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is it all right if you do more of the suitcase reaction

NRC’s Reaction to Newt!MC Disappearing in Their Suitcase (part 2)

Newt!MC is inspired by Newt Scamander

Third years + Ortho

Trey's big brother instincts kicked in when he saw you disappeared and rushed over to look down before he started calling your name. Once he saw you down below, he let out a sigh of relief before climbing down to remind you to not scare him like that again. Ace and Deuce do that enough.

Cater was planning on taking a selfie, but accidentally was recording a video and saw the entire thing. Whipping his head, he also would come over and then see the depth of your suitcase and then asked nicely for a tour of the place which you gave as payback.

Leona’s eyes widened when he saw you disappeared and was concerned, internally. He’ll tell you that he wasn’t worried and you shouldn’t disappear instantly or else people would be asking him questions since he was the last one to see you. He does care, but has a reputation to uphold. He may try to sneak into the case later and hide out there for the rest of the day, only to skip class or to hide from Cheka.

Idia let out a loud squeak when he saw you fall straight down into your case before popping your head back up to check on the poor gamer. Internally, he was panicking and was worried you were disappearing forever. You have to make sure to warn him next time you decide to disappear into your case. It reminded him of a show he watched and had a couple of questions to ask.

Malleus was dumbfounded when he saw you open your suitcase and just dropped in. He is in the same boat as Idia and was scared that you would disappear forever. When you popped your head back up, he was impressed by your ability to make your suitcase spacious. Do all magical individuals have this magical traveling box? He was utterly astonished when you showed him the inside. Definitely offered a gargoyle statue to help decorate the interior.

Lilia is in the same boat as Malleus, he is ecstatic about your suitcase and  would probably follow you in after you disappeared into it. He is quite curious about the charm and would want to know more, just to hear you talk.

Ortho was curious about your case and believed it when Idia told him about you disappearing in your case. He asked to see the inside, you opened it and dropped in with ease. He was absolutely ecstatic about your case and would investigate the interior of it.

A sweet lil’ commission for @kinesisboomer of their OC’s Lieutenant and Tormentor! Beautiful babies. Sweet babies. I want to know everything about them.

Modern AU where the boys save each other from their canonical deaths (PART 3)

Sorry, I cannot stop drawing it… I have to

The Things I'm Not

Series: A Study in Spite

Requested by: @heartbreakgrill and @whatsupb18

Word Count: 14,000 (But I promise it's worth it.)

Summary: Even after your parents kicked you out, you thought you would be safe with Kol. Unfortunately for you, hateful people suck and don't know when to give up. || Kol x reader || Here lies my Masterlist ||

Warnings: Oh, boy... Where do I start? This fic starts out fluffy but it does not stay that way. There's language, violence, quite a bit of blood, A-N-G-S-T, brief references to suicide, mentions of guardian figures encouraging self-harm, a sprinkling of brutality, and some not-so-healthy relationship behavior. But the request asked for psychotic and I delivered as best I could. Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy.

🔪STORY BEGINS BELOW🔪

You were driven from your dreams by the grating sound of distant arguing. That was nothing unusual, your parents fought a lot lately. So was it really your fault if it took a solid 10 minutes for you to realize that the bickering voices didn't belong to your parents?

Come to think of it, something was off. The sheets surrounding you were much too soft to be yours and the bed beneath you was… breathing.

Your eyes snapped open.

Well… this wasn't your room. 

A pair of arms held you close, one wrapped low around your waist and the other over your back. You had to crane your neck to catch a glimpse of whoever you were cuddled up to. Dark hair, sharp features, soft expression.

Kol.

The night before came rushing back and you blushed fiercely, smiling to yourself all the same. Kol had kissed you. He'd asked you to stay, carried you back, and sang softly until you fell asleep in his arms. When you had first agreed to go out with him, you hadn't thought he actually cared about you. Why would he? No one else did. So even as time had worn on, the thought never really crossed your mind. 

But you realized it now. Somehow, with the early morning light filtering through the curtains and casting a soft glow on his face, it was easier to see. He looked so young and innocent so peaceful - like the eighteen-year-old boy he should have been allowed to be. The ravenous animal under his skin was caged for now and the last thousand years of heartache could lay no claim on him here, so long as he remained in his dreams. It was impossible to imagine that an original vampire might somehow care for you. But Kol as you saw him now? That didn't seem so far-fetched.

Yes, you saw it now. That boy had a lot of love to give. Kol did care about you - truly. He genuinely wanted to take care of you. He wanted you to be alright - happy even.

How extraordinary.  

You smiled and laid your head on his chest again, listening to his heartbeat just the same as yours. The two of you really weren't so different. It seemed silly that you'd once believed otherwise.

Kol hummed.

"I know you're awake, darling," He mumbled, still a little groggy. His arms around you tightened as he shifted and you bit your lip, eyes widening. His voice was quiet and raspy and… really hot actually - not that you'd ever admit that out loud. "But please-" He sighed, burying his face in your hair. " -don't make me get up yet?"

You snickered, shaking your head a bit though it was mostly just an excuse to nuzzle closer to him. "What? Is Mr. Perfection not a morning person?"

"Don't say that as if you are," He joked, lightly poking you in the side. You couldn't help but giggle and you shrugged, feeling a smile on his lips as he pressed a kiss to the crown of your head. "How'd you sleep?"

Funny, he was the first person to ask you that in a while. 

"Honestly?" You drew in a breath. "I haven't slept so well in two years." As soon as the words left your lips, you found yourself chuckling at the sheer absurdity of them. "And yeah, I'm well aware of just how stupid that is," You added. 

"Why say that?" Kol wondered, lifting his head a little. His hand on your back took to drawing idle shapes along your shoulder blade. Those trailing fingers coaxed a shiver from your bones despite being surrounded by his pleasant warmth. 

You shrugged but spoke anyway. Kol was safe - you knew now that you could tell him anything. 

"Well, I've been going to counsel meetings since my freshman year of highschool," You explained quietly, playing with a strand of your hair. "I just never took them seriously until suddenly I was a senior and all these people around town - people I knew, went to school with, couples I'd baby-sat for - they all started dying. A-and I know what an animal attack looks like - I live in rural Virginia, for crying out loud!" You laughed but it quickly died off and your voice quieted further. "At council meetings, the police… they-they would show pictures o-of the bodies. They were never really very bloody, you know? So, uh… I mean, you-you could really see… inside." Memories flashed behind your eyes. Sickening, bloodless murals of mutilated muscle, tendons, skin, and bone.

Kol didn't speak. He just rubbed your back soothingly.

You shook your head minutely. "There were never any scratches," You mused. "No claws - just teeth. Mountain lions… mountain lions, or-or coyotes, they… they don't do that. So, when there was only one thing that could have… Well, I guess it was sort of like a slap to the face 'cuz these savage predators my parents had been telling me horror stories about for years were actually real and now they were right outside the door. So, I just got real scared… and I stopped sleeping."

You didn't have to see his face to know he was frowning, brows drawn together in a question. 

"You… you saw?" He asked in hardly a whisper. You nodded. "And you still let me hold you?"

A wry smile tugged at your lips. "Pretty stupid, eh?"

The boy seemed to relax, he laid his head back and forced out a breath but the tension in his shoulders was far from gone. His arms tugged you closer as though he feared you might run away if he let go.

"How can you trust me if you've seen what I can do to you?" There was something very vulnerable in his voice as he asked that question. You were reminded of your conversation the night before - his own mother saw nothing good left in him, nothing worth loving. 

You took a moment to answer, thinking it through. 

"You made me a promise," You decided, nodding to yourself.

"I promised I'd never intentionally cause you pain," He said. "What if I slip up? It happens sometimes - I just get so hungry and I can't control it. What if I hurt you by accident?"

The words left your lips before you had time to doubt them. "I don't think you will." 

"How can you be sure?" He rested his cheek against your hair, inhaling deeply. "I'm the most vile thing you've ever met."

"I know." You smiled but it was a lie. Kol was not the most vile thing you knew. That distinction took on a much more mundane form. "Though, if you're the most dangerous monster in the world, then I can sleep peacefully knowing that right next to you is the safest place I can be." You slipped your arms up around his neck, still too tired to give him a proper hug. "You'll keep all the monsters away… Even your own."

The boy huffed a laugh and before you really knew what was happening, you were lying on your back and Kol was hovering over you, grinning cheekily. 

"You know, I think you're right," He said. 

You smirked, stretching out a little. "Of course I am."

"You're also gorgeous." Kol brushed a strand of hair away from your face and leaned down to kiss you.

His lips were just as soft as they'd been the night before and his movements just as sweet. That boy's kisses were like a winter champagne toast, bubbly and fun and just a little bit intoxicating, but nothing too serious. He knew you were still getting used to this - to him, and everything he was - so Kol was gentle and slow… But he was still himself. So naturally, when his champagne lips left yours, he immediately started working his way lower. Starting along your jaw and leaving a trail of achingly soft kisses as he moved down the column of your throat. 

It was similar to the way he'd kissed you the night of your first date, except it was more meaningful this time - more personal. You realized that night had merely been a trial run, this was the real deal. Kol's lips found your pulse and he paused, letting go of an uncertain breath.

"Thank you for trusting me, Y/N," He murmured into your skin. Kol never said anything unless he really meant jt. 

You wove your fingers into the hair at the base of his neck. "Thank you for caring."

"Always," He promised. 

Kol's lips parted when he attacked your pulse again and those slow, perfect kisses lost a little bit of their innocence. He was too good at this. Each one left you craving more, so you couldn't really help the moan that escaped your lips when Kol dipped his head to mouth at your collarbones. The mark he'd left on you weeks before had faded but he seemed keen to replicate his work. 

His kisses grew rougher, more fervent. Warmth bloomed wherever he touched and you found yourself utterly lost in it. Blunt teeth began scraping and nipping at your skin and-

Oh… Oh, that felt good.

His lips returned to your pulse, spreading a gooey, perfect heat down your spine in thick waves and his tongue darted out to steal a taste. Your body arched  up and Kol groaned.

Then those blunt teeth turned sharper than knives. 

You froze. Kol's breathing ran ragged and you gasped as he pressed their needle-like points into your skin with pressure on the very knife edge of drawing blood. The boy stilled. 

When he pulled away, his eyes were closed and his expression drawn. You could see black veins writhing beneath the skin under his eyes and you watched, apprehensive, as he took a few deep breaths to calm himself. The predator faded from the surface a few moments later and he sighed, opening his eyes. He offered you a dry smile.

"I think it's time for breakfast," He said softly. An apology lingered in those chocolate eyes.

But you were safe. That was what mattered.

You gave him a smile to let him know you were okay. "Lead the way then." The boy grinned down at you.

At that precise moment, the door to Kol's bedroom flew open with a bang.

He closed his eyes and cursed.

"Well good morning, little brother!" An obnoxious voice exclaimed. The figure in the doorway could not have sounded any more smug.

"Bugger off, Nik," The boy snapped.

"Why? Having a good time with your lady friend?" Klaus teased, smirking.

Kol grimaced. "I was, no thanks to you." He moved off of you and stood before scooping you into his arms in the next second. "We're going to get breakfast now. Bye!" 

"Wait!" You held up a hand to stop him. Kol raised a brow. "I need my phone. Gotta know if good ole' mom and dad have put a bounty on my head yet."

The boy chuckled but swiped your phone from the nightstand and passed it to you. "My lady."

Then the world lurched and you were sitting on the counter of the kitchen island. You blinked and rubbed the sleep from your eyes. When you looked up again, Klaus had joined you as well.

He stood in front of his younger sibling, arms folded behind his back. "Come now, brother. You know I don't mind you bringing your toys home, but I really must insist on knowing exactly who resides in my house at any given time." The hybrid's tone was mostly casual but it carried a lethal edge just beneath the surface. He turned on his heel, rounding on you. You knew he wouldn't hurt you though - he'd signed that treaty with the council same as Kol. "Who might you be, love?" He asked.

"And what do you want for breakfast?" Kol tagged on.

"I'm Y/N, but I'm not sure how much longer I'll be a Y/L/N," You replied, powering on your phone. You weren't sure what your parents would have to say about your little stunt, but you were positive it wouldn't be anything good. "Oh, and I saw some Pop Tarts in y'alls pantry last night and I don't mind if I do."

Klaus recognized your name though he wasn't sure from where. You gave him a moment to think and went scrolling through your texts.

"Really, darling? Pop Tarts?" Kol leveled you with a look of sheer disappointment.

"What? It's been forever since I had one of those things!" You defended. 

"Why?"

You shrugged, trying to cover the twinge in your chest. "Weapons don't get junk food."

Kol blinked and his mouth pressed into a thin line. "You know what? Take as many bloody Pop Tarts as you want."

"Yay!"

Klaus' eyes darkened then and you knew he'd found his answer. "Your parents are on the Founder's Council." It was more of a statement than a question.

"Yup. And that very same council is planning to gas this fine establishment with enough vervain to choke an undead horse sometime soon, so I suggest y'all start routinely checking your vents for the next couple of weeks." You sighed, looking up from reading the last of your parent's rage texts. "And before you ask: No, I don't know anything more than that because I'm not invited to their little meetings anymore."

"I'm afraid that sounds rather unlikely," A new voice chimed into the conversation. A man dressed in an expensive suit waltzed through the kitchen doorway. He looked like an older, less happy version of Kol, so you figured that must have been Elijah. 

"No, I can assure you - she's been thoroughly shunned." Kol grinned as he got himself a plastic bag out of the refrigerator, the contents of which you tried not to pay attention to.

Elijah shot him a flat look. "I was referring to this supposed plot of the council. Mayor Lockwood already assured us there would be peace."

"I'm sure she did," You said."However, Mayor Lockwood was not privy to the - what's a fancy word - formulation of this plan." You felt an odd need to step up your vocabulary in their presence.

Klaus seemed thoroughly - if not darkly - amused by your comments. He chuckled. "Sweetheart, she's the mayor."

"I'm aware of that, thanks," You deadpanned. "Problem is, an unfortunate majority of the council believes that some of its members have lost their nerve, namely Mayor Lockwood, Sheriff Forbes, and that Damon Salvatore guy."

"Well, that's probably because Salvatore and his little brother happen to be quite dead," Kol hummed. 

