Challenge #23: Try a new perspective
Title: This messed up forgiveness
Word Count: 879
Rating: PG-13
Fandom or Original: The Vampire Diaries
Pairings (if any): Klaus/Stefan
Warnings (Non-Con/Dub-Con/etc): Mentions of murder
Summary: Set post 4x09, Klaus goes to see Stefan after killing Carol Lockwood. Written for the writerverse challenge to re-write one of your previously written pieces from a different POV. This is the initial version: sometimes forgiveness is the only cure I rewrote the Klaus POV scenes from Stefan's POV.
Stefan knows it’s over by now, Klaus is dead. He slouches in the chair, suffocating under the weight of a loss that he shouldn’t even feel. Klaus was the enemy. But they had history, the breadth of which no one else would understand. Someone enters, expecting one of the victors coming to celebrate their kill, Stefan turns to tell them he’s not in the mood. What he sees floods him with relief, every bone lightening. Klaus is standing in the room, alive and well. Some distant part of his mind tells him he should be worried about potential retribution from the hybrid but he bats the thought away without a care. Klaus is still here. That is what matters.
Stefan is still frozen in place by the shock of it all but Caroline is hugging Klaus, welcoming him. She turns to Stefan, giving him a look; he knows she’s telling him to make the move he spoke of missing out on earlier. It’s a stubborn look, parrying between himself and Klaus. It occurs to Stefan: they have a chance now. A messy one yes, given that their friends just tried to kill the guy, but a chance nonetheless.
He walks towards Klaus, slowly, step by step, the gap between them seems to expand to a chasm, which is good because Stefan needs the time to think. His mind is a whirl with thoughts: doubt and guilt and self-blame among them. He can already see that Klaus is receptive to his advance but it can’t be that simple after everything. Stefan shouldn’t, the hybrid is the enemy, someone who has hurt and brutalised his loved ones, someone who he should hate. And Klaus shouldn’t want him after what he has just done. Stefan’s good, he doesn’t do these things. But Klaus is freedom, Stefan with Klaus is Stefan being a person who doesn’t dither from one extreme to another, but can accept both, can be both, be his entire self, with all the blood and guilt that entails. It can only end in disaster, but he needs this, far more than he realised.
Somehow Stefan’s only a step away from Klaus, he pauses. Doesn’t know what to say or do. Settles on a truth, harking back years, to when they weren’t just adversaries.
“I missed you so much.”
He can’t do this, can’t be the one who breaks, can’t corrupt himself, he doesn’t move. Klaus kisses him and he responds: a lot more willing to be corrupted.
*
Stefan lets his thoughts go as they touch, losing himself in the moment until Klaus pulls away. Klaus’s words are sharp and vicious and surprise Stefan far more than they should. Of course the hybrid is suspicious of his intent.
“I want this, I want you,” Stefan replies, trying to infuse the words with every fibre of their shared history, knows it’s a long shot and isn’t sure he wants the answer but still asks, “Do you still trust me?”
With Klaus’s affirmative Stefan sees a well of vulnerability, insecurity and desperation, a soul-deep need for this to be genuine. It makes Stefan long to help, to soothe in any way he can.
He leans in close, lips pressed against Klaus’s throat, whispers mantra-like into his skin, “I want you, I want you, I want you.” Until he feels some of the tension drain out of the hybrid.
They continue into the bedroom.
*
Stefan’s eyes drift open as a kiss is placed on his lips, the sun streaming early morning light through the window, for a moment he’s content. Then he realises how much he has to think about, he doesn’t regret the previous night, far from it. But it’s complicated and something he has to work through. He smiles as he’s halted from getting up by a hand around his wrist, it seems Klaus’s possessive streak is showing already, it thrills Stefan more than it should. Nonetheless, Stefan still needs to figure this all out in his head first and explains as such. The response he gets immediately sends alarm bells ringing. Klaus is fearful, afraid of being found out.
Stefan’s exasperation turns to horror in the wake of how Klaus is acting. Suddenly terrified Klaus has done something to his brother. Bile rises in his throat, guilt harsh in his veins, was he here enjoying himself with Damon’s murderer while his corpse cooled. Stefan knew this was a terrible idea, how could he do this. He keeps his motions the same, is frozen, can’t move, acts as if this is just a casual conversation between too love birds. If he pretends it isn’t real, it won’t be real.
“Who did you kill Klaus?” with more insistence this time, somehow keeping panic from his tone.
“Carol Lockwood.”
He swiftly shuts down the rush of relief as soon as it comes: he’s not allowed to feel relief at the death of Tyler’s mother. He’s angry but he’s still here.
“This isn’t a deal breaker?”
Stefan almost laughs at Klaus’s tentative question. As if forgetting who he was, as much as he tried to be the good one, his hands were covered in more blood than he could ever wash off, he replies,
“You know I was the ripper of Monterey right?”
