You were annoyed. Maybe that was the wrong word. Frustrated? Fed up? Angry? Displeased. That was the word. You were displeased with none other than one Niklaus Mikaelson. The two of you had been doing this flirtatious dance since he came to town.

Recently that flirting had become more serious and you'd agreed to a date. He rescheduled at the last moment saying something urgent demanded his attention. That was fine. You weren't about to give him shit for taking care of his business. But this...well, this just wouldn't do at all.

You had come over intending to be waiting when he got home. You let yourself in as you always did only to find that he'd beaten you home. In fact he'd been home for some time if what you were seeing was any indication. Your gaze ran over the vacated dining table. The candles still burned in the middle surrounded by fine china and wine glasses. In the other room, a fire crackled away offering a warm backdrop to the scene. Either Klaus was having romantic dinners with his sister or his urgent business was a date with someone other than you.

Damn it. You should have known better. You did know better. It was why you put him off for so long. You cared more for him than you should and you knew he would break your heart. At least he'd taken care of it early before you really became invested in him.

You turned your head to listen as voices drifted in from the other room.

"Listen, Hayley, I'm done playing. No more games."

That was enough for you. Hayley was that wolf that Tyler Lockwood brought back with him. She'd done nothing but cause trouble but as far as you knew, she'd left town. What was she doing back here and with Klaus, nonetheless? You shook your head. It didn't matter. You picked up a half full glass of whiskey from the table. You threw the alcohol back and relished in the burn as it ran down your throat.

You left as quietly as you'd come in. After all, you wouldn't want to interrupt his date.

***

Klaus growled as he got your voicemail once more. That was the fifth time today. You always answered when he called. Surely you weren't angry with him for canceling your date. When he'd called, he'd gotten the impression you understood. That was one of the things he liked the most about you. You were laidback and undemanding. Being with you was peaceful. And there was no question Klaus needed more peace in his life.

"Rebekah," he snarled when his sister walked past the door of his study.

She stepped backward and looked at him with an arched brow. "Did you need something, brother?"

"Have you heard from Y/N today?" he asked.

Rebekah smirked. "Already not talking to you? Poorly done, Nik. I think that may be a new record for you."

He clenched his teeth as he bit back a snarl. "Is that a no?"

She shrugged. "I haven't heard from her since she texted to inform me that you were an ass and asked if I would like to get lunch. I was just on my way out in fact."

He blinked in irritation. "Did she happen to mention why I'm an ass?"

"I didn't bother asking. It's not as if it came as any great surprise."

Klaus stood and closed the distance to his sister in two long strides. "Where is this lunch you're supposed to be heading to?"

She took a breath and looked him over. "Do you truly care for her, Nik? This isn't just one of your games is it?"

"No games, Rebekah. Y/N is too important for that. I need to talk to her." Ordinarily he'd cringe at the plea in his voice but not this time. He needed his sister to see how sincere he was.

"I was going to meet her at the Grill. She's probably already there."

Klaus grabbed her by the upper arms and tugged her forward to press a kiss to her forehead. "Thank you." He hurried for the door.

"If she asks, you read my messages. I didn't tell you anything," Rebekah called after him.

***

You tapped your fingers on the side of your glass as you waited for Bekah to make her appearance. The two of you had become quick friends when she first came to town. You weren't about to give her up just because her brother was being an ass.

You looked up with a smile when someone took the seat across from you. The smile quickly faded when you saw your least favorite hybrid instead of his sister.

He grinned and you dropped your gaze away. The man's looks were lethal, especially when he flashed those dimples or his puppy dog eyes. The problem was that he was far too aware of it. "You haven't answered my calls all day," he finally said to break the silence between you.

You glanced at him before turning your gaze back to the glass in your hand. You had gone all morning without talking to or texting the hybrid. It was a streak you intended to keep up for as long as possible.

He reached over and took your hand in his, pulling it closer to him. The finger of his other hand traced across the lines on your palm. "Talk to me, Y/N." He was literally pouting and you barely resisted the urge to roll your eyes. Instead you just stared at him.

Finally, he dropped your hand and leaned back with a sigh. He pushed a hand through his hair. "If you don't tell me why you're so angry, I can't fix it, love."

You pulled your phone out of your pocket and started scrolling through your notifications. That only lasted a couple of minutes before it was snatched from your grip. Klaus slid it into the pocket of his jacket. He simply smiled at your glare. "You may have it back after you speak to me."

You crossed your arms over your chest and rested them on the table. Your expression remained as neutral as possible.

Something about the moment made him realize that you weren't just giving him grief. His expression shifted from mild annoyance to concern. He shifted in his seat and squared his shoulders as if preparing himself for a blow. "If this is about me canceling our date, Y/N. you must know that was the last thing I wanted to do. I waited far too long for you to say yes."

You huffed a laugh at that. "Yes, I'm sure you were beside yourself."

His brow furrowed as he tilted his head to look you over.

You smacked the table with the palm of your hand as if you'd just remembered something. "Oh, that's right. It was Hayley you were beside. I nearly forgot."

Standing abruptly, you made straight for the door. Leaving him gaping after you.

***

This went on for days. He'd call or text you and you'd ignore him. He would show up wherever you were at and you'd act as if he didn't exist. Then everything went quiet. No texts, no phone calls and no visits. Rebekah finally called you and begged you to speak with him.

"I know you're upset with him, Y/N but he's beside himself. I haven't seen him this way in centuries. He truly cares for you," she assured you.

