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morningstargirl666 · 3 months ago

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WIP WEDNESDAY

Working on the 20s Decade Dance chapters right now and god, is it getting good. I think this klaroline scene is shaping up to be one of my favourite scenes yet...

Caroline smiled, leaning into Tyler’s hold. The song playing through the gym hall had changed, slowing to a soft, melodic number. Tyler’s right hand had drifted to her waist, the other holding her own hand, the two of them gently swaying across the floor, chests brushing each other. Tyler smiled at her, leaning closer, their foreheads almost touching.

Then something changed.

Tyler tensed, his whole body going rigid as he straightened his back, eyes darting around them, looking for something he had obviously sensed was there.

A worried frown gracing her face, Caroline asked quietly, “What is it?”

Tyler didn’t answer, head turning and finally locking onto something. Caroline turned her head and followed his gaze, stilling in his arms when she saw who was standing there, several feet away amongst the crowd, silently watching them dance.

Klaus was dressed in a sharp, tailored three-piece suit that put most of the other men’s outfits to shame. Caroline could just make out his pale blue chequered tie had a silver pin attached to it, no doubt as expensive as the rest of the ensemble, a golden silk handkerchief tucked into the front pocket of the jacket. A silver chain — attached to an authentic, 1920s pocket watch no doubt — could be just glimpsed behind the fabric of his jacket, disappearing into his vest pocket. His hair looked different from the last time she’d seen it too, combed and gelled back, taming the unruly dirty blond curls into submission.

His expression though — the sight made Caroline’s blood run cold. She’d seen a lot of emotions cross his face lately. She remembered clearly the ones that had scared her, the anger and fear that flooded his face when Kol had been daggered — the unbridled fury when Sam had attacked her. But this was nothing like that. His eyes were fixed on Tyler with an unwavering intensity that left her feeling an inexplicable amount of dread, his gaze flickering to where Tyler’s hand rested on her hip every few seconds. She couldn’t identify the emotion on his face this time. She couldn’t read him at all.

Then he stepped forward, approaching them slowly, moving with a predator-like grace. As ageless as their kind were, it was easy to forget what he was. He was powerful and he was violent, with more strength in his pinky finger than Caroline had in her entire body. But she had never thought he looked particularly intimidating — he wasn’t as tall as Damon or Elijah, his build thinner, more lithe. The youth still clinging to his face was equally deceiving and his stride was always so confident, so casual, she often forgot how old he really was. But as he walked towards them now — steps silent, body still, almost gliding across the floor — she finally saw the distinct otherness that clung to him like a shadow. The movement was a little too perfect, a little too practised. And the way his gaze stayed fixed on Tyler, steadfast in its resolution, calm and quiet in a way a vampire never was, often driven feral by bloodlust…

…Well.

It was almost… wolf-like.

“Where you been, mate?” he asked in greeting, a dangerous edge to his casual tone.

Caroline glanced back at Tyler, resting her gloved hands on his shoulder, offering her support. Tyler, to his credit, remained calm, even though her own heart hammered inside her chest.

“I just got back in town.”

Klaus’ eyes darkened, settling on Tyler and remaining there like a death sentence. “That’s funny. I don’t recall giving you permission to leave in the first place.”

Caroline felt Tyler’s grip tighten on her waist but he didn’t reply, standing his ground. Klaus stared at him for several more tense seconds before his expression loosened, lips curling into a friendly smile.

“You don’t mind if I cut in, do you?” he asked, taking another step forward so he was practically an arm’s length away from Caroline.

She gritted her teeth in response, turning out of Tyler’s arms and facing him head on. “Yes, actually, we do.”

For the first time, Klaus met her eyes. Whatever unidentifiable emotion that had flooded his eyes at the sight of Tyler dissipated the second their gazes locked, something relaxing in his stance. Then the moment was lost as his gaze shifted, turning on Tyler as he tilted his gaze down, a ghost of a smirk settling there.

The implied order was clear.

Tyler’s grip on her waist tightened again, enough that she tensed, before he finally let go, removing his hand entirely.

“No,” he said, causing Caroline to glance over at him in confusion. He gave a reassuring nod, before turning his gaze back to Klaus, stepping back. “It’s fine.”

Caroline felt anger flare in her heart, hating the way Klaus smiled upon hearing Tyler’s words.

She whirled on him to glare at his smug face, every line of her braced for a fight. “Why do you always have to prove you’re the alpha male?”

