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The paper bags were heavy in your arms, threatening to tear away with one wrong move, and you vowed to never again rent a fourth floor walk up. Your steps thumped on the stairs in time with the beating rain outside, leaving wet footprints behind on the dirty concrete as you shouldered through the heavy side door. It was warmer in the hall, noisier too, the sounds of TV's and radios and arguments filtering through the thin doors. But then there was something familiar, something that tickled the back of your brain.
Golden brown, texture like sun
Lays me down, with my mind she runs
Throughout the night, no need to fight
Never a frown with golden brown.
You neared the end of the hall, the music filtering from the door directly in front of you. Your door.
Every time, just like the last
On her ship, tied to the mast
To distant lands, takes both my hands
Never a frown with golden brown
With some difficulty, you managed to get the key in the lock and not dump your groceries, turning the knob and kicking open the door. A patchwork black coat lined in faux fur hung on the back of a chair. Your favorite scented candle was lit, the fancy apple one a friend had sent you, and the windows were open, a light breeze twisting the fruity perfume through the room, rain pattering against the windowsill. Your record player spun in the corner.
Golden brown, finer temptress
Through the ages, she's heading west
From far away, stays for a day
Never a frown with golden brown.
"Well, don't you look good enough to eat."You whirled toward the kitchen with a yelp, dropping the bags against the rug. "What the fuck, Klaus!" Klaus.Here. In your apartment. Not dead in a gutter somewhere. Well, you never did confirm that he was actually dead, it just seemed to be the most logical conclusion since he just up and disappeared six months ago. No calls, no letters, not even so much as a had a great time, let's do it again. Ps thanks for letting me crash with you for two fucking months. You had checked the hospitals and the morgue, even most of the rehab clinics. And found nothing."Get out," you snapped, bending down to gather your fallen groceries. He just huffed, a whiny little sound. When you looked up he was leaning against the door frame, smirking, gazing down with glassy eyes, pupils like pin pricks in the soft hazel of his iris. "Are you fucked up?""I brought enough for the class," he replied, a grin tugging at his full mouth as he pulled a baggie of pills from the pocket of his open vest, waggling it in the air like a prize. You were tempted, but you never really could trust what Klaus brought to play."How did you even get in here?""Like any respectable degenerate. I climbed the fire escape." He gave a dramatic wave of his hand, pointing to the open window, and looked so damned proud of himself that the knot in your chest began to loosen. You glanced at his attire, raising a brow. "You climbed the fire escape in a skirt?""You know I've never been one to shy away from a show."You rose with a roll of your eyes and dragged the bags to the kitchen, slamming cabinets as you put your things away. When you emerged you found him sprawled across your couch, thumbing through your worn copy of Wuthering Heights. "Has anyone told you that this book is depressing?"You scoffed, offended on behalf of the classic. "You're depressing.""Really?" He asked, scrunching his face and holding the book just out of your reach. "That's the best you can do?"Shoving his feet off your coffee table, you collapsed beside him and snatched the book from his hands. "I expected to find what's her name here, the one you thought was so pretty. Marlene?""Maya? We dated for three months. Which you would know if you hadn't just vanished, you dick. What do you want, Klaus?"His head rolled along the back of the couch to face you, reaching out and tapping the end of your nose. Pouting, he asked, "Can't a friend just drop by?""Friends don't spend two months living with you, fucking you for the last two weeks of the arrangement, and then disappear without a word." The familiar sting of rejection, silly and pointless as it may be, flared to life beneath your skin. It was stupid to have feelings for him then and it was stupid to let them come back up for air now.Klaus's smirk faded into something brittle, sharp. "The old man died," he mused. "The band got back together to lay him to rest. It was very glamorous."You blinked, almost taken aback by the nonchalant tone of his voice. But you saw it, the way his eyes dulled. "Wait, all of you are at the academy? Together?" He nodded, poking out his bottom lip in a fake pout. After a moment you added, "I'm really sorry about your dad." Reginald Hargreeves was a bastard of the highest order, you knew that. But the way Klaus had to force a smile, the way the light in his eye was all drugs and not him, had the condolence falling from your lips. "Are you okay?"His painted nails, chipped now, picked at a thread sticking out from a throw pillow and he shrugged the question off, your words rolling off his shoulders like raindrops. "Never better, babe. Ben says hi, by the way."You actually grinned at that. "Hi, Ben. Long time no see."Klaus snorted, reaching over and laying his hand on yours. It felt familiar even after all these months, the delicate bones of his fingers tracing invisible patterns over the skin of your wrist. "Of course you'll be nice to him.""Ben never set my curtains on fire."Klaus laughed at that and butterflies bloomed in your belly at the sound. His laugh had always drawn you right back in, wrapped you up in feelings you hadn't experienced since you were a kid and life was so much easier. Dropping your head to rest against the back of the couch, you pulled your legs up in front of you and watched the movement of his hand. "Why are you really here?"For a split second the mask fell away, the usual performance fading. "I was tired of being lonely. I'm always less lonely with you, darling."
