fine," she muttered, leaning in quickly so she could place a peck on those crimson lips and pretend it never happened. What she wasn't expecting was for Klaus to place his hands on her hips softly and linger that much longer in the kiss than necessary. His lips really were softer than she'd imagined. She pulled away, noticing just how much darker his blue eyes seemed.
Caroline shook her head and cleared her throat, determined to stuff herself with as much food as she could so she didn't need to talk or process what this meant. There was no way in the world she liked Klaus Mikaelson, right?
Dinner was delicious but Caroline's appetite, which was usually impressive given she could rival Kol in that department, was pathetic to say the least. All she could think about was him and exactly what he was thinking. Caroline prided herself on being confident around Klaus but obviously it took one pink dildo to shatter that resolve completely.
Kitchen
After dinner, the guests dispersed into their groups as usual, Caroline seeking out Rebekah to get some sort of explanation. She found the blonde Mikaelson in the kitchen giving orders to the staff in true fashion even though dinner had already ended.
"What was that about, Rebekah?"
"I don't know what you're talking about," she lied, pretending to busy herself at the kitchen counter but with what Caroline had no idea. Rebekah Mikaelson didn't get her hands dirty for anyone even if it was the season for giving.
"Oh come on. You know that present was meant for you," she scoffed.
"Of course I did," she shrugged her shoulders, not even bothering to deny it.
"But you didn't even back me up," she growled. "You let everyone believe that I would give that to Klaus."
"Says the girl who was prepared to gift me a pink 'you know what' in front of my brothers?"
"Says the girl who gifted me handcuffs?"
"Okay fine Caroline, you got me," she groaned. "I might have known what you had planned to give me and sort of asked Enzo to swap the gift tags around."
"This just gets worse," she cried. "You planned for him to get that gift at my expense?"
"Well, I didn't want to get it in front of everyone and what better person to pass it onto than my brother who you've only been crushing on for a few years now. I thought it was a win-win situation."
"A win-win situation?"
"Avoiding embarrassment and matchmaking my friend and brother."
"I'm sorry but how in the hell does gifting someone a hot pink dildo constitute matchmaking?'
"It was meant to act as an icebreaker," Rebekah offered, albeit feebly.
"Except he hasn't opened his mouth since."
"We both know that's not true. His mouth was certainly open long enough to kiss you under the mistletoe before dinner."
"Yes, another supposed matchmaking technique," she growled. "I really should have known."
"Okay, I'm sorry," she murmured, placing her hands on Caroline's shoulders. "I just couldn't find any better way to make the two most stubborn people in my life realise that they actually belong together."
"So, you honestly thought a dildo would achieve that?"
"Okay, can you please stop saying the 'd' word, it's just too crass for my liking, Caroline," she muttered. "Look, I've seen you both bring all these terrible dates to Christmas over the years, hoping to make the other one jealous. Isn't it time that you both just realised that maybe you're supposed to be each other's dates?"
"Well, maybe if I could fit in the same room as him and that inflated ego."
"See, there you go again."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"That annoying banter we all know is just code for foreplay," she huffed. "If anything tonight was supposed to give us all a break from the fake insults We're all just surprised that it is taking so bloody long for either of you to realise it."
"We? You all talk about us?"
"Of course we do, you drive us crazy. Please for the love of god Caroline, put us all out of our misery," she pleaded. Caroline didn't respond just rolled her eyes and walked out. If there was anything she hated it was people telling her what to do, even if it was the right thing.
Library
Caroline needed to think and if there was anywhere more peaceful in Mikaelson Manor, it was the library. She knew the girls would be having some post dinner cocktails at the bar and the boys would be playing pool extremely competitively in the Billiard Room. She ran her hand along the shelves of leather bound books, taking in their rich smell as she did it. She'd always loved this room.
"I don't think you'll like much. The books here are all G rated as far as I know," he murmured into the darkened room the only light emanating from a small lamp on the desk. She really should have known that in a house this big she had to pick the same room as Klaus.
"Damn, and here I was thinking that I'd find some decent X rated porn," she drawled, noticing him sitting on the dark green, chesterfield couch.
"No, I'm pretty certain that's all under Kol's bed," he chuckled. "I have to admit, I never took you for the sex toy type, love. I must admit it's kind of disappointing it has taken me so long to find out about one of your interesting fetishes."
"Says the guy who could barely speak after being gifted a brightly coloured dildo," she shot back. "At least I know how to shut you up for future reference."
"I'm no prude," he promised. "As much as I was disappointed it wasn't my gift, I knew it was for Rebekah. I have no idea what goes on between the two of you and to be honest I don't want to know."
"So, why the shock?"
"Well I hate the colour pink for starters," he began, standing up and walking towards her. "But it was your reaction that got to me the most."
"I was embarrassed, that's hardly a surprise."
"Yes but you were flustered and babbling and could barely look at me afterwards," he explained. "I hardly think you would have had the same reaction if it were Kol for example." Caroline had to admit he had a point. If Kol had been the chosen recipient she would have made some wise crack about it being the most action he'd ever get.
"True, although Elijah might have been a different story though," she joked, despite feeling her chest constrict from his close proximity.
"Well, I'm going to go out on a limb and say that it made me think that maybe you liked me, love."
"And the dread of that concept caused you to clam up?" She guessed weakly. He moved closer, if that was possible. Her back was now firmly up against the bookshelves and Caroline knew she couldn't escape if she tried.
"No, it made me realise that maybe you might feel even a tiny shred of what I feel for you, Forbes," he grinned.
"Do you mean general frustration?"
"In more ways than one," he smirked. "It wasn't until that terribly orchestrated kiss from my interfering siblings that I realised maybe I had a shot with the feisty and argumentative blonde that showed up on my doorstep five years ago and completely ruined me for everyone else."
"Well, I could say the same thing about your annoying temperament but strangely enough all I can think about is continuing what we started in the dining room, Mikaelson," she grinned. He didn't reply just closed the distance between them and captured her lips with his. Caroline melted into him, wrapping her arms around his neck and running her hands through those dark blonde curls that had teased her mercilessly over the years. He pried her lips open with his tongue and she groaned into him as he explored every inch of her hot, waiting mouth. Before she could completely lose herself in him she pulled away.
"Hang on," she panted. His confused expression not lost on Caroline. "Just because I give dildos as gifts doesn't mean I'm easy, Mikaelson."
"Just wait until you see what I'm going to give you next year, love. Payback's a bitch," he smiled knowingly, pulling her flush against him for another searing kiss.