Archive of Our Own

Finn's POV.

I have lived long enough to recognize patterns. 

They repeat themselves, endlessly, like a curse we are all too stubborn to break. My brothers, particularly two of them, have a talent for turning the simplest matters into catastrophic spectacles of ego, violence, and wounded pride. 

And more often than not, at the center of it all: a woman. 

So when I first noticed Elijah’s interest in Hayley Marshall, I prepared myself. Not outwardly, of course. I didn't announce it, didn't confront him, didn't lecture him. Experience has taught me such efforts are wasted on Elijah when his affections are involved. No, I simply observed. Waited for the usual drama.

But this time Kol would be affected too. Because Kol for the first time, of all the blond fake harpies Klaus ever showed intrested in, seemed to like Hayley. Well, Hayley is way different from the usual women Klaus has shown intrest. Not blond, not blue eyed, not fragile, no damsel in distress. Elijah has always mysteriously out of his own hands seemed drawn to the women Klaus showed intrested or deemed worthy of his time.

But nothing, absolutely nothing. Hayley showed no interest in Elijah whatsoever. If anything, she dismissed him with a kind of casual indifference that I found refreshing. 

“She’s not impressed,” I muttered once, watching from across the room as Elijah attempted, rather subtly, to engage her in conversation. Sage, at my side, followed my gaze, her lips curving faintly. “Not everyone is.” Elijah, for his part, remained composed, though I could see the faint flicker of confusion beneath his polished exterior. 

Klaus however, seems to have more luck with Hayley. Hayley’s attention never shifted toward Elijah. It stayed with Klaus. Maybe she's drawn to his intensity, his unpredictability, or simply the fact that he did not approach her with the same carefully measured charm. Or rather he didn't treat her like a damsle in distress.

Their interactions were unmistakable. The looks, the proximity and most notably the kisses. I had seen it. Clear as day. Not subtle, not ambiguous, not friendly one's.

“Well,” I had said dryly afterward, “that settles that.” Sage had glanced at me amused. “You sound relieved.” “I am,” I admitted. “For once, Elijah is not inserting himself into Klaus’s affections. And Kol can keep his friendship.” 

A rare victory. A deviation from the usual, exhausting pattern. For a time, I allowed myself to believe that perhaps, just perhaps, things might remain simple.

                            ~◇~

She was with Klaus. She was Klaus’s. No stealing, no schemes, no drama on that front. A rare moment of order in our perpetually chaotic lives. That should have been enough, I told myself.I thought with a brief spark of relief, she was not another woman for Elijah to pine after. She was with Klaus. She was Klaus’s. No stealing, no schemes, no drama on that front. A rare moment of order in our perpetually chaotic lives. That should have been enough, I told myself.

A week later, I found myself on the way to Klaus art room. I wanted to ask him something regarding the next faction meeting. But to my surprise I heard another voice being with him in the room. I peeked through the half open door, to see who it is thats tolerated in Klaus sanctuary.

And there I saw Klaus sketching, Hayley sitting beside him, watching quietly. “You’re staring,” he said without looking up. “You’re drawing like your life depends on it,” she replied. “It kind of does.” She laughed softly, leaning closer to examine the sketch, her shoulder pressing against his. “It’s good,” she murmured. Klaus glanced at her then, something almost shy in his expression, a rarity and then he kissed her again. 

Well seems like my brother has luck in love now and I might get a sister-in-law at one point too. I walk away, I can always talk to Klaus later.

                             ~◇~

Over the next weeks, I had begun noticing the time Hayley spent with Kol. And I do not mean casual, passing interactions. I mean lingering hours together, seemingly innocuous but undeniable in their intimacy. Watching baseball games on the television, sharing meals, laughing over jokes I didn’t understand and couldn’t hope to. I initially brushed it off. Harmless. Innocent. The only unusual thing is, that Kol seems to genuinely like Hayley. Hayley whose with Klaus. Kol who usually writes of any woman who has anything with Klaus or Elijah.

