the original first-born

"This is impossible." Klaus shook his head, backing away from the man in front of him, "You don’t exist, they said you were dead. You were dead." The hybrid’s eyes were wide as he took in the man standing before him. Swallowing thickly. "What kind of trick is this?"

        We're all dead, it was the first thing to cross Aaron's mind, but the words left a bitter taste in his mouth even before he said them. Despite death being something he had over a thousand years to get used to, the memory of it remained one of the few things able to unsettle him. Taking an unnecessary breath, the newest Original rose his hands in a placating gesture as he stepped closer to his hybrid half brother. 

      “Funny that you’re bringing the doppelganger theory to a shapeshifter. Even funnier, that knowing what I am you believed me that fast. Haven’t had too many experiences with vampires, but most of you aren’t this easily convinced.” He tilted his head a bit, placing his index finger over his lips. “Either you’re really gullible, or you have some awesome mental reading ability.” David teased the other man, but without any intention of pissing the blond man off; it was just the way he did things.

"Most of us can't compel supernatural creatures," Aaron shrugged, a half-smile still marking his lips despite the danger that briefly flashed through his eyes and words. He couldn't read minds, but he could make them sing the truth, if he wanted them to. Besides, the Original saw nothing wrong in believing in things when they seemed true enough. Why would the shapeshifter lie to him when he didn't know who he was? Who Kol had been? Id made no sense to him and he hardly could take offense being called gullible at that. 

For a long moment, Aiden blinked innocently at the other man, trying to comprehend what was going on. Don’t scream. The voice of the man was so clear in his head, unlike the other voices that he had been forcing back. Aiden nodded to show that he understood. Why would he scream? The other man didn’t seem to mean him any harm. He had a gentle face and it was something that Aiden liked. A calm exterior that made him want to simply trust the stranger and his words. The teacher simply stared at the man, almost as though he was waiting for new instructions.

        There it was, the smile. Just like Aaron remembered it and equally as warming. And despite all he had ever known on the Other Side yelling at him that things simply couldn't be that easy, he found them to be just so. He had asked nicely and the man would agree to follow him, no guilt of compulsion needed as Aiden smiled at him. Surely he couldn't agree to everything, he was a person after all, but he could agree to come.

★

        It was as surreal as it could possibly get, Aaron assumed. Standing before the one brother he never really got to even watch, the one whose name was carved beside him on that cave wall. Henrik Mikaelson had no glimmer of recognition in his eyes, nothing to offer him but a smile that although charming managed to leave the eldest of the Originals uncomfortable, try and he might to remain unaffected by the smirk and question. 

Dollnapping

        He had been watching the teacher for a while now, almost a whole week. It was safe to say Aaron found himself intrigued. Everyday, Monday to Saturday the man would come, dropped off by another man the vampire didn't pay attention to, teach his lessons and go home, almost like he had a mission. Except his home wasn't really a home and there was something off about the man who dropped him off. Still Aaron liked him, the teacher, had even sat through one of his lessons just to be sure. The way he explained things was good, unlike when most people tried to explain him something, and he had a nice smile. Aaron had always liked smiles. That pretty much settled it.

                  “So we should probably talk about this…” said Caroline, the minute he opened the door.  She’d thought about calling him but there was no easy way to say so hey, my stupid memory spell wore off, I remember kissing you and a whole bunch of other stuff, can we talk?

His muscles were rigid as he worked to keep the anger at bay, to keep the uncertainty from slipping out of his thoughts and onto his features. Above anything he wanted to believe him. To believe he had actually come to see him, but his trust had been broken one too many times. Either way he hated this. He hated all of it. Even if Aaron wasn’t acting out the sad puppy look. Because then what would this mean? Then he was just showing his true colors to someone that cared, wasn’t he? And Esther had taken full advantage of Aaron’s naivety. Using his innocence as a weapon to destroy them and clean up her mess. He was too disgusted to even form proper words to describe it. He loathed her, loathed every fiber of her being.

        He had done it, at last. Wore his brother down to the last tatters of his patience. It wasn't like Finn had been happy to see him from the beginning, but now his brother was just downright angry, even Aaron could see that. Muscles tense, posture rigid as a board and that annoyed crease in between his eyes that reminded Aaron of mother when she had tried and failed to be stern with him. It was fair to say Finn more than succeeded where Esther had not. 

