Summary: When the Mikaelsons get invited to a Christmas party, nineteen year old Marcel has to be taught how to dance.
Warning: implied incest...
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"Marcel, look what I've got!"
Rebekah waves at him, a letter in her hand.
"We," she continues smugly, "have been invited to the Christmas ball."
It's early in the afternoon, and the pale winter sun shining in on the balcony illuminates her golden hair. Marcel swallows, momentarily distracted, before realising she is waiting for a response.
"That's great," he manages to say.
His beauty has become more and more apparent, and his body continues to respond in inappropriate ways. He tried to suppress it, but it often took him of guard.
Seemingly unaware of his inner struggle, Rebekah smiles happily and spins around, arms wide, as if she imagines the party around her.
"It will be a lovely evening," she sighs.
Her smile takes on a dangerous edge.
"An evening with dancing, of course."
"Which begs the question, Marcellus, how well is your dancing?"
Marcel's head snaps up. He had totally missed Elijah's entrance. The oldest Mikaelson brother is leaning against the door frame with an amused curl on his lips.
"Fine, I guess," Marcel stammers.
Rebekah frowns.
"Well, if we are to appear in public, it should be better than fine."
She grabs his hand and drags him past Elijah towards the courtyard.
"But there is no music," he protests feebly, unable to resists her deceptive strength.
"Then use your inner sense of rhythm," Elijah says from behind them. "May I suggest a waltz? It seems to have become quite popular."
Marcel's cheeks heat up as Rebekah places her hand on his shoulder. Unlike the group dances, the waltz is danced in pairs and in close proximity. He can understand why it has the upper society in an uproar. The warmth of Rebekah's body burns against him, making it difficult to focus on anything else, let alone the steps of the dance.
"The man is supposed to lead," Rebekah teases, glancing up with a knowing smile.
Elijah circles closer.
"Left foot forward, Marcel. Then slide to the right, and repeat with your right foot. Three beats per measure."
He starts counting the rhythm, and at the right moment, Marcel does as he was told, grateful of the help. After the first few steps, his legs seem to remember the dance pattern, and his movements become more fluent. Rebekah reacts gracefully, and he smiles proudly.
"Do you remember the turn?" Elijah asks.
Instead of answering, Marcel twists Rebekah around. The first part goes as planned, but half way through he stumbles, tripping over his feet. They come to an abrupt halt and Rebekah squeaks as she falls against him, carried forward by the momentum.
"Sorry," Marcel mumbles, mind reeling. He can feel her laugh rumbling through her chest where she is pressed against him.
"Not quite like that," Elijah smiles from the sideline. "Try again."
They reposition themselves and start over. The basic steps are easier now, and soon Marcel loses himself in the rhythm. He doesn't notice that Elijah stopped counting until warm hands are placed on his hips. He flinches, almost faltering.
"Continue," Elijah whispers in his ear, putting some pressure on his hips to urge him forward. Marcel shivers, but picks up the rhythm. He can barely breathe, hyper aware of the bodies in front and behind him.
"Now, do the turn."
Marcel steps in again, twirling Rebekah around. At the moment where he made the previous mistake, Elijah's hands tighten and guide him in the right direction. His feet follow automatically, and they finish the turn properly, ending back in their original position.
"Much better," Rebekah grins as they come to a halt.
Marcel nods, but can't form any words. Rebekah is leaning in even closer, and Elijah's breath tickles his neck. Despite the cold, he is flustered. Their hands lie heavy on his body, trapping him in in between them, and he doesn't know on which part to focus.
"Starting the party without me?"
Klaus' voice rings over the courtyard, and immediately, both Rebekah and Elijah step away, leaving Marcel strangely cold.
"We were just practising," Rebekah pouts.
"Indeed," Elijah adds, as if nothing has happened. "Although for the next round I would recommend some music."
Klaus glares at them, but Rebekah slips into his arms.
"Come on, Brother, let's dance," she chirps. Klaus relaxes beneath her touch, before spinning her around with a strength that would have dislocated the arm of a normal human.
"Why not, Sister. Let's show young Marcel how it is done."
