AN: This is Klaroline!X-Men AU that's inspired by Professor X/Magneto/Mystique dynamic in X-Men: First Class. You don't need to be familiar with the franchise to follow this.
Written for klaroline AU Week, day 5: Fusions.
The biggest shout-out to CKhybrid for her beta-work on this as well as help in general!
She always gets burned when she lets her real skin show. People are fascinated with her, but the fascination tends to fade away as they ponder the consequences of her mutation and the panic starts to set in.
So often humans rush to violence against those they fear.
Against things they don't understand.
And sometimes, she doesn't even understand herself.
Caroline had been travelling for five days, avoiding bigger cities and switching means of transport every evening. Her caution may have been unnecessary but, after an attempted murder she had nearly fallen victim to, she believed she was allowed some extent of paranoia.
While on the run, she'd met some of her kind, more or less friendly. There had been whispers of a safe haven for mutants, a place where they could flourish and develop their abilities, under the eye of an extremely talented and powerful telepath.
And so there she was, a skinny 14-year old, standing on the doorstep of the Salvatore Boarding House, fidgeting while trying to decide whether to ring the bell or not. To be honest, she was on the verge of turning back and making her escape but the door burst open before she could take a step back.
Did she have anywhere else to run to, anyway?
"Caroline Forbes," a voice of a young man cut through the silence. Blond hair fell perfectly around his face, deep green eyes looking at her with familiarity and...kindness. She could sense this aura of melancholy around him, and yet, when he smiled at her, Caroline felt the genuine warmth of it brush against her. "Come in, I've been waiting for you."
Stefan had always been so much better at hiding his mutation. In fact, he didn't really need to do anything and the unfairness of their situation hit Caroline hard. Her skin could adapt, form and shape, feign any features she were to think of, but it was exhausting. She'd had so many faces over the years, it was hard to tell who she was anymore.
She did not know.
At her 20 years, she held an immense power. Too great for someone of such a young age - or so Stefan kept repeating.
She could enter any building she set her mind to, the best security system in the world proving defenceless in the shadow of her abilities. She could tear away secrets from strangers, even the deepest, most guarded ones. Without using any force.
Unless completely necessary, of course.
Such power, Stefan would lecture, had capacity to corrupt the strongest and kindest minds. Upon discovering the depth of his telepathic talents, he had struggled too, forcing himself to stay within the socially-accepted boundaries, to not abuse his abilities. It was hard, to the point of agonizing pain, he had said, to live with the voices in his head and then stifle them. Controlling his gift was what had been keeping him sane. But what a life it was, to always dance on the verge of sanity.
Well, she certainly wasn't weak.
Caroline wished no harm to humans, at least to those who didn't rush to cage her once they learnt of her mutant status. She had never used her powers to abuse anyone nor did she do so for personal gain. All she craved for in return was for people not to flinch in fear or disgust when they saw her true self.
Was acceptance too much to ask for?
Only sometimes, in her darkest moments, she would lie at night, sweaty and with eyes wide open, nightmares keeping her awake.
She wished she could remember how to forget.
For memory could be a cruel thing.
Acid splashed across her skin any time she would shift.
Steel blade slicing through her muscles and blood dripping on the floor.
Rough male voice ringing in her ears, yelling at her not to change, to stay...normal.
The cells of her body repairing themselves agonizingly slow, slower than the damage inflicted upon her.
Those nights she would remember, cries falling silent on her lips. Ripping her apart, flames of rage and hatred filling her veins. Wrath at the world and mankind bristled underneath her skin.
And it took so much of her energy to fight it, to keep the darkness in and not let it shroud her in a thick blanket. Even then, the questions rose like bile in her throat, leaving her balancing on the line.
Who were they to scorn her for being different?
Who were they to deny her greatness?
It had been so fucking exhausting, to keep herself from falling over that line.
Stefan called him his friend.
Klaus. Klaus Mikaelson.
Class Four mutant, probably one of the most powerful on Earth, with the ability to control and manipulate metals and magnetic fields.
They called him Magneto. Among those of their kind, he was a whisper, a shadow creeping through the night. She'd heard the rumours, of his family perishing during WWII, of his incarceration in the Nazi extermination camp. How he killed anyone who dared to step in his way in cold blood; a soulless beast bred by war.
Personally, she knew not what to think.
He would drop by the boarding house from time to time, almost always away on one of his secret missions, the details of which no one but Stefan seemed privy to.
Whenever he was near, Caroline felt his penetrating gaze on her, burning all the way to the scales covering her real body.
He observed, tongue flicking across his raspberry lips each time she lost control of her cover image and scales glimpsed through.
She felt this pull towards him, her blood calling out to him as if he used his powers on her. But he wouldn't.
Caroline wasn't sure how she knew it, how she'd become so certain in that knowledge. All she understood was that even if he was truly a monster many believed him to be, he would never violate her that way.
In the end, it mattered not. Soon enough, after finishing her education, she would leave the boarding house. It was high time to face the world again. Alone.
The thing was, the world decided to face them all.
