Assholes...so Original.(Klaroline)

Chapter 21

Caroline was slathering on suntan lotion with Bonnie in their lounge chairs by the pool when Klaus walked up.
"You know you can't get a tan, love?" He pointed out, taking it from her and handing it to Kol who smirked and immediately went to bother Bonnie.
"Well you can't blame a girl for trying." Caroline sighed and laid out on her chair, flipping her sunglasses down on her face. At least she couldn't get raccoon tan lines. Klaus settled on the edge of the pool, sticking his feet in. Caroline giggled at the image and closed her eyes, relaxing. Well she was until she got splashed with cold water. Gritting her teeth she sat up and pushed her sunglasses on top of her head. The source of the splash was a poor soaking Bonnie, glaring at Kol from the deep end while he "casually" studied the bottle of suntan lotion.
"Kol!" Caroline was about to tear him a new one when Klaus got up and stalked towards him.
"Kol, this shirt was a gift from Rebekah and it's a one of a kind. I suggest you hurry before the chlorine stains it." Klaus unbuttoned his shirt and thrust it at Kol. "Now."
Kol rolled his eyes and went off to undoubtedly throw it out where Bekah wouldn't find it.
"Your brother is insufferable." Bonnie told him, sloshing her way out of the pool sullenly.
"Believe me, I know. There are towels in the pool house if you want to dry off." He smiled at her briefly. Hold up. Smiled? She waited for Bonnie to leave before saying anything.
"Since when do you smile at a Bennett witch without an ulterior motive?" She said teasingly, heading towards the pool. No point in drying off if she wasn't going to tan anyway. She walked in halfway before she realized she was still wearing her sunglasses.
"Hey, Klau- Jesus Christ!" She had turned around to Klaus right behind her in all of his shirtless glory. "Bubble. You're popping it." He just smirked and inched closer. He was just too sexy for his own good.
She traced his feather tattoo with her fingers lightly, making him tense.
"Hey, Nik?" She knew using his nickname would get to him. He swallowed hard.
"Yes, sweetheart?"
"Be a lamb and put my sunglasses on the table and get me a float from the pool house?" She batted her eyelashes and giggled to herself as he plucked her glasses off her head and left the pool muttering about how he was a wolf not a lamb. Bonnie passed him on her way out of the pool house with a stack of towels, running one through her hair.
"Kol is such a pain in the ass." Bonnie told her, rolling her eyes and dragging her lounge chair closer to the side of the pool.
"Oh, please. You love it."
"You're one to talk. I didn't voluntarily move in with a Mikaelson brother. You and Katherine are truly crazy. Well, I take that back, Elijah is pretty amazing. But I still think Rebekah and I are the sane ones in this house." Bonnie ranted half-heartedly while she lay in the sun.
"Did you just call my sister sane? Hell has frozen over." Klaus scoffed as he walked into the pool and handed Caroline her float. She smiled at him and slid on the float quietly, letting herself see how this conversation would go.
"Well she chose the only suitable male vampire besides Elijah in a hundred mile radius so she isn't but so bad."
"Why, Miss Bennett, I am truly offended." Klaus said in mock hurt, climbing to sit on the side of the pool. "I thought I was quite the catch. How will I go on?" He collapsed dramatically and Bonnie was laughing hysterically at his extreme display. At that moment Rebekah, Stefan, Katherine, and Elijah all came out in bathing suits and gathered around the pool.
"Rebekah has demanded a family get together this evening so we're going to do a, what did you call it, Katerina?" Elijah asked.
"Backyard Barbecue. It's an American thing." Katherine and Rebekah grabbed chairs by Bonnie and Stefan and Elijah went into the pool house to grab the water volleyball net Rebekah insisted on as well.
"Where's Kol?" Bonnie asked, blushing when everyone smirked at her.
"Just getting out the grill, Bonnie lass. Did you miss me?" Kol told her, appearing over her shoulder and kissing her neck before walking towards the grill. She tried to throw Caroline's sunglasses at him but she started yelling about how they were Michael Kors and worth more than Kol's life.
"Love you too, Care bear." Kol shouted from the grill. She just flipped him off. Caroline started to resign herself to getting off her float when Stefan and Elijah had finished putting up the net.
"Okay, let's pick teams. Girls vs. Boys?" Rebekah suggested. All of the other girls whooped yes and Katherine called dibs on the shallow end because she and Bonnie were short.
Caroline swam over to Klaus and leaned in close. "We're totally kicking your asses, sweetheart."
"I look forward to it. Winner gets a kiss." He winked at her and tossed her towards her side gently.