"As is Sheriff Forbes' daughter Caroline," Klaus chimed in. "Not to mention, her boyfriend Tyler Lockwood - my oh-so-lucky first hybrid." 

You coughed, nearly choking on your Pop Tart as you glanced between them, wide-eyed. 

Kol frowned. "Did you not know that?"

"I did not," You admitted slowly. "But you know what? That makes a lot of sense, actually." You shook your head, getting back on track. "Anyway, the rest of the council has decided that the Mayor's methods are far too passive. So they're taking things into their own hands. Again, that's all I know; y'all are welcome for the warning."

Klaus folded his arms over his chest, nodding. Out of the corner of your eye, you watched Kol tense. He wasn't about to let you be hurt.

"Let's say you are telling the truth, love," The hybrid began, sounding rather ominous. "What then, pray tell, are you doing here?"

You huffed a bitter laugh and Klaus' dangerous smirk dropped just a little. 

"Well, if forty-seven texts, twenty-two calls, and three Emails are anything to go by, then I'm getting myself disowned," You said with a fake smile. 

"Why?" He wondered, brows furrowing into an expression both curious and suspicious.

"Because metaphorically speaking, my parents are Death Eaters and I just slept with a muggle." It hurt a lot less when you were making fun of it.

It seemed Elijah was the only one to get your joke. He snickered and his brothers looked to him for an explanation. 

"It's from a book series called Harry Potter. The Death Eaters in the story are blood supremacists and Muggles are the group they discriminate against," He said.

The other two nodded in vague understanding and you reminded yourself to introduce Kol to Harry Potter.

You waved a hand. "It's less funny when you explain it." Hopping up from your chair, you approached Klaus. Kol flinched, looking about ready to tackle his brother should the hybrid try anything. "Anyway, you built this place right? You said it's your house?"

His eyes narrowed. "Yes…"

You took a deep breath, trying to calm yourself. It wasn't as if you had many other options. 

"Would it be too much if I asked to stay here for a while? Just a couple days - maybe a week? I'd never typically ask this of anyone but, um…" Your voice broke off as your throat closed around the words you'd been about to speak. They died on your tongue, so you shoved your phone into his hands instead, offering him a view of your parent's latest message.

His eyes skimmed over it and the expression he wore softened just slightly.

You knew what the text said.

"Your accounts have been frozen and we've terminated your scholarship. If you want to act like a purposeless whore, then you can live like one. Don't. Come. Back."

Tears welled in your eyes without your permission. You knew your parents had run out of love for you, but this? This was one step further.

This was active hatred.

Klaus frowned, glancing between you and Kol as if trying to figure something out. Just a few feet away, Kol looked like he wanted to grab you and run. 

"I just don't know where else to go," You whispered, bowing your head. "A-and I know it's a lot to ask, but I'm not safe now that I've told you this. You just… you don't understand what they're willing to do. I don't even think I could explain how much they hate you! This town is cursed along with everyone in it," You were rambling but you lost your ability to care about that as the horror of your situation truly dawned on you for the first time. "You guys don't know. You don't know what they said - what they're capable of. You don't know what they told me to do!"

Kol took a step toward you and Klaus crossed his arms over his chest. Behind him, Elijah's eyes narrowed. Their expressions belied varying levels of concern.

"Darling?" Kol spoke up cautiously. "Why do I get the feeling there's something you need to tell me?" 

You blinked quickly, snapping out of your panic. You'd said too much and you had to bite down on your tongue to keep the rest of it inside. You wanted to tell him, you really did. You'd wanted to tell him this exact thing the night before, but you'd deflected then too. You needed to do this, but-

"I can't."

His eyes narrowed. "Why not?"

"If I tell you, you'll kill them all."

The three brothers glanced at one another. When Kol spoke, he did so slowly - as if it pained him.

"Darling, listen. If you tell me, I'll not act without your explicit permission," He said. "Alright?"

Kol was safe. You could trust him. He wasn't going to hurt you.

You drew in a breath that rattled your lungs as you rapidly blinked tears from your eyes. You looked at your feet, ashamed, though you knew logically that none of this was your fault.

"The Council is sick with hatred," You began, trying to keep your voice even. "It's like a disease and it's infected all of them. People I thought I knew - my own parents - they want me to be a weapon."

Kol, of course, already knew that but you explained for the other two. Klaus stiffened but Elijah reached out and laid a hand on his arm. You continued, wringing your hands.

"One of them - I think it was Carter Hamilton's wife - she found out I was seeing Kol." 

No matter how desperately you wanted to, you just couldn't bring yourself to look at him. It wasn't his fault but you couldn't stand to think of him the way they did - like a wild animal that couldn't control it's urges.

"She-she found out, and she brought it up at one of the meetings. She talked to my parents about it - not even to me - like I wasn't even there. She said - she suggested that they stop giving me vervain." Your voice caught and the words felt like glass to try and swallow. Suddenly you felt like you weren't getting enough oxygen - the air in the kitchen felt thin.

"She thought that if… if I could, um… w-well, if I could get him to… " You breathed in and out. In and out. 

"She said that if I could get Kol to-to… feed… on me just, um, just a few times without vervain, then maybe they could slip enough of it to me one day to catch him off guard. They thought that maybe if they could… They wanted to use me to weaken you, Kol… and then, um, then maybe decapitation might kill you."

"And say you had been seriously injured in such an ill-conceived attempt on my brother's life," Elijah proposed in a tone of measured neutrality. He stood hardly a few feet from you but his voice sounded strangely indistinct - almost far away. "Did any member of the council propose a feasible method for ensuring your survival?"

You shook your head, eyes stinging with unshed tears you should have felt safe enough to cry earlier. 

"No," You answered, voice thinning further, poised to snap. Your whole body was trembling. "They didn't think it was important enough. Hamilton's wife said my only purpose was to make Kol weak, and that I needed to do whatever it took to do that." You sucked in a breath through your teeth clenched like a vice. If you relaxed a single muscle, you were sure you'd fall apart.

"The rest of the council agreed with her."

Finally, you mustered the courage to lift your gaze, meeting his warm chocolate eyes. Kol looked like he was gonna be sick. His hands were clenched into fists but there was more than just rage in his countenance. There was disgust and not only for the Council. No, there was guilt there too. Disgust and guilt for what he'd very nearly done hardly a few minutes before.

Upon meeting his eyes, your stomach twisted with shame for ever having associated with those people. You didn't feel or think the things they did. Kol had never been a monster to you, he'd never done anything to hurt you. So revealing what you'd been told to do wrought a foul, nauseating guilt boiling under your lungs like you'd never felt before. The more you let yourself think about it, the more deeply you realized how twisted and cruel the Council's plan for you truly was. 

Intentionally encouraging Kol to indulge his curse on you? Allowing hateful people he'd not harmed in any way, to take advantage of his weaknesses in order to kill him for something he couldn't change? It was sick!

It was all so sick and your parents had been among those telling you to do it.

All you could feel was shame and hurt and you yearned to just run away from it all and hide so you wouldn't have to face him. But no. No, you had to look him in the eye now. Kol deserved to know why you'd been so terrified of him for so long. His arms were the only safe place for you now and he deserved to know why. He deserved to know everything.

And you weren't even to the worst part yet.

"They told me not to fight you," You whispered. "They said that if you - no, um, they said when - when you bit me, that I should let you. They, um, they told me to let you do anything you wanted… even if-if it h-hurt me. They said I should let you feed as much as you wanted, even if I passed out because otherwise it would ruin the plan. They told me that if I died then it was okay because I'd be dying for their stupid, miserable Cause." You spat the last words out with more venom than you'd ever spoken anything. You closed your eyes and let the tears in your eyes slip down your cheeks. You'd held them in long enough.

Before you had another moment to think, you found yourself caught up in a pair of arms. His were only pair you'd ever really had - the only ones you could rely on. You buried yourself in them, safe from the world - safe from the Council. Kol's soft voice murmured soothing words in your ear in a language you didn't understand, while his fingers ran themselves skillfully through your hair and he just let you cry. 

"They were supposed to protect me!" You sobbed into his shirt. The pain of all these thoughts you'd avoided processing crashed down on you now. So you clung to him. "They promised to keep me safe! They said I'd never have to fight - that it would never come to that! But they lied! They lied to me, Kol! They lied to me and they told me to die!" That was what they'd really told you to do, you realized. "They told me to kill myself!"

You hated them.

The boy holding you froze. He pulled away just a fraction of an inch, absorbing your revelation like a bullet to the gut. Perhaps he wanted to say something - perhaps he wanted to demand why you hadn't told him this earlier - but you didn't care to look at him. You just shook your head, fisting his shirt, and let him take the pain you could bear no longer.

His arms were around you again a second later, cradling you as close as he possibly could. Kol held onto you with the same determined ardor as he had just last night. He held you like he wouldn't let you go for the whole world - like it wouldn't mean anything without you. He held you as if he would fall to pieces if he loosed his grip but a fraction. The space between his arms was reserved just for you. Entirely yours. Safe.

Once he felt that he'd held you long enough to speak, his voice was a myriad of emotions that all lent themselves to just one feeling. It was a three-word feeling that he wasn't willing to say out loud just yet, but it was there. You could feel it too. It had been there when you'd woken up with him that morning, though you weren't ready to say it either.

"You listen to me, darling, and you listen well." Kol spoke in a growl so low you wouldn't have heard it had his lips not been at your ear. He held you tight and close. "Forget everything that Council ever told you. Forget it, right now! Because you are not their pawn to be sacrificed. You are mine. Understand that? You're mine, and I am never going to hurt you. Never. I promise."  

And you knew that boy didn't promise things lightly.

"I don't wanna be like them,"You whispered.

"You're not," He affirmed. "You are nothing like they are."

You sighed, and the shards of glass in your lungs seemed to fall out. They'd been there so long you'd almost forgotten what it was like to breathe easy.

"Do me a favor?"

"Yes. Of course, name it," He readily replied, grasping handfuls of your clothes and hair. "Tell me how to make it better?"

"Don't kill them?" He stiffened. "Please?"

Kol snarled, hugging you closer. "I don't know if I can promise that bit."

You shook your head, wrapping your arms around his neck to return the hug properly. "You don't have to promise. Just say you'll try?" 

Kol cursed.

"I don't think you quite understand the weight of what you're asking, sweet-thing." He almost sang those words and the speed at which his tone flipped should have terrified you.

"Maybe not." You shrugged. Kol was a one thousand year old being for goodness sakes. You couldn't expect him to change on a dime. "But I'm asking."

"They don't deserve forgiveness," He spat.

"This isn't forgiveness," You maintained. "It's spite."

That was all it had ever been. All you really had from the beginning.

"Well, as delightful as this has been, I really don't think I'm up for watching the two of you explore one another for the next few hours." Klaus' voice spoke up from behind you and your face flushed. You'd forgotten he was still there. "So before I take my leave, I'd just like to say that I have no objections to you staying here, Y/N. Consider yourself an honored guest in this house as long as you may have need of it."

Kol refused to let go of you, but you turned within his arms to face his brother. Behind you, the boy took to nuzzling at your neck.

"You don't think I'm playing you?" 

Klaus sighed and there was something very heavy in it. "There are things one cannot fake, love." The smile he proffered was thin but sincere. "Besides, if you can keep Kol in a good mood then you're more than worth the trouble. Stay as long as you like. Hell, move in if you want to! My little brother needs a decent babysitter."

"Shut up, Nik," The boy grumbled into your throat.

You returned his brother's fragile smile. "Thanks." 

He bowed his head to you and left. Elijah moved to follow but he stopped at the door. 

"Might there be anything else you need, young one? After all, I believe we were the ones to push you into this unfortunate situation," He said. Those words held an awful lot of regret.

"It wasn't your fault. You didn't turn them into animals - they did that all on their own," You replied somewhat tiredly. "Though, now that you mention it, do you think you could spare a little time to help me get my belongings back? I'm kind of attached to my bean-bag chair."

Elijah cracked a smile. "Certainly."

Kol sighed. "I don't know, darling," He hummed with a tone like a knife edge. "If I go near that house again, I might have to confront the owners of said dwelling and tear them limb from limb."

His words should have scared you. But they didn't.

You hummed. "Do you think you could settle for scaring them out of their wits?"

***

When you arrived at the door to your parent's house, Kol was clinging to you like an oversized koala. That is if a koala could exude thoughts of sweet, sweet arson and murder from its very being in thick, tangible, waves. He didn't seem intent on letting go of you any time soon so you figured you'd just deal with it. Elijah, on the other hand, was fixing his cufflinks in a way that somehow came off as threatening though you weren't going to question it.

You rang the doorbell. 

The door was answered by a shotgun. You went a little cross-eyed looking at it.

"We're back to this again are we?" You could hear the smirk in Kol's voice and you just grinned.

"Hi, dad!" You greeted cheerfully. You had already done all the crying you were going to do. You refused to let that man hurt you anymore.

"Get off my property!" He barked. "You're not welcome here! Any of you!"

Who exactly did he think he was talking to?

"Yeah, well we're coming in anyway." You shrugged. "My new room's missing some things."

"Right," He scoffed. "And how do you expect to get them without the original freaks? They can't get past the threshold without my saying so, and you don't live here anymore."

You hummed nodding. "Nice try, but you couldn't possibly have changed my records that quickly." You ducked under your father's gun - which Kol quickly snatched before proceeding to bend into a knot - then stepped through the door. Your mother stood a few feet inside. 

She shook her head, frantic. "Don't do this, Y/N/N," She begged. "Please don't do this?"

You met her eyes. "Feel free to come in, guys," You said evenly. "Make yourselves at home."

In a split second, Kol had wrapped himself around you again, grinning wide and sharp.

Your mother scurried back, cowering against the far wall. Sure, you could have rubbed it in further, but it just didn't seem worth it.

"Elijah?"

"Yes?" He responded. He didn't break his little staring contest with your father but he did tilt his chin in your direction.

"I don't know if the vervain gas is hidden here, but by all means, poke around."

Your father's eyes could not have contained more rage.

