"You've been avoiding me."

Damon raised his head and met Klaus' stony gaze with a quirked brow. Dobby's head swivelled back and forth between the two of them for a few moments before he let out a high-pitched noise and disappeared with a crack, leaving them both alone in the kitchen.

"I haven't been avoiding you." Damon refuted calmly, despite feeling anything but, "I've been busy, you know what the past week has been like."

"You're lying," Klaus shot back, a slight growl underlying his tone. "You're just using everything that's happened as an excuse. You've deliberately avoided being alone with me, since I fed you, my blood."

Damon's stomach did an excited but entirely unwelcome flip at the reminder. Klaus had saved his life. Without his blood, Damon would have succumbed to Lilith's curse before Galen removed it. But blood sharing between vampires was an intimate thing, usually only exchanged between partners because of the feelings that came with it. Blood carried their emotions, and when Klaus had fed him his blood, Damon had felt the echoes of what Klaus was feeling, emotions he hadn't been prepared for.

He was attracted to Klaus, as much as he tried not to dwell on it, having decided pursuing that attraction was not a good idea in the long run. Knowing that Klaus was attracted to him in return made it harder for him to keep to the lines he'd drawn in the sand when he'd first realized what he felt for the Original Hybrid. The echoes of attraction, affection, fear, and desperation that had flickered through him as he'd drunk Klaus's blood had blurred those lines, which was why, as Klaus had put it, he'd been avoiding him the past few days.

It would be too easy to succumb to his desires knowing Klaus felt the same—easy but inadvisable. Maya came first, and dating Klaus, however attractive the possibility was, ran too much of a risk of hurting her, something he absolutely refused to do. If things didn't work out between him and Klaus, she would end up caught between them, and he couldn't do that to her. They couldn't do that to her.

He'd been silent for too long, caught up in his thoughts he hadn't responded to Klaus's words.

"Are you not going to say anything?"

"Klaus –" Damon began carefully, trying to think of how to explain his feelings.

"You drank my blood." Klaus stated before Damon could formulate any more of a response. "You know how I feel, either you feel the same way, or you don't, so just tell me."

Damon took a deep breath, trying to steady himself.

"It's not that simple, Klaus."

"It's exactly that simple!" Klaus thundered. "Either you are attracted to me or you're not."

Damon knew it would be easy to end this right here and now with a lie. A simple statement and Klaus would back off; they could go back to being co-parents to Maya. But looking into Klaus's eyes, seeing the hint of vulnerability hidden deep within them, he couldn't do it. He couldn't lie to him. Something must have shown in his face because Klaus closed the space between them, leaving mere inches.

For a moment, they were both still, staring at each other. Damon's breath hitched, his heart pounding in his chest. The air between them crackled with tension, an unspoken understanding passing through their locked gaze. The world outside seemed to fade away, leaving just the two of them in this charged, intimate bubble.

Then Klaus closed the last of the gap. He grabbed hold of Damon with a firm yet gentle grip, tilting his head down slightly. Damon's breath hitched as Klaus's lips pressed against his, soft yet insistent. Instinctively, Damon responded, his hands finding their way to Klaus's waist, pulling him closer. The kiss deepened as Klaus's tongue slipped inside, exploring with a fervent intensity.

The sensation was overwhelming. Damon's mind screamed that this was the wrong move to make, that he shouldn't allow it, but the physical attraction, the sheer force of the connection he felt, overcame his senses. His fingers dug into Klaus's back, feeling the taut muscles beneath his shirt. The kiss was a dance of need and desperation, both of them pouring everything they had been holding back into this single, electrifying moment.

Klaus's hands slid down to Damon's shoulders, gripping tightly as if afraid to let go. Damon's own hands roamed, tracing the lines of Klaus's body, savouring the heat and solidity of him. Each touch, each caress, seemed to fan the flames of their shared desire.

Time lost meaning as they stood there, locked in each other's embrace. The world outside the kitchen ceased to exist, replaced by the whirlwind of emotions and sensations they were sharing. Damon could feel Klaus's heart beating in sync with his own, a rhythmic reminder of the life and passion they both carried.