Kol drifts, he engages, he entertains himself in ways that rarely hold long-term consequence. His interactions with Hayley seemed, initially, no different than his usual behavior. They watched a baseball game together, ate together, too. Spend time togther, during late evenings, casual conversations, laughter that carried easily through the halls. Kol thrives on attention. Hayley, it seemed, did not mind giving it.

So when I walker around the courtyard, I saw Hayley kissing Klau- wait. Klaus is blond, he's not a brunett. I groan, great. Hayley fell for Elijah's charms. I'm already turning around, when I hold in and whip my head back. Cause since when the hell does Elijah not wear suits?!

I gasp, that's not Elijah from whom Hayley is walking away from. THAT'S KOL!!!

That was a kiss or was it? Finn, you are not imagining things, I scolded myself again and again. I had seen it or at least I thought I had. But I'm unsure of what I really saw.

Was it Kols cheek? Kols lips? A fleeting graze or something more? My brain played the scene over like a broken record, each iteration more vivid, more infuriating. One thing was certain: Hayley had kissed Klaus on the lips. That much I knew. That had been deliberate. Hayley spends time with Klaus.

And if Kol had been kissed in any similar way then we were heading for a disaster of biblical proportions.

                             ~◇~

So I did what I thought was logical. I sought out Sage.

I found her moments later, entirely at ease, as if the world wasn't on the verge of the apocalypse. “Sage,” I said, sharply enough to draw her attention immediately. She looked up, calm as ever. “Finn.” I paced once before her, running a hand through my hair in frustration. “We have a problem.” Her brow lifted slightly. “Do we?”

“Yes, we do,” I snapped, then lowered my voice slightly. “Hayley Marshall.” Sage blinked once and asked concerned:"Is she hurt? Did something happen to her?".

"No." If then I wouldn't worry about bloodbaths or th city getting burned down by my youngest brothers. I stopped pacing, turning toward her fully. “She is involved with Klaus.” 

“Yes,” Sage said. “And she is spending an inordinate amount of time with Kol.”

“Yes,” Sage repeated. “I have seen them together, laughing, eating, watching that ridiculous sport—”

“Baseball,” Sage supplied. “Irrelevant,” I dismissed. “That is not the point.”

“And what is the point?” she asked, her tone far too calm for my liking. I stared at her. Then said it plainly “I believe she kissed him.” Sage’s smile widened. “Oh, you definitely think that’s a problem.” 

“It is a problem,” I insisted. “A significant one."  I huffed. “Finn-” But I didn't let her finish. “She kissed Klaus,” I continued, cutting her off. “I saw it. Clearly. No ambiguity. And now I may have witnessed her kiss Kol as well.” “May have?” Sage echoed confused with tilted head. “It was unclear,” I admitted, frustration creeping into my tone. “But the possibility alone is concerning.” Sage tilted her head, studying me. “And your conclusion?” I stared at her confused. It should be obvious. “She is playing them.” Sage blinked once and then she laughed. Sage, theove of my life, my wife for over 900 years actually laughed at me. I felt my irritation spike immediately. “This is not amusing.”

“Oh, Finn,” she said, shaking her head slightly. “You don’t know the full story.” I froze, “What does that mean?” Her smile turned knowing and that made it worse. I took a step closer, my voice lowering, intensifying. “Sage.” She simply looked at me calm, unbothered and infuriating.

I exhaled sharply, throwing my hands up slightly in exasperation. “Sage, she is playing both my younger brothers’ hearts!”

“It's not Elijah and Klaus,” I continued, pacing again. “This is not some poetic, restrained conflict. This is Klaus and Kol.” 

“Mm,” Sage hummed. “They are volatile,” I pressed. “Impulsive. Competitive. Nasty temper. Ruthless. Deranged since they were ankle biters. I should know, I had to suffer through their teething phases. They will not handle this with civility.” Sage hummed “Probably not,” she agreed.

