The Vampire Diaries and The Originals Imagines and One-shots

The Best Friend - Kol Mikaelson

a/n: the prompt for this fic is Person A discovers Person B's partner is abusive. As such this fic deals with abuse. Do not read if this will bother you.

***

"Sorry, Kol. Maybe I'll feel better in a few days." You finished leaving the voicemail for your best friend then looked at yourself in the mirror. The bruising on the side of your face was ever darkening. There was no way you could let Kol see you in this state. He'd go ballistic.

You and your boyfriend had always had what others would call a volatile relationship. Lots of yelling. Lots of slammed doors and leaving only to come back the next day. But it had never been physical. Not until today. He was drunk and you'd asked him about a photo one of your friends had sent you of his arms wrapped around some girl that wasn't you. He'd hit you, told you it was none of your business and stormed out.

The small cut on your cheekbone where the skin split had quit bleeding fairly quickly. You still put a bandage on it just in case. But the bruising. God. Your skin was tight where your face swelled and it was all tender to the touch. You wiped away the tears that leaked from your eyes and sniffed. It would be days before you could go anywhere. Fuck.

"Y/N?" Kol's voice came from elsewhere in your apartment. He must have let himself in with his key.

Your eyes went wide and you locked the bathroom door. "I left you a message that I was sick," you called back.

He laughed that low chuckle of his that always made it seem like he was up to something even when he wasn't. You heard him moving closer until his steps stopped on the other side of the door. "Yes, you did, darling, but I can't get sick. We'll simply stay here instead of going to the grill and I'll take care of you."

You sighed and leaned your head against the door. Why did he have to be so damn sweet? Well, to you anyway. "I don't think that's a good idea. I'll probably be in the bathroom all night. Can't stop puking."

There was a long stretch of silence. "Why are you lying to me?"

Your breathing grew shallow as your heart sped and your hands started to shake. This wasn't good at all. This was very, very bad. You backed away from the door, hoping if you put enough space between you he wouldn't be able to tell when you lied again.

The handle jiggled as he tried to come in. "Y/N," he growled your name. "Tell me what's going on or I'm breaking the door."

"Don't break the damn door," you snapped, knowing he'd do it. He was going to see you either way. If you let him in, you'd at least avoid doing some minor home repair. "I'll open it but you have to promise that you won't just take off on me."

"Did you dye your hair again, darling?" he teased referring to the time you'd tried to dye your hair bright red by yourself and missed half your head. He'd helped you fix it, making a surprisingly good hairdresser. "It can't be that—"

He cut off as you swung open the door. His hands were braced on the frame to either side of the doorway. His gaze turned dark as it immediately locked on your injury. He gripped your chin lightly to turn your head so he could get a complete picture. "What happened?" his tone was casual and you wondered what it cost him. The set of his jaw and look in his eye was enough to tell you that he was furious.

Another tear ran down your cheek. You immediately found yourself wrapped in his arms and pulled against his chest. "None of that, sweet girl. You're alright now. Kol is here."

He led you to the couch and got you both settled. For several minutes, he just held you and played with your hair. "Now, the only reason you would have tried to avoid me would be if you got yourself injured helping the cult of Elena." You snorted at the name he'd come up with for the group. "Or, if that idiot Gregory was somehow responsible."

Your breath hitched and you knew that was answer enough but he seemed to be waiting for you to tell him all the same. "He's never hit me before."

Kol moved away from you, frowning at you in anger and irritation. "So, that excuses this? I'm supposed to ignore it because it was the first time?"

You shook your head. "No, that's...I didn't want you thinking that I let him do this. That I'd been hiding it from you."

His dark gaze looked over you. He knew you weren't lying, so maybe he was surprised by your words. His tongue traced his bottom lip. "Were you going to tell me?"

You shrugged. "Maybe. It just happened. I'm still processing. Plus, I know how you are. I don't think him punching me warrants a death sentence."

"Hmm. Well, we can agree to disagree on that point, darling." He paused before taking a deep breath. "I would like to heal you."

"Yes, please. This is embarrassing."

His hand cupped your uninjured cheek and he leaned forward to make certain he had your attention. "You have no reason to be embarrassed. But it will perhaps be better if you are uninjured when the police come to question you."

You let out a surprise huff of laughter. "Kol."

"Darling," he said back, drawing out the a. He pulled out his phone and held it up. "First, a picture."

Your brow furrowed as he turned your face slightly so he could get the angle he wanted.

"Perfect," he said and slipped the phone away before biting into his wrist. He held it out and you took a few sips. His grin when you finished told you that you were all healed up. You reached up and pulled off the bandage.

"What's with the photo?" you asked.

His grin widened. "That's for me to show Elijah when he wants to know why Gregory is an extended guest in our basement."