That you understood. It's what had brought you together, kept you together, in the first place - a bone deep and searing sort of loneliness that seemed to touch every corner of your being. Klaus had just hidden it better than you had. Probably because he had Ben. But when the two of you were together, that gnawing maw of abandonment and daddy issues faded into the background. You nodded, turning and reaching over to grab the joint you kept in the little stash box on the table, a peace offering.
Smoke floated between the two of you, a hazy curtain that he pushed away with twisting fingers. He was so pretty that it actually felt unfair. Even the bags under his eyes and frown that pulled at his mouth didn't detract from the charm and chaos you somehow found so endearing. His eyes were rimmed in red, melting honey and sea glass green, as he pulled deep from the joint. Surging forward suddenly, he crowded into your space and for a moment you considered pushing him away.
I'm always less lonely with you.
He bore you down into the arm of the couch, his hands coming to rest on either side of your shoulders, and he leaned in, exhaling. You knew if you closed the distance his lips would be warm, pliant and soft. Instead you opened your mouth, breathing in the heavy smoke and holding it until your lungs felt like they would burst. But Klaus didn't move away, just cocked his head as he studied you, smoke drifting from between your lips like ghosts.
"Your hair is different."
You raised a brow. "I needed a change, I guess."
"I like it. It's very chic."
You just shrugged and wished his approval didn't matter, didn't set off something warm behind your ribs. Instead of answering, you plucked the roach from his hand and stubbed it out in the ashtray.
"I'm going to kiss you now." His breath was warm on your face, his eyes on your mouth.
"You are not." You tried to sound convincing. And failed.
"Oh, but I am. Until we've both forgotten our own names." He waggled his eyebrows at you and you scoffed, but didn’t attempt to push him away. “Come on, let’s see if we’re still good at it.”
You opened your mouth to respond, to tell him to fuck off, to beg him to touch you like he used to, but like with most things, Klaus didn’t wait for you tell him anything. His kiss was demanding, his tongue brushing at the seam of your lips, and you opened for him, reaching up to clutch at his wrists on either side of your head. He dropped his slender hips and you wrapped your legs around his waist, pulling him flush against you. His hip bones dug into the meat of your thighs and you sighed at the familiar sensation, nails sinking into the skin of his forearms. He purred at the sharp bite of pain, and arched into you.
Breaking the kiss, he dragged his lips across your jaw and toward your ear. "Come on, stop playing hard to get," he purred. "Admit that you missed me."
"I was never the one who played hard to get." He fell back as you sat up abruptly, sliding from the couch and heading toward your room. You turned back to face him, your hands finding the hem of your shirt and tugging it over your head. "Well?"
"Temptress." His eyes were backlit, by drugs, by need, and he stalked toward you. Your hands found the button of his jeans as his found the clasp of your bra, and you both fumbled out of your clothes. You barely had time to appreciate the way the streetlight beyond your window painted soft gold over the planes of his body. Needy hands cupped your breasts, his thumbs brushing over your nipples, and you groaned, digging your thumbs into the angle of his hips.
"God, you make the best noises," he murmured, his voice lower now. Your back hit the wall and you grunted at the impact. Slender fingers tangled in your hair and he pulled your head to the side, his teeth sinking into the delicate skin of your neck. He backed up toward the bed, tripping over your tangled feet, bringing you with him and catching you as you both fell. You laughed, your cheeks hot as you clung to him, burying your face in his chest. "I missed that sound the most."
He looked down at you, like you were a puzzle he couldn't quite solve, like for a moment you were the only person in the world. After a breath, you found your voice. "I did miss you, Klaus," you admitted, pressing your lips to his jaw. “Wait,” you stopped yourself, pulling back. “Do we need…? Have you been with anyone since?”
“Not since the threesome with you and that friend of yours who makes the delicious osso bucco,” he answered with a toothy grin. “And you? Anyone since Marlene?”
You rolled your eyes. "Maya. And no.” He pulled back, catching your chin between his thumb and forefinger and tilting your face toward his. His eyes were soft like seafoam and you did your best to hold his stare. "Make me forget my name now, okay?"
"Gladly." He mouthed at your neck, trailing wet kisses down and across your chest. Klaus raised his hand, tapping your bottom lip. You opened your mouth and he pressed inside, humming in approval when you met his eyes and twisted your tongue around his fingers. He slid his hand from your mouth, coating your chin in saliva, his touch ghosting over your belly and thighs, fingertips digging in and pressing your legs open.Your hips bucked when he pressed two fingers to your clit, rubbing familiar lazy circles that left you writhing beneath him.
You broke away, licking at the dip of his collarbone, biting at his shoulder and sucking a bruise against the skin of his throat. He whined at the burst of pain, plunging his fingers deep and curling them forward.
"Fuck," you whimpered, your back arching, and Klaus's hand rose to wrap gently around your throat, holding you in place while he fingered you, swiping his thumb over your clit. You closed your eyes tightly, your mouth falling open in a soft "o".
