HAPPY EARLY BIRTHDAY JEN (my almost birthday twin). I wanted to get this done before I went away. Thanks for the prompt, I love me a bit of superhero Klaus : ) Hope you like it. I also hope you have a wonderful day Thursday week (with lots of cake and have some of that amazing Texan BBQ for me while you're at it).
Prompt: Klaroline superhero prompt for you! Caroline works in an office w/ Klaus & basically everyone knows he's a superhero but he thinks he's so secretive no one has figured it out. So basically Stefan covers for him during meetings, Caroline covers his calls, Katherine keeps Elijah from asking too many questions about paperwork. And Bonnie refills his first aid kit all the time. Their whole cover is blown when Kol gifts him a new costume to fight battles in during the secret santa gift exchange. Thx❤
Wind Beneath My Wings
December 23...
Last night had been particularly rough, Klaus was lucky to make it home in one piece. Who knew a crazed idiot with bleached, blonde hair and a maniacal laugh riding a lawn mower (of all modes of transport) could do such damage? He was starting to wonder where these new and decidedly eccentric breed of villains were coming from.
After an extended shower to ease the bruised muscles, Klaus dressed in his usual suit and tie combination to head into work. Klaus was joint CEO of Mikaelson Construction with his older brother and their company had basically built half of Manhattan. He'd started out from practically nothing but now he was a billionaire. Not too bad for a young kid from one of London's poorest suburbs.
It was after he'd acquired his first 50 million that Klaus began to get bored, he always did love a challenge and work was no longer providing that spark. His siblings as usual had offered their opinions.
Elijah suggested playing the stock market, Kol suggested a friend with benefits (or multiple) and, although she was in London, Rebekah went with Pilates. She insisted it was good for core strength and channeling the desire to want to punch Kol in the face. As much as he wanted to hit his younger brother at times, he wanted a different kind of thrill. Something worthwhile that would help people at the same time.
Fast forward nine months and Klaus was trawling the streets for bad guys. He'd seen a news report on CNN about crime levels increasing at an alarming level in New York but the cities police force didn't have the manpower or resources to combat the threat.
Klaus considered himself an extremely fit person. He'd trained in three different martial arts (basically from boredom) and regularly took part in marathons and triathlons. All he needed was a suit to keep his identity secret. Unfortunately his face was recognisable in business and social circles so it took a bit of work on the sewing machine (yes he had mastered that skill too, not that he broadcast it).
"Where is that paperwork from the Ferguson deal?" Was the first order Elijah barked at him when he walked through the glass doors. Klaus figured once he got laid on a regular basis the stress would abate with his uptight, elder brother. Obviously not.
"I put that on your desk, don't you remember?" Katherine interrupted, her brown eyes flickering over his toned body.
"I don't recall," he stuttered, his gaze now firmly focused on the fitted, black dress that hugged every one of her curves.
"How about I jog your memory in your office?" She purred, it didn't take long for his brother and their public relations manager to disappear. The King of decorum, Elijah was fastidious about professionalism but when Katherine Pierce had come on board he was unable to resist. For the record Klaus and pretty much everyone else were happy for the distraction.
Klaus discreetly hobbled his way towards the supply closet, realising that the hastily applied bandage on his leg was peeling off. He'd sometimes wondered just how the first aid kit seemed to be fully stocked all the time but he wasn't about to complain.
As he turned the corner, he noticed Bonnie rummaging around. Klaus knew he had to play it cool though so as not to arouse any suspicion. "Morning, Bonnie."
"Hi, Klaus," she smiled, closing the cupboard door quickly. "Beautiful day, isn't it?"
"Yes it is," Klaus lied, realising that in his extreme pain he'd barely even looked up at the sky on his way into the office.
Bonnie was in human resources and Kol had taken an immediate liking to her. The feeling wasn't mutual at first (hardly surprising when it came to his younger brother) but in some magical turn of events he'd managed to convince her he was worthy. They'd been married on Long Island six moths earlier.
"I should really get back to work but is there something you needed?"
"No it's fine," he murmured. "I just got a cut on my finger that's all."
"You've got to watch that paper, it's dangerous," she grinned, moving past so he could access the first aid kit. She'd obviously been taking sarcasm lessons from Kol. Klaus consulted his watch, hoping that his day would start moving a little faster given the excruciating pain he felt.
"Finally," Caroline drawled as he approached her desk. "Given your quick exit last night I assumed you'd be in on time. Don't worry I've got the phones covered, as usual."
She looked stunning, her blonde waves cascading down her back, that cobalt figure hugging dress only accentuating those brilliant eyes even more. Even after all this time, she still had the power to stop him dead in his tracks.