★
After an extremely aggressive game of water volleyball, in which Kol made Bonnie quit and start keeping score after Elijah accidentally hit her in the head with a wicked spike, Kol started grilling burgers while they all dried off.
"Told you we'd win." Caroline gloated, sticking her tongue out at the boys. "With one less member even."
"I'm pretty sure Bonnie is the reason I suddenly couldn't get my arms to work on the last serve, but sure, yeah. Totally fair." Stefan pouted. Rebekah saved them from his sulking by pulling him into a conversation with Elijah and Katherine about their upcoming trip to Chicago.
"So I believe I owe you a prize." Klaus wiggled his eyebrows at Caroline.
"Well, that's my cue to go puke. I'll see you when lunch is ready." Bonnie scurried towards the grill with determination.
"I'll collect it later. But only if you're not going to yell about what I put in the closet." Caroline said, baiting him.
"What's in the closet?"
"I may have put in a sparkly shoe rack. But I let you keep your ugly boots I found in there." His brows rose.
"Oh, you let the Original Hybrid keep his perfectly nice boots in his own closet that's he's letting you use. You should be dubbed Saint Caroline." She giggled and settled against his side on his chair. "Get used to it."
★
Bonnie was making her way over to Kol, using Klaus and Caroline as an excuse to escape. She was kind of pissed at being forcibly removed from the game after Elijah hit her on accident. It knocked her over, but no lasting damage. He had no right.
"Hello, Bonnie. Come to stare at my amazingness?"
"Oh, shut it, Kol." She ignored the stricken puppy look he had and kept going. "You had no right to take me out of the game like a child. I'm a grown woman and a powerful witch. I can handle some fucking water volleyball."
"You mean a game with a majority of very old and strong vampires against a mortal witch who didn't put any protective spells up? How dare I care for your safety. You're lucky I even let you keep score." He snarked at her while flipping burgers.
"I'm lucky! Kol Mikaelson I will give you aneurisms until your brain explodes! You don't get to tell me what to do. I'm not yours." He opened his mouth to reply, but snapped it shut when he noticed the attention they were getting.
"We'll talk about this later. Lunch is ready."
★
The rest of the afternoon passed relatively smoothly except for the tension between Kol and Bonnie. Even Bonnie was getting uncomfortable with how stoic he was being. Everyone else started to trickle inside while he gathered up dishes. She stopped on the porch and turned back around to help him.
"I've got it." He brushed her off and started picking plates up faster.
"Kol." She reached for a plate and he snatched it so fast he knocked a glass over, spilling water on the table. He sighed and grabbed a towel go mop it up a bit, still steadily ignoring her.
"Kol." Still nothing. She sighed and yanked on the towel he was using, forcing him to make eye contact.
"What's wrong with you?"
"Nothing, Bennett. I'm fine." Bennett? That hurt.
"Is this still about earlier? Because I still think you were out of line but-"
"Bonnie. You've made how you feel clear. You're not mine. I get it."
"How is that all you got out of that. Mikaelson men, I swear. Kol. I meant that I'm not a possession that you can choose what to do with. I can make my own decisions."
"Right." He gathered the last plate and headed to the house.
"You know what? Meet me upstairs. We're having that talk. Now." She stalked up to her room and sat waiting. After fifteen minutes she guessed he wasn't coming. Oh well. She changed into pjs and crawled into the bed for a nap while she waited.
★
She woke up to fingers running through her hair. They stopped and left her hair when she woke. She yawned and stretched before sitting up. Kol just sat next to her, saying nothing.
"Hi. So what's your problem?"
He chuckled. "Have I mentioned I love your bluntness?"
"Among other things, yes. You should try it." She glared.
"Well remember you asked for it. So, Bonnie, you pissed me off earlier by telling me I couldn't keep you safe. I care about you so if you're being a daft woman I'm going to try to stop you. Blunt enough?" Her expression softened.
"Kol... I appreciate the sentiment, but ordering me to do things isn't the way to go about it. Friends don't boss friends around."
"Oh, great. Rebekah told me I'd be friend zoned. Whatever that means."
"Kol!"
"I think I've made my interest clear from the beginning, Bonnie lass."
His scrutiny was beginning to make her uncomfortable.
"Well I don't want to talk about it right now. Please."
He nodded and pointed at the TV.
"Impractical Jokers is on. Joe just did his vampire impression. Reminds me a bit of Damon, don't you think?" He asked, turning up the volume for her human ears. She smiled and snuggled in the covers by him. Kol was something she had to think about, but for now, she'd enjoy this.