"You told them?!" He demanded in disbelief. You just shrugged. You failed to see how he could be surprised, after the way he'd treated you. The man's lips peeled back and spittle flew from between his clenched teeth. Who was the animal here? "Why you miserable, pathetic, ungrateful, little wh-"

He didn't have time to finish that sentence because Kol had him suspended in the air by his throat. Your father coughed and gagged, writhing in midair. 

"What? Not going to finish?" Kol taunted. He was enjoying this quite a lot. "Can I break him, darling?" He asked, not looking back at you. 

You sighed. "Kol, we talked about this." 

"Come now, he asked for it," The dark-haired boy insisted. "Just a little? I can even put him back together if you want! Who knows? Maybe a little bit of vampire blood in his system will make him less of a brute!"

At the mention of vampire blood, your father let out a strangled scream. He kicked and struggled more violently.

"No!" Your mother cried, moving as if to somehow aid her husband. Kol stopped her with a single finger jabbed in her direction.

"Ah! Did I ask for your opinion?" He shifted his gaze to her and she faltered beneath the weight of it. All objections died in her throat and even you could have sworn you felt the temperature in the room drop with that chilling glare. His next words were soft as death by hypothermia - far too pleasant to be comforting. "Your fate may lay in your daughter's hands, but I wouldn't test me if I were you."

You glanced back up at your father, still fighting and spitting in your direction.

"You know what? Have your fun, just don't go overboard. I'll be in my room." You flicked your hand in a wave and tried not to pay attention to the twist of guilt in your stomach as Kol's grin turned positively gleeful. You just turned and made your way to your room.

To your surprise, the screams didn't last very long. They died down after only about five to ten minutes and by that time, you hadn't even decided what to pack up first. 

"Well, that's one thing taken care of," Kol announced as he waltzed into your room, seeming as content as he'd been when you'd woken up with him. 

"Thanks," You said softly.

"Oh, it was my genuine pleasure."

You rolled your eyes. "I meant for holding back," You said. "You did hold back, right?"

The boy flopped down on your bed, fixing you with an adorable expression you couldn't seem to incite anger from, despite knowing what was behind it. "In my opinion? Absolutely, all things considered."

"What did you do?" You honestly weren't sure if you wanted to know the answer to that.

He shrugged. "Let's just say your father has a brand new tattoo he never wanted. I'd say go take a look, but it's going to take a while to really show up. That is, as long as he receives some stitches for it within the next hour and forty-five minutes."

You raised a brow. "Is that a fancy way of saying you gave him a big-ass scar?"

"Yeah, but it sounds less fun when you say it like that!" He said dismissively, waving a hand. "What we really should have done is gotten Nik over here. He's the artistic one - could have made it fancy - perhaps drawn a hog or something to go with…"

You rolled your eyes, trying to push away the part of you that was currently bombarding you with memories of a time when your parents loved you. Though the more that you thought about it, the more you realized those memories were really just of parents that didn't openly despise you.

"Kol?" You called his name softly and he was sitting by your side in a heartbeat. "This doesn't make me bad, does it?"

That dark-haired boy took your hands in his, thumbs brushing over your knuckles as he urged you to meet his milk-chocolate eyes. 

"No. This doesn't doesn't make you bad," He said. "You didn't do anything today - I did."

"But I let you… wanted you to," You insisted. "What does that make me?"

"It makes you free, darling." He lifted your hand to his lips and pressed a kiss against the back of it. "Don't be sad. It's alright to just enjoy it." A smile tugged at his lips and he pulled you to your feet. "Come now, I'll help you get all this stored and we'll be done in time for lunch. You can teach me another one of your Christmas songs while you're at it."

***

December drew to a close without any major incidents and January passed by much the same, with you and Kol living out something of a crooked fairytale. While you'd originally planned to stay with the Mikaelsons only as long as you needed to find yourself an apartment, that notion was quickly tossed out the window. Kol just kept complaining that an apartment would be nothing more than a waste of time and money, seeing as you spent most of your nights in his bedroom anyway, despite having one of your own.

He wasn't wrong.

Halfway through January, you sued the ever-loving hell out of your parents, pursuing it all the way to the state level where you finally managed to get your savings and checking accounts back. With that money, you figured you would enroll in the spring semester of your chosen college with Kol along for the ride. (He needed to catch up on recent history anyway, so it worked out.)

By February, things were going pretty well and you'd even started getting back into your old hobbies. 

Alright, so it was less of a hobby and more of a side gig. Despite your raging phobia of performing in front of an audience, you'd gone and joined a band in your sophomore year. You were the band's percussionist and sure, it was by no means professional, but you got actual gigs at the Grill every Wednesday night and made some decent cash. It was fun and you loved it, no matter what anyone said about it being a waste of time or unladylike.

But you hadn't played since the Original Family came to town, but for the past few weeks, you'd been coming back. Wednesday nights you got to do what you loved, free of fear or judgment. Not even Kol was here to watch, you reassured yourself as you sat down at your drum set and tied a familiar gray blindfold over your eyes.

Not that he would judge you, of course. You just weren't sure you were ready to share one more part of yourself with that boy. Music was part of you that made you happiest and it had always belonged solely to you.

You fixed your blindfold and picked up your drumsticks to tell Rory - the head singer and guitarist - that you were ready. Everyone outside the band thought the blindfold was just your gimmick but really you just couldn't perform without it. The sight of any crowd drove your stage fright berserk, oftentimes making you sick.

But hey, if everyone wanted to see it as a gimmick, then more power to them. At least it went with the band name.

"Please welcome Mystic Falls's own, Daredevil Squad!"

Wow. Good ole' Matt Donovan really needed to work on his introduction voice, but that was neither here nor there. With those words, your thinking time was over. Rory gave the cue and you counted the rest in. Then, you had fun.

You played for a solid two hours which is a lot harder than it sounds. You were glad Rory had picked some really good songs for the performance, though House of the Rising Sun was definitely your favorite. You didn't sing much, just hummed in the background mostly, but that was why you played percussion - it was the beat you were in love with. More often than not, you could almost swear the drums had a mind of their own and you were just along for the ride. 

Once you were finished, you tugged the blindfold off and made a beeline for the bar. You were going to die of thirst if you didn't get a glass of water right away. In your haste, you failed to take note of your surroundings or more specifically, the people in them.

"You know, I was beginning to wonder where it is you run off to every Wednesday night," A very familiar voice purred next to your ear. 

You jumped and whirled around to find Kol grinning down at you, whiskey in hand. You must have flushed bright red because that cheeky grin of his grew wider.

"Kol? What-what are you doing here?" You sputtered. What were you supposed to say?

"Well, I came here intending to dull the monotony of your absence with alcohol, but I find myself pleasantly surprised," He answered, tossing you a wink. 

"I… didn't know you were going to be here," You said, somewhat apologetic. It wasn't as though you could expect him to like your music. After all, no one else ever had.

His expression softened and he put his drink down, drawing you into a hug. "Relax, darling. No need to get uptight," He reassured. "You were amazing and I loved watching you."

You smiled. "Really?"

"Absolutely. I only wish you'd told me earlier." He squeezed your shoulder, smiling easily. That boy always knew how to calm your nerves. "But hey, as long as we're both here, why don't you join me for a few drinks?" He offered. At that moment, the bartender passed you your water and you snatched it from the counter, downing the whole thing in just a few seconds. Kol blinked. "Or not…"

"Sorry!" You giggled. "I gotta go put my instrument away real quick. But I'll come back, okay?"

"Sounds excellent, love," He agreed.

"Awesome." You tapped your fingers against the bar top a few times before swinging around and making your way to the Grill's tiny excuse for a backstage area. Kol watched you go up until the door swung shut behind you.

As soon as it had, you were plunged into darkness. Though it was only for a few seconds as you reached for the light switch, that was long enough. Someone lunged from behind one of the extra speakers and a cloth was shoved over your mouth and nose. You knew better than to breathe it in, but your attacker wasn't alone. A second assailant grabbed hold of your arms and locked a pair of handcuffs around your wrists with trained precision. You tried to scream for help and it was shortly after that when everything went black.

***

Sheriff Elizabeth Forbes knew what desperation looked like. Having been in this job as long as she had, Liz liked to think she'd seen just about every form a desperate soul could take. 

Fate proved her wrong when Kol Mikaelson appeared in the doorway of her office. Somewhere amidst the limb-freezing, mind-numbing existential terror that shot through her veins at the sight of him, Liz recognized that he did not look well. 

His eyes were bloodshot with dark circles beneath them, contrasting starkly with pale skin and dark, matted hair. He stood there, tall and proud despite it all and Liz was reminded of her daughter. Sweet little Caroline, the girl who ran herself ragged over everything. Well, Kol hardly seemed like the type to do so. Therefore, Liz figured that whatever was going on was bound to be serious.

The ancient predator strolled leisurely into the small office space and draped himself over the rickety old chair opposite Liz's desk. His eyes closed for only a moment, as though it were a relief to sit down. Seeming to her like a Jaguar lounging on a tree branch, he leveled a pair of infinitely incomprehensible eyes on her and she resisted the urge to shrink under the weight of his hard gaze.

Instead, she cleared her throat, tipping her head in his direction. "Good afternoon," She greeted. His head tilted to the side. He didn't return her pleasantries. "So to what do I owe this visit?" 

This terrible being raised a brow. "You are the head of this dismal town's law enforcement, are you not?" He began, unimpressed.

Liz blinked, unsure how to reply. "Well… yes."

"And theft is still an act declared by your country's laws to be immoral, is it not?"

She nodded slowly. "Since last I checked."

The predator's eyes narrowed. "Then I do believe I'm here to requisite your expertise, Miss. Elizabeth." Each word was sharper than a surgical knife.

She bristled at her name on his lips. "It's Sheriff Forbes."

"Liz." He grinned - a flash of white teeth and flecks of red. Kol Mikaelson leaned forward, she could smell decay on his breath. "Something has been stolen from me, Lizzie - something very important and I want it back."

This thing in front of her was nothing like the vampire Liz carefully liked to consider her friend. Damon Salvatore gave off an erratic and often dangerous aura, but underneath that, there was a begrudging kindness and an even more begrudging sense of empathy. Kol Mikaelson was a different story. He radiated power in every idle movement, the kind of power that made Damon's worst day seem like a teenager with a spitball gun. Everything about him was effortless and yet very deliberate. With young, innocent features and a voice so smooth and pleasant she had to fight to keep herself from being lulled into a hypnotic trance, it was like he could compel her without even trying - vervain or no.

"You can't find whatever is missing on your own?" She asked, trying not to sound too hopeful.

Kol snarled. Liz had seen mountain lions bear their teeth - the sight looked a little something like that. "Do you really think I would be here if that were the case?"

"I suppose not." She exhaled evenly. "Mr. Mikaelson-"

"Kol." His lips twitched up. "I'm not my stuffy brother, first names will do nicely."

Liz clenched her fists beneath her desk.

"Kol," She amended. "I'm afraid I won't be able to help you if this is a matter of an… exotic variety." The walls of the Sheriff's office were by no means sound proof and not everyone on the force was in on the secret.

"Not to worry, Lizzie. The perpetrators of this crime are all perfectly ordinary." His pleasant smile was definitely forced.

Kol did not like that.

What human in their right mind would be shit-faced stupid enough to steal from an original vampire? Liz figured her extraordinary client probably wondered the same thing.

"I see." Sheriff Forbes retrieved a notebook from her desk drawer and picked up her pen. Perhaps she could ease her nerves in the routine that was this part of her job. She took down his name and beneath it wrote theft. "How long ago was the object taken?" She asked.

"Person," He corrected casually.

"Come again?"

"Not object - person," Kol repeated. "She was taken four days ago."

Liz closed her eyes and sighed. "So you're saying this was a kidnapping?"

"Yes." 

"Then why not just say that?" She huffed. 

Kol shrugged. "I don't particularly see a difference."

Liz had to resist the temptation to roll her eyes. She scratched out theft and wrote kidnapping next to the date he'd described. "Victim's last name?" She prompted. 

"Y/L/N."

She stilled, hoping she was wrong. "First name?"

"I think you know."

Liz looked up and found herself staring into the abyss. The true faces of the vampire's she'd seen starred in some of her worst nightmares, but it was a phenomenon she'd only ever caught in brief glimpses. She had never been so close to it nor seen those chilling black eyes on an expression so calm. Although, Kol's grip on that armrest looked pretty violent.

The Sheriff swallowed thickly. "Do you… Do you know for sure who's taken her?"

"I have a pretty good idea," He hissed, deadly fangs on full display. "Tell me where your precious Council took her."

Liz Forbes laid a hand to her gun and spoke calmly. "Kol, I had nothing to this."

"Oh, I know that." He leaned back. Another flash of teeth. "Hence, why you're not dead. Tell me what you do know, and you'll remain as such."

She didn't trust him to keep his word but to disobey the request would be suicide. "I don't know where they are, I can only tell you where they might be," Liz said. He waited. "If I had to guess, the old celler under Town Hall would be the first place I'd look. Nobody goes down there and the door's got a trick lock. It's not strong enough to hold a-" She caught herself. "-someone with a little extra punch, but I think it would serve to hold your average high school graduate."

The monster in a young boy's skin nodded sharply and stood. He didn't offer a word of gratitude as he moved to the door.

Sheriff Forbes stood. "Kol?"

He stopped, though he didn't turn back.

"Don't ask me to spare them," He growled. She hadn't noticed it before, but every muscle in his body was tense. His hands were shaking.

"I wasn't." No, she valued her life far too much to do that.

"Then what?" The monster snapped, impatient.

Liz couldn't pretend to understand what the missing girl saw in him, but there was something beneath that inhumane exterior. Perhaps she'd caught a glimpse of it in that ragged desperation she'd seen when he walked through her door - the sort of anger she'd just witnessed doesn't come about without first stemming from some sort of tenderness.

"I was just gonna warn you to expect an ambush," Sheriff Forbes sighed. "It appears some of my deputies think themselves above answering to the law."

Kol Mikaelson hummed and turned back to her with the most horrifying smirk she'd ever seen. "Rest assured, Miss. Forbes… They will answer to me."

***

Four days.

You had been down there for four days.

No food.

No sunlight.

Only a few sips of water each day.

