Roses_of_Magic prompted "I know you said that Elijah has a bunch of stuff in his office for Kol so maybe we can see Kol get way too overstimulated and his Daddy helps him"
Lunch at Mystic Falls Halls High was never quiet, but it's nothing compared to Kol's new school. The population is doubled here, with a cafeteria cluttered in tables. While at MFHHS there were only a few options for lunch, here there's half a dozen different stations. From pizza to burgers to Chinese food. That doesn't even account for the typical school lunch served day to day. Tomato sauce mixes with orange chicken and overpowering onions.
One table is blasting Katy Perry from a laptop. Another watches a Drake music video on one of their phones. A couple argues over the boyfriend flirting with some other girl. A group of cheerleaders giggle and tease one another.
Kol's own table is talking about a party that'll happen this weekend. Despite it being the closest, he can barely hear them. He sucks down the rest of his blood, not that it helps. Kol rolls up his sleeves, itching his arms. He usually wears this bulky sweater over a t-shirt but he forgot today. The family was running late this morning. Kol barely got to say goodbye to Klaus or his mama.
He reaches into his backpack and digs around, trying to find his headphones. Nothing. Kol scoops it up and turns over his pencil cases, books and the thermos of extra blood. They're not there. A pair of loose earbuds are in the front pocket, but that won't be enough. Hayley found the headphones on a special website. They're supposed to block out all background noise.
Kol gnaws his lip as his stomach aches. He can make out the overwhelming combinations of perfumes, body sprays and cologne. A girl nearby opens a lip gloss, adding cotton candy to the horrendous mix. Someone at his table plays a video of someone tripping down the stairs. The loud crash causes Kol to jump in his seat. He zips up his backpack. Some friends look up with raised brows.
"I gotta…um…I have to check about a test."
Kol jumps up from the table, not bothering to clean up his mess. He walks as fast as he can without raising suspicion as he leaves the cafeteria. Even in the hall, the mania of the cafeteria lingers. He glances around a few times, making sure the coast is clear before vamping up the stairs. A quick turn around the corner and he finds a door labeled "Mr. Mikaelson". Kol digs through the front pocket of his backpack and fetches the key, letting himself in.
The office itself is unassuming. Elijah's desk is covered with pictures of the family, especially Hayley and Kol. There's a stack of papers waiting to be graded in the middle. No one would ever notice the dimmer switch that Elijah installed with Matt's help. There's a large, wooden cabinet pushed against the wall across from the couch. Kol walks over and opens it, digging out the sound machine. He frowns when he can't find his fidgets.
The door opens behind him. Kol clutches the sound machine to his chest as he turns around. He only partially calms down when he sees his father standing there. Elijah takes one look at him and shuts the door, locking it. His "protective, loving daddy" look takes over his eyes. Kol drops the sound machine back onto the shelf and frowns. He goes back to itching his arms.
"Daddy," he whispers.
"Shhh, my little prince, Daddy's here," Elijah soothes. He walks over and cards his fingers through his son's hair. Kol inhales his familiar cologne. His tummy feels a little better. "Overwhelmed?"
Kol nods. "Itchy…loud…cafeteria smelt weird."
"Let's see if we can take care of that. First, we'll get that sweater off you. Arms up."
Kol complies and allows his dad to take it off. Elijah frowns when he sees the fading scratches across his body. He pulls out a bottom drawer to the cabinet and removes one of Kol's faded, comfy sweatshirts. Elijah slips it on him. Kol instantly puts the hoodie up and pulls on the strings.
"I forgot my headphones," he mumbles.
Elijah nods. "I shall get you another pair specifically for your backpack."
Kol bites his lip. "Thank you, Daddy."
"Of course, sweet boy." Elijah rubs his cheek with his thumb. "Go lay down, I'll put on the machine."
"Poppers?"
"Yes, I have some in my desk."
Kol's body lightens as he walks over to the couch. He lays down, drawing his knees to his chest and sticking his thumb in his mouth. Elijah flicks on the sound machine. The whooshing white noise washes over him like warm water. Kol adjusts himself, wishing he had his special pillow. He's debated bringing the case with him to school, but if he lost that, he'd never recover. As it is, he hates when Hayley washes it. She's learned to only do it while he's gone during the day. The meltdown he had when he couldn't have it during a sensory overload one day is something none of them wish to repeat.
Elijah walks over holding one of his silicon poppers. This one is shaped like a unicorn. Kol accepts it, gently pushing down the bubbles. Elijah bends down and kisses his nose. Kol looks up at him with wide eyes.
