TVD/TO Oneshots

Returned (Kol Mikaelson)

Prompt: "I missed this."

Summary: Reader and Kol were in love before Jeremy killed Kol. Reader's been trying to recover from his loss ever since, with basically no success. Reader's finally decided to give up and move on, and is headed to the Mikaelson compound to tell Kol's family just that when they get the biggest surprise of their life. Just a heads up, this does not follow the events of The Originals AT ALL.

Written for day thirteen of Fictober on Tumblr!

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"So, uh... do you have any hobbies?"

"Mmm, not really. My life is pretty much my job."

The guy walking next to me laughed, like it was some great joke to do nothing but work day in and day out. I smiled and nodded to be polite, but I was mentally screaming. This date had been terrible from the moment it started, and now I was just hoping to find a way to end it.

Instead of asking about me, the guy just kept going on and on about the work he did in New Orleans and around the world. I honestly blocked him out as soon as he started speaking, and I didn't hear a single word he said. I managed to say goodbye and brush him off with a fake phone call as soon as I got a break in his speech, and I breathed a sigh of relief as I disappeared around a corner and finally got some space.

Dating sucked.

I shook my head and glanced down at my phone. I didn't really have anything to do today, so I merged back into the crowd of the French Quarter and started wandering. Maybe it was time for me to swear off dating for a while.

My thoughts strayed as I walked, and I couldn't help thinking of Kol. Kol Mikaelson, the immortal original vampire, had been the love of my life. We had a whole list of plans for our future; he was going to turn me, we were going to ditch his family and all their drama for a century at least, and we were going to spend that time traveling the world and being with each other. All that had been derailed when Jeremy Gilbert had driven the white oak stake through his heart.

I knew Kol's world was dangerous, but I never really thought I'd have to worry about him. He was supposed to be damn near unkillable, after all. But I was wrong. I'd lost the love of my life more than a year ago now, and I hadn't gotten over it.

I'd been on a few dates since then, trying to fill the void and put myself out there again with the hope of recovering a little. All of them went the same way as today's attempt, sometimes even worse. I was starting to feel lost, and incredibly frustrated.

Elijah had convinced me to move to New Orleans with the rest of the family not long after Kol's death, with a little help from Rebekah, but the city was starting to feel suffocating. There were reminders of Kol everywhere that I looked, and I was starting to think the best thing for me would be to move on entirely. Go somewhere else and try to forget about all the wonderful, incredible things Kol Mikaelson had brought into my life.

The more I wandered through the streets of the French Quarter, the more convinced I became that that was my best path forward. I needed to leave, and I couldn't wait another day to do it.

I turned and started walking back to the Mikaelson compound, picking up the pace now that I had a goal in mind. I knew the family probably wouldn't like it much, but I couldn't let that stop me. I needed some fresh air, and a new start. It was the only way I'd ever have a shot at moving past losing Kol.

I got to the compound and started heading for the stairs, but I was stopped by a voice calling from the middle of the foyer.

"Y/N?" Elijah. I should've known he wouldn't let me just get out of here without a hitch. "What are you doing?"

I sighed, then turned to face him. "I'm here to pack, Elijah. I love you and your family, and I'm so grateful for everything you've done for me, but I can't stay here any longer. I'm never gonna be able to move on from Kol if I-"

"Move on? That hurts, darling."

I whirled around to the other side of the foyer at the sound of an incredibly familiar voice. I hadn't heard it in over a year, but I still recognized it like I'd heard it yesterday. I came face to face with Kol Mikaelson, grinning the same confident, arrogant grin I'd fallen in love with. I stayed frozen in place, not quite able to believe what I was seeing was real. I turned back to Elijah, hoping he could confirm this wasn't some crazy dream.

Elijah was smiling at me, one of the few smiles I'd ever seen on his usually serious face. He gave me a slight nod, and that was all I needed for the realization to break over me like a wave. Kol was real. He was here. I had no idea how, but he'd come back to me.

I whirled to face Kol again and sprinted for him, not even bothering to speak before I flung myself into his arms. If he weren't an immortal vampire with super strength, I felt confident we both would've gone tumbling to the ground.

"Whoa, calm down darling," said Kol, the joy evident in his voice. "I've only just come back from the dead. I can't take these full-force attacks yet."

I didn't respond. I just hugged him tighter, burying my head in his chest and trying to appreciate the fact he was alive. It still didn't seem real, but the longer I held onto him the more sure I became. Tears started flowing, and I didn't even bother trying to stop them. I was just so happy to have Kol back.

"I'll give you two some space to catch up," I heard Elijah say. I could hear the smile in his voice, but I didn't move to give him so much as the time of day as I heard him walk away. I just stayed where I was, clutching Kol like my life depended on it.

"It's alright, Y/N," he said softly, rubbing soothing circles on my back. "I'm here, and I'm never going to leave you again. I promise."

I picked my head up for the first time, meeting Kol's eyes and feeling an instant rush of emotions all over again.

"I'm gonna hold you to that promise," I managed. Kol just smiled and leaned down, pulling me into a deep kiss. I finally felt like I could breathe again as our lips met. It had been way too long, with too many bad substitutes, since I'd been able to kiss the love of my life.

"I missed this," Kol muttered, eyes closed even as he briefly broke the kiss.

"Me too. So, so much."

I pulled him back towards me, running my hands through his hair as we kissed. Everything felt right again, finally, with Kol's arms wrapped tightly around me and mine around him. I'd lost him once, but now that I had him back, I didn't plan on ever letting go again.