You were so cold. Temperatures in the cellar dropped below freezing at night and weren't much better during the day - you knew because your only entertainment while trapped in this nightmare had been watching the same puddle of water in the ground freeze and thaw over and over. More than once you'd thought you would freeze with it - that you would fall asleep, feeling as warm as the Little Match Girl, and never wake up. The air down there was wet and smelled of mildew. Pneumonia seemed a guarantee in your future.

You were so cold, and tired.

How could you sleep in this frigid prison? You were handcuffed to a steel chair, for crying out loud! Your tailbone and thighs were so sore you didn't think you would ever be able to sit down again, and your wrists were so raw from the edges of the cuffs that every time you shifted, the metal drew blood. One wrong move and you could slit your wrists. Not to mention your kidnappers had done you the favor of forcing a gag into your mouth and it had dried your tongue and throat beyond belief. Trying to swallow felt like eating sandpaper with a side of mulch. How could you sleep like that? Both the cuffs and the chair, you recognized. They were from the police station. Sheriff Forbes couldn't have been in on this - that you were sure of. But it seemed that protecting the innocent wasn't what the rest of your hometown's police force was committed to. How could you sleep knowing the town you'd grown up in had turned its back on you?

You were so cold, tired, and hungry. 

The last thing you'd eaten was a plate of the Grill's soggy nachos. As far as last meals go, that seemed like a pretty pathetic one to go out on. Sometimes you thought you could still taste the cheese but you were pretty sure you were hallucinating it. Can one's taste buds have hallucinations? You didn't know and you didn't really care. You were so hungry you'd knowingly have eaten poison if it were offered to you. If this were anything like how Kol felt on a daily basis, you couldn't blame him for giving in to temptation. You only wished you could turn off the pain as he could.

You were so cold, and tired, and hungry. And terrified out of your mind.

You’d probably dreamt of Kol coming to rescue you a thousand times, all without ever falling asleep. Yet, every time you opened your eyes, he wasn’t there and you were alone. Completely alone. But he would come. You believed that. You had to believe that.

So when the gate to your prison opened and Council members started streaming through, armed with a semi-auto each, you knew you might finally be getting out of there. The iron door dragged on hinges that screeched loud enough to tear holes in your eardrums after four days of nothing but your own hysterics for auditory stimulus and the dim light of the hallway bleached your retinas having spent all that time in the dark.

“The plan’s in motion,” Oliver Fell-blanc said as he descended the steps, carrying a fireman’s axe in his hands. He was Meridith Fell’s cousin and the last one to arrive. “It’s coming for her.”

You nearly cried tears of joy when you heard those words. You probably would’ve had you been entirely convinced that this was real. None of your other fantasies had begun this way, but that didn’t mean much at this point.

“How long do we have?” That sounded like Carter Hamilton’s wife. You couldn’t remember her name.

“I’d say about three minutes,” Oliver answered. You remembered a time when the most nefarious thing that guy would do was commandeer the music at the Lockwood parties. He’d been the one to kidnap you. “If anyone here isn’t committed to doing what needs to be done, this is your last chance to chicken out.”

“You’re sure these bullets can keep it down long enough for you to chop off the head?” Another man asked. That was Wyatt Maxwell. He used to babysit you and your brother when he was in high school. He always read bedtime stories to you and let you have two deserts on Friday nights. You hardly recognized him now. What had become of these people?

“They’re laced with vervain. It’ll stop the wounds from healing,” Hamilton’s wife stated confidently.

“Yeah, but will it be enough?” Wyatt pressed. 

“Probably.” Oliver grinned darkly. “But if it’s not, we can always fill that thing with enough holes to make swiss cheese jealous.” 

The others laughed at that and something inside you shriveled.

“What you should really be worried about is wether Ollie is actually strong enough to swing that axe,” Carter Hamilton added, smirking.

“Oh, I’m strong enough, old man.” Oliver laughed. “I’m just disappointed I won’t be able to hang that creature’s head on my wall once this is over with. Hey, wait! Maybe I can pull it out around halloween! Bet it would scare the pants off some kids!”

“Do whatever you want, man. Hell - use it as a paper weight for all I care. Just as long as you keep it far, far away from the body and me,” Wyatt huffed.

So this was why you were here. Their plan for you hadn’t changed, you realized. They had just changed your role in it. This was a trap and you were the bait.

Tears welled in your eyes and you clenched your teeth, biting down even harder on the gag in your mouth. You wanted to scream and cry and throw something at this disgusting man, but you were so tired and weak and your throat felt like a desert. 

“You bastards,” You rasped through the gag. “You’re all hateful bastards!” 

It mostly just sounded like a series of muffled coughs, but it was enough to draw their attention. The friendly expressions on the faces of the council melted away as they turned their focus on you. There were sixteen of them in total. Sixteen council members, fifteen guns, fifteen rounds per gun. You did the math. They had two hundred and twenty-five vervain-laced bullets. How many could Kol take and still get back up?

“Awww,” Oliver sneered. “Is somebody gonna miss her special leech?” 

“Don’t you touch him!” You cried. “He hasn’t done a thing to you! Don’t you touch him!”

“Whats that? I can’t quite hear you. Can you speak up, sweetheart?” He taunted, putting a hand to his ear.

“I hate you.” His mocking expression made you want to strangle him but all you could do was cough. “I hate all of you!”

“Nope, still can’t hear her.” Oliver shrugged and turned back to the other extremists. “You know, the mayor and Sheriff Forbes think the kids in this town are two young to know the truth. Well, I say different!” He pointed an accusing finger in your direction. “You see what happens when kids aren’t taught what’s right? I say these kids deserve to know about what they’re up against! I think we need to make it clear to them what they can and cannot do in this town, and I say we start by making this one into an example! This is what you get when you sleep with a bloodsucker!” 

The others cheered for his little speech and you couldn’t help fearing for your sweet little brother. What would become of him if they got their way? Oliver turned back to you, scowling as he knelt down by your side. You flinched away from him but he snatched a handful of your hair and forced your gaze into the direction of the door.

“You know, sweetheart, you’re gonna be that last thing that bloodsucker sees after it walks through that door.” He said. “You were always convictionless, but I’m sure it’s gonna suck to know that what happens here today was entirely your fault. I just hope it teaches you better than to be a miserable, kinky, whore.”

He kicked your chair and ordered the extremists to take up their positions around the room and called for total silence. Their heartbeats would be covered by the rackett made by the old A/C unit upstairs and they spread out so Kol wouldn’t be able to take them all out at once.

All you could do was sit there and curse your ancestors.

It wasn’t after too much longer, that you heard footsteps on the way down the basement. You heard Kol’s voice calling your name. 

You took a breath.

“Don’t come down here!” You screamed as loud as you could. You tried to speak from the back of your throat so the words wouldn’t be as muffled through the gag, though you didn’t think it did much. “Don’t come down here! It’s a trap! They have guns! Don’t come down!” 

Kol didn’t listen.

He appeared in the doorway with a relieved smile and started towards you.

“Watch out!”

The Council members opened fire. Fifteen sets of gunshots rang out all at once, echoing around the cavernous stone space and through your brain. It was so loud, too loud. Warmth pooled in your ears and you felt them begin to bleed. Gunshots kept going off but the sounds grew dimmer and dimmer, further and further away. But you weren’t concerned about yourself. 

Most of the bullets found their mark. Some hit Kol in the chest, others in the stomach, shoulders, and back. He stumbled back and you watched more than heard him gasp in pain. His eyes were wide as the gunshots finally stopped. He looked down at his chest, almost confused, and then back up to you. The boy coughed and blood spilled from between his lips. Then he fell to his knees, swayed, and collapsed sideways onto the ground.

You screamed again.

Someone asked a question but it was drowned by the ringing in your ears. Another voice shouted something.

Oliver stepped forward, axe in hand, grinning like a maniac. He raised the weapon over his head and you couldn’t bear to watch. You squeezed your eyes shut.

Blood, hot and thick, sprayed across your face.

This time, you didn’t scream.

But everyone else in the room did. 

Your eyes snapped open and in front of you stood Kol; he was holding Oliver’s axe. Beside him, sprawled on the polished marble floor, was Oliver’s headless corpse. The missing part rolled across the floor to your right. When it came to a stop, its inanimate eyes were wide open. They landed on you. 

You shrieked.

After all, you’d seen death before in photos. But this was all too real.

“Hey. Hey!” The words were muffled and dull. “Y/N, look at me! Look at me, darling.” You couldn’t tear your eyes away from the disembodied head. A gentle hand touched your cheek, guiding you to look into a pair of chocolate eyes. “There. That’s it, see? You’re alright, Y/N/N. It’s alright. This will all be over soon,” Kol promised. 

On your left, Wyatt raised his gun again. Kol scowled and turned away from you. He spoke, but you couldn’t quite pick out what was said as he twirled the axe around and around his hand. The boy shrugged once. Then, moving in a blur, he stood beside Wyatt - axe raised to his throat. 

“I SAID DROP THEM!” He roared. 

The council members all dropped their guns. In the next second, Kol had swept around the room and gathered all the cast-off weapons before reappearing at the top of the stairs where he left them. He strolled back into the room and pulled the iron door shut with a bang. You watched him weave the steel handle of the fireman’s axe through the bars in the door before bending it around the lock. 

No one was getting out of this room without his say-so.

Kol returned to you and knelt down, effortlessly snapping the cuffs around your ankles that kept you trapped in that chair, followed by the restraints on your wrists. No longer held against the back of the chair by the cuffs, your body slumped forward, too weak to remain upright. Kol caught you, guiding you down to sit between his legs with your back leaning against his chest. He tugged the gag from your mouth next, though he didn’t bother to untie it completely. 

Your ears were ringing and they hurt but Kol was warm and you were a lot more comfortable than you had been. You were so tired, your eyes and limbs felt heavy. Kol would keep you safe. You could fall asleep here.

“No! No, no, darling! Wake up!” He shook you and you groaned. His voice was blurry. You were tired. “Don’t go to sleep, love. Not yet! Open your eyes!”

Knowing him, he probably wouldn’t leave you alone about it. Probably best to see what he wanted. You forced your eyes open and let your head roll back. Kol’s fangs extended and he bit his wrist, then held it out in front of you. That was gross. 

You grimaced. “Ew.”

“Just drink it,” He demanded. You shook your head. “Come on, darling. Please? It’ll make you feel better, just drink it.” 

“No,” You groaned. Kol sighed and forced his wrist between your lips anyway. His blood flowed into your mouth and you gaged, squirming in his hold. You thought you’d been desperate enough to swallow anything but apparently, your body still had standards. You whimpered and tried to get away, but the boy’s arm around your waist might as well have been a steel bar.

Kol shushed your protests, rocking back and forth in an attempt to comfort you. 

“I know, darling. I know you don’t want to swallow it, but you have too. It’ll make you feel better, I promise. Just swallow it.” His voice was sweet and soothing and you were far too tired to fight anymore. You stopped struggling and did as you were told.

Blood, you discovered, tasted just about as nasty as you thought it would. The stuff was hot and thick and it tasted like pennies…

Until it didn’t.

You swallowed just a little bit and then a little bit more and suddenly it wasn’t so bad. The coppery taste turned sort of sweet, and then very sweet, and then excellent. The pain and ringing in your ears faded and you felt strangely warm.

Kol was talking to you, muttering soft encouragements into your ear. “That’s it, that’s it. That’s a good girl. See, it’s not so bad, is it? You’re alright, now. Just a little more.” The pain and sickness faded away. You felt warm, and stronger now - not as strong as you were normally, but strong enough to sit and stand on your own. After a few more moments, Kol pressed a kiss to your temple and pulled his wrist away. You almost made a move to take it back, but he grabbed your hands gently. “Sorry, love. I’ll give you more later, if you still want it, but too much now will make you sick.”

You did want more because if anything, you felt more hungry now than you did before and you were more than a little disturbed by that, but you nodded anyway. “Okay.” 

“Good,” He said. He took a deep breath, inhaling your scent. “Can you stay right here for me, sweet-thing? I have to finish this.”

You frowned but didn’t move. What was he talking about? What was there to finish.

Kol got up and cast his eyes around the room. 

“Now, what am I going to do about you lot?” He wondered, lips twisting into a vindictive smirk. He gestured toward you. “She wants me to let all of you live, but I’m afraid I just can’t do that. See, I do have a reputation to uphold and it so happens that I’ve slaughtered entire towns for a lot less than what you’ve done here. I think you all know the extent of your guilt, but why don’t we recap just for fun, eh?” He started counting off on his fingers. “Alright, let’s see. You’ve broken the treaty which you made and signed… plotted against my family… kidnapped the only person in your midst who might have gifted you some mercy… and then you just tried to kill me. I think I’ll have to give you a B+ on that last one - not the best or most creative attempt I’ve seen, though I can give you high marks for enthusiasm.” He sighed, shrugging his shoulders in an exaggerated movement. 

“Unfortunately, that’s four strikes against you and the rules clearly say that it’s three strikes and you’re out.” 

Kol grinned and you knew you weren’t going to like whatever was coming next.

"So, here's what we're going to do. We're going to play a little game." 

From inside his jacket pocket, Kol drew forth a pearl-handled pistol. It was intricate - pretty. But that couldn't disguise its true purpose. It was a gun. It was made to kill things. 

"I'm assuming you all know what this is?" He said, raising the piece for all sixteen - fifteen - Council members to see. A few of them nodded, eyes flickering with barely concealed horror. Kol watched them and his tongue darted out to wet his lips in a way that belied excitement. He continued. "Now, contained within this... quaint little trinket is exactly one bullet. It's not wooden - just plain old lead - and one of you is going to be the lucky winner who gets to fire it into their skull!" 

"No..." Your breath caught in your throat and something in your stomach twisted violently. This was wrong. This was horrid and vile and you felt sick. You shook your head, struggling to stand on legs that hadn’t seen use ing days. "No. No, no, no. Kol, don't-"

He cut you off with a hum and a finger raised in your direction, his expression grim. He'd never looked at you that way. Anyone else, yes. But never, ever, you. Those eyes sent a blast of liquid nitrogen through your veins. You froze in your tracks. His eyes slid back to the fifteen others.