Klaus frowned at her, appearing highly offended. “I don’t have to prove anything, love, I am the alpha male.”

Caroline scoffed, shaking her head at his audacity. Klaus wasn’t deterred.

“Come on, one dance.” He offered her his hand, flashing a dimpled smile. “I won’t bite.”

Caroline’s eyes narrowed. Unwanted, her mind wandered to what Sam had told her about what blood sharing between vampires truly meant, and she realised Tyler would have no idea how much his statement was more flirt than threat.

She turned her head, looking back at her boyfriend. Tyler kept his gaze forward, refusing to look at her, playing the part of the obedient, sire-bonded hybrid perfectly even while his entire body stood stiffly with fury. Her heart sank and when she looked back at Klaus, he was still waiting for her hand. Reluctantly, she stepped forward, settling her fingers in his. She planned to keep her gaze averted, to refuse to look at him out of spite, but one accidental glance was all it took, their eyes meeting just for a moment, and Klaus smiled. It wasn’t the smirk he’d given Tyler, or the slightly sharp smile he’d used to invite her to dance — it was a real smile. A genuine one. The same smile he’d thrown at her when she’d called him disgustingly charming on that bench in the town square, or when they’d stood and talked in his studio about travelling the world, laughing at his cheesy lines.

It didn’t fit into her black and white view of him, didn’t fit with the man that had just silently ordered her boyfriend to back off and be a good, little hybrid. Caroline immediately looked away, following him without protest as he led her backwards to dance. When he stopped, his other hand settling respectfully on her waist, the warmth of it burning through her dress, she tried to relax in his arms, afraid he’d comment on how tense she was. He didn’t, thankfully. But out of the corner of her eye, she noticed his smile falter, his touch loosening, becoming softer, allowing her to move away if she wanted to.

“You would have loved the 1920s Caroline,” he began, breaking the silence between them when they had slowly begun to sway to the music. His voice was tentative at first, as if hoping to coax her out of the fortress she’d secluded herself within, before it grew more confident, evidently deciding to power on through. He leaned forward, breath ghosting her ear too close to be proper. “Girls were reckless, sexy, fun. They literally used to dance until they dropped.”

He spun her, chuckling at some memory he must be lost in, and Caroline kept her eyes fixed on a spot over his shoulder, refusing to look at him as she valiantly ignored how that accent did something to her.

“Don’t suppose that ever happened to their dance partners,” she muttered dryly.

This time, his smile didn’t just falter, but completely fell. Not in a dark, foreboding way, like when one his masks dropped, revealing the beast underneath. More in a I-thought-that-would-work way, because of course he did. God forbid Klaus Mikaelson not get what he wanted. Yeah, nice try buster, but you’re not as charming as you think you are.

He frowned, eyeing her as they swayed to the music. “Have I done something to upset you lately? You weren’t nearly as cross with me the last time we talked.”

She shot him a glare. “The last time we talked, your hybrid tried to kill me.”

His lips quirked up into that crooked smirk again and he leaned in closer, lowering his voice next to her ear as he tilted his head at her. “I think you and I have very different recollections of the last time we talked, sweetheart.”

Anxiously, Caroline’s gaze flickered over his shoulder, landing on Tyler still standing several feet away. His fists had clenched upon hearing Klaus’ words, eyes fixed dangerously on his sire. She swallowed. When her gaze returned to Klaus, he was grinning at her, his back to Tyler but no doubt entirely aware of the holes being burned into his head.

Anger, hot and blinding, flared in her chest and her fingers tightened around his hand in warning, her nails digging into his shoulder without even meaning to.

“Oh, really?” she said dryly, all her rage simmering under layers of eloquently delivered sass. “How would you remember it then?”

She’d intended the question to reveal the truth of the encounter — that dangerous temper of his that came out when Kol was daggered; the fear she’d felt as Sam turned on her, fangs and claws bared. But as soon as she opened her mouth, the spark in his eye made her realise she’d made a grave mistake.

“I remember you looked beautiful in the moonlight, so much so that I was struck by the urge to paint you right then and there, in the middle of the town square,” he said, so earnestly. Her eyes caught his and she froze, barely even aware they were still moving, gently swaying and turning in each other’s arms. “I remember how your pretty words were revealed to be little more than lies, a cunning act to distract me from your friends' foolish acts against my family,” he continued, a harsher bite to his words. He leaned in even closer, so their faces were barely inches apart and her heart hammered inside her chest, catching the dangerous glint in his eye as they flashed with fury. Then it was gone, as quickly as it appeared, his shoulders slumping with defeat. “And most of all, I remember saving your life despite every sense of logic dictating I should have left you to your fate.”

