How To Survive After

XII: Fleeting peace

Waking up Azalea, felt the sun kiss her face.
She was about to get up when Azalea noticed extra limbs protectively holding onto her.
Her wand that was hidden underneath her pillow, which had been a habit since her being on the run, was already tight in her palm.
Until Azalea remembered last night; her Kol was in the land of the living once again. She felt so at peace with being in his arms; they were made for her.

Azalea rolled over, her face resting in his firm muscled uncovered chest.
Hesitantly brought her hand up from where it lay and brushed the pad of her finger down his chest only to pause when it started to vibrate. Without opening his eyes, Kol said "I don't mind darling, admire carry on"
Azalea didn't need to look at his face to see his smirk
Embarrassed, Azalea buried her face in his chest, "You're awake"

Smiling at the adorableness of his witch, Kol cheekily replied, stroking her hair and back "For a while now"
Looking up into his eyes, Azalea asked "Why didn't you wake me up"
"You looked so peaceful, My flower," Kol said, "I couldn't" 

When Kol looked into Azalea's eyes, he could see flecks of silver in them and was mesmerized.
He also didn't miss the way her eyes flickered down to his lips and didn't wait for a second as he captured them in a heated battle of passion. His hand came to her cheek and softly caressed it as they pulled away for air.
When they did, Azalea couldn't help herself  whispering as her breath fanned over his lips "Can we stay here forever"
"In bed, darling" Kol asked with his eyebrow raised with a slow smirk pulling at his lips
"Yes... No... I mean... Shut up" 

Kol felt a sense of pride as his witch's cheeks went flush at his suggestive words. He also let out a rumble of laughter as she huffed and buried her head in his chest once again. After the laughter subsided, they basked in the silence between them, just soaking up them in a storm of chaos
"I know what you mean about staying here forever, my darling flower"
And it was true because he just wanted them to stay in that bubble of just them. No drama, No chaos, No death. No siblings trying to stab him in the heart for a long nap. Just them basking in the presence of each other

Azalea nodded off again to the rhythm of Kol humming a delicate tune, that was from his childhood not that she knew, and his hand rubbing the small of her back.

Azalea's wild hair splayed out covering her face, Kol moved it so he could see her angelic features.
The way her lips were slightly parted letting a small snore appear from them every once and a while, as well as her eyes and noes, would twitch as dreams plagued her.

He wasn't lying when she looked peaceful.
Sometimes Azalea would scream in her sleep from nightmarish memories, or toss in pain.
He could never calm her when she was asleep, never touch nor comfort just his ghostly fingers longing to shake her awake so her pants of anguish and screams of pain would stop.
It was like when she slept there was a wall between them, even with the resurrection stone she made Kol wear around his neck, it wouldn't allow them to be together. He would just have to wait till she calmed herself and he hated it. The screams hurt him so normally he would read a book to distract, or when it got really bad he would plead with her unconscious body to wake.

In his 1000 years on the earth, whether it was daggered or not, Kol never felt he belonged or loved.
However, being in Azalea's arms he truly felt happy and now he got this feeling he was never giving it up. He didn't care if it was selfish as everyone that for involved with his family died. Kol didn't care she was his and he was hers.