“They will not even realize what is happening until it is too late,” I added, growing more agitated with every word. “And when they do-" I turned to her “-it will end in blood.” Sage regarded me for a long moment. Then, far too calmly “Or,” she said, “you’re missing something.” I stared at her, completely unconvinced. “I am not.” Her smile remained unshaken though. But I didn't care. That, more than anything, made me certain, disaster was coming.

                             ~◇~

I had reached my limit. Sage’s infuriating calm, that stupidly amused smirk, that endless ability to downplay a situation that. She had laughed. Laughed! At my very real, very pressing concern that Hayley Marshall was playing a dangerous game with both Klaus and Kol. “Finn,” she had said, voice dripping with amusement, “perhaps you’re imagining more than you need to. Maybe it’s not as bad as you think.” Imagine! Not as bad as I think! 

I could practically hear the imminent screams and crashes in my future, the furniture flying, the blood spray, and she suggested I was overthinking! Overthinking! That’s a crime in my book, and if anyone had the right to think things through to catastrophic conclusions, it was me, Finn Mikaelson, eldest and arguably wisest of all Mikaelson brothers.

                             ~◇~

Perhaps Hayley and Kol were just friends. Close friends, maybe best friends. That was the only rational explanation. Kol would never, ever pursue a woman Klaus was into. He had spent centuries mocking Elijah for daring to even glance at the women Klaus had even a simple work relationship with. Like a witch Klaus kept in his services. While Kol never had a problem to charm a witch and sleep with them, including those witches Kol kept in his own services. 

Kol stayed away from the witches that were working for Klaus. Flirted? Sure that Kol did plenty. Flirting is basically Kols second nature.

The notion that Kol might have any interest in Hayley outside friendship was absurd. Out of the question. Clearly, the coast was safe. I could exhale, at least partially. My heart rate slowed. My forehead uncreased.

And yet, I should have known better. I should have known that in the Mikaelson household, where fire met fire, anything was possible.

                            ~◇~

I saw them making out. Hayley and Kol, on the kitchen counter. Right there. Pancakes on the table, coffee mugs half-full, utensils scattered, and there they were, oblivious to everything around them, entirely consumed by each other. Hayley sitting on the counter, Kol standing between her legs. 

I froze. Mid-step. Mid-breath. I couldn’t process it. My brain refused to file this under “plausible events.” It was as if the universe had flipped a table over me, literally and metaphorically. 

Haylyes hands are in Kols hair. One of Kols hands are below her shirt and - Nope. I walked backwards, slowly, slowly like some tragic, horrified mannequin, until I had retreated enough distance to avoid being seen. Still silent, still stunned, utterly incapable of producing even a single coherent thought or sound.

Yep, just friends.

                              ~◇~

I decided to take matters into my own hands. If a bloodbath was looming, I would not sit idly by and let my younger brothers—my younger brothers—walk into it blindfolded. No. I would observe. I would analyze. I would spy. Call it overzealous, call it paranoid, call it an obsession fueled by my impeccable sense of foresight, but someone had to monitor Hayley Marshall before disaster struck. The plan was simple: follow, watch, confirm if Klaus and Hayley are exclussive in Klaus opinion or not. Find out what's exactly going on between Kol and Hayley. Find out what Kol thinks is between him and Hayley.

                             ~◇~

I would like to state, for the record, that I am not paranoid. I am observant. There is a difference, a very important distinction that my dear Sage seems determined to ignore every time she looks at me like I have lost my mind. I have not lost my mind. I have simply come to the entirely reasonable conclusion that Hayley Marshall is behaving in a way that requires… monitoring. Yes. Monitoring. Careful, strategic, necessary observation. Because if there is one thing I know about my family, it is this: emotional entanglements never remain harmless for long.