"You get some rest," his father whispers. "I shall call your mama to come fetch you."
Kol nods, not dropping his thumb. "Otay, Dada," he mumbles. "Pillow."
He smiles. "Yes, I'll have her bring your pillow."
Elijah moves his son's legs to sit beside him. He readjusts Kol so his head is on his lap. Elijah cards his fingers through his hair and allows no other noise outside their heartbeats or the sound machine.
Kol's stomach feels much better by the time his eyes open. His head rest on a pillow rather than his daddy's lap. He whines, sucking harder on his thumb as he looks around, trying to find him.
"Dada?"
"Right here, Little Prince."
Kol follows his voice towards the direction of the door. He stands there with Hayley, both smiling at their little boy.
"Mama!" Kol drops his thumb and holds out his arms. "Dada, Mama's here!"
Hayley vamps over and scoops him up. "Mama's here," she assures him, kissing his forehead. "Did you have a nice nap, Lovebug?"
"Uh huh." He wraps his arms around her neck, wrapping his legs around her waist. "Mama, did you bring my pillow?"
"I did. It's in the car. Let's say bye bye to Daddy then we can go get it."
Kol shakes his head. "Dada come with us."
Elijah gives him a sympathetic smile. "I wish I could, but I have a few more classes."
Kol pouts, looking back at his mom. "Mama, make Daddy come home."
Hayley chuckles, bouncing him a little. "I can't do that. You and I are going to head home. Daddy will join us later."
"But I want Daddy now!"
Kol sniffles, rubbing at his eyes. Hayley rubs his back and softly coos at him. Elijah walks over to the two of them. He cups Kol's cheek.
"Little Prince, Daddy has to finish work. Then I'll come straight home. I promise."
"Then I'll stay with you," Kol decides, holding out his arms.
"As much as I would like that, you know little boys can't be at school. They need to be with their mommies."
"And daddies," Kol argues, petulantly.
"You'll have so much fun with Mama, you'll forget all about me," Elijah says. Kol whimpers. "I know this isn't easy. You must have so many big feelings."
Hayley speaks up, her voice soft. "Do you need your nummies?" Kol rubs harder at his eyes, nodding. "Okay, so, let's go home and snuggle. We can put on Little Bear."
Kol looks Elijah in the eye. "Then Dada will come home?"
"Yes, Little Prince, I promise." He kisses his forehead, a bit of guilt in his eyes. "I love you so much."
"I love you too, Daddy."
Hayley smiles at the two. "Alrighty, Koley, you need to walk out of here, okay? We'll hold hands in the parking lot."
"No runnin'," Kol promises as she settles him on the floor.
"That's right, what a good boy!" She praises, rubbing his back.
Kol wraps his arms around his dad. Elijah hugs him tight, kissing the top of his head.
"Be my good boy, I'll see you soon."
"Yes, Daddy," Kol whispers, squeezing him tightly.
He goes to pull away, but it's Eliijah who's holding him tight this time. Hayley sighs. Kol can see her serious mommy face.
"Elijah."
"Maybe I could try to leave work early…"
"No, you need to finish out your day. We're going to be just fine. Right, Lovebug?"
Kol hesitates. If he put up a big of a fit, maybe his daddy will come home with them. Then they could all cuddle and have a day in bed. It would be fun!
But Mama told him he needs to go home with just her. He needs to be a good listener.
"Yes, Mama," he says. He looks up into his dad's sad eyes. "I'll be okay, Daddy. I promise."
Elijah sighs, putting on a quick smile. "Alright then, I'll see you soon." He kisses each cheek twice then his nose. Kol giggles. "Go have fun with Mama."
Kol looks away as his parents kiss, making a face as they whisper how much they love each other. That's yucky. Hayley leads him out of the office and down the steps. He glances around. The hallways are empty, everyone in class. No one can see him like this. He's not even holding his mom's hand or sucking his thumb, but his anxiety rises up again.
It quickly melts by the time they reach the parking lot. He holds his mama's hand just as he's been taught and follows her to the car. She opens the back door and he climbs in, letting her put on the seatbelt. Kol spots his pillow on the seat beside him and grabs it, holding it tight. He inhales the case, smiling. His daddy's back with him.
Hayley smiles. "Better?"
"Uh huh."
Hayley pushes some hair out of his face. "Maybe we'll take one of Daddy's other pillows and have him keep it in his office."
Kol nods. "You have good ideas, Mama."
Hayley chuckles. "I'm glad you think so. Let's get you home for some nummies."
As always, let me know what you think and feel free to leave prompts!
