Brightened Days [Kol Mikaelson]

Kiss Me Slowly • NINE

"Two shadows standing by the bedroom door.
No, I could not want you more
Than I did right then.
As our heads leaned in."

• N i n e •
Kiss Me Slowly

I was sat on my couch with a blanket wrapped around me. "Feeling better?" Kol asked. The handsome boy just brought me a cup of hot chocolate.

"Yeah," I mumbled. "Thank you."

He nodded, taking a seat next to me. "You want to talk about it?" He asked. "Your panic attack, I guess. I know you've gotten choked up before but that one was different."

"I hate yelling," I shrugged. "I scare myself... When Damon yells, especially at me, it terrifies me. And I try to yell back to stand up for myself. But then I become her. And I hate it. I hate myself for thinking that solves problems in the moment. It doesn't. Look at us now. He let me go. He tossed me away like I was nothing. And I am, I guess. Just like her. And you..."

"Me what?"

"You're going to leave me too."

"No I'm not."

"Yes, you are. Because you'll realize you should get out while you can, and I encourage it now. Or you'll resent me for something. For being with me when you could have any girl you want. You'll find someone else and I'll be alone. Because I'm not good enough. And I've never had someone teach me how to love correctly. I'm already bad at it--"

"Charlie," Kol interrupted. "Come here, princess. Come here." He coaxed me onto his lap. His arms holding me tight.

"I don't want you to leave me too. I like you. And I want you to stay. I don't want you to stop liking me. Or thinking I'm pretty. Or that I'm worth your time. I don't want you to go. Please, don't leave me," I begged, tears rolling down my cheeks onto his chest.

"I'm not going anywhere. I promise," he whispered, kissing my forehead. I hummed softly, hiding my face in the crook of his neck. He smelt heavenly as usual. And his arms held me tight, making me feel secure. "Give me the cup, darling. Don't want to spill it, right?"

He pried it from my hand and I felt him move before both arms were wrapped around me again. He started to rock me slowly. "Sing me that song you like," he said.

"Hmm?"

"Everyone else in the room can see it. Everyone else but you-uuu," he sang softly.

My lips twitched up suddenly. My eyes closed as I was growing tired. I wore myself out with all my crying. But Kol was here. Making me smile as usual. Making me happy when it doesn't seem possible. "Baby, you light up my world like nobody else. The way that you flip your hair gets me overwhelmed," I mumbled tiredly, fisting his dress shirt in my hand.

"And when you smile at the ground, it ain't hard to tell. You don't know," he joined in. I smiled wider, finding one of his hands to hold in my free one. "You don't know you're beautiful. Oh-oh! That's what makes you beautiful."

"So c-c-cmon. You got it wrong," I continued alone until I got to the end. Yawning between every sentence almost. Kol listened quietly. His free hand massaging my scalp, calming me. "I meant my mom. You know, the her that I was referring to being scared of becoming."