A spike of jealousy runs through Marcel at the sight of them gliding through the courtyard, fitting together seamlessly. As he glances away with a scowl, he catches Elijah's gaze. Almost imperceptibly, Elijah shakes his head, expression grave.
Marcel swallows and clenches his fists. He would be foolish to believe that Rebekah could ever belong to him. Klaus would never allow it. And even if he did, why would Rebekah even want him?
But as she smirks at him across Klaus' shoulder, his heart flutters despite himself. Maybe, there is a little bit of hope.
I’m both proud and ashamed of how long this is (what is my life?). If you read all of this, you get a cookie.
I got a little enthusiastic while writing a meta (/rant) on Elijah, and on his relationship with Klaus, and also Marcel - but I mean, even his relationship with Marcel is practically about Klaus as well. I feel like this season scratched the surface of so many interesting dynamics, while never really quite delivering on any of them.
I thought this season was going to explore Elijah’s mental struggles more than it did. We learnt in season 2 that he can become incredibly unstable, but that he manages to pull himself together for most of his time by burying all of that behind the Red Door. We didn’t see much of it since, so I was eager to delve deeper into it.
Elijah normally exercises an extreme amount of control in everything he does, from the way he looks to the way he thinks to the way he acts. He’s not rash or impulsive at all. When he uses violence, it’s almost always because he rationally decided to do so. Attacking someone impulsively because his emotions got the best of him is rare, although it can definitely happen. No one is always in full control over themselves and their emotions, after all. *whispers* pulling out Marcel’s heart. To Elijah, this lack of control is abhorrent and he will always regret those lapses. After all, this is the man who has been berating Klaus (and frankly all of his siblings) for their temper and lack of control for centuries.
When the Red Door is opened however, it’s a different story. Elijah’s mind is attacked by memories and feelings of guilt and self-loathing, so powerful and overwhelming that he shuts down. He loses all of his ability to restrain himself and think rationally. His violence becomes uncontrolled and unreasoned. He no longer makes a conscious decision to use violence, it happens involuntarily. Some people argue that this is the real Elijah, while the suit-and-handkerchief Elijah is merely pretending to be something he is not, but I don’t agree. Both of these sides of Elijah are part of who he is. In fact, I’d argue one side would not exist without the other. Would Elijah be so desperate for self-control and self-restraint if he didn’t become so horrifyingly violent without it? Would Elijah try to bury all of his memories behind the Red Door if they didn’t torment him with guilt, self-loathing and regret? There’s a whole debate to be had about what exactly defines us as a person (instincts, actions, decisions, feelings…) but for the sake of keeping it simple now, I’d argue they’re all part of who you are. People are complex.
I thought this season might explore that paradox of Elijah’s deliberate vs indeliberate violence, by leading him to a breaking point again. With Klaus getting better and better at keeping his temper in check, it was the perfect time for Elijah to dissolve, and it really did seem to go into that direction – but it just feels half-assed, if I’m honest. They made Rebekah say:
“Now that our brother has found his noble purpose, what about you? (…) You're no longer tethered to him. You must have thought about it. So what will you do with your immortality, now you're not burdened with saving Nik's soul?”
I was excited. I thought I would get what I wanted: an unravelling Elijah in an existential crisis because the sole objective he had for the entirety of his life, the redemption of his brother, suddenly seemed achievable. The one thing he had devoted himself to for a thousand years within his reach – and of course he wouldn’t know what to do with his life anymore. It would be enough to give anyone an intense feeling of loss, let alone an immortal who has lived for so long. Not to mention how Elijah is a controlfreak who has poured all of himself into saving his brother simply to forget his own struggles. There is no person Elijah feels more guilt towards than Klaus. Therefore, devoting himself to his brother is the surest way for Elijah to soothe his mind and basically keep the Red Door tightly locked. He’s not ready to let Klaus go, because then what else would Elijah focus on? He desperately clings to his brother still, because his brother is the only thing that gives his life purpose.
Klaus’s redemption being the potential reason for Elijah’s downfall is something I really, really love. His devotion to Klaus has always been unhealthy, and it was bound to backfire. This season definitely did reference this a little – the finale talked about how they needed to let each other go, after all, which was a good sentiment to conclude the season with. I just don’t feel like this was much explored in the season itself at all. I feel like Elijah’s struggles were mostly just there to create Hayley/Elijah drama.