"Say, where was I again?" He mused, scratching the back of his head with the barrel of that very loaded gun. The boy grinned. "Ah, that's right - suicide. Quite poetic, don't you think? Only fitting for what you've done. Anyway, over the course of the next few minutes, I'm going to eat the rest of you - all but one." Someone screamed - a woman, probably married into this insanity, just going along with her lover's fear. Kol gasped mockingly and turned her with a cruel smirk, stalking closer. 

"It'll be a slow, painful, and graphic death, I assure you." He spoke so softly, so soothingly. "You'll die screaming and begging. But-" He paused, drinking in their rapt, horrified attention. "-There is way out..." 

Please, please, please don't do this. Just walk away, you pleaded silently. He didn't stop.

"The bullet in this chamber is your only escape. If you want to die peacefully, painlessly, and instantly... then you're going to have to fight each other for it." 

The vampire grinned pleasantly and, with a flick of his wrist, slid the weapon across the marbled floor where it skidded to a stop in the middle of the room. 

Nobody moved. 

Nobody breathed. 

You were shaking. No, no, no... Anything but this.

"Go on then, you savage animals…" Kol entreated, spreading his hands. "Entertain me."

This was wrong. You couldn't just stand here!

"Kol, no!" You rasped. He whipped around, glaring at you with eyes like smoldering ice. This wasn't your friend. You didn't know what he was. "What are you doing?"

He ground his teeth. "Getting retribution, darling," He snarled, lips curling. It was the expression of a predator. "I think it's best you stay quiet and not get involved with this."

You ignored him. "Kol, you can't! This isn't right and you know it!" 

"I can do whatever I wish," He snapped. "I've already stayed my hand far too long on your account. It's time the cattle be put back in their place."

You stopped struggling against the bindings on your wrists and looked up. His words were shards of glass permeating your heart and you could feel them with every beat. "And is that all I am to you?"

His expression softened just the slightest fraction - not enough for anyone else to notice, but you knew him. He didn't break your gaze as he drew a deep breath and his mouth pressed into a thin line. "Just... stay still," He ordered. "Please don't test my patience."

"What?" Who the hell did he think he was talking to? "Kol, snap out of this! It's me!"

His hands curled into fists, knuckles white. "You need to stop talking."

"Or what?" You challenged, blinking back the sting of your tears. "You'll hurt me?"

"I don't want to," He said, narrowing his eyes. "But I'm one step short of ravenous at the moment, not to mention royally irritated, and highly likely to do something I'll regret. This is a warning - don't push it." 

That wasn't a warning. That was a threat. 

You shook your head, lips pressed into a thin line. "I trusted you," You hissed. "I gave up everything for you. How dare you talk to me like that?"

Kol sighed.

Then he was standing directly in front of you. Faster than lightning, his hand shot out and wrapped around the base of your throat. His other hand grasped your hip and then the cool stone wall of the cellar was pressed against your back. You gasped and coughed, reaching up to claw his hand off your airway. He was choking you! You were choking! You were-

Wait...

No, you weren't choking. Kol wasn't hurting you, he was holding your neck. There was no pressure being applied. 

You looked up, into his eyes. They weren't cold at all. They were flooded with too many emotions to name, roiling and frothing like a forest of reeds in a windstorm. Blackness ebbed and flowed in them, clashing like well-matched opponents. You recognized them both - the sweet boy you knew, and the monster inside him grappled in front of you, fighting for control. He was fighting. Kol was trying. 

You reached up to touch his cheek. "Kol, please?"

For a split second, you caught sight of him. Your Kol - the boy you'd given everything to, the boy you lo-, the one who cared about you - for a moment, he surfaced. He fought off the beast inside him and his eyes, free of bloodlust, met yours with a pleading. Kol's hands shifted. Taking a gentle grasp of your wrists, he pinned them up against the wall behind you. Then he surged forward and captured your mouth with his. Pressing his whole body against yours, he licked at the seam of your lips in a kiss so soft and ardent it could only mean "I'm sorry." 

He hesitated to pull away. "Please," He whispered against your lips. "Please don't hate me for this?"

If there was ever a time to admit what you'd been ignoring for months - this was it. If there was ever a time to spit the words that flickered like flames in your chest every time he kissed you - it was now. If there was ever a time to say I love you-

You opened your mouth.

Kol ripped the gag off your neck and, with eyes full of misery, forced it between your lips again, tying it up tight behind your head. Your eyes flew wide and you screamed against the fabric, but he just stepped back. Blackness filled Kol's eyes once more and he turned away from you. 

The gun remained on the cold marble floor - pristine and untouched. He gestured toward it, humming. 

"No takers then, I see? Funny, I even gave you a head start." He shrugged. "Well, no matter. More for me, I suppose!"  

The name of Carter Hamilton's wife, you remembered, was Eliza. 

Kol went for her first. 

He grabbed her by the hair, twisting, and tore his dagger-like teeth into her slim throat. You shrieked and sobbed against the gag but the monster wouldn't stop. He didn't just bite her - he ripped her flesh apart and he did it right in front of her husband. Eliza's corpse landed in a very lifeless heap when he finally wrenched his teeth from her mutilated neck. You could see her spine amidst the carnage and it was just like those pictures you'd never wanted to see again. 

No one in the room moved.

"Little sour that one," He observed, looking Carter in the eyes as he licked his wife's blood from his fingers. "Your turn."

When Kol sank his teeth into his next victim, you screamed again. Tears streamed down your face as, in a state of chilled, suspended horror, you witnessed the other Council members play Kol's game. All twelve of them made a break for the gun on the floor, fighting over it like the savage animals he'd claimed they were. They scrabbled and kicked, scraping at eyes and twisting back limbs as they brutalized one another, seeking a chance to kill themselves. 

You couldn't watch.

Curling yourself up against the wall, you squeezed your eyes shut, wishing the stone would just swallow you whole. With your hands bound, you couldn't cover your ears to block out the screams as Kol feasted. 

There was no use in screaming, but you just wanted this butchery to stop. You just wanted the monster under Kol's skin to release the boy you'd fallen for. You just wanted him to come back to you. The boy who'd kissed you so softly mere moments before wasn't - couldn't - be this appalling monster, bathed in red. 

But he was. 

Your parents hadn't been right about him, but they hadn't been wrong either. He liked the killing and he liked the death and that wasn't going to change just because you let him kiss you. It wasn't his fault. This had been made of him and Kol couldn't change his nature. Yet no matter how hard you wished it, he would never need you more than he needed the slaughter. He wasn't going to change just because you asked.

But you were scared and hungry, and cold, and terrified, so that was all you could really do. Ask. So for each lifeless shell that hit the ground, a slurry of jumbled pleas spewed from your lips.

Thirteen

"Kol, please stop? I wanna go home now," You muttered to yourself, scraping at the stone wall as if you might crawl inside.

Twelve

"I don't wanna be here. I don't wanna see any of this. Kol, please stop? Just stop an-and we can leave? We can run away - we can go anywhere you want. Kol, please?"

Eleven

"Please. Please, just stop? You don't have to. I know you can't help it. If you're hungry, I -I trust you. Please, just let them go?"

Ten

A Gunshot - Nine.

Eight

"Kol, I'm scared. You're scaring me. Please stop, you're scaring me."

Seven

"Kol, you're breaking your promise. You promised me - you said I didn't have to be afraid of you. Please, stop breaking your promise?"

Six

 "I love you, Kol. Please stop?"

And, like the flip of a switch, the killing stopped. 

You couldn't move - couldn't stop babbling. It was as if every muscle in your body was frozen except for your tongue. 

"I love you, Kol Mikaelson," You wept quietly against the gag in your mouth. The words would have been muffled beyond recognition to anyone else, but not to him. "I loveyouIloveyouIloveyou. Please, stop so I can tell you for real?" 

The basement was silent for a moment. Then that boy's voice pierced through the low light.

"You love me?" The question was so soft you were sure you'd imagined it. 

Your throat felt like sandpaper and you couldn't stop shaking, but you spoke through it. 

But perhaps you could pretend like the monster wasn't here, so you nodded anyway, too tired to keep talking through the fabric in your mouth. Footsteps approached slowly and someone knelt down in front of you. It was probably the monster wearing his skin, but you could pretend it wasn't. He reached around your head and untied the knot, lifting the course material away from your face. You gasped, desperate for a real lungful of air as your whole body shook from fear and exhaustion.

"Say that again," He said. It wasn't an order but it wasn't exactly a request either. Your throat felt like sandpaper and you couldn't stop shaking, but you spoke through it. 

"I love you Kol Mikaelson."

He sighed heavily. It sounded broken.

"You really shouldn't," He said eventually. 

"I know," You whispered. You shook your head and shrugged haplessly. "I know, but I can't help it."

Kol's breath hitched, though he tried not to let it show. He brushed the back of his fingers along your forearm. His hand was too warm - something like ninety-eight degrees - but at least it wasn't slick with blood. At least he'd tried to wipe it off, which you appreciated even though you flinched away.

"Darling..." His voice entreated, warm and soft like honey and silk. "Y/N, can you look at me?"

Regaining your breath, or at least some of it, you shook your head, pushing yourself impossibly closer to the wall. "I miss you."

"I'm right here," He said soothingly. You were grateful he didn't try to touch you again. "Darling, I'm right here."

"You're here, but you're not mine," You replied. "You hate them too much."

He didn't deny it. No, he didn't deny it because he promised he'd never lie to you. His breaths were deep but he couldn't hold onto them for long. Perhaps, his chest - like yours - hurt too much when he tried. "I can't fix this, can I?" He spoke softly though there was still something bitter in it. It was enough to make you flinch again when he rested his hand on your knee, but this time he didn't draw away. You relaxed as much as you could. 

"No." You answered. He cursed quietly and traced invisible patterns onto your jeans and his voice sounded like what tornados leave behind - like devastation. 

"Have I broken you?" 

There. There was the sweet boy you'd fallen in love with. No trace of the monster now. You looked up, studying his face. He should have looked more like a monster. After all, Kol was drenched in crimson - his mouth most especially. Yet, oddly enough, the sight didn't twist your stomach. You supposed you couldn't feel any more ill than you did already, but that wasn't really it.

He hesitated to lift his head - hesitated to meet your gaze, but when he did, you saw longing and sorrow. That boy's eyes simply weren't those of a monster. 

A smile, thin as a crumpled note, found its way to your lips. "Yes," You told him. "You've broken me."

But, damn it all - you didn't want it to end like this.

As awful as it was, as twisted as it deemed your soul - you still loved him. It wasn't something you could just turn off. You loved the boy who laughed at your jokes and braided your hair when you asked. You loved the boy who took you to mountain tops for coffee and twirled you around the living room for absolutely no reason at all. You adored the boy who watched classic movies with you, even though he always ended up watching your face instead of the screen. You cherished the boy who bought you ice cream when you were sad and took you on late-night walks when you couldn't sleep - who told you stories when you didn't want to. You loved the boy who kissed and held you so gently every night because he cared enough to do so. 

Now, here that boy knelt in front of you, having massacred people you'd known all your life, yet still, you could not hate him. It wasn't his fault he'd been made into this. So, perhaps it made you downright evil, but you could love a bloodthirsty monster if it meant keeping the rest of him.

After all, this just wasn't his fault. 

And you realized then, that it wasn't yours either. It couldn't be, because you hadn't done anything wrong. Refusing to hate or hunt the supernatural wasn't wrong. Choosing the life you wanted wasn't wrong. Agreeing to go on a date with Kol - falling in love with him despite it all - none of that was wrong!

Yet, every single human in that damp, frigid seller had chosen to be there. You had done nothing wrong, and yet they still chose to hurt you. They had no excuse - no curse inflicting a hunger they couldn't control. They were just bad, hateful people who had no real reason to be that way. 

That made each one of them more vile a monster than Kol could ever be. 

Kol bowed his head, hiding his face from you but his shoulders shook. You didn't want it to end this way.

You placed your hand over the one he'd rested on your knee and guided him to move it higher, onto your thigh. Kol froze and lifted his head, eyeing you with curiosity far too weary to be labeled as hope. 

"You've broken me," You repeated. Your chest didn't hurt when you drew in another breath. You felt certain of this somehow. "But I still love you... and I think that maybe sometimes we need to break things to make sure we fixed all the cracks."

Kol's eyes were rimmed with red, but not the frightening kind. He looked away, blinking rapidly as he distracted himself by trying to wipe the blood from his lips. His sleeve turned red. You'd have to make sure he bought a new one. 

Finally, he met your eyes again. "I didn't mean for this to happen," He apologized. The regret in his tone was as thick as blood. "I wasn't thinking. I just- I needed to hurt them and I never meant for you to be there when I did. I should be able to control this by now. I-I thought I could, but I don't care about anyone as much as I care about you and I just wasn't expecting to hate them so much once I saw what they did." He shook his head, blinking rapidly. "But I never meant to hurt you, and I don't want you to be afraid of me. It was supposed to be everyone else, you see? Everyone but you."

You nodded. "I think I can forgive you."

He smiled but it really wasn't happy. "It would be better if you didn't," He said. "I'm not good for you, darling," His voice was surprisingly even.

"I know."

"I'm not human. I'm not good for anyone. I'm nothing you deserve. "

You shook your head. "I don't care." You realized it as you said it and it was an awful thing to say, but that couldn't make it any less true. "I don't care about the things you're not. I've already got my hands full with all that you are."

“I am a bit of a handful, aren’t I?” He chuckled, scratching the back of his neck.

“Yeah.” You shrugged. “But you’re my handful.”

“Your handful.” His chocolate eyes twinkled with something very, very happy. You’d never seen it so clearly in him. Hope. “Would you be frightened if I said I love you?”

“Do you?”

He smirked and tentatively squeezed your thigh. “How about I take you home and show you?”

In spite of everything you’d been through - the exhaustion, the starvation, and the sheer freaking horror show you’d just witnessed - you couldn’t help but laugh. “Kol, sweetheart. I don't think now's the time!” 

“Oh, please! I’m kidding.”

Tagging: @yn-ymn-yln @r13mar @rootbeerfaygo @iiskittles16ii @fandomrulesall-blog @dark-night-sky-99 @railingsofsorrow @apolloroid @thatweirdoleigh @misswe03 @eat-cake @felinegrate @trikigirl271 @cute-freak27 @fayeatheart @archangelslollipop @slaypussypop-21 @aonungs-tsahik @sleepneverheardofher @princess-charming-01

Dangerous Creatures | Masterlist

Summary: Mackenzie Alemaund is an unlucky 18 year old teenager whose life changes drastically after she gets kidnapped by two vampires and learns, in the same day, that she is not human.

