𝐂𝐔𝐑𝐒𝐄𝐃 𝐖𝐈𝐓𝐂𝐇 ━━ KLAUS MIKAELSON

25

KLAUS STARED AT HER with a frown at his lips, his brows furrowed. He let out an agitated sigh, not knowing why her words mattered so much to him. Had it been anyone else, he wouldn't have bothered listening to them.

Killing was like a second nature to him. He's been doing that ever since he could remember. He didn't care whose lives he was taking. He wasn't about to start caring now. But somehow, he didn't want Emery to think of him as a monster of some sort. He found himself wanting to be on her good side.

"I wouldn't kill you," Klaus said, thinking that it would make things all right.

"You wouldn't have to," she muttered, a hidden meaning behind her words— one he could not decipher.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"I— never mind," she shook her head, "how can you think that we're fine? You killed two members of my family and you dragged me on some stupid hybrid shit with you. You ruined my life, made it worse than it already was."

"I ruined your life?" Klaus repeated with a humourless chuckle, "who are you lying to, right now? If anything, I made it better."

"Oh my god," she looked up at him in shock, "you're absolutely delusional—"

"Oh, am I?" He interrupted, his lips curling up in a smirk that left her confused. "Tell me that you weren't living in Elena's shadow back there," he took a step closer to her, his expression shifting into seriousness, "no matter what happens, it was always Elena, wasn't it? If it wasn't then it was the others, Caroline, Bonnie— but you? You were always last."

Emery held her breath, knowing that there was some truth to his words. But she didn't really think about it that way. Her friends loved her despite anything. But they did have preferences and the doppleganger was their favourite. That part was pretty much obvious.

"No, they cared about me."

"Maybe," he mumbled, "I'm not saying they didn't. But tell me, if it was between saving you or Elena, who do you think they'd choose? Who do you think Damon would choose? What about Stefan, hmm?"

"What— what are you trying to do?"

"I got you away from a couple of toxic people who call themselves your friends," the hybrid continued, his voice low as he stood in front of her, their faces only a couple of inches away as he looked down at her.

"I know they'd choose Elena," Emery found herself saying, "I get why too. I wouldn't choose me either so I don't really mind."

Klaus couldn't help but frown at the words that left her mouth. He refrained himself from cursing and instead just tilted his head to the side, "why would you say that?"

"I'm a lost cause," she shrugged, scoffing at herself, "I mean, just look at me. I'm definition of useless. I'm a witch who can't use her magic for shit. I'm a friend who can't be there for her friends. I'm quite literally—" she paused, trying to find the right words, "— good for nothing."

"You shouldn't say that," the hybrid spoke after a few seconds of staring at her, taking in her words. "Everybody has a role to play," he raised his hand to her face and brushed a strand of her hair away, letting his knuckles graze her cheek, "and you, my little witch, have the most important one. You just don't realise it yet."

Emery went silent at his words. She stood there and allowed herself to feel his hand on her face. His thumb softly traced under her eyes and went lower and lower until she felt him tracing her lower lip again, much like he did before.

"What is it with you..." He breathed out in question, taking another step closer, "that makes it impossible for me to stay away from, hmm? There's something about you—" he looked at her in the eyes, his own flickering back and forth between hers as if he wasn't sure in which eye to look at her while his thumb continued to softly caress her bottom lip, "— that makes me want to stay close to you." He almost gagged at how vulnerable he was sounding but he couldn't stop himself.

"Is that why you dragged me here?" She couldn't help but ask, her voice coming out just above a whisper. The amount of tension hanging around them in the air was insane. "Because you wanted to be... close?"

"Maybe," he whispered, not having realised how close their faces were. His lips were brushing against hers as he spoke.

"Why are you telling me this now?"

"Because," his other hand came to rest on the other side of her face, craning her neck a bit to the side to give him better access for what he was about to do. "I can't take it anymore. I've been waiting two whole months, waiting for the right time to do something about this insane feeling—" he paused, "you ignoring me was what kept me away, I guess. But I understood that. I deserved it."

"At least you're self aware."

"You might never forgive me for what I did and we might never be fine," he began, "but if I don't do something about this now, I am going to lose my mind."

"More than you already have, you mean?"