Sorry for being MIA. Here's a short one. Be on the lookout for more :) Thanks to writerwithagoal (childoftimeandmagic on tumblr) for beta-ing this. I really appreciated your help!

Prompt by Angelikah (thetourguidebarbie): college!klaroline + drunk dialing AU/AH SFW

One Call Away

It had been a week of both torture and bliss. Klaus had taken the same course as Caroline for about a month, and in that month he had been admiring her from afar. The way she laughed, how her eyes would blaze whenever a classmate said something offensive during class. She had been his muse for a while, and if it weren't for the project he would have most likely never have spoken to her. They had been partnered up for a big presentation that would count as twenty percent of their grade.

Klaus was delighted to find out that Caroline was hard-working and actually cared about her grade, unlike many he had worked with before. He found her tendency to plan and organise absolutely endearing, and before he knew it he had a crush. A one-sided crush, Klaus thought.

"Are we still going to work on the project tonight?" Klaus asked, gathering his things and turning to see Caroline doing the same.

"Sorry, can't tonight. Elena broke up with Stefan again so we have to get drunk," she apologised and Klaus tried not to show his disappointment. His day seemed so promising with her.

"If Elena is the one who broke up why are you getting drunk?"

"Solidarity, Klaus," she stated as if it was obvious.

It was around one in the morning when Klaus got the call. He had been painting a certain blonde and it was getting frustrating. He couldn't get her eyes right no matter how hard he tried. The fire he loved so much just wasn't shining through. He was about to take a break his phone vibrated with an incoming call. He nearly declined but paused when he saw the caller I.D.. Caroline.

A thousand questions swarmed in his head at once. Why was she calling him? Is she okay? He was still worrying when he realised he should probably answer.

"Love, are you alright?" He asked, concern evident in his voice.

"I like you. Like really like you. You and your stupid flirting make me have… have this sorta… fuzziness in my tummy. And it's your fault!" Caroline accused. He could tell by the slight slurring of her words she was drunk. Klaus tried to push down the feeling of happiness because she might have been trying to call that Enzo bloke that had been starting to hang around her.

"I think you might have the wrong number, Caroline. It's me-"

"Wrong number? I thought I pressed the right contact. Whatever, let me tell you about him."

Klaus nearly retched at the thought of Caroline gushing to him about another man, but any attempts of him trying to stop her was met with shushing. He decided to just let her ramble it out since hanging up on her wasn't even an option at this point since he still needed to make sure she was safe.

"He has this accent which makes him sound so pretentious but also really sexy. And he calls me pet names! At first it was annoying but I kinda like it," she muttered. "He also always comes to me, no matter what. If you were him he would already be with me, I think."

Klaus was just about ready to tear out this other man's throat in a jealous rage but he had to make sure she was safe. "Lucky man," he managed to grit out, "but I need you to tell me where you are. Weren't you out with your friends?"

"I was abandoned. You know what happened? Stefan's asshole brother swooped in like a… like a vulture and just took Elena to his stupid man cave. If you have a man cave you probably have a tiny dick."

"Where are you, Caroline?" He asked, hoping that she would answer so he could take her home.

"Uh, I think I'm at a park. It's really green."

"Park? How on earth - nevermind. I'm coming. Don't move, okay?"

"Okie dokie," Caroline sung back.

Just as he was about to hang up, Caroline's voice snatched his attention back again.

"Don't you wanna know his name?"

"I really don't think I do, sweetheart," he answered back, more for the sake of this mystery man than himself, because he didn't think he could stop himself from maiming this man, or at least keying his car.

"SHH! Of course you do. At first I thought it was a weird name, but it's actually so cute. His name is - are you listening? - Niklaus," she whispered, as if telling life changing information.

And it was life-changing.

For Klaus.

She was still rambling about how technically he has three names since he goes by three different ones depending on the person he was talking to as he was struggling to catch his breath.

Caroline Forbes liked him. Suddenly the reality of the words hit him, and he was left grinning like a maniac. She liked him! He never got dressed so quickly as he sped out of his apartment and jumped into his car.

Caroline hung up on him before he started to drive, and it only took ten minutes to get to where she was. She was sitting on a bench, head lolling forward as her eyes started to drift shut. Klaus ran over to her and caught her just before she fell. The movement jostled her and she sluggishly opened her eyes which widened at the sight of him.

"You came," she whispered.

"Of course I did," Klaus said as he tried to help her stand. When she started to fall he ended up coaxing her on his back. He felt her breathing even out as she started to fall asleep, but not before he heard her breathe out, "I like you."

His day was really looking up.

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