Pairing: Elijah x OC

Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 | Chapter 7 | Chapter 8 | Chapter 9 | Chapter 10 | Chapter 11 | Chapter 12 | Chapter 13 | Chapter 14 | Chapter 15 | Chapter 16 | Chapter 17 | Chapter 18 | Chapter 19 | Chapter 20 | Chapter 21 | Chapter 22 | Chapter 23: Part 1 | Chapter 23: Part 2 | Chapter 23: Part 3 | Chapter 24 | Chapter 25 (Part 1) | Chapter 25 (Part 2) | Chapter 25 (Part 3) | Chapter 26 (Part 1) | Chapter 26 (Part 2 & 3) | Chapter 27 | Chapter 28 | Chapter 29 | Chapter 30 | Chapter 31 | Chapter 32  | Chapter 33 | Chapter 34 | Chapter 35 | Chapter 36 | Chapter 37

Elijah Mikealson x Autistic!sister!reader - away from it all

I love your Mikaelson sibling stories and I was wondering if you’d be ok to do another one! If it is ok, I was thinking of another one where the reader is the mikaelson brother’s autistic sister who has the strongest relationship with Elijah. I can’t think of a full idea of events that could happen and I know you’ve done one with a similar reader so I hope this is alright! ❤️ - Anon💜

Wherever Elijah went, you went with him, it had been that way since you were children, you were always right next to Elijah.

And as the years went on, that never changed, even if he wanted to be away from the family, to get away from it all he would bring you with him.

And this was absolutely no different.

As you stood behind your older brother Klaus, your eyes eagerly looked around the parking lot.

“Over there, go on now.” Klaus said.

You snapped your head to here Klaus was pointing, and you made your way over to your other brother and he smiled at you.

“Hello (Y/N).”

You walked behind him around to his right side, balling your hand into the back of his blazer to hold him and you looked up at him.

“Where have you been?” You asked softly.

“I apologise, I had to leave for the morning, you were asleep when I left.”

You nodded and followed behind him as he led you to the path and began to walk down the street.

“Are you not supposed to be in school?” He asked.

“I don’t need school Elijah, you know this.”

“I know, but Niklaus thought it would be beneficial for you.”

“Klaus just wants somebody to be on the inside to feed him information.”

Elijah chuckled a little bit, nodding his head in agreement and glanced down at you as you both carried on walking.

You walked around Elijah and you jumped on his back, and he chuckled a little bit.

He stopped and helped you a little, and then he held his hands on your arms, and he began to walk again.

“I dislike school Elijah.”

“I know you do (Y/N), but perhaps instead of just not attending you could at least call in sick.”

“They called you.”

Elijah gave a small nod.

“I dislike Alaric, and Elana.”

“Why is that?”

“They hunt you, attempt to hurt you. All because of Klaus.”

“It is something we must expect you know this, nowhere is ever truly safe.”

“Because Klaus is trying to hurt everybody…”

Elijah sighed a little bit and he took you back to the school, and stood in front of your car, letting you step on the hood of it.

He turned around and watched as you sat down, crossing your legs and resting your hands on your knees, tapping them a little bit.

“I know you remain despiteful of Niklaus, and uninterested in humans, but you must do your best not to get involved in his plans.”

You nodded and you looked around at all the cars before you turned to look at your favourite brother again.

“Why does Klaus always cause trouble Elijah? Put everybody in danger?”

“I’m not entirely sure, but you know he does care about you. He wants nothing more than to keep you safe, why do you think he called me when he saw you wondering around?”

You shrugged a little and Elijah sighed, taking a seat next to you on the front of your car.

You looked around a little bit again.

“Elijah?”

“Yes (Y/N)?”

You shuffled a little bit, holding the back of his blazer again.

“Can you take me out of school?”

“I could.”

“Will you do it?”

“Of course, come on.”

You followed Elijah to the school and smiled a little bit to yourself as he went to the front desk of the school.

“What will you do if you don’t have school?” He asked.

“I want to leave for a while, Klaus is causing to much trouble I don’t like it.”

Elijah nodded his head in understanding.

“Then we will leave for a little while, how does that sound?”

“Where will we go?”

You looked up at your brother.

“Whatever you’d like, just so long as we get you away from whatever chaos our brother is planning.”

You smiled at him and nodded your head happily

Familiar Faces- A New Start part 3

Party in the woods, Elena just wants a normal night, Stefan meets Elijah and questions familiar faces while Elijah has his own issues, which seem to be multiplying.

-----

Zach’s words were still echoing through his head when he arrived at the party, he knew it was a risk given how many people and how many accidents that could happen, but he needed to know more before he could leave it to rest, he wanted to know her more.

Vampire hearing came in handy when learning if his presents was really wanted.

It didn’t take him too long to find her, he watched as Bonnie walked away before he decided to take his chance.

“Hi.” he greeted as she turned to find him.

“Hi.” she smiled back, despite the obvious fright he had given her.

Wide, innocent and real.

She wasn’t anything like Katherine.

—-

Elijah wasn’t a party person, well no, the sad thing was he preferred the stiff boring affairs that the founding families threw over drunken nights in the woods.

But he had given Elena his word, besides after arriving and splitting from Elena and Bonnie he had gone to show himself to Caroline and settle in for the night to follow Jeremy.

He might as well make use of the night, while also avoiding Bonnie who clearly wanted to ask him about the tea.

He should have known Grams was up to something, witches are stronger as a coven and Bonnie had a right to learn her family’s craft, but Elijah didn’t want to admit to her, and Elena, that he had been keeping a secret like this.

Also Elijah knows he’s not a normal witch and he doesn’t want whatever is different with him to affect Bonnie.

He was well aware it was a losing battle Sheila had age and experience on her side, she was very likely going to get what she wanted.

So instead of staying at home trying to find a reason he could tell Sheila and she would accept, he was at the back to school party in the woods nursing a beer, avoiding one of his oldest friends and following a little brother that was going to snap when he noticed.

The other reason he hated this thing, the same reason he always hated the woods, no matter how well he knew them, is that it left him with the faint memories of stalking through a thicker woods in furs and leather, a language he doesn’t- shouldn’t know climbing his throat.

Still those memories no matter how faint left him the knowledge on how to walk in the wood without making a noise, something that has annoyed the other as they grew up and currently which helped him follow Jeremy when he started walking away from the fires.

It didn’t take long until he picked up voices, well a voice. 

“not here, not like this. No. I said no. I said no! Ow, that hurts!” a woman’s distressed voice carried.

Vicki.

“Hey, leave her alone!” Jeremy was already shouting when Elijah managed to catch up and saw what was happening.

Tyler stepped back to glare at Jeremy, Elijah tried to smother the anger and disappointment at his sort of friend.

Seriously not only letting drink push him into ignoring words like ‘no’ but Matt’s sister, Tyler deserved the punch he was going to get.

Whether it was from Vicki, Matt, himself or Jeremy.

“You know, you're starting to get on my nerves, Gilbert.” Tyler snapped, 

“Just go, Tyler,” Vicki yelled, Tyler stepped away in almost confusion, did the drink make him deaf Elijah wondered or just thicker than normal. “get the hell away from me.

“Wow. Vicki Donovan says no. That's a first.” Tyler snapped nastily as he started to walk away

“You know if you did the same to Elena I'd break more than your nose,” he called out, his smile brightening as Tyler froze at his voice. Tyler was more than willing to push Jeremy around but he and Tyler knew each other’s secret even if they wished they didn’t, “How do you think Matt will take it?” Tyler twisted back around at the threat to his friendship to his best friend.

Elijah may have known Matt longer, since their moms were close but Matt and Tyler were closer, they simply had more in common.

“No one is telling Matt.” Vicki's voice pulled him from his staring match, he bowed his head to her to show he heard her. Tyler used that to leave.

“I didn't need your help.” she turned to him and Jeremy when the sound of Tyler was gone.

“It seems like you did.” Jeremy replied as Elijah kept quiet and watched the pair of them

“He was just drunk.”

“I'm drunk.”his brother replied, and seemingly forgetting Elijah, continued with “Am I throwing myself at you?”

“No, you're worse.You want to talk to me, get to know me, see into my soul and screw and screw and screw until you're done with me.” she said.

‘Wait what?’ Elijah thought, it seemed he had missed more than he had thought lately, ‘did Elena know about this’ he hadn’t thought he was that absent, maybe Elena and Caroline were a little right to worry about him if he had missed his little brother sleeping with Matt’s older sister.

Jeremy was still a kid.

He cut Jeremy off before he could say anything more.

“So it’s fine if he goes further with someone else, rape doesn’t count if the rapist was drunk?” he asked.

“It wasn-” she started to argue.

“It could have been.” he pushes, adding “hopefully next time he’ll remember this.”

“Why do you care, because Jeremy-”

“It has nothing to do with you sleeping with my fifteen year old brother, apparently,” he muttered the last word, ‘deal with that later’ he told himself, “it’s because you deserved better than that, because Tyler is better than that, because if that had happened it would have destroyed all three of you.”

He hoped the last comment of how it would affect Matt got to her, at least, if the one about her didn’t. He remembered staying at Matt’s when he was younger the way Vicki had been the one to make sure they had food and went to bed.

“What do the pair of you know of me?” she snapped as she walked away, Jeremy called after her but stopped at her snapped ‘NO’.

Elijah swallowed a half a dozen memories of hands on him, of pleas unlistened to or that never escaped past his lips, and stumbled away when Jeremy turned to look at him, he must have looked a sight if Jeremy let him go without calling him out on following him

They weren’t real, didn’t happen to him, he reminded himself 

What did he know?

Nothing. That was the right answer.

By the time he gets to the bridge the thoughts are mostly gone until the sight of his twins chases the remnant away.

—-

Stefan has one hand over his eyes and is cursing himself for his lack of control when Elena’s voice brightens, and he hears a heartbeat approach behind him.

“Oh Stefan this is my twin-” she introduces, and Stefan’s heart hurts even knowing the name that was about to be spoken but the voice that speaks is an additional dagger to his heart.

“Elijah.” the boy finished offering a hand as he stepped beside him.

Stefan froze, the accent was different, modern, the voice deeper than his ever got but still something of the long dead boy, while he had seen him from a distance, up close it was undeniable.

‘What happened to Elijah Salavtore?’ Zach had asked and Stefan had shut him down because of his own guilt, had used Damon as an unspoken threat, he should have let him speak, there must have been a photo or more of Eli with them, Zach would have seen the Gilbert children grow.

Same name, same face, but Stefan’s brother had never lived past ten, he remembered his little brother’s body growing cold in his arms, smearing his blood on his still lips, hoping, praying he’d wake up.

He remembered placing the last book he had been reading, the one they had read together just days before, in his small hands on his still chest, wrapping him in his favourite blanket, the one Damon had brought him when he was seven, and remembering burying him outside.

Lying to Damon, telling him that father had already sent him away, taking Damon’s anger and resentment for making him turn because it was better than the sheer hate if Damon knew Stefan had killed their little brother or the feeling of being alone if he had let Damon die.

The boy smiled the same slightly crooked way Eli had, a lump formed in his throat, before he shook himself and took the hand quickly.

“Stefan.” he introduced himself.

“I’ve heard,” the boy- Elijah admitted “I also heard what you did in Tanner’s class.”

“It was nothing.” he tried,

“Elijah’s had a problem with him-” Elena started explained

“Just because he’s a teacher doesn’t give him the excuse to be rude” Elijah told them, clearly a well repeated line given the way Elena’s rolled her eyes, “and his habit of airing out his students private business should have had him removed-”

Stefan couldn’t stop himself from staring, sure he had heard Eli go on similar rants, another life ago.

Elijah clearly looked like he could go on until Elena stopped him. 

“Elijah, could you go and check on Bonnie?” she asked, explaining more when he gave her a look, “She was doing her new physic thing and then she got weird and ran off.”

“Oh, alright.” Elijah gave him quickly, “nice meeting you Stef.” he called as he walked away.

“Stef? Strange Elijah’s only given nicknames to family before.” Elena muttered to herself. Stefan stared at the retreating back.

“Come and read with me, Stef.” Eli called. 

“S-stef” Eli’s last word before Stefan and sunk his teeth into his neck and tore his throat open.

“Um, are you thirsty?” he asked, leaving before she answered “I'm gonna get us a drink.”

He needed to think.

Katherine and Eli.

Elena and Elijah.

Same faces but there was something strange.

Elena was different from Katherine, Elijah felt too much the same.

—

Something about Stefan was familiar, Elijah thinks as he walks away, mind torn about that mystery and the concern he felt when Elena had told him about Bonnie’s reaction.

Stefan felt like Elijah was used to seeing his face, but he had never met him, so why did Elijah feel like he has alway known him.

And Bonnie, Grams had invited her to tea because her powers were growing, she was the right age to start learning, Elijah had really hoped the physic joke from yesterday really was a joke.

It takes Elijah a little bit to find Bonnie, admittingly he could have cheated and tapped into Nature, easier since they were surrounded by it, but it wasn’t something he liked doing, even when Grams tells him repeatedly that it was normal and natural, since Nature always felt off to him.

Like it was judging him for something, part of him was alway expected to be cut off.

“Bonnie.” he called when he finally found her alone by a drinks table.

“Elijah?” she blinked when she noticed him.

“Elena said you-” he began as he picked out another bottle from the cooler.

“I was joking when i touched the bottle and-” she started

“You need to speak to your grams and believe her when she tells you.” he interrupts her before she can explain or attempt to laugh it off.

“What are you-” she cut herself off as she gave him a suspicious glare “This has something to do with your word-mind games over tea.”

“Remember i was nine when i learnt and they made me keep it a secret.“ he offered as an excuse, before he could add more a shout cut through the party and Elijah took off when he recognised it as Elena.

“Somebody help!”

—-

She was happily getting back into a conversion with Stefan when she saw Jeremy.