Word Count: 879
Rating: PG-13
Fandom or Original: The Vampire Diaries
Pairings (if any): Klaus/Stefan
Warnings (Non-Con/Dub-Con/etc): Mentions of murder
Summary: Set post 4x09, Klaus goes to see Stefan after killing Carol Lockwood. Written for the writerverse challenge to re-write one of your previously written pieces from a different POV. This is the initial version: sometimes forgiveness is the only cure I rewrote the Klaus POV scenes from Stefan's POV.
Stefan knows it’s over by now, Klaus is dead. He slouches in the chair, suffocating under the weight of a loss that he shouldn’t even feel. Klaus was the enemy. But they had history, the breadth of which no one else would understand. Someone enters, expecting one of the victors coming to celebrate their kill, Stefan turns to tell them he’s not in the mood. What he sees floods him with relief, every bone lightening. Klaus is standing in the room, alive and well. Some distant part of his mind tells him he should be worried about potential retribution from the hybrid but he bats the thought away without a care. Klaus is still here. That is what matters.
Stefan is still frozen in place by the shock of it all but Caroline is hugging Klaus, welcoming him. She turns to Stefan, giving him a look; he knows she’s telling him to make the move he spoke of missing out on earlier. It’s a stubborn look, parrying between himself and Klaus. It occurs to Stefan: they have a chance now. A messy one yes, given that their friends just tried to kill the guy, but a chance nonetheless.
He walks towards Klaus, slowly, step by step, the gap between them seems to expand to a chasm, which is good because Stefan needs the time to think. His mind is a whirl with thoughts: doubt and guilt and self-blame among them. He can already see that Klaus is receptive to his advance but it can’t be that simple after everything. Stefan shouldn’t, the hybrid is the enemy, someone who has hurt and brutalised his loved ones, someone who he should hate. And Klaus shouldn’t want him after what he has just done. Stefan’s good, he doesn’t do these things. But Klaus is freedom, Stefan with Klaus is Stefan being a person who doesn’t dither from one extreme to another, but can accept both, can be both, be his entire self, with all the blood and guilt that entails. It can only end in disaster, but he needs this, far more than he realised.
Somehow Stefan’s only a step away from Klaus, he pauses. Doesn’t know what to say or do. Settles on a truth, harking back years, to when they weren’t just adversaries.
“I missed you so much.”
He can’t do this, can’t be the one who breaks, can’t corrupt himself, he doesn’t move. Klaus kisses him and he responds: a lot more willing to be corrupted.
*
Stefan lets his thoughts go as they touch, losing himself in the moment until Klaus pulls away. Klaus’s words are sharp and vicious and surprise Stefan far more than they should. Of course the hybrid is suspicious of his intent.
“I want this, I want you,” Stefan replies, trying to infuse the words with every fibre of their shared history, knows it’s a long shot and isn’t sure he wants the answer but still asks, “Do you still trust me?”
With Klaus’s affirmative Stefan sees a well of vulnerability, insecurity and desperation, a soul-deep need for this to be genuine. It makes Stefan long to help, to soothe in any way he can.
He leans in close, lips pressed against Klaus’s throat, whispers mantra-like into his skin, “I want you, I want you, I want you.” Until he feels some of the tension drain out of the hybrid.
They continue into the bedroom.
*
Stefan’s eyes drift open as a kiss is placed on his lips, the sun streaming early morning light through the window, for a moment he’s content. Then he realises how much he has to think about, he doesn’t regret the previous night, far from it. But it’s complicated and something he has to work through. He smiles as he’s halted from getting up by a hand around his wrist, it seems Klaus’s possessive streak is showing already, it thrills Stefan more than it should. Nonetheless, Stefan still needs to figure this all out in his head first and explains as such. The response he gets immediately sends alarm bells ringing. Klaus is fearful, afraid of being found out.
Stefan’s exasperation turns to horror in the wake of how Klaus is acting. Suddenly terrified Klaus has done something to his brother. Bile rises in his throat, guilt harsh in his veins, was he here enjoying himself with Damon’s murderer while his corpse cooled. Stefan knew this was a terrible idea, how could he do this. He keeps his motions the same, is frozen, can’t move, acts as if this is just a casual conversation between too love birds. If he pretends it isn’t real, it won’t be real.
“Who did you kill Klaus?” with more insistence this time, somehow keeping panic from his tone.
“Carol Lockwood.”
He swiftly shuts down the rush of relief as soon as it comes: he’s not allowed to feel relief at the death of Tyler’s mother. He’s angry but he’s still here.
“This isn’t a deal breaker?”
Stefan almost laughs at Klaus’s tentative question. As if forgetting who he was, as much as he tried to be the good one, his hands were covered in more blood than he could ever wash off, he replies,
“You know I was the ripper of Monterey right?”