Elijah has never exactly been a good guy, but this season he noticeably made more horrible decisions without scruples – which I feel like he would’ve mostly tried to avoid before. I think this is because Elijah is painfully aware that with Klaus changing for the better, it would fall up to him to do the dirty work, the things necessary to protect the family from all harm. Those have always been Klaus’s tasks, and Elijah has always vehemently protested against those ‘reckless actions’ – but I think Elijah can’t help but admit that Klaus’s actions, however he may dislike them, are the reason their family is still here today: a necessary evil. So suddenly the roles get reversed. As Klaus attempts to be better for his daughter, Elijah is prepared to take over the responsibility of doing the necessary evil stuff for the sake of giving his brother the chance to become a good dad without any tarnish. He spent almost a thousand years trying to achieve his brother’s redemption – now that it’s within reach, what else is there for him, than to do everything in his power to make sure his brother gets to keep it? He does so by offering up his own morality for the sake of Klaus’s, kind of figuratively in the spirit of: ‘I’ll damn make sure my brother goes to heaven – even if I have to go to hell for it’. He’s protecting Klaus’s purity and innocence – or well, what the hell’s even left of it, of course (anyone remember in S2 when Elijah told Klaus: “whatever innocence remains, we must protect it at all costs”?).
Now, I don’t know how much of this is actually in the show itself. This is what I think should have taken place, but I definitely feel like the writers dropped the ball on it. It does look like the writers were going for kind of the same idea as me. After all, they made Elijah pretty much beg Klaus to let him be the monster and do all the dirty work, so that Klaus can simply be a dad:
“And how do we protect Hope from all of this? She worships you, Niklaus. She must not see the monster. (…) Let me do this, please. And should any turmoil arise, should anyone dare to disrupt our kingdom… let them answer to me.”
Now, keep in mind, Elijah made a deliberate choice to go dark, and therefore this still fits into the category of “controlled, deliberate violence”. This is not Red Door Elijah yet, but the Red Door might just start to creak and shudder a little under the extra weight. I think Elijah’s task of protecting his family would definitely be a large burden for him. He’s not as skilled as Klaus in taking down enemies by doing whatever it takes. Elijah is much more in his element when he can plan ahead, and he’s not as capable of handling himself in stressful situations when things change very quickly. He may have an act of cool indifference, but once placed in extremely tense situations, he can lose his cool - especially when he deals with things that he feels are out of his control, as the true controlfreak he is. And when Elijah becomes desperate, he is very much capable of going off the deep end, further than he would’ve liked.
As much as the lack of Hope/Elijah scenes dismays me, I think it would’ve made perfect sense for Elijah to avoid all interaction with Hope, if he were to go to such dark places. Klaus needs to be good and light to be in Hope’s vicinity as her father, so Elijah will simply disappear into the darkness and perform all the deeds that Klaus now cannot. For Elijah, it’s of the utmost importance that Hope should never have to see her father as the monster he is/used to be. He’s protecting Hope’s innocence, because in turn that means he’s protecting Klaus’s. However, I can’t tell whether those lack of scenes between them are deliberate or not, and that’s the whole problem. I love subtlety, but this isn’t even subtle anymore. This is just unexplained and messy. If they wanted to show Elijah avoiding Hope, we should’ve actively seen Elijah avoid Hope. The groundwork was there, why not follow it through? If they didn’t want to show Elijah avoiding Hope, there’s really no excuse why they have so little scenes together – yes, they do have some scenes together, but they contain so little interaction that they hardly count imo.
Elijah’s relationship with Marcel was also neglected in this season, to be honest. It was there, but most of the time not really in a substantial way. Most of the season consisted of Elijah and Marcel putting aside their differences temporarily for a partnership in which they tensely kept snarking at each other. Snark is fun, but after all the abuse that has taken place between them, I do find it quite a muted response.