Caroline’s voice was hoarse when she finally spoke. Guilt tore uneasily at her insides. “Rebekah was going to kill Elena.”

“You should have told me that then.”

She scoffed, the sound full of derision, leaning away from him and breaking the spell that had left her paralysed. “Like you would have saved her.”

“I would have. If you had been the one to ask.”

His words, so very earnest and so very honest, caught her off guard all over again and she couldn’t help but stare, unable to say anything else. The worst thing was, she believed him.

God, she believed him.

#klaroline #klaus x caroline #klaroline fanfiction #fanfiction #the big bad wolf #tbbw #morningstar writes #sneak peak #wip wednesday #caroline's still a little afraid of him at the minute #not to worry #she'll learn #tbbw rewrite

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adrift-in-thyme · 1 year ago

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Whumptober Day 11: "All the light's going dark and my hope's destroyed" + Animal Trap

Read on Ao3

- Legend & Hyrule

- Summary: When the sudden appearance of a portal sends Legend and Hyrule hurtling to an unknown destination, Legend attempts to save them both. But it all goes terribly wrong

CW for a character nearly drowning (it's not too descriptive, but just be careful), dehumanization, and drugging

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He’s falling.

Legend only half-registers it. His stomach is in a knot, his body weightless, yet strangely heavy. His heart is in his throat. Wind rushes past his ears. But it’s not the plummet he fears. It’s the darkness he is headed towards.

He’s falling, Rulie is falling, and he hasn’t a clue where they'll land.

Dark magic warps around him, funneling him down, down, down. He reaches toward it with his own magic, trying to guide it, to nudge it in a safe direction.

Water. They need to land in water. Otherwise this will end very badly.

He solidifies an image in his head. A lake — big and beautiful and clear, waterfalls rushing down into it. There. That’s where he wants them to land.

A hand grapples in the darkness. Fingers wrap around his own, familiar magic pouring through them to enhance his own. A slight smile lifts Legend’s lips.

Hyrule.

The image grows more clear and distinct. The smell of fresh water and dewy grass fills his nostrils. Legend steels himself and takes a deep breath. Any moment now…

Heart pounding in his throat, he tightens his hold on Hyrule’s hand.

“Don’t let go,” he orders through the waves of their entwined magic. And Hyrule’s grip strengthens in reply.

Another moment slides by, a moment filled with utter darkness and the nauseating push and pull of gravity. Legend holds his breath, awaiting impact.

It comes in a rush of magic and liquid, cold and heat, light and darkness. Legend catches a glimpse of blue sky and white clouds. Then his body breaks the surface with such force it knocks the air from his lungs.

Water floods the space it leaves and he chokes on it. Black dots dance before his eyes. Desperately, he fights to hang on — to consciousness, to the hand that now lies limp in his.

Come on. He grits his teeth, kicking his feet to try and surface. Change already!

As if in response, a sharp pain streaks through him. His two legs become a single, powerful tail; his fingernails grow into talons; iridescent scales climb up and down his body. And in the next moment he can breathe.

Legend wastes no time. Ensuring Hyrule’s hand is firmly in his own, he begins to climb toward the surface. The sun shines through it, beckoning him forth.

Hope blossoms within him as he grows closer. He’s almost there.

The net comes out of nowhere. He sees it briefly out of the corner of his eye – a dark, looming thing. But his mind doesn’t have time to process, nor his body to evade. And in the next moment, it surrounds him.

Coarse ropes tangle in his fins, wrap around his tail. Panic coursing through him, Legend thrashes. With his free hand he claws at the net, attempting to shred it. He has to break free, he has to get Hyrule to the surface.

But his efforts are fruitless. The ropes are too strong, too thick.

“I caught something!” A voice comes from up above. Any other time it would be muffled by the water that surrounds him. But now, in this form, Legend can hear it clearly, as if the man is standing right beside him. “It’s big! And it’s a fighter.”

“Hurry! It could be what we have been looking for!”

The net begins to move, dragging the heroes upward. And after a moment more of struggling, Legend lets it. It goes against every instinct he has, to allow their captors to haul them up onto the boat. But fighting back takes time, time Hyrule doesn’t have.