You sighed as you thought it over. As much as you hated to admit it, you did miss him. Even when you weren't talking to him, you got to see him and hear from him. Now you'd done neither in three days and you were a little lonely, to be honest.

"It's not what it seemed like," she added. "Just let him explain."

"I'll think about it." You hung up as you grabbed your purse. You were afraid if she warned him you were coming, he'd come up with some lie to placate you. If you were going to do this, you wanted to talk to the real Klaus. And you needed to look him in the eye when you did it.

***

Rebekah opened the door when you knocked and immediately pulled you into her arms. "Thank you, Y/N." She turned to yell for her brother and you placed a hand on her arm to stop her.

"Where is he?"

"His study. He's been holed up in there for days."

"Has he eaten anything?"

She grimaced. "I'm pretty sure he's made up of pure alcohol at this point."

You headed for the kitchen instead of his study, dropping your purse off on the table on your way by.

"What are you doing?" Rebekah asked as she watched you put together a plate.

"Feeding the hybrid."

Her eyes followed you as you finished the sandwich and placed some chips on the plate. You warmed up a blood bag and emptied the contents into a glass. Grabbing the glass and the food you turned only to find your way blocked by your friend.

Her lips twisted into a smile. "You love him, too."

You arched a brow but said nothing. When you continued forward, she stepped to the side out of your way.

"You do. You're mad at him and you're still taking care of him."

You simply sighed and gestured to the closed door in front of you with a nod. "Would you mind opening the door then getting lost, Bekah?"

She grinned but when she tried to open the door, she found it locked. She rolled her eyes. "Seriously?" She knocked harshly.

"Go away," Klaus yelled.

Rebekah made to knock again.

"I got this," you assured her. Your gaze followed her until she was out of sight. As your hands were still full, you kicked at the door in place of knocking.

"Damn it, Rebekah. Leave it alone," he snapped.

"It's not Rebekah." You only raised your voice a bit, knowing he'd be able to hear you even over the music he had playing.

Sure enough, the music shut off and sounds came from inside the room as he did who knows what. When the door was flung open, he stood on the other side looking at you with wide eyes. His hair was a mess and it was obvious he'd had a hard few days. "Y/N," he breathed then stepped aside to let you in.

You held up the food and blood. "Rebekah said you haven't eaten."

"Is that why you came here? To make Rebekah feel better?"

Bitterness laced his voice, but he took the blood and sipped just the same. You took a breath. "There are some things I need to say. I'd appreciate if you gave me the chance to say them."

"Yes, just as you gave me a chance to explain myself."

He turned away from you to stare at a painting as he drank the blood. You leaned against the table behind you. You ran your eyes over him, taking in the slump of his shoulders. This may be the only time you could remember seeing him look anything other than completely sure of himself. Your gaze shifted to the floor as you toed the carpet. "I fell in love with you, you know."

You knew he was looking at you now, but you kept your eyes down, not sure you'd be able to get through this if you met his gaze.

"Would you—" He cleared his throat. "Would you repeat that?"

The corner of your mouth kicked up in a smile. You pushed yourself off the table and wandered through the room to look at the art as you talked. "Everyone hated you, but I admired how straight forward you were. You were up front about what you wanted and what you'd do to get it from the beginning." You glanced at him with a smile. "Myself included."

Your attention shifted back to the art in front of you though you'd seen it all before. "That's why I never took you seriously when you flirted with me. I couldn't."

"Why not?"

"Because you had the power to break me. And if I surrendered to what I wanted and you were only passing the time, that's exactly what you would have done." You swallowed past the lump in your throat. "I couldn't agree to date you until I was certain you were serious about me. Us."

"I am," he said and you turned to face him. His gaze pierced through you, begging you to believe him.

"I know that. I do." You sighed. "That night I came here intending to wait for you to get home. I thought even if we didn't do the whole date maybe we could at least have a drink and cuddle in front of the fire. But when I got here, I saw the remnants of your dinner on the table and the fire burning in the background. Then I heard you talking to Hayley and I left."

He took a step toward you. "Why didn't you say something? Yell at me? Anything."

You shrugged. "I was afraid to, Klaus. I was afraid you'd tell me that you picked her and everything was a mistake. It was safer to just not talk to you."

Tears stung your eyes and you shifted your gaze away from him. When his hand cupped the side of your face, you leaned into his touch. He lifted your head so he could look into your eyes. "Katherine was trying to kill Hayley before she could tell me what she knew about her whereabouts. I was protecting her so I could get the information I needed. The dinner we ate was actually the one I'd arranged for you. Absolutely nothing happened with her. She made it clear she wouldn't have been opposed to it but she's not my type."

"She's pretty."

He hummed in agreement. "And annoying, deceitful, bitchy...shall I continue? Besides, you're the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. She couldn't possibly compare. I'm sorry if I made you think otherwise."

"I'm sorry I didn't just talk to you. I just couldn't bare to lose you. Not when I'd just gotten to call you mine."

He chuckled and leaned closer until he was only a breath away. "I've been yours since the moment I saw you. And you'll never lose me, Y/N. I promise."

You closed your eyes, prepared to feel his lips on yours. When it didn't happen, you frowned.

Klaus laughed and kissed your cheek. "First, love, I want you to repeat the very first thing you said when you started this conversation. I asked you to repeat it before and you ignored me."

Heat flooded your face. "What thing might that be?"

His growl was a rumble deep in his chest. "Y/N."

You decided to take pity on the hybrid and grinned as you grabbed his face in your hands. "I love you, Niklaus Mikaelson." You tugged him forward and slammed your lips into his.