David wasn’t expecting vampire as a response, specially seeing how the other walked so freely under the sunlight. He was about to open his mouth to make a witty remark, but he had to shut it down again as soon as the blond showed him the ring on his finger. Setting his gaze down to the man’s hand, David give him a short nod, before looking back up. “Well, isn’t this little thing useful?” He commented to himself, lips turning up into a smile again. More like a cheeky grin. “That’s just a really weird coincidence, your brother and I must share some similar genetic mutation.” His expression dropped suddenly at the realization. “Wait..have you just said 'happened to be'?”

        Wasn't the shifter taking that well? All witty remarks and charming smirks, or at least that was the case until Aaron had to let that one little past tensed verb slip. "Well, seeing as we were born over a thousand years ago, I was actually wondering if you could be his doppelganger or something. We seemed to be cursed with a nasty case of those every few centuries." He had to tame down a shrug, they weren't really his problem anyway, more like his siblings' curse. Still there was something to be said about another supernatural roaming around the country with his dead little brother's face.

All parents damage their children. It cannot be helped. Youth, like pristine glass, absorbs the prints of its handlers. Some parents smudge, others crack, a few shatter childhoods completely into jagged little pieces, beyond repair.

The corners of David’s lips tugged up on slight smile at the man spoke again. He had realized he was a shapeshifter, so the man himself should be a monster as well. What he was exactly, David didn’t know, but surely was someone who had never seen him before. “You’re the first person asking me that. Weird, but original, I guess.” He made a small pause, before speaking again.  ”Answering your question, this is the real me. Handsome, I know.” David joked, adopting a more relaxed posture. “Now, real question is, what are you?”

Oh it was Original indeed. The thought alone made Aaron chuckle, a little shake of his head ridding him from the amusement before he could focus once more at the men before him and the matter at hand. "I am a vampire." He finally replied, the enthusiasm from a few moments ago gone from his tone as he raised his hand and allowed the silver band around one finger to gleam under the light. "Daylight ring. And you see what's the really weird thing? That happened to be the face of my brother."

Elena smiled. Finally someone who has no idea I am a Princess. No expectations. I could really like him Elena took his hand. “Thank you sir, but I am very capable of taking care of myself. ” she teased. There was something different about this man. Elijah and other noblemen were always being protective and telling her she shouldn’t fight the boys, and to be careful. But when this tried to help, it was not the same. It felt like less of an obligation and more of sincere. Princes are used to being gentlemen to ladies. All royals were raised to be proper. But here was a guy wasn’t held to any expectations. He was his own man. And to noble blood he’d be a ‘nobody’, but to her he was most certainly a somebody. She figured he must be curious why she was on this side of town. She could tell he knew she was of a different class than him, but that didn’t seem to phase him. That made her keep that smile on her face.

        It was a long tirade the noble girl dove into, going on and on about princes and royals while Aaron merely stared, mouth slightly open now and then, whenever he thought her rant to be close to an end. Her story made him hazy with the bouts of information, head shaking as he attempt to get a grip and put away his offered hand. Clearly the lady could look after herself, at least around him that was. What he gathered from her words, besides a blatant dislike for arranged marriages, was that surely she must have a high birth, being offered the hand of princes and dwelling in castles. A countess or more, surely not the kind of girl that should be seen on this side of town or walking around with a blacksmith's son. And running away from home, no less! They could have his head for this, and despite all that Aaron was already sure of one thing: he would help her.

David looked at the blond guy standing close to him. There was something unnerving about him, and he couldn’t figure out what that was exactly. He didn’t seem like anyone from the Duvals, but he couldn’t be sure. “Do you need something or you’re just gonna stand there?”

The whole thing was so odd Aaron was left staring for longer than he would have liked. The men standing before him looked just like his little brother, mischievous thing Kol was, however the audible heartbeat made it clear that was no vampire to begin with. Shaking his head the Original brought a weary smile to his lips, head tilted slightly to the side as his blue eyes bore down on the creature.