✔ The Way We Burn || Kol Mikaelson (Complete)

Chapter 24

Finn and Sage's wedding wasn't the most beautiful. The benches inside the church were worn out and it was a wonder there was still a roof. Moreover, only three people attended to the wedding - Kol, Nora and Sófi -, leaving an eerie feeling inside the large and almost empty room. A good thing the compelled chubby priest didn't noticed anything wrong with the scene and kept an absent smile on his face as he recited parts of the Bible.

However, it wasn't a sad wedding. On the contrary, Sage and Finn were glorious in their happiness and Sage didn't belie Nora's expectations. Once the priest told Finn to kiss the bride, she jumped on her newly wedded husband who had no other choice but to catch her. Although, Finn didn't seem to mind much as he twirled her around, all the while with his lips locked on his wife's.

On her feet, clapping with a wide smile, Nora burst out laughing as she saw the couple. Once she managed to catch her breath, she elbowed Kol, "You know, Sage would have looked so epic in a white suit!"

"With a sword to look like a heroine?" he chuckled.

"Ah, she doesn't need it. Look at her! Clearly, she already has the aura of a heroine."

He cast a glance at the newlyweds. "Yes, she certainly does. One thing is sure, Finn's eternity is bound to be entertaining with such a woman by his side."

Which was good. Eternity should not be a quiet river or one could easily get bored. With Sage keeping him on his toes, Finn's future would be filled with laughter and joy.

Kol wrapped an arm around Nora's waist to pull her against him. "So, do you like this or do you prefer bigger weddings?"

"Hn?" Nora looked up at him, her blue eyes filled with curiosity. "What do you mean? Finn and Sage aren't humans, they don't need to honor their families with a big wedding. Who cares if it's a small wedding or a big one? As long as they love each other and are happy, it's fine, isn't it?"

Kol grinned and carefully nipped the tip of her nose before he said, "Good. I'll remember this for our own wedding."

Nora blinked and Kol watched as she seemed to be in a daze. With a vacant expression, she kept blinking. Then her face went red as if all the blood in her body was suddenly rushing to fill those two cheeks of her.

"Y-you-you-you! Who's going to marry you?!"

"You of course my sweet darling!" he chirped.

With that said, he turned around and walked with a light step towards the entrance of the church. Behind him, he could hear Nora following him hastily as she yelled, "When did I say I was going to marry you, ah?! Kol Mikaelson, don't hold your breath! Keep dreaming! If you ever want to put a ring on my finger, you better prepare some big fat proposal! And look for potatoes because I want French fries for the reception!"

The very moment they walked through the door, he grabbed her and pushed her against a wall to silence her with his lips. The flesh was warm and enticing against his own and he didn't waste any seconds to slide his tongue into the gap of her mouth. A moan escaped her as she clasper his neck.

"Were you serious?" she murmured when he released her, their face still close enough that they were breathing the same air. "You really want to marry me?"

"What do you think?" he replied fondly, caressing her beautiful face. The surprise couldn't be hidden in her eyes and he couldn't help but find it both sweet and hilarious. Here he was, talking about marriage, when his older self seemed to have never said a word about it. Without doubt, it would the biggest joke he could ever pull on her. He could almost imagine his future self, looking into a younger version of Nora, inwardly laughing because she didn't know she was his wife.

Of course, he wasn't going to admit this to the woman in his warm.

Nora stepped back, affection overflowing from her gaze. When she spoke, it was with a soft, loving voice, "Kol, we don't need to be married to be together, you know. How long have we been together? What could a wedding change?"

"Isn't getting married the dream of every woman on Earth?"

She slapped his arm, chiding him without any real anger, "There are as many kind of women as they are women in the world. Who are you to say what all of them dream of?"

"Alright, alright, I won't say this again. Then, what about the fact I want to call you my wife in front of the others?" he replied softly before lowering his voice and whispering into her ear, "and what about my wish to hear you call me husband?"

She blushed and looked away, shyly saying, "Well then you better work on your proposal."

It wasn't often that she looked shy, so he carved this image of her into his mind. And if his smile was suddenly a bit wicked, well, there was no one else around to see it. "As you wish Darling."

The remainder of the wedding was filled with laughter. Finn and Sage danced the whole evening. Somehow, Nora even managed to make them twirl until Sage collapse and fall on Finn. The two of them landed on the ground and remained there, their bodies shaking with laughter. Sófi took advantage of the moment and spelled several colorful butterflies to fly around them.

Yet, no matter how happy the evening was, it still had to end and the following days were busy visiting the other Mikaelsons to discuss Rebekah's wedding. No mention of Sage was done, except for one gibe by Nik four days later.

Kol's fist breaking the nose of Nik quickly rectified the situation and the slight feeling of guilt he felt seeing Nik's blood immediately disappeared in front of the gratefulness inside Finn's eyes.

When Alexander arrived at the villa, Nik glared at Kol before leaving to get changed and wash his face.

"What happened?" Rebekah's beloved fiancé asked in surprise when he noticed the broken chair - the one Nik landed on.

"Merely a worn chair," Elijah politely replied, "Niklaus broke it when he sat on it."

"A remarkable show, I assure you," Kol snickered, "a pity you missed that. We should feed him less so it doesn't happen again."

"After the wedding then!" Alexander laughed. "I wouldn't want him to miss on the dishes he helped to order."

"Thank you my dear brothers but my stomach is quite happy with its size," Nik deadpanned as he entered the room dressed in new clothes, with a healed nose. He patted his belly. "See, still fit as a stallion."

Hearing this, Kol couldn't help but send him a weird glance. A stallion? Seriously? Did he punch him too hard? Still, he couldn't miss the opportunity and mocked, "An adult already, yet you can't tell the difference between a horse and a pig. I pity you Nik, I really do."

See Finn, that's how you tell Nik off.

Sadly, Niklaus Mikaelson had always been protected by his knight, sir Elijah. Letting out a deflated, exasperated sigh, Elijah came between the two of them to keep them apart. "Children, no need to fight. One of you is apparently the offspring of a horse and a pig and the other might very well be the cub of a fox and a hyena. No need to fight for the best pedigree."

"You sure know how to handle them Elijah," Alexander laughed, albeit a bit anxiously. "Anyway, to be honest, I came here with a goal in mind."

"Oh? What is it?" Nik asked, disregarding Elijah's comment to focus on the fiancé of their sister.

"My brothers and I hope that you would all be interested to spend the evening at our home for a little gathering. Nothing fancy, just two families that will soon become one. What do you think?"

Truth to be told, Kol had no desire to spend even one second inside Alexander's home. So, towards this little gathering, he only felt the need to refuse. Oddly, there was also a hint of repulsion in his heart. Still, his brothers accepted and he couldn't - literally couldn't - let them walk inside the hunters' house without him. As such, he could only follow the group out of the villa towards said house. Hopefully, the meal wouldn't last too long and he would soon be able to go back to Nora and the warm bed waiting for him.