𝐂𝐔𝐑𝐒𝐄𝐃 𝐖𝐈𝐓𝐂𝐇 ━━ KLAUS MIKAELSON

63

KLAUS SAT ON his bed, watching Emery sleep peacefully.

Her chest gently rose and fell with each breath she took, and her hair cascaded over the pillow. His lips automatically twitched up in a smile as he stared at her, an unfamiliar sensation in his chest.

He knew what he felt for her was nothing close to like. He didn't just like her. What he felt for her was much stronger, much more. Yet he couldn't bring himself to tell her. Not yet. Not when he didn't know how she'd take the confession, or whether she even reciprocated his feelings. He wondered whether he deserved it. He had hurt her countless times yet she was still with him.

He had slept with a thousands of women and had loved a fair share of them. Yet what he felt for Emery was not even close to what he had felt for those women. 

His smile morphed into a frown when the white scars coating her wrists caught his attention. His heart sank with dread. He furrowed his brows, a wave of sadness washing over him as he realized what they were.

He would have seen them last night if he had taken a closer look and paid attention. Last night, Emery had showered and she didn't have any concealer. She couldn't hide the scars, although Klaus had given her a long sleeved shirt upon her request. And the scars were the last thing on her mind when she and Klaus got busy.

The hybrid couldn't help but feel overwhelmed with emotions. He felt anger towards whoever or whatever made Emery hurt herself, he felt sadness for Emery's pain, and he felt helpless knowing that he couldn't take away that pain.

His hand reached out to one of hers and he gently traced the scars with his fingers, feeling their ridges and heat. Emery stirred but didn't wake up, and he felt a surge of protectiveness and sorrow. He couldn't bear to see her hurting like this, and he didn't know how long she'd been doing it or why.

He sat back on the edge of the bed, still holding her wrist, and took a few deep breaths. He didn't want to freak her out or make her feel ashamed or guilty, but he also couldn't ignore this.

He swallowed the lump in his throat when Emery stirred. He didn't bother removing his hand or stopping his action. She stirred again and opened her eyes. "Have I overslept?" She blinked slowly, looking confused and sleepy.

"No—" the words got held back when he saw her eyes widen as she realised he was holding her wrist. She didn't dare move, the sleepiness having washed away from her face.

Emery felt exposed and vulnerable in front of Klaus, afraid of what he might think or say about the scars on her. But Klaus didn't say anything. Instead, he took her hand and held it in his own, tracing the scars softly with his thumb. For the longest time, neither of them spoke until she did.

"I—" gulping, she avoided his stare. She pulled her hand back. "I can explain," she whispered, her voice quivering. Klaus only shook his head and tried to grab her hand again. She reluctantly let him as he tightened his grip gently.

"No, Emery," he muttered, "you don't have to explain anything. I just want to know that you can talk to me about anything. I mean it. I won't judge, I won't look at you differently or anything of that sort. I care about you a lot and I don't want you to have to go through this alone."

Emery looked at him then, really looked at him, and saw the depth of his concern and affection. She felt a sudden rush of gratitude and fear, and she didn't know how to respond.

"I— I'm sorry," she whispered again, still not meeting his gaze. Klaus squeezed her wrist softly and lifted her hand to his lips then kissed the skin resulting in her eyes welling up.

"Don't be sorry, love. Don't ever feel like you have to apologize for your feelings or your struggles. You're not alone, I'm here for you. Always and forever." He leaned in and kissed her forehead, then gently guided her head onto his shoulder.

Emery buried her face in his neck and cried, feeling a mixture of relief and terror. She couldn't believe that this was happening, or that Klaus was being so kind and understanding. She'd been so afraid to tell him, to let anyone see the darkness inside her, but now she felt a glimmer of hope.

Klaus ran his fingers through her hair as he held her close, silence reigning between them.

"I..." the witch took a deep breath, "I used to do it because I felt guilty for what I did to my dad even though I hate him."

"From what you've told me, he had it coming. You have nothing to be guilty for."

"I know, I just—" she sighed, "I can't help it. He was still my father."

"I get it," he murmured, "you said you used to feel guilty so you don't anymore?" When she shook her head against him, he went on, "the scars are recent though."

"Well, when your family tells you that you're useless on a daily basis and blames you for every wrong shit that's ever happened to them, you tend to feel like hell. And by family, I mean Elena," she revealed as he listened without interrupting. He winced when he heard the familiar name leave her lips. "It doesn't matter anymore."

"What are you saying? of course it does," he tightened his grip around her, his lips brushing against her hair, "if you want her gone, just say the word."

"You need her to make your hybrids."

"It's funny that you think I still care about that."

She lifted her head off his shoulder and looked at him, "you don't?"

"Not exactly—" he paused, "although I wouldn't mind having them. They're no longer a priority. You are."

"I know you much you wanted your hybrid army or whatever so I'm not going to let you just give up on that because you shouldn't." She reached out and brushed his hair away from his forehead, "and I don't want you killing Elena, I'm not doing that to Damon or Stefan or Jeremy or anyone else who likes her. I'm not that evil."

"Fine," he huffed, "I'll try to hold myself back from murdering her the second I see her."

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I'm so sorry I'm taking so long to update. I haven't discontinued this story, I never will. The updates might take long but I'll do it at some point, I promise. Thank you for being so patient with me and supporting this story this whole time. You guys have no idea how much it means to me <3333