The one scene I think is absolutely amazing, is the one in 4x05, when Marcel is locked in the cellar and Elijah threatens him. In that scene, Elijah reiterates what I’ve been saying above: he’s obsessed with his brother’s redemption. Everything is about Klaus and for Klaus. He will do everything for his brother’s redemption and take out everyone who threatens to stand in the way. Even if that goes for Marcel, whom Elijah once considered a son. It was a very ruthless, cold and chilling scene. Elijah was calculated in his words; he had obviously been thinking about it before he entered the cellar. All of his words were carefully crafted to make it hurt more for Marcel, make the impact greater. It was essentially parental emotional abuse, and deliberate abuse at that. Does Elijah mean what he says? Yes and no. He means it in the sense that he really would choose Klaus’s redemption over Marcel in a heartbeat, but Elijah pretending not to care is just an act. We know he cares. We saw how he cried after he had ripped Marcel’s heart out. But, as he told us, as long as Marcel forms any threat to either Klaus’s safety or his redemption, Elijah is not capable of showing any mercy to Marcel. So he puts on the act, and he puts it on perfectly, all to threaten and intimidate Marcel into obedience. Not to mention how he tells Marcel how worthless he is – it’s chilling how much that echoes Mikael telling Klaus how he’s useless and weak. It’s clear that Elijah picked up a thing or two in Abuse 101 class taught by Mikael.
The 2x02 flashback was the first time that we saw Elijah pushing away Marcel for the sake of Klaus, and he has never really stopped doing so. This is how far Elijah’s dysfunctional devotion to his brother goes. His devotion to Klaus will always stand in the way of his relationship with Marcel, so the only way it will ever be possible for Elijah to make amends is by letting go of that devotion to his brother. That’s why I do kind of like how it was Marcel in the end who compelled Elijah’s memories away and ‘set him free’ (even if the compelling thing itself doesn’t make a whole lot of sense). Marcel basically set Elijah free from one of the major obstacles always standing in the way of them having a loving, familial relationship. This is once again something I wish was introduced more throughout the season, but I’m at least curious to see how that will change things between Elijah and Marcel next season.
One thing I found the most interesting about that scene was how Elijah viewed Marcel’s worth (or seemed to, at least) almost solely in the light of how useful he has been for Klaus’s redemption. That’s really disturbing. And it’s not like it’s just Marcel either: even before Hope’s birth, Elijah has always been obsessed with her primarily because of what she would mean for Klaus. Since we don’t have much actual Hope/Elijah scenes, it’s difficult to tell how much he cares about Hope outside of her good influence on Klaus, which is a question I desperately want answered. After all, what if Hope also ended up failing in contributing to Klaus’s redemption? I do feel like Elijah places more value on blood relatives than on adopted ones, unfortunately. Klaus has always been about “we can choose our own family”, but I’m not sure if Elijah ever shared that sentiment. I’m pretty sure he silently considers that an affront – why would you choose others over your own family? He’s kind of affronted everytime Rebekah goes in search of her own family somewhere, too. The irony of course is that Klaus is only half a blood relative of Elijah, and yet he is the one Elijah clings to the hardest.
The Red Door episode of Elijah’s mind, 4x10, was underwhelming, because I feel like it didn’t actually tell or show us anything new, anything of substance. Elijah’s Red Door never actually opens throughout the season – pretty much all his violence and horrific deeds this season have been deliberate and consciously done. He’s been a little more touchy, definitely, which made him look like a ticking time bomb, but we never actually saw it go off. We didn’t get an explanation as to why Elijah seems a bit more unstable now. Freya says that Elijah’s mind is unstable, but it seems like that’s more a result of his mind shattering in the pendant, than because of anything psychological here. The show framed it like “this is who Elijah is underneath, all the time, always - we’ll show you now just to remind you, as we like to do every once in a while”. So what was the point? Was all of that just so Elijah could fall off Hayley’s pedestal? Why did we not actually explore what it would take for Elijah to open the door again?