He pulls the traveler to his chest, wrapping his arms protectively around him. And in the next seconds they break through the surface and are pulled onto the floor of a small boat.

Legend can make out blurred faces, leering and unfamiliar; a blue sky painted behind a layer of trees; water drifting as far as he can see. But he doesn’t allow himself to survey his surroundings beyond that. Almost immediately, his attention is back on the hero who lies limp in his arms.

“Rulie,” he gasps, through burning lungs. This form never fares well on the surface. But it will only be a short while before he reverts to his Hylian body. He can hold on until then.

Dragging in another wheezing attempt at a breath, he presses a hand to the traveler’s face. His skin is cool and pale, eyes still closed, chest still. Dread settles unpleasantly in Legend’s gut.

Maybe landing them in the water was not such a wonderful idea, after all. Maybe he should have let whatever was going to happen, happen. Maybe he should have focused his attention on crafting a shield around them instead.

He shakes his head, shoving the thoughts away. Gritting his teeth, he closes his eyes.

He doesn’t know how to weave the powerful healing spells that Hyrule does, but he is familiar with a few simpler ones. Spells that can take care of cuts and bruises, gashes that don’t travel too deep, even wounds that render you unconscious. And perhaps, they will be enough to drag the water from Hyrule’s lungs.

“Well, well, what have we here?” A voice croons from above him.

Distantly, he registers the net lifting off and away, dragging at his tail as it does so. He does his best to ignore it.

“A sea creature?”

“It’s called a mermaid.”

“Well, I’ve seen one of those before.”

“Isn’t this what you were looking for?”

“Indeed.”

Someone is leaning over him now. Legend can feel their hot breaths on his neck.

“Look at him. What a magical being.”

A hand brushes over the length of his tail and Legend inhales sharply. The breath soon turns into a hacking cough as his body reminds him how little air he is gaining at the moment.

Ignore it, he tells himself, even as every part of him screams to leap back into the water, where he can breathe, where the clammy hands of strangers won’t touch him. Focus on Rulie.

“I wish to study him. Take him…and throw his friend back into the water.”

The words have barely registered in Legend’s mind before rough hands wrap around his waist and pull. His fingers slip from Hyrule and the spell dies upon them.

“No!”

He thrashes, striking out with his claws, kicking as his tail splits and becomes legs. Someone cries out and another voice joins them. But they are a mere cacophony of unintelligible noise to Legend’s ears. All he can see is Hyrule being dragged toward the edge, all he can hear is the deafening silence left by the absence of his brother’s breaths.

This is all your fault.

A fist connects with his jaw and he reels back, tasting the sharpness of iron. But seconds later he is struggling again, desperation allowing him to push through the pain, the fear, the way the world feels like it's closing in on him all over again, like the day his uncle died, the day the entire kingdom had turned its back on him without reason…

An arm comes into reach and he bites down, hard. That earns him a slap across the face.

“Stop fighting, damn it!”

He kicks outward, feet connecting with someone’s body. They hurl him down onto the unforgiving wood of the boat, so hard that he sees stars. For a moment it is all he can do to breathe.

“Little brat!”

“Is he even worth the trouble? Look at him! He changed back!”

“Calm yourselves. You are damaging the specimen.”

Legend drags his head upward just as a man squats down in front of him. With his graying hair and wizened face carved with smile lines, one could think him kind, even grandfatherly. But when he grips Legend’s chin and holds his gaze, there is no sympathy in those eyes. There is only cold, terrible, hunger.

Legend shoves himself up on his hands and knees, wrenching himself out of the man’s grip. He steels himself, hand already going toward the hilt of his sword. He will fight to the death if need be. They will not touch Hyrule.

But the man’s voice halts his movements.

“Remain still or your friend will go over the side.”

Legend glares at him. He can see no lie in that face. His hand falls back down to lie limply at his side.

“What do you want?” he grits out.

The man regards him calmly. “I have been interested in strange creatures for many years now. I have studied them quite extensively. One might even call me an expert. However, I have yet to examine a mer. So, you, my boy, are quite a fortunate find.”

He rises, still looking at Legend as though he wants to pin him to a board and stare at him for a while. Legend fights not to squirm beneath his gaze.

“You are fascinating. Not quite a mer and yet…not quite Hylian either. Oh, the discoveries that could be made from you.”