He nuzzled your cheek with his own, his voice husky in your ear as he murmured, "I remember that face. It's the one you make right before you start begging."
The sound of his voice, like this, exactly like it used to be, melted all rational thought from your mind. "Don't stop, okay? I'm so…fuck."
He didn't stop, tightening his grip on your throat and keeping up his pace. When he released the pressure, oxygen forced its way into your lungs and you fell apart in his arms, clenching hard around his fingers with a sharp cry of his name. Your heart slammed against your ribs, your pulse a thunderstorm in your ears as you lay there panting. Klaus released his grip on your neck fully, pressing soft kisses to your cheeks, your jaw, your lips as you came down.
When your breathing evened out, you pushed at his shoulders, rolling him to lay on his back. He smirked as he eyed you, pulling his bottom lip between his teeth and beckoning you forward with a crooked finger. You grinned back, gripping his cock and stroking him slowly, deliberately, watching as his head dropped back, his hands closing into fists around the sheet. You smeared the bead of precum that had gathered at the tip, teasing him before straddling his hips and lining him up at your entrance. The stretch as you slid down his length was filthy and divine - like most things involving Klaus. His hands abandoned the sheet to rest at your waist, his short nails digging half moons into the flesh of your hips as he tugged you forward.
"Ride me, cowgirl," he said, waggling his eyebrows.
You reached forward, pinching him on the chest and smirking when he yelped, slapping away your hand. "Be quiet," you groaned, throwing your head back and rolling your hips, finding a rhythm that had heat building in your belly. He inhaled sharply, a hiss of breath as you took all of him, thrusting up into you and punching a harsh cry from your throat.
Leaning forward, you pressed your lips to the shell of his ear, grasping his jaw and holding him still. "Be good for me, Klaus, and I promise I'll make it so good for you."
“Please,” he whispered, his voice catching in his throat, and when you looked down at him there was something almost reverent in his eyes, so close to how he used to look at you. He sat up quickly, wrapping his arms around you and pulling you flush with his chest, rolling his hips beneath you, his cock dragging over that spot that had you seeing stars. A sheen of sweat broke out over your skin and he licked a stripe up your neck, humming around the taste of salt and skin. You fisted a hand in his curls, tilting his head back and watching as his soft mouth dropped open, your name falling from between his lips.
One hand pressed firmly between your shoulder blades, the other skated around to clutch at your breast. He rolled one peaked nipple between his finger and you moaned, picking up speed and chasing your orgasm, desperate to tumble over that edge with him. Suddenly, Klaus had you on your back, looming over you as he hitched your thigh over his waist. His thrusts were hard, deep, almost overwhelming and he bore you down into the mattress. You moaned, pulling your lip between your teeth as his deft fingers found your clit. Heat sparked over your skin, that smoldering ember burning into something hot and bright as he fucked you.
“Fuck, Klaus,” you breathed. “I’m so close. Don’t…stop.”
“I wouldn’t dream of it,” he groaned, his hips rolling in a rhythm that had your eyes crossing. He curled himself around you, pressing close and catching your lips in a messy kiss, all teeth and tongue. He was everywhere all at once and it was so good, too much. You couldn’t help but whine ’please, please, please’. Finally, that coil in your belly snapped and you shattered like starlight around him, clenching and fluttering and trying to pull him deeper. Your nails dug into the skin of his shoulder and he grunted, his pace faltering.
“You’re gonna make me cum.” His voice was raw, a little jagged, his breath fanning across your face. You did your best to meet him thrust for thrust, raking your nails down his back and sinking your teeth into his neck. He finished with a shout, hot and deep inside you.
Without a warning, he collapsed on top of you, a sweaty tangle of limbs. Your fingers found his hair, massaging through the curls as your heartbeat slowed to something manageable. Klaus traced invisible designs over your sternum, his breath sending chills across your sweat soaked skin. You had no idea how long the two of you lay there, that dreamy post sex haze settling over you and lulling you into a doze. Eventually you peeled your eyes open and nudged him off of you. Grabbing a t-shirt from your dresser, you tugged it over your head and padded to the kitchen. A few minutes later, Klaus dragged himself out of bed and followed you, leaning again against the door jamb in just his underwear, watching as you pulled the waffle iron from the cupboard.
“Waffles?” He asked, his interest piqued.
“I’m a big fan of breakfast for dinner,” you said with a shrug.
The two of you ate and Klaus talked you into watching old Fleetwood Mac concert footage before he fucked you on the couch, the two of you falling asleep wrapped around each other.
You woke alone the next morning as light crept through the living room curtains. The threadbare blanket you kept on the back of the couch was thrown over you, the dishes from the night before no longer littering the table. A folded piece of paper from your planner caught your eye.
Duty calls. I’ll see you when I see you, darling.
I left a gift on the coffee table!
Xx Klaus
P.s - Ben says hi
You glanced toward the table. A perfectly rolled joint rested on top of your copy of Wuthering Heights, and you couldn’t help but roll your eyes as you held it to your lips and lit it. It wasn’t the end of the world, at least he’d left a note this time.