Finally, they broke apart, panting for breath, their foreheads resting against each other. Damon's eyes fluttered open, meeting Klaus's gaze.

"We can't do this," Damon whispered softly. "I'm attracted to you, I can't lie about that, but we can't do this."

"Give me one good reason why not," Klaus challenged, his voice a low growl.

"Maya." Damon let go of his grip on Klaus's hips and took a step back. "I won't do anything to hurt her."

"And you think I would?" Klaus's eyes flashed with hurt and anger.

"No, of course not. Not on purpose, but if we give in to this attraction and it doesn't work out, she'd be the one caught in the crossfire. I can't let that happen, and neither can you."

Klaus's jaw tightened, his eyes searching Damon's for any sign of wavering.

"Damon, we're stronger than that. We can make this work without hurting her."

Damon shook his head, his resolve firm but his heart aching.

"We might be able to handle the fallout, but she's just a child. She shouldn't have to navigate our mess. I won't risk her happiness for our desires."

"Our daughter is my top priority, but don't use her as an excuse because you're afraid of risking your heart."

It was the first time Klaus had admitted out loud that Damon was just as much of a father to Maya as he was, that she was a daughter to both of them, his by blood and Damon's by love. That more than anything gave Damon the perspective he needed for this discussion.

"I love Maya, more than I ever thought was possible, and I would never do anything to hurt her. But we can't deny what's between us. It's not just physical; it's deeper than that. We owe it to ourselves to try, to see if we can make this work."

Damon's heart wavered at Klaus's words. He wanted to believe it could be that simple, but the reality of their situation weighed heavily on him.

"And if it doesn't? If things go south and she's caught in the middle?"

"Then we handle it with care, with love," Klaus said, his voice gentle yet determined. "We protect her from the fallout. We show her that sometimes, taking a risk for love is worth it."

Damon sighed, feeling the tension ease slightly as he considered Klaus's words.

"You really think we can do that? Keep her safe, no matter what?"

"I know we can," Klaus replied, reaching out to gently cup Damon's face. "We're not just any vampires, Damon. We're family. And family looks out for each other."

Damon leaned into Klaus's touch, his eyes closing briefly as he took in the warmth and sincerity of the moment. When he opened them again, he saw the determination in Klaus's eyes and felt a flicker of hope.

"Alright," he said quietly. "We'll try. But we talk to Maya first, make sure she's okay with it."

"Fine." Klaus leaned in, to kiss Damon again, but he quickly put a hand up between their faces to stop him.

"And we take it slow."

Klaus grabbed Damon's hand and kissed his palm, smirking at him, a heat in his eyes that made Damon's stomach swoop with glee.

"How slow, love?"

"Klaus," it was more of a breathy whimper than the firm warning he'd intended.

Klaus's smirk deepened, his eyes darkening with desire.

"I'll take that as a challenge, then."

Damon couldn't help but chuckle, feeling a strange mix of nervousness and excitement.

"Just… slow enough that we can figure this out without complications."

Klaus nodded, his expression softening.

"Agreed. We'll take it one step at a time. For us, and for Maya."

Damon finally allowed himself to relax, leaning into Klaus and resting his head on his shoulder. They stood like that for a moment, the weight of their decision settling over them but also bringing a sense of calm. They had a long road ahead, but at least now, they were willing to walk it together.

As they pulled apart, Damon caught Klaus's hand, squeezing it gently.

"One step at a time."

Klaus squeezed back, a small smile playing on his lips.

"One step at a time."

At the knock on her bedroom door and her babbo's voice coming through the wood, Maya sprang into action. Leaping off the bed she'd been lazing on, rather than finishing the homework she was supposed to be doing, she crossed the room and hastily shoved the box of glitter bombs she wasn't supposed to have out of sight behind one of the chairs.

"Just a minute!" she called, trying to keep the panic out of her voice. Her heart raced as she glanced around the room, making sure there were no other incriminating items lying around. The last thing she needed was her babbo discovering her secret stash of forbidden glitter bombs. If he found one vetoed item, he would definitely look for others, and she had many such things stashed around her room that she didn't want confiscated.