He'd finally mustered up the courage and invited her to the Mayoral Ball the previous evening not expecting his night job to interfere with his plans. He'd mumbled some feeble excuse and rushed off. If Klaus was being honest he was torn for the first time between his conflicting lives. He'd never felt anything like he did for Caroline. Yes, he was her boss but he couldn't deny just how much she lifted his spirits even if they were arguing or exchanging witty banter which was common place.
"I'm sorry about last night, you have no idea, love."
"It's okay, I understand," she smiled, almost knowingly. Klaus wasn't sure what she was alluding to but he figured it couldn't be his double life given he'd kept it so quiet all this time. "Unfortunately, I am the bearer of bad news though."
"Oh really?" Klaus dealt with some pretty tough things in his life so figured he could handle just about anything.
"Kol's in your office." Maybe not. He rolled his eyes at Caroline by way of response and walked into his office, making sure Caroline couldn't make out his lingering limp.
"Well, don't you look like crap," he teased from the other side of the desk as Klaus finally sat down.
"Good morning to you too," he scowled.
"It must have been a big night judging by that injury," Kol quipped, looking towards his leg. "I never took Caroline for the aggressive type."
"It wasn't Caroline," he shot back through pursed lips. "I fell down some stairs at my apartment, if you must know."
"I'm almost disappointed," he joked. "You realise we've all been waiting for you and Goldilocks to finally get together, right?"
"I'd really prefer that you and everyone else keep out of my private life."
"What private life?"
"Someone thinks they're a comedian," Klaus growled.
"When Elijah is getting more action than you there needs to be an intervention," he chuckled. "You wanted something to do, how about Caroline?"
"I will hit you, I swear," he threatened. No one spoke about his beloved Caroline like that and got away with it.
"I didn't mean it that way," he drawled. "But it's nice to see you're showing some actual feelings towards the girl. Its only been like over a year."
"Did you have a point in coming here? You know possibly work related because we're in the office."
"Just wanting to say how much I'm looking forward to the Secret Santa exchange this year," Kol smirked before strolling from the room. Obviously he was going to be the lucky recipient of his brother's attempt at humour. He couldn't wait.
Klaus had completely forgotten about it, although it wasn't entirely unexpected given his busy schedule. He was about to press the intercom and speak to Caroline before she breezed into the room like she knew he needed her.
"I figured you might need some caffeine after dealing with Kol," she smiled placing it on the table.
"That or possibly a whiskey," he grinned. Whatever mood he was in, Caroline always had the ability to make him smile. "Now, about this S..."
"Your gift is on my desk," she interrupted. "Katherine will adore the Channel No 5, trust me." Just when he thought she couldn't be any more amazing she had to go and do that. And it wasn't because she was his Executive Assistant either.
"I'd really like to make it up to you," he murmured, standing up and coming around to the front of the desk, unknowingly hobbling a little as he did. She gazed at him curiously, a slight smile tugging at her pink lips.
"What did you have in mind, Mikaelson?"
"You, me and my chalet in Vail," he suggested, trying to block out visions of them naked and lying in front of a roaring fire together, so as not to encourage his arousal any further.
"How about we get you cleaned up first," she suggested, surprising him and grabbing a nearby tissue and placing it on his face tenderly. "Don't want you bleeding all over the carpet."
"I must have.." he replied feebly.
"Cut yourself shaving?" She finished his sentence, which was something she had a tendency to do. She was so close he could have kissed her but thought better of it given all his injuries.
"Something like that," he uttered. When he'd started this whole superhero journey he'd actually enjoyed keeping it a secret until Caroline. There were so many times he wanted to tell her but he'd faltered worried about what she might think of his chosen lifestyle.
"I think you're okay now," she whispered, removing the tissue and placing a chaste kiss on his cheek. Klaus didn't think he'd ever felt anything so devastatingly innocent in his whole life. "Secret Santa exchange is in three hours."
Before he could react to the kiss or respond to her comment she was gone, leaving a trail of floral perfume in her wake. The one thing he knew was that, superhero or not, Klaus was in love with Caroline Forbes and had every intention of proving that to her.
"Thanks, Caroline," Katherine said, sending Klaus an amused look three hours later.
"Last time I checked, that was my present," he scoffed.
"Which I'm sure you went to the store and bought personally," she shot back. Caroline gave him a look to say he was on his own.
"Whatever," he grumbled.
"Looks like someone needs a little pick-me-up," Kol sing-singed placing a box on his lap ceremoniously. Klaus had been dreading this moment for the few hours. "Merry Christmas." As Klaus undid the ribbon and opened the lid slowly, all he could think about was how un-merry it all felt.