“God, you gotta be kidding me!” she almost growled

“What is it?” he asked

“My brother.” she explained

“Elijah?” he sounded alarmed as he looked around, which is an understandable reaction, Elijah had grown up very good at putting up a flawless mask. It was only those that knew him before that who knew how much the dreams and unnatural knowledge he had sometimes freaked him out. 

“Younger.”

“The drunk one?” he queried as he noticed Jeremy.

“That would be the one. Excuse me.” she pulled away with an apologetic look.

“ Need some help?” 

“Trust me, you're not going to want to witness this. Jeremy! Jeremy!“ she called as she followed him into the woods. “Jeremy, where the hell are you going?” she asked when they were away from the party.

“I don't want to hear it!” he said as he tried to ignore her

“Yeah, well, too bad!” she was saying when he tripped.

—

Elena cuts into the clearing with a nightmare following Vicki, bloodied, in Jeremy’s arms.

“Vicki? Vicki, what the hell?!” Matt shouts as he reaches his sister.

“What happened to her?” Tyler demands as he follows,

For a few seconds Elijah finds the world fading as flashes of red and screams take over his vision before Elena’s voice calls him back.

“It's her neck. Something bit her. She's losing a lot of blood.”

Elijah freezes at his twin’s words, eyes going to Vic’s bloodied neck, he grits his teeth at the sharp sting pulse at his own throat.

The sting didn’t vanish even when the wound was covered.

He should have drunk more, he thought selfishly, as Matt begged his sister to wake up

“Vicki, Vicki, come on, open your eyes, look at me.”

‘Nononono- brother, I just found you.’ An accented voice pleaded above him.

His dreams weren’t going to be pleasant tonight.

—-

Stefan wished he could be wholly happy to see his brothers, like a normal person, yet the sight of his little brother, or the same face as him, threatened to drown him in guilt, while his older brother smiling at him sent a rush of fear down his spine.

Because wherever he went there was death, and Stefan couldn’t let that ruin their lives.

Elena was different from Katherine, Elijah was alive. 

Damon was the last thing Stefan needed, but there he was standing in his room fresh from attacking the girl.

At the party Elena was at, where Elijah was.

He wasn’t surprised to find Damon was here for Elena, almost relieved even though he knew it was going to be short lived.

This was just about the worst thing he wanted, now he couldn’t even question Zach about Elijah if he wanted to keep that secret and had to worry about Damon with Elena.

But Damon was going to see him, meet him if he was after Elena.

Twins, why were they twins?

Eli had been polite but almost distant with Katherine, pretty much cold considering how friendly his little brother normally was with people.

He had never even called her by her real name.

Always Katarina. 

Why would he have been born alongside someone who looked just like her.

He should use this as a chance to explain to Damon, to admit what he had done to Eli, but he couldn’t even think of how he’d confessed the worst thing he had ever done.

He wished he could take comfort in the idea of one person Damon wouldn’t harm, but he couldn’t stop a stay thought that Daman could lash out at Elijah for not being Eli.

And there was the fact Damon clearly wanted to push him into drinking blood, something he could absolutely not risk.

He wasn’t sure he’d live with himself if he killed Elijah again.

—--

Elijah ignored the looks Jeremy was giving him, as he joined him with another beer.

“You okay?” Elena asked Jeremy as she came over to them, reaching out for his shoulder “I called Jenna, she's on her way.” She told them after Jeremy pulled away, Elijah leant towards her should their shoulders were resting together, trying to give her comfort as she spoke to Jeremy.

“Those people in uniforms, last time I checked, they're the police. People are going to stop giving you breaks, Jer. They just don't care anymore.” she admitted and Elijah swallowed another mouthful of beer as he knew what the next words were going to be.

“They don't remember that our parents are dead, because they've got their own lives to deal with. The rest of the world has moved on. You should try, too.

“I've seen you in the cemetery writing in your diary,” Jeremy replied, “Elijah spends most of his time hiding in his room, barely speaking. Is that--is that supposed to be you moving on?”

“Don’t Jeremy.” he tried, only for his words to vanish before he could add more

“Mom and Dad wouldn't have wanted this.” Elena said to them both.

Elijah ignored the ache of the reminder and the almost burning in his eyes of tears that never fell, and downed the rest of his bottle.

—-

Stef was safe, Stef would never hurt him, Eli didn’t even see him move before what should have been a familiar comforting feeling of being pulled to his big brother happened.

Instead Stef’s hands were too tight on his arms and he didn’t move back when Elijah pushed with all his strength.

Something touched his neck, sharp things dug in.

It hurt.

He tried to shout but nothing came out past choked grasps.

It hurt.

He had killed Tatia, just like this, it was fair.

Dam, Stef, help me.

Elijah woke with a silent scream, one hand going to the burning wound to find nothing, the other his phone to anchor himself to the real world outside his dreams.

Dreams where his big brother- where Stefan Salvatore killed him. 

He twisted around to smother his face into his pillow and screamed.

After he managed to take a breath and calm himself he pushed himself out of bed to get a drink from the kitchen.

He had just finished the half a glass when a voice interrupted him.

“Er- sorry” he spun around at that voice, only stopping himself from dropping the glass by tightening his grip until his fingers hurt. “I was just leaving, I wanted to make sure you were all alright.” Stef- Stefan explained with a sheepish smile,

Stef, help me. Hands that were meant to be safe, holding too tight, hurting, he couldn’t escape.

His hand twitched as he fought against the urge to cover his neck.

“That’s kind of you,” he smiled, hoping it didn’t look as pained as he felt, 

“Elijah, you ok?” Elena asked from next to Stefan.

“Nightmare.” he managed before leaving them with a wave and returning to his room.

He wasn’t running, he lied to himself.

Stefan wasn’t the one from his dream, because even if it was real, his best guess on that life was that it was over a hundred years ago.

This wasn’t like how he couldn’t bring himself to call Zach, Mr Salvatore, which he might have picked up about EJ after hearing something in earliest years and forgotten or the strange runes he could write sometimes after he woke which could be all made up.

This was the memory of Stefan killing him the same way Vicki was attacked.

This was something he might not be able to ignore.

Familiar Faces - Dinner and Discoveries Part 3

Summary: Elijah Gilbert has been haunted by dreams of other lives as long as he remembers, but now with the appearance of the Salvatore brother he may finally get some answers.

I figured I should put this here.

---

Elijah wakes up the next morning feeling surprisingly well slept, a night without a dream was rare. The surprise of it made it several minutes before he remembered what had led to it.

He’s already dressed in the cheer uniform, when Elena joined him in the kitchen he was already apologising when she interrupted to apologise herself and tell him she was quitting the team.

He blinked at her, that would explain the lack of matching outfit.

“If you're sure,” he shrugged, “but Aunt Jenna’s going to be disappointed we’re not going to match.” he told her before asking, “ so what happened after i went to bed?”

“Oh right, are you ok?” she ignored his question to scan him for any sign of visible sickness, 

“Best sleep i’ve had for awhile, i’m guessing my body hit a wall on the sleep i've been missing.” he explained “Who was at the door?”

“Caroline, and Damon.” she answered with a shrug, as she started making her coffee.

“Really.” he said, taking a long drink of his tea to cover the way he had tensed, “What for?”

“Caroline invited herself,” Elena told him, “it wasn’t too bad we got to know Damon, i don’t think he’s all bad, just messed up after Katherine died i think.”

“She died?”

“Yeah a fire, he said it was recent,”she said as she sat across from him at the table, coffee in hand, “he also didn’t know about their brother.”

“What?” he choked on his tea, ‘how don’t you know your younger brother died?’ he thought an odd emotion growing in his chest, he ignored it and focused on Elena.

“He knew but not at nine, he thought he was older. Apparently he thought their dad had sent him away.” Elena explained before adding “I don't think Damon and their dad got on.”

Elijah didn’t respond, instead cupped his hands around his mug, ‘understatement’ he thought.

Burn scar that was always on Dam’s arm.

Hiding as they shouted, until the sound of flesh on flesh, throwing himself to the floor with a loud cry, a room away, because it made father stop, and kept Dam with him. 

—-

Elijah doesn’t hate red, not quite like the unexplainable hatred of White.

Complete explainable considering the years EJ was surrounded by it

He just understands there can been too much red, such as the uniform he wore, the outfit was far thinner and tighter than any he normally wore, the absence of his preferred layers and his bare arms, had him wishing he had joined Elena but he was aware that if they had both quit Caroline would be unbearable and while he sister could ignore her guilt trips elijah’s wouldn’t be so lucky.

He had let Elena go ahead to explain her choice to Caroline going to his locker to leave a book. Which meant he was crossing the field alone.

“Looking good Gilbert!” He heard called before he managed to make it to the girls, turning he wasn’t surprised to find Grant from the football team heading towards him with two of the others following.

“Where’s the skirt?” Marcus asked, Elijah wondered if he was aware of his mother’s affair

“On the girls, while I could no doubt pull it off, it was decided I would be too much of a distraction.” He smiled at them, while petty insults weren’t enough for him to respond with airing their families issues, it was alway nice to have the upper hand even if they didn’t.

“Leave him be guys, it's the closest he’s ever going to come to a proper team uniform.” the last in the group laughed.

“That might bother me if I was as insecure as any of you,”he told them “thankfully i know i’m more than the ability to throw and catch a ball.” he explained, smirking as their grins dimmed “i’m sure you’ll get there one day.”

When he managed to join the girls it seemed seeing him in the uniform Caroline had pushed at him the day before was enough to pull her from her pout at Elena’s quitting.

“Why is it sleeveless?” he asked the thing that had been bothering him since he left the house, most the other guys’ cheer uniforms had sleeves and longer shirts that didn’t rid up as much

“To match us.” Caroline tells him brightly.

“Could be worse.” Tiki smirked, eyeing him, before he could say anything Bonnie finished for her.

“Shorts.”

“Ok i accept that,” he admitted for all he was confident he could pull off a skirt or shorts he felt cold at just the thought “but why?” he added as he stretched his arms above him, raising the hem on the shirt with it to show his stomach.

“To match us.” Caroline repeated, “I designed it, you’re, like, the first boy on the team in years. I needed to update it.”

Caroline looked so fond and proud of her work he smothered any further complaints, and the idea of a crop top version flashed through his mind.

He’ll be happy with what he got.

—

Elijah didn’t normally jump into a fight so quickly but after the wood and knowing the tension between Jeremy and Tyler, he was moving the moment Vicki’s voice caught his ears when he noticed Tyler’s absence from the team line up.

He’s not sure what he blames on his actions when he arrives to see Tyler’s arm in Stefan’s grip.

Jermey on the ground behind them, his eyes caught his bloodied nose before he moved.

He punched him, his fist going smacking against Tyler’s cheek hard enough that for a moment Stefan was the only thing holding him up.

“JEREMY NO!”

He looked back to where Jeremy was in time to raise his hand to catch the broken glass.

It burned, sharp and painful.

‘I’m sure the grand Elijah can take more.’ Sir- Mr de Martel gloats, the bloodied knife in his hand.

Then several things at once happened, Stefan let go of Tyler and stumbled back, Matt arrived to grab Tyler, Jeremy realised who he had slashed and Elena arrived.

“Shit!”

“ELIJAH!”

“I didn’t-”

“Jeremy!”

“Great choice on sleeveless.” he heard himself say as he stared at the open wound across his hand and wrist, Caroline let out a surprised little laugh.

“This wasn’t why” she muttered.

“The pair of you need-” Elena said little between them, Jeremy’s bloodied face, his bleeding hand held up.

Elijah watches his blood drip, the jagged wound cut across his palm and down his wrist, for a minute he's not outside, he’s in his room barely containing his giggles as he watches the red swallow white.

“He’s the one who got involved.” Jeremy snapped, pulling Elijah back as he  yanked his arm away from Elena, his attempt to use anger to cover the guilt was clear to Elijah even as the pain in his arm was confusing him on where he was.

Focus of Jeremy he reminded himself, suddenly feeling angry.

“Tyler could have pressed charges, anyone else might have.” he hissed as he pressed the cloth, that he had gotten from a quiet Bonnie, into his hand and forced it to curl despite the pain and grabbed Jeremy with his good hand before he could flee. “I've been leaving this to Elena but are you really so stuck in your own head?” He found himself snapping, words too loud to be said with an audience. 

He ignored that voice in his head telling him ‘not now’, as he noticed Caroline, Bonnie and Stefan still close, Tyler and Matt further away with the team, but he was tired of watching Jeremy spiral and keeping everything to himself, waiting for him to talk when all it had gotten was Jeremy believing he had shut himself off.

Terrified, he'd start seeing the street version of himself willing to do anything for another fix, an escape, in Jeremy.

They wanted him to be open so they could deal with it.

“Selfish,” he snapped when he found Jeremy staring at him, “you’re not the only one that lost them. Elena, Aunt Jenna, me, but you're the one who’s decided to self-destruct and make it more difficult for the rest of us.” 

“You don’t-”

“You want us to stop caring, not going to happen.” he bit out cutting Jeremy before he could say anything else stupid. “You want to go down, I'm following you.” he told him, bringing the bloody hand between them, the open wound on his wrist was still bleeding steadily, “Let’s count this as the first, because if you keep this up it won’t be the last scar I gain.” he said with confidence, a odd feeling filling him, like he had done this before. Jeremy stared at him with wide eyes.

He let go of Jeremy after that, letting him storm away.

“You need to take tonight off.” Caroline told him before Elena could start fetting.

“I can still hold a banner,” he tried but gave in at the sight of both Caroline and his twin looking at him in disapproval. “Fine, let me bandage it and I'll sit on the sidelines.”

“We need to have it looked at.” Elena started.

“You might need stitches” Stefan added, Elijah blinked at the reminder that he was still there, he looked over to find Stefan staring at his dripping wrist intensity.

“You need to go.” he told him, almost glaring at him, “the games’ about to start.” he turned to Caroline and Bonnie and added “ you too.” to hopefully stop it from looking like he had a problem with Stefan.

Stef wouldn’t hurt him- it hurts- sharp pain in his neck.

A century was enough to gain control. A part of him that understood what was going on, that had seemingly accepted vampires were real.

Clearly that part was mad and needed to be ignored.

They left and he allowed Elena to pull him to the first aid station where the nurst was set up in case of any injuries.