That's why I first observed Hayley with Klaus. I stood, slightly crouching, outside the doorway to the living room.  There they were, Hayley snuggled against Klaus on the couch, legs intertwined, his arm lazily draped over her shoulders. She was laughing at something he had said, that little tilt of her head, that sparkle in her eyes. Klaus, for his part, looked like a man who had just won at life. My stomach twisted. That's not the usual Klaus. That not how Klaus would treat someone with whom he's not serious. I don't remember having ever seen Klaus having ever been so relaxed with someone before. 

“This is absurd,” I muttered one evening, pressed against the wall outside the study as I listened to Hayley’s voice drift from inside with Kol’s laughter following through the nearly closed door “I am an Original vampire. I have lived for centuries. I have studied magic, history, human nature, and yet I cannot determine whether my brother is romantically involved with the same woman as my other brother. This is ridiculous.” I paused, frowning slightly. “No, it is not ridiculous. It is serious. Very serious. Potentially catastrophic.” I nodded to myself. Yes. That sounded much better, making my second observation less stalkerish like.

I look oside through the gap of the door. They were sitting on the floor, some kind of board game between them, pieces scattered, rules clearly abandoned. Hayley shoved his shoulder lightly. “That’s literally the same thing as cheating.” Kol leaned closer, lowering his voice. “Only if you get caught.” Hayley raised an eyebrow, smirking. “Oh, I caught you.” There was a pause, a moment of eye contact that lingered just a second too long, and I felt my entire body tense. No, I thought. No, no, no, we are not doing this again. Kol’s smirk softened slightly, something quieter, less teasing, and Hayley didn’t pull away. Instead, she laughed softly, shaking her head, and flicked one of the game pieces at him. “You’re impossible.” Kol grinned. “And yet, you’re still here.” I narrowed my eyes. “Suspicious,” I whispered to myself. “Highly suspicious.” There was no kiss this time, but that didn't make it better.

My next observation was about Hayley with Klaus again. I found them in the kitchen that evening, though I maintained a far more dignified position than previously, leaning casually against the hallway corner. Like if I simply happened to be passing by. They were standing close at the counter, some baking disaster between them. Flour dusted across the surface, a bowl tilted dangerously to one side, and Klaus was laughing as Hayley tried and failed to stir whatever mixture they had created. “You’re doing it wrong,” Klaus said, reaching over her shoulder, his hand brushing hers. “I am not doing it wrong,” Hayley shot back, though she was smiling. “You just don’t like losing control.” 

Klaus smirked “I never lose control.” “That’s because you never follow the rules,” she replied, nudging him with her elbow. He leaned closer, lowering his voice. “Rules by others are a mere suggestions for me.”

And yet, not an hour later, I found Hayley with Kol. This time in the courtyard, sitting on the steps, sharing a drink. “You’re stealing my glass,” Kol complained, though he made no move to take it back. “You handed it to me,” Hayley pointed out. “That was a mistake.” “Too late,” she said, smirking as she took another sip. Kol watched her for a moment, something unreadable in his expression, then leaned back on his hands. “You’re trouble, you know that?” Hayley raised an eyebrow. “Says the guy who set three houses on fire in a single night.” Kol grinned. “They deserved it.” She laughed, shaking her head.

                              ~◇~

I decided enough is enough and this time Sage can't laugh it off. My jaw was locked, muscles protesting with every step. When I finally reached her, she was sitting at her usual spot, casually flipping through a spell book, looking impossibly serene, as if she had no idea the internal hurricane I was carrying in my chest. I slammed both hands down on the table in front of her, startling her enough to make her spill a small pile of parchment. “Finn?” she said, peering up, concerned but not alarmed, because she probably assumed I had discovered a new spell gone wrong. “Finn, what’s the matter?” I dropped into the chair across from her, jaw still slack, eyes wide enough to make her pause. “Sage,” I gasped, voice strained like it hadn’t been used in days, “I-I don’t even know where to start! I was spying!  She's playing them both! One moment she's baking with Klaus and in the other she's making out with Kol!".