The man moves closer. Before he can stop himself, Legend backs up a step, bumping against the two men he hadn’t realized were standing behind him. He can’t breathe now. It’s as though he is dragging in surface air through his gills again, fighting to remain conscious.

Focus. You don’t have time to panic.

“I would take you by force,” the man continues, calmly, as though carrying a conversation with a neighbor, “as my men have so clumsily attempted to do. But that would damage you beyond repair. And in order for my experiments to work, you must be in optimal condition. I must control for most variables. I’m sure you understand.”

“Yeah, I understand alright. You creep.”

Legend’s eyes flit around, taking in his surroundings, looking for a viable way out. His fingers flex and clench, itching for a weapon. But Hyrule is so close to the edge now. Too close. One wrong move and he will fall back into a watery grave.

And the water…the water is the only chance of escape he has. But the cost would be great, too great for him to entertain.

He inhales a trembling breath and makes his decision.

“If you want me so badly, I’ll come with you. On one condition.” He looks back at Hyrule, ignoring the way his heart clenches at the sight of him.

You idiot. Letting yourself become attached again. Don’t you ever learn?

“Let me save him. Then, take him back to shore and leave him there.”

The man doesn’t answer at first. He looks between the two heroes, fist at his chin. Then, he nods.

“Very well.” He turns to his men. “Take us back to shore as quickly as possible. And bind and blindfold the boy.”

Legend watches, anger boiling within him, as they tie thick ropes around Hyrule’s wrists and a cloth around his head. No sooner have they stepped back than he rushes forward, skidding on his knees before him. The spell is already at his fingertips and in his mind, woven threads of his magic. And he reaches out, pressing a hand to Rulie’s arm as it pours forth.

“Watch him,” he hears someone say from far away. “He might try to pull something.”

“He won’t,” the man with hungry eyes answers. “He cares too much for his friend.”

Legend shakes his head, brushing off the oppressive truth of the statement.

“Come on, Rule,” he murmurs, “come on. Wake up.”

A moment passes and another and another, slipping by in slow succession. All the while the boat speeds toward the shore. If he looked up, Legend doesn’t doubt that he would see the bank fast approaching. But he doesn’t dare. He hardly allows himself to breathe.

Tears stream down his face and blur his vision. He doesn’t brush them away.

“Come on, traveler. You’re tougher than this. Don’t you dare die on me!”

Another series of seconds pass in which Hyrule doesn’t move. And then, abruptly, he draws in a gasping breath. He pitches sideways coughing up mouthfuls of water. Relief streaks dizzyingly through Legend as he reaches out, gripping his shoulder to support him.

“You’re okay, Rulie,” he says, both to himself and the hero trembling in his grasp. “You’re okay.”

Thank the goddesses.

The coughs subside and turn to haggard breaths. Hyrule raises his head, dazedly attempting to look around.

“Ledge?” He croaks. He tries to move his hands up to his face, but the ropes prevent the motion. “Legend…what happened? Why can’t I…where are we?”

Legend is about to answer when the boat comes to a stop, bumping against a grassy shoreline. His heart climbs into his throat.

“It’s okay,” he manages. “You’ll be fine. Don’t worry.”

Hyrule turns toward the sound of his voice and Legend is glad that he cannot see the look in his eyes.

“But what about you?”

Strong hands grasp his arms and wrench him away from the traveler. He stumbles to his feet.

Men close in around Hyrule too, hauling him up and starting toward the shore. He struggles, though weakly, face still much too pale.

“Legend!”

Legend manages a shaky smile, more for his own sake than his brother’s.

“I’ll be fine too. Don’t waste your time worrying about me. Get free and get out of here, you hear! Don’t you dare try and come back for me!”

Hyrule gives another shout as he hits the damp ground, immediately trying to stumble up on bound feet. But Legend can hardly hear him now past the thundering of his heart and the distant sounds of water lapping at the boat as it drifts back into the depths.

Then, something cool and metallic pierces his neck and he knows no more.

#whumptober 2023 #no.11 #“all the light's going dark and my hope's destroyed”#animal trap #near drowning #dehumanization tw #drugging tw #trin writes #lu legend #lu hyrule #angst #whump #first time writing mer-legend!#it was fun #despite the less-than-fun circumstances lol #not to worry #this will be continued #there are plenty more horrors for legend to face XD #sorry ledge

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