Taking a deep breath to steady herself, Maya opened the door, forcing a bright smile onto her face. To her surprise, her dad was there as well.

"Hey, what's up? It's not dinner time already, is it?"

Babbo's expression was a mix of uncertainty and quiet suspicion. The suspicion she understood—he tended to always look a little bit suspicious about what she was up to, probably because she usually was up to something, either planning or enacting a prank. The uncertainty made her heart sink. Something else couldn't have happened already, could it? They'd only just finished dealing with the last of the fallout from Lilith and John Gilbert. She'd thought with that done, things could go back to normal—well, normal for them anyway.

"Hey, kiddo, you've still got an hour or so before dinner. We just wanted to talk to you about something. Can we come in?"

That didn't sound good. When babbo asked to talk to her about something, it was almost always because she'd either broken a rule and he wanted to discuss it and her punishment with her—which definitely wasn't the case today because she hadn't had the time or inclination to break any rules the past few weeks—or it was because something bad had happened or was going to happen. As her face fell into distressed lines, her babbo hurried to reassure her.

"It's nothing bad. Nothing's happened, no one we know is in any kind of immediate danger. We just—" He fell quiet, turning his head towards her dad, silently asking for help.

"There's something we wanted to discuss with you," Dad said immediately. "Something we're keen to explore, but we just want to make sure you're okay with it first. May we come in?"

Curious about what they wanted to talk to her about, Maya stepped aside, her mind racing with possibilities. Her dad walked into the room, her babbo taking a seat on the edge of her bed while her dad leaned against the desk. The room felt smaller, the air thick with anticipation.

She chose to curl up in her armchair, taking care not to shift the throw and reveal the glitter bombs she'd hidden before opening the door.

No one spoke for a moment, her dad and babbo caught in a silent conversation, each urging the other to speak first. Her dad won, and it was babbo who turned to her and spoke first.

"We had a talk earlier about something we both want, but we agreed to discuss it with you first, because we want to make sure you're okay with it."

That didn't sound too bad, but he could be talking about any number of things.

"If you're not okay with it, then it won't happen, but we hope you will be, because like I said, it's something we both want to explore. We promise that if it starts to affect you negatively, we'll call a halt, and neither of us are going to let you get caught in between us. We both love you too much for that."

Maya was getting more and more confused as babbo continued to speak without ever actually explaining what they wanted her approval of. Her dad seemed to agree that he was taking far too long to get to the point because he interrupted babbo's rambling explanation.

"Damon and I are attracted to each other, and we would like to date and see if a relationship would work out between us. We just wanted to make sure you were okay with that first."

Maya's immediate reaction was to yell 'no,' and she only just stopped herself from doing so. It wasn't because she had any objection to them getting together; in fact, she would be thrilled if they did so, because it was completely obvious to anyone with eyes that they liked each other. She was also extremely pleased that they were considerate enough to take her feelings into account. The problem was it was a whole week too early for them to start dating. If they got together now, she would lose the bet. Worse than that, Uncle Kol would win.

He'd be insufferably smug if he won the bet, they all had going on about when her dads would finally realize they liked each other and start dating. Well, except Uncle Elijah, who'd given them all a disapproving look when he'd found out about the betting pool. She wasn't sure if he disapproved in general or because they'd involved her in the betting. She'd heard him lecturing everyone else about teaching her to gamble, so she knew that was definitely a factor.

Putting on a thoughtful look, as if mulling over what her dads had said, she considered how to delay their dating until the date she'd chosen. She needed to figure out a way to stall them, and she knew just how to do it.

"I'm okay with you dating each other," she said finally, smiling broadly when they both visibly relaxed. "But I get to plan your first date."

Her dad raised an eyebrow, looking amused by her demand, while babbo, on the other hand, was clearly once more suspicious.

"You want to plan our date?" he asked, his tone sceptical.

Maya nodded eagerly.