Sage’s eyes grow huge, now finally she believes me. And then she starts to howl with laughter. Excuse me?! I just told her my two younger brothers are being played by one mortal werewolf. Sage then tells me :"Finn, Hayley is not cheating on anyone one. She's loyal, helpful. She helped Klaus getting his Werwolf side back and Kol his magic.".

I throw my hand up and start to pace around again :"Who cares if she did?! She's toying with both of them, in public! She's not even subtle or discreet about it!". Sage finally managed a breath between laughs, leaning forward and pointing at me with one finger, still giggling. “Finn, oh dear Finn,” she said, voice shaking with amusement, “you really have absolutely no idea what's going on?" I shake my head, not the leats bit amused :"No, what I know is that Hayley Marshall, a mortal werewolf, is manipulating Klaus and Kol.".

Sage finally decided I had suffered enough. I say “suffered” because that’s exactly how it felt. An endless parade of anxiety, paranoia, and outrage at Hayley Marshall’s supposed manipulations. I felt her hand on mine. “Finn,” she said, her voice deceptively soft, “come with me.” Before I could respond, she gently tugged me along, surprisingly strong, and I stumbled a step behind her, caught between curiosity and the nagging suspicion that this was going to be another one of her ridiculous games.

We reached her study, as soon as the door closed, Sage turned, took my hand again. She held it firmly. “Finn,” her eyes sparkling with that impossible mix of amusement and mischief, “shh.” She pressed a finger to her lips and I blinked at her bewildered. “Sage, why-” She ignored me, walked to the study’s balcony doors, sliding them open slowly. The evening air spilled in warm. I followed her out onto the balcony, still confused, my mind spinning with every possible worst-case scenario. Sage’s eyes locked on mine, her hand slipping from mine to rest on the balcony railing. She leaned forward slightly. “Look,” she said simply. “down there.”

I frowned, leaning over the railing, expecting something normal. What I didn't expect, I'm certain no one could have prepared me, was this: on the garden couch, tucked under a large blanket, were Klaus, Kol, and Hayley. All three of them cuddled together. Watching a movie on a laptop, snack bowls littered the low table beside them, drinks in hand. Hayley nestled between Klaus and Kol, the blanket pulled snug around all three.

I froze. My jaw went slack. My eyes widened so far I feared they might actually pop out of my skull. I think I even audibly whispered, “What… what is… happening?” Sage’s laughter floated up from behind meand I whiped my head to glare at her. “Sage!” I hissed. “This… this is… this doesn’t make sense!” She only chuckled, brushing back a strand of hair from her face. “Finn, Finn, Finn. Calm down and look again.” 

My gaze snapped back down. And there it was. Both Klaus and Kol , my brothers, leaned forward in perfect synchrony, placing gentle, deliberate kisses on Hayley’s lips one after another. Not a sneaky glance, not an accidental brush, not some “innocent best friend” thing. Actual, full-on kisses, both of them. First Kol and then Klaus. While Hayley smiled, serene and content, caught in their arms like this was perfectly normal.

I look back at Sage with huge eyes. Sage amused, shrugs her shoulders and says :"Sorry love, but I wanted to see how long it would take for you to find out. It's not like those three are even subtle. But I didn't think you would go full on detective mood on them.". Her eyes sparkle with amusement.

Are you kidding me? They are a throuple? Since when?! Hold on... if they are a throuple... it means when I saw them all three last week, with wet hair like from a shower, leaving Kols roo- Nope. That's it, Sage and I are moving out. I know too much and saw already too much.

So I turn to Sage and ask her with as much dignity I still have left:"Dear, do you still like Itay?"

I'm not dealing with possible jealousy fits in a throuple relationship. Especially when 2 of the involved people are Klaus and Kol. 

No thanks.