Sunlight

Chapter 22: New Adventures

Warning - Without giving too much away, after their dinner, if you don't like violence, please tune out.
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Klaus had an immovable scowl stuck on his face as he followed the near skipping Caroline out of the airplane in Istanbul – Caroline's first portion of her planned journey.

"Come on, Klaus, you promised." She called over her shoulder as she walked over to the conveyor belt to collect their bags.

"Yes, but I said nothing about being compliant." He reminded her, and she rolled her eyes.

"Well I said nothing about accepting you being a complete sourface just because you aren't the one in control."

"I don't need you to accept it."

"Klaus!" Caroline frowned, before taking a deep breath. Throwing a tantrum would only make her just as bad as he was. "Please?"

"Please what?" Klaus grumbled, refusing to look her in the eye as she drew closer. He knew that as soon as he did, he would be glad to do anything she asked, and he had to get a grip. He was a thousand years old, for pity's sake, and one flutter of this girls' eyes had him doing anything she asked for.

"Please just enjoy this?"

Klaus scoffed, and Caroline ducked her head, trying to catch his eye.

"Or at least lose the frown. C'mon, let me see that absolutely irritatingly charming smirk."

The said smirk began to creep onto Klaus' face despite himself.

"Please, Nik?" Caroline finally caught his gaze, and she smiled, tilting her head up to kiss him softly. "Thank you."

Klaus kissed her again before pulling away. "We shouldn't do that once we're outside."

"What do you mean?"

"Common etiquette, sweetheart." He retrieved their bags before returning his gaze to her confused face. "No displays of affection in public places, especially historic ones, or anywhere more than fifty years old. We don't want to offend anyone here."

"Klaus Mikaelson, the great and almighty, doesn't want to offend anyone here?" Caroline teased, and he chuckled a little in spite of himself.

"Just be thankful that you are one of the few that could say that and still walk away with your heart intact."

Caroline wasn't so sure she did still walk away with her heart intact. She was fairly certain he might have taken it from her.

They caught a taxi under Caroline's instruction and, once their bags were in the room, returned to walk the streets of Istanbul. Caroline marveled at the Grand Bazaar that bursted with light and life, and she couldn't help but notice how Klaus seemed to enjoy the sights and sounds too. Or at least look slightly amused by it. Either way, she felt as if she were accomplishing something. Klaus had only visited Istanbul a few times over the centuries, and knew only slightly more than Caroline in regards to its history, so she felt that they were slightly evenly matched, finally.

She raised the camera around her neck and took a few shots of Klaus wandering from stall to stall, attention diverted, until he caught her.

Click.

There. She captured that slight smirk. Caroline lowered the camera to grin at him, and he walked over to join her, still making a point of not touching her, even in the crowded space between the stalls. She hadn't known how much she would miss his touch. She had barely given the rule thought as she booked the trip, not fully realizing just how often they did touch. She could even feel herself getting agitated without his soothing, calming touch.