I feel like this is one of my most incoherent rants ever. Mostly because this season left me feeling like the writers technically agree for the most part with my take on Elijah and his relationships, they just have a really bad way of showing it. Like, what I did here is ‘explain’ the storyline of Elijah and his various relationships on the show this season… yet I don’t recall seeing much of this actually on screen. Maybe if you squint hard enough, but mostly this just feels like me drawing conclusions based on the few hints they’ve dropped, paired with my own judgement on what should’ve taken place. I think that might be the most frustrating thing: seeing these little hints dropped in the show where it seems like the writers agree with me, but then they don’t really come through. It was mostly just a line here or there, and a couple of outstanding scenes, but I feel like all of the relationships suffered as most screen time was attributed to… just plot. (A plot that I didn’t care much for, I might add, because the Hollow was so underwhelming as a villain and a character, but maybe that’s just me.) I feel like the plot should’ve revolved more around these relationships, instead of trying to cram relationship substance into a completely unrelated plot.
A deeper layer of meaning is interesting, but your basic layer needs to make sense too. As I see fandom increasingly start to ask the question: ‘why the fuck is Elijah suddenly behaving this way?’ – I think they haven’t done a good job with it. I think I’ll just live in my imaginary theories world, where I clearly have many feels on the subject nevertheless.
Whether Klaus and Elijah realize (or even want) it, they're raising Marcel together. That extends to when he's grown. While they don't always see eye to eye, their goal is the same: keep their boy safe and loved.
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
Set between s2 and s3
Summary: When Elijah finds an old gift in Marcel’s music room, he and Marcel finally discus recent events and their past.
Characters: Marcel Gerard and Elijah Mikaelson
Rating: Gen
I'm supposed to be working and I'm getting distracted by all the marlijah possibilities and could have beens...
'You don't know how much you love it until it is taken from you' is me with marcel/elijah in s4 onwards. They were on such good terms in s3, running the Strix together, having their own fightclub...
So where are my one-and-a-half Marlijah shippers at??
Who was the one to propose: Marcel. He found some ritual in the charter of the Strix which stated that the leader would be even more legitimate when they married the founder, so he uses it as an excuse to marry Elijah.
Who stressed more over wedding planning: Marcel. The wolves had their turn for a Mystical Marriage Ceremony, and he is adamant that the vampires do it better.
Who decorated the house: Marcel is actually really into decorating, although it is quite subtle.
Who does the cooking: Both. They both try to out cook the other, and more often than not other members of the family invite themselves to have dinner with them because it is just so good.
Who is more organized: Elijah.
Who initiates bedroom fun: Marcel, but Elijah does too.
Who's more dominant: Elijah.
Who's the cuddler: Marcel, but Elijah really really doesn't mind.
Who's the big spoon/little spoon: They switch. Whenever Elijah is exhausted due to family drama or something he loves to collapse in Marcel's arms, and Marcel likes to snuggle into Elijah's shoulder when the latter is reading.
What's their favorite non-sexual activity: Going to concerts/music bars, daring each other to do stupid challenges (Marcel never believes Elijah can get away with it), sparring in the fight ring
Who comes home drunk at 3am: Marcel
Who kills the spiders: Elijah puts them outside with a deeeeeep sigh
Who falls asleep first: Depends.
A head canon: They grew close during the time between s2-s3. The first time is filled with too much drink and bad decisions, but they realize they actually are more compatible than they thought. When they finally admit it to Rebekah she just laughs really hard. "Obviously," she says with a wink. "We could never stay away from each other’s lovers, one way or the other. Did I tell you about my time with Celeste-"
Do they have any "rituals"? On quiet nights they play the piano while the other listens with a glass wine/bourbon, talking about philosophy, music, art.
Who is louder? Marcel
Who is more experimental? Elijah
Who takes more risks? Both
Do they fuck or make love? Both, depending on the situation.
Lights on or off? Depends
Who is more likely to be caught masturbating? Marcel I suppose, because Elijah would never. He is glad to assist though.
Who is more likely to suggest a threesome? Elijah, when it is with Rebekah. Marcel when it is with Hayley. Both when it is with Cami.
Who comes first? Depends
Who is better at oral and who prefers it? Elijah gives, Marcel prefers it
Who is more submissive? Marcel, mostly, but once in a while Elijah loves to give up full control.
Who usually initiates things? Marcel the grander gestures, Elijah the smaller ones.
Who is more sensitive? Marcel.
Who has the most patience? Elijah, but Marcel is very laid back too.