“What you said to Jeremy-” Elena started to ask.

“I shouldn’t have said it in front of everybody.” he sighed,

“How long have you been holding all that in?” she asked leaning into him

“Since after the funeral, when he snapped at you and you still covered for him to aunt Jenna.” he confessed.

“I thought you didn’t care.” Elena told him and it hurt, he was trying to make it easier on them not worse.

“Sorry I thought it would be easier if I didn't.”

“On who?” she asked

“Myself, you, Aunt Jenna.“ he admitted,

“We’re all gone about this wrong, Jah.” she told him,

“I don’t think there’s a right way to grieve, Na” he replied

“Definitely not Jeremy’s way at least,” Elena added after a moment, shaking the sober mood with it.

“Yeah,” he nodded “we can agree that’s worst.” he winced as he opened his fist, pulling the cloth from the cut and unleashing more blood

“Stop playing with it.” Elena yelled, slapping his shoulder.

He smiled as was about to complain when he noticed the necklace around her neck.

“Wh-where’d you get that necklace?” he asked, not quite stopping the stutter, Elena he thinks blames it on the cut, blood loss or pain, it didn’t matter when she frowned but answered anyway.

“Stefan gave it to me, are you sure we shouldn’t get you to the hospital, at least let me call Aunt Jenna.”

“No” he shook his head “No, you go ahead to watch the game, i’ll call Jenna once the nurse has looked at it.” he smiled when she gave in and left him.

He stuck around just long enough to get his hand and wrist bandaged, leaving as soon as he could to find Stefan.

He knew that necklace, had been drawing it since he was a child, but it didn’t belong to his dreams of the ‘sick child’ or any possible Salvatore.

It was from the strange timeless ones before them, on the neck of a sharply smiling blonde girl. 

It was sketched in painstaking detail in the back of every notebook.

That necklace belonged with the language he shouldn’t know and the runes he couldn’t read.

Why couldn’t he be normal? 

—-

Stefan was so sure of him, Damon was going to have to correct him

“Salvatore!” the coach called “What the hell? We've got a game to play!.” giving Damon a perfect opportunity to show Stefan right away, and he was about the tell stefan just that when another voice joined it.

“Stefan!” Elijah Gilbert panted as he ran towards them.

 Damon watched Eli, at seventeen living, breathing, healthier than Damon ever used to let himself dream, came jogging up to them.

“Gilbert, i’m talking.” the Coach who owed his continued breathing of Elijah alone shouted. 

He had seen the photos but it was something else to see him in the flesh, Alive, it almost hurt but in a good way.

“Where did you get the necklace?” Elijah asked as he arrived in front of them, eyes on Stefan alone, Damon would feel insulted if it didn’t give him time to stare without issue, to take in and memorise what his little brother would have grown into, did grow into.

“Gilbert!” The coach tried again, and Damon, once again reminded himself that killing one of his littlest brother’s teachers in front of him was a bad first impression, human’s didn’t take it well.

Stefan deserved the hell he had promised him, Elijah hadn’t done a thing.

Except die.

“Your hand.” Stefan’s worried words pulled his attention to the white wrapping  the teenager’s wrist, he narrowed his eyes but reminded himself he'd have time for that sort of thing later.

Wouldn’t do to scare Elijah away if he didn’t have any of his memories of them yet.

It was unlikely though as Eli’s dreams had started haunting him around five if not before and he just couldn’t explain them.

“No-” Elijah shook his head and grabbed Stefan with both hands, ignoring the stinging pain he had to have gotten from bending the wrapped hand “Where did you get the necklace?”

“Why does it-” Damon watched as Stefan looked at the boy in confusion until movement caught his eye and he moved.

“Gil-” he cut the coach off with a hand around his throat when he reached for the boy. The boy apparently didn’t notice, the necklace was too important to him it seemed.

Where had Stefan found it for it to cause this reaction.

“It predates you.” he heard Elijah hiss, the boy sounded confused and angry at his own words.

“What?” Stefan asked in confusion, which Damon would agree if he didn’t have an idea what was going on.

“You’ve seen it in your dreams?” he asked, his smile fading when Elijah turned to look at him. 

“Dam.” Elijah looked at him with recognition, before his eyes rolled back and he fainted. 

—-

Elijah had just enough time to take in a familiar face, and eyes he knew were blue despite the dim light, before the black spots he had been ignoring swallowed his vision.

—-

Damon watched as Stefan caught Elijah before he could hit the floor.

He didn't let himself feel too worried, Elijah’s heart was beating steady, he’d likely pushed himself too much looking for Stefan after whatever had caused the cut he could smell under the bandage.

‘Dam’ Elijah had called him, he remembered already, even if it was only a little Damon would bring the rest of his memories back.

But that was for later, now with Elijah out cold, there were no witnesses, he thought with a smile, the coach was still struggling in his hand.

“You were saying something about my humanity…” he said, getting Stefan's attention from where he was trying to wake Eli and pulling the coach closer “really then what's this?” he asked, and tore through the coach’s throat.

“No!” Stefan shouted uselessly but kept hold of Elijah twisting to put himself between them.

“Anyone, anytime, any place.” he gloated as a reminder..

“Even him.” Stefan asked, nodding to the teenager he was holding up.

‘It was odd to see his little brother and littlest brother the same age.’ he thought.

“Of course not.” he admitted allowing himself another look at Elijah, almost peaceful in his sleep, “I have plans for our lost little brother.”

“They're not the same.”

Oh poor Stefan, he thought, Isn’t he?

—

Stefan carries Elijah away from the school and the coach’s body, he wasn’t going to leave him there, couldn’t risk him being linked.

It wasn’t hard to slip into the Gilbert’s house and Elijah’s room to lay him on his bed, forcing himself not to look at anything and taking scratches from the angry black and white cat while barely avoiding the teeth from the smaller black one when he pulled Elijah’s phone out to text Elena that he went home. 

Mr. Tanner was dead because he had pushed Damon on his humanity.

“Anyone, anytime, any place.”

Lives didn’t matter to Damon, he couldn’t be left to do as he wanted, even if he still contained a hint of humanity. The way he had moved when Coach had reached for Elijah, the look in his eyes when he looked at Elijah.

“I have plans for our lost little brother.”

Eli had already been killed by one older brother, he didn’t need the other destroying the life of some poor kid that looked like him, in his memory.

—-

Elijah woke up in the middle of the night for once not due to strange too-real dreams but due to abnormally loud snarled hisses and growls.

He blinked as sat up, surprised to find Kit and Luci weren’t snarling at each other but both at the empty window.

“What got into you guys?” he asked as both cats turned at his voice, Luci came straight to headbut his chin, digging his claws into his thigh, while Kit began to settle down and curl in his lap.

He sat for a moment before giving up on staying awake and fell backwards onto his pillow with a loud sigh, Luci took the opportunity to settle on his chest and neck, he was asleep again within seconds.

He never noticed Damon Salvatore standing outside the widow.

—-

Defeated by a pair of cats, ‘Stefan should employ the felines to guard Elena’ Damon thought as he listened to Elijah fall back to sleep. Getting into her room had been simple, he hadn’t expected he would have been chased away by a pair of overgrown furballs when he tried Elijah’s.

‘Your lucky Elijah likes you’ he glared through the window.

Two pairs of reflective eyes looked back, from where they curled on top of the sleeping boy.

@busonolsun’s archive

for request, may I ask for something with the theme "devotion as violence?"

@achillics, vulnerability

Joan Tierney (x)

Richard Siken, Wishbone

Ada Limón, The Good Fight

José Olivarez, I WAKE IN A FIELD OF WOLVES WITH THE MOON

Lady Gaga, Judas

@bipeds (x)

Tom Lehrer, The Masochism Tango

Yves Olade, When Rome Falls

Florence + The Machine, Kiss With a Fist

Schuyler Peck, Horoscope for the Heartbroken

Venetta Octavia, I Set It in Stone

@heavensghost, Dead Girls Don’t Lie

Richard Siken, Snow and Dirty Rain

Dead Girl Walking, from Heathers: The Musical

Terrence Hayes, American Sonnets for My Past and Future Assassin

Richard Siken, Primer for the Small Weird Loves

Margaret Atwood, We are hard

so like idk if anybody has pointed this out yet but Undyne’s not just a fish girl.

She’s a dunkleosteus girl.

(its the teeth that give it away.)

Anyway so the dunkleosteus was an ancient predatory armored fish from the Silurian to the Devonian period, with thick bony plates all over its head. She really is an “armor fish” monster!

Seiai Academy: Headcanon Edition

(latest update 3/9/21: additional course numbers info, basic uniform/costume info, hc addictions + minor hc changes)

Since BNHA refuses to give my favorite filler non-canon girls any attention whatsoever, my one braincell decided to do it myself. Take this long, convoluted headcanon dump for the Super Sapphic academy! I do warn you, it’s… pretty wordy.

Note: I literally copypasted half of this from my full masterdoc. 

The Academy

Seiai Academy is a females-only hero boarding school. What makes them unique is their insistence in their students having great intellectual talent: the academy only accepts students who are consistent academic achievers. In fact, Seiai is more well known for the high academic success of its students, rather than for its hero course. 

Of course, Seiai is still a good enough hero school in its own right. The Hero course is especially excellent for students who intend on becoming support or rescue heroes; if anything, this is one of the top schools in Japan for women aspiring to specialise in either of those two options, due its challenging yet flexible course.

The entrance exam for the school consists of two main parts, a specialised written exam and a practical (students wanting to enter the support course also require a portfolio of work). However, the written part of the exam is considerably more important, making up a majority of a student’s final mark. The written exam is rather challenging, on a very similar level of difficulty to UA’s, yet ends up being one of the easiest assessments an aspiring Seiai graduate will end up taking in their time at the academy.

The practical requires students to show the full capabilities of their quirks in front of a panel of assessors. They will be required to answer questions and hypothetical scenarios asked by the assessors, explaining and demonstrating how they’d apply their quirks in these various scenarios. Students are primarily assessed on the general ability of their quirks, their answers on how they apply and use them, and other factors depending on the student. Students don’t necessarily have to be fighters due to how the course works: it’s application and potential based on what the student has to work with that determines entrance. Though grades in the examination play a large part (this is how Intelli and Senkai got in).

Once students pass the exam, they still are required to partake in an interview with one of the members of the staff board, to properly gauge their motivations and aspirations. If a student is seen as excessively undesirable, they may be rejected from Seiai Academy. However, exceptions are sometimes made in the case of a ‘troublesome’ student being exceptionally gifted, or if the student in question or their family or other connections have a high public reputation (or are just very rich).

Students who successfully make it into Seiai choose, or are assigned, a course, depending on their future goals. These courses are similar to UA’s department system. Other than its Hero course, Seiai also offers Support and General Studies courses (Business Studies is a compulsory subject taught in all programs). All courses have necessary required subjects, each of which are academically demanding.

Whether a student can enter the hero course depends on their entrance exam and interview results. Someone who scores high enough to enter Seiai, but not enough to qualify for the Hero course, can only choose between the General Studies or Support courses. However, a student who can qualify for the Hero course is permitted to instead pick General Studies, if they prefer. In fact, many people go to/are sent to Seiai for its advanced academic curriculum, for reasons almost completely unrelated to heroics, so this option is often chosen.

Hero classes at Seiai are relatively small: ten people per class, with four classes per year, rather than two classes of twenty. The standards are very high; the smaller class size makes for better team bonding and allows teachers to teach the students better and more personally, though simultaneously makes the competition between each of them much more intense.

There are more general studies students than hero course students, as expected. The support course, however, also has a surprisingly high number of aspiring applicants. 

Students are expected to wear their school uniforms to most extracurricular activities (in addition to pre-approved support items necessary for facilitating their quirks), as a way of representing the school. The uniforms themselves are surprisingly versatile and hold up well to physical exertion such as combat. The school does have sports uniforms, though, for internal school activities.

When it comes to hero costumes, students typically collaborate directly with with one or two assigned school staff that specialise in costume design (usually those in charge of the support course), working with and eventually getting approval from them. Once costume concepts are approved, they’re sent off to one of the professional support companies Seiai has connections with. This whole service does cost additional on top of student fees, and the costumes usually are more formal/slick/utilitarian and less silly or out there in design. Students can opt for other external options, though they may risk less quality as a result, and are expected to take care of maintenance and all other costs to do with their costume by themselves. In addition, DIY costumes still require certain elements to be sent to and/or approved by Seiai (quality checks, specifications, etc).

The school’s public image is a mostly high-class, professional-looking one, exuding an air of extremely high standard. The general vibe of the school, at first, certainly feels posh, but it’s not strict to the point of being military-esque (though it can be close at times). Students are expected to embody everything their school appears to be whenever off school grounds, especially if they’re in uniform.

Some students got in through hard work and dedication. Others were just gifted enough. Some were both. Most of the girls are pretty well-composed by default. However, quite a few were sent to Seiai to be straightened out and gain responsibility. Honestly? Behind the formal appearances, most of the Seiai girls are just tightly-strung and stressed and need to let loose once in a while.

The Students

Now this is where the fun begins. I’ve only put attention into the Seiai girls we know currently exist, because doing otherwise would just be making full-on OCs! Since this is already pretty long, though, I’ve put it under the cut!

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I love the pan pride flag colors, tbh

reread the truth! definitely one of my fave discworld books!!

i’ve not been doing too good so this post is a reminder for myself as well as u to take better care of ourselves </3

Where is the Crown that is rightfully mine?

Hii, happy (late) make a terrible comic day~ I mean.. that was the goal to just draw this old idea I had at the back of my head for ages and never got around to do it to just.. do it badly but uh.. end up going off a bit with it

it's loosely based of a writing prompt about how full moon make ghosts more powerful/enhanced

So Danny and Phantom are separate beings, Danny being a normal human and Phantom a ghost who died centuries ago while guarding a cursed crown that fcked up his father n kingdom

Now its centuries later and he still couldn't find the crown. He never told Danny this, but with the moon at full power it got his.. ghostlyness more agitated and increase his desperation to find it

YouTube Poop - It’s Always Sunny In The Time Capsule Butt Butt

Sunny cast + Sunny kids.

Tried to doodle the gang in class and got progressively lazier from left to right