"Yes! But you have to promise not to start dating until then. I need time to organize it. And you have to agree to let me, and Ronan go on dates as well."

Her dad's smile instantly turned into a frown, and he looked on the verge of refusing altogether until Babbo nudged him and gave him a significant look while mouthing something that looked a lot like "Narcissa." Maya wasn't sure why, but her dad instantly smoothed out his expression even as his eyes darted about the room apprehensively.

"Magical districts only until we're older," she added hurriedly, eager to get them to agree, "agreed start and end times, you can even drop me off and pick me up, you're just not allowed to hover when we're actually on our dates."

Her dads exchanged glances, having some sort of silent conversation, their eyes conveying volumes of unspoken words. Finally, they turned back to her, their expressions a mix of resignation and reluctant agreement.

"Yes, to you and Ronan going on dates, as long as you agree to obey the rules." Babbo said.

"What are the rules?"

"Magical Districts only till you're older. You're back home when you say you will be, you let us know where you'll be at all times, and you don't deviate from those plans. You have to stick to your curfew, and if it gets in the way of your studies, we'll be revisiting the discussion. Agreed?"

"Agreed."

"Also, he has to come to dinner here first so I can meet him properly." Dad added.

She rolled her eyes, but nodded, it wasn't a lot to ask if it meant she and Ronan finally got to go on a proper date.

"Fine. But you still have to agree to let me plan your first date, and that it will be when you officially start dating."

Babbo was looking suspicious again, and she turned pleading eyes on her dad, hoping he'd succumb. She didn't want babbo to question why she was so adamant about planning their first date, she was pretty sure he'd be as disapproving about the betting pool as Uncle Elijah was.

"How much time are we talking about?"

"One week."

Her dad chuckled, clearly amused by her enthusiasm, but babbo was still looking suspicious, as if trying to work out what she got out of making them wait a week to start dating.

"Alright, we'll wait a week," Dad agreed. "But we expect this date to be as amazing as you're promising."

Maya beamed. They'd given in to that easier than she'd expected, which meant she was definitely going to win the bet.

"It will be," she promised, her heart pounding with excitement.

As her dads left the room, closing the door behind them, Maya let out a sigh of relief. She sank onto her bed, surrounded by the chaos of clothes, and allowed herself a moment to revel in her victory. A whole week. She just needed to stall them for a week, and then she'd be able to enjoy the sweet satisfaction of winning the bet—and seeing Uncle Kol's face when he lost.

Now, she just had to come up with the perfect first date for her dads, one that would be memorable and special. Casting a quick silencing spell over her room, she grabbed her phone from the desk. She knew just who to ask for help planning the perfect date, someone who wasn't a part of the betting pool and therefore wouldn't care that she was manipulating things in her favour in order to win. In fact, she'd probably find what Maya was doing quite amusing.

"Hello, Maya darling, what can I help you with now?" Katherine's voice purred through the phone, dripping with curiosity.

"I need you to help me plan the perfect first date for my dad's so I can win the betting pool," Maya said, cutting straight to the chase.

"Hmm, would this be the betting pool your aunts and uncles started about when Damon and Klaus would start dating?" Katherine's tone held a note of amusement.

Obviously, Uncle Elijah had already told Katherine all about it, which should make it easier for Maya to get her to agree to help. She just needed to phrase it the right way.

"Yeah, that one. They asked me today if I'd be okay with them dating each other, but if they start dating now, Uncle Kol will win. Whereas if they start dating next Saturday, I'll win. So, I made them agree to wait a week and let me plan their first date, but I need your help to make it perfect because I can't ask anyone else, or they'll figure out what I've done."

Katherine let out a low, delighted laugh.

"Oh, Maya, you are truly your father's daughter. Now before I agree to help, what do I get in return for helping you?"

"I'll stop my dad from getting in the way when you and Uncle Elijah start dating," she replied promptly, already prepared for Katherine's question, knowing that she believed in tit-for-tat, never do something for nothing was practically Katherine's motto, except when it came to birthday and Christmas presents.

"All right, I'll help you make all the arrangements, now what are your thoughts so far?"