What he wasn't expecting was to find a superman costume housed inside the box. Klaus figured the burning, hot sensation crossing his face wasn't a coincidence. "Uh, very funny, Kol," Klaus managed to bite out, albeit with difficulty.
"Seriously, Kol?" Bonnie gasped, looking at the contents. "You idiot, what were you thinking?"
"Obviously someone's trying to be a smartass, know-it-all," Katherine chided.
"I thought it was time we tell Niklaus that we know about his poorly-kept secret identity," he boasted. "Plus, I really wanted to mess with Elijah." By the look of bewilderment on his eldest brother's face his surprise gift had the desired effect.
"We're a little too old for dress-ups, Kol," Elijah scoffed.
"I don't know, maybe ask Niklaus about that," Kol teased. Now all eyes were on Klaus and he wasn't quite sure what to do or say. He noticed Caroline had been decidedly quiet and wasn't sure whether that was a good or bad sign.
"You knew all this time," he hissed, standing up defiantly, even if his muscles were screaming in pain. "You all knew?" Suddenly everything came back in flashes. Bonnie frequenting the always fully stocked first aid cupboard, Katherine distracting Elijah and Caroline...His eyes met her blue ones willing her to answer.
"You're not the best liar, Nik," Kol admitted. "I just thought it was time we all stopped pretending that you weren't doing something completely unexpected like fighting crime in your spare time."
"What he means to say, but is expressing it badly, is that we want to be able to assist, without all the false pretence. When we realised about your double life a while back we decided to help you out a bit. You know lighten your load," Bonnie offered, meekly.
"I'm not the most selfless person," Katherine began and by the knowing looks around the room no one was going to rebut that statement. "But given your celebrity status I figured I could least lend a hand."
"What the hell is going on here?" Elijah insisted.
"Klaus is the Original," Caroline finally spoke, although her voice was muffled and her eyes downcast. They all knew, even her. Suddenly he felt so stupid.
"You know Elijah..."
"I know who that is Kol," he growled. "But how?"
Klaus wasn't in the mood to talk about this right now surrounded by people who'd deceived him.
"I can't believe you all lied to me," he hissed. He made a move for the door before she spoke again, her voice making him freeze.
"What? Like you lied to all of us?" She baulked. "Look, we knew you wanted to keep this a secret so we went along with it. But we don't like seeing you hurt all the time and not being able to admit we know why."
He turned to face Caroline his gaze trained on her beautiful features and thought back to earlier that morning and the way she'd tended to his bleeding cut without a word. Maybe their silence on the matter was killing them just as much as it was him.
"I'm still confused," Elijah interrupted.
"It's okay baby, I'll explain it to you." Katherine cooed, pulling him up from the lounge and leaving the room, the rest of them in tow sensing he needed a minute to cool down.
"Why didn't you say anything?" He mumbled, finally finding his voice.
"Because you didn't," she murmured, moving closer and cupping his cheek, stroking her thumb over the spot she'd tended to earlier.
"I'm sorry, I didn't say anything, but you have to believe me, I wanted to every single day," he conceded. "I just wasn't sure how you'd feel about my choice in extracurricular activities."
"You thought I'd be scared." Her blue eyes were now boring into his and Klaus was finding it increasingly difficult to breath.
"No, I thought you'd only want me for my superhero status," he teased, earning a slap on the cheek for his efforts. "Hey!"
"You deserved it."
"I was trying to lighten the mood," he reasoned, pulling her into his arms and running his hands through her golden waves. "But just so you know I have no intention of ever leaving you, sweetheart, because I love you so there's no reason to be frightened."
"Can I have that in writing?" She grinned, her palms lying flat on his toned chest, causing a certain area to tingle in response.
"How about we come to another type of agreement in Vail?"
"You're really going to take some time off from superhero duty?"
"For you I would do anything," he growled, greedily capturing her lips and losing himself in the gentle massage of her mouth against his. It was something he'd wanted for so long but had never really dreamed possible.
After a few minutes, she pulled away unexpectedly, Klaus feeling a little rejected. She looked at him sternly and Klaus knew she was about to give him an order.
"As much as I love this and can't wait for our snowy get away, with your superhero suit of course, you need to go out there and apologise to everyone."
"But..." he replied petulantly, still feeling somewhat deceived.
"But nothing, they have been your support system all this time even if you had no idea..." Before he could argue she read his mind as usual. "And that includes Kol."
"Fine," he conceded, pretending to be upset but his stupidly goofy grin no doubt giving him away. "You know you're pretty good at giving orders, any chance you want to don a cape and join me?"
"Just wait until you get me into bed Mikaelson. All of my superpowers will be revealed." She purred, leaning in and nipping his lips briefly before sauntering away, her hips wiggling seductively as she did.
Maybe this superhero gig did have its perks after all.