Title: The Horrible Things

Author: fadingtales

Fandom: Vampire Diaries

Pairing: Klaus/Caroline

Rating: PG-13

Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Diaries or any of their characters.

"You... defended me?"

He doesn't often get surprised. Even more rarely does he choose to show it, for showing it would reveal a weakness and Klaus was never one to show weakness. But he needs to know why she would stand up for him against the rather justified flaming of his persona by her friends.

He manages to catch her eye by a sidelong look and she merely sighs and gives him a vague shrug. She avoids looking at him directly when she speaks.

"Because..."

"Because?" He presses.

When she refuses to answer him, he starts to feel his temper flare. She always did have a way of getting under his skin, making him feel more annoyed than he should.

"I don't need you to fight my battles, Caroline," he snarls. "And to be fair to your friends, they are right for the majority of their criticisms. The amount of horrible things that I've done would probably make your head spin. And I would do them all again if it so suits my purposes. Do not think that just because I haven't killed you yet that I am showing mercy. I will keep you alive only so long as it benefits me."

"So you recognize that you've done horrible things."

She's turned to face him straight on now. Her stare shines with a certain fiery glean that he can't take his eyes off.

"That just goes to show that you're not as evil as everyone thinks you are. A real monster doesn't acknowledge the horrible things that he does. So if you realize that you've done horrible things then you must also recognize the line between good and bad. The problem with you is that you keep on choosing the wrong side."

"You're foolish and idealistic. It's because you've lived so little. Once you live as long as I have-"

"And maybe you've lived too long and you're just stuck with an outdated, Machiavellian mindset," she interrupts.

He clenches his jaw and studies her for a moment in silence. Most people who dare show him this much disrespect would already have their entrails strewn across the room. Instead he just turns and walks away from her in cold silence.

He can still feel her eyes boring holes in the back of his head as he rounds the corner.

A/N: Another short drabble that I wrote to match a Klaroline gif. [fadingtales (.) tumblr (.) com (/) post (/)9905455845]