Caroline didn't understand Stefan's fascination with Elena Gilbert.
Sure, she might've been one of the very few female CIA agents. And she was certainly beautiful, with those dark, innocent doe eyes and exotic face.
Still, she was naive and idealistic. And human.
What a deadly combination. For her and, what's worse, for everyone around as well.
They had assembled in the library with the most talented of Stefan's mutant apprentices. Bonnie, known as Emerald Witch, Lorenzo the Pyro and Katherine - the Ice Woman.
Then, there was Klaus, sitting nonchalantly in the far corner of the room, his fingers playing with lead bullets he was said to have on him at all times.
Judging from the incredulous looks he had been shooting the female agent, Mikaelson shared Caroline's opinion on the lovely Elena. She rolled her eyes at one particularly grandiose statement, then glanced his way, only to discover his gaze fixed on her. A shiver crept up her spine as the mocking smirk gradually spread on his face and eyes twinkled with amusement, a fleeting moment of understanding leaving her short of breath.
Still, Stefan seemed to hang on Elena's every word, even now when she was in the middle of introducing the worst strategized plan ever.
Caroline would know, she loved making plans.
"If we unite, I believe we can win against him. Silas is planning on bringing destruction to the world as we know it. He doesn't care how many lives he will take with him, human or mutant. He just wants power," Elena babbled, exhilarated, her feral eyes focused on Stefan.
"World War III breaks out and he comes out a victor. A plan of a madman," Salvatore nodded, clearly impressed with the brunette and her reasoning.
The rest of her audience, however, remained visibly distant. Which was perfectly understandable when taking into account their respective histories, just how much they had all suffered at the hands of humans. It was hard to trust again, if not impossible.
"Unfortunately, the CIA has lost his trail, isn't that right, sweets? What do you want us to do, smoke him out?" Enzo snorted, playing with the flame on his palm.
"Yes, but…" Elena started, only to be interrupted by Bonnie.
"And what guarantee do we have that the agency won't lock us up the minute you stop needing us?" the witch asked, boring her eyes into the agent, her irises flicking with dark green strays of energy.
"Besides, your plan is a mess," Caroline added, shrugging when Stefan sent a scolding glance.
"I wouldn't even call it a mess, Gorgeous," Enzo quipped. "Just a whole lot of wishful thinking."
"But…" Elena seemed cornered, her innocent eyes widening in fear at Katherine sauntering over to her.
"What is it? Cat got your tongue? You poor thing," Kat's icy hand was about to close around the other brunette's neck when Stefan tore her away, his telepathic mind yelling at them to stop, to listen.
They didn't. The tension thickened, their abilities spinning out of control as they argued whether they should engage with the CIA or not. And then, one steady voice cut through the buzz.
"I know where he hides," Klaus spoke, his words laced with steel and his face a mask of concrete. "I will get him."
The library filled with silence, all eyes dead on Klaus. He might have appeared calm, almost stoic to everyone else in the room, but Caroline thought she managed to see through his cool exterior. Her heart fluttered when she took in his clenched jaw and tense muscles; felt the air vibrate with the energy he was giving off.
Caroline had no idea what prompted her to say those words. All she knew was the she had meant them. "We will," she vowed solemnly.
Perhaps it was the well-concealed (but not well enough) flicker of utter despair and blazing anger gleaming in his gaze, one that too often marred her own face. Or possibly, she did it to feel the satisfaction of showing Stefan just how much she didn't need him as her big brother, that she was capable of making her own decisions at last. Deep down though, Caroline suspected it had to do with this strange kinship she began to feel for the other mutant, recognizing they shared the same pain.
Pain of not being enough.
As soon as the thought crossed her mind though, she tucked it neatly into the far corner of her consciousness, like she always did.
Stefan's loud protests faded away as she held Klaus' assessing gaze, her insides melting at the way he seemed to record every detail of her. The result of this inspection must have been satisfying as the corner of his mouth tilted up and he gave her a quick nod.
"We need to train first. You may be a shapeshifter, love, but you have no discipline over your body," he drawled, clear challenge in his tone as he gravitated the bullets in his palm.
Her brows furrowed in response, irritation crossing her features. That was how he repaid her for backing him up? He had another thing coming to him.
It was on.
After Klaus' blunt statement, the others followed, seeing an opportunity to prove to humans they were not a threat.
Well, except for Katherine and Enzo. The deadly female was used to living in the shadows, always on the run - and this war Silas was set on bringing about, there was no escape from it.
Enzo was in it just for kicks. "Why let my fire get dimmed, Gorgeous?" he chortled when Caroline asked. "I'm still hoping to tempt you with it," he wiggled his brows suggestively as she merely scoffed and pushed him away playfully.
Stefan, surprisingly, was the one most opposed to her involvement now that Klaus had got his say in it.
"Don't do this, Caroline. It's a mistake," he spoke quietly when everyone else had fled from the library, leaving the two of them alone.
"Why? Why don't you want me to be a part of this? You seemed all on board before," she glared at him, with hands hooked on her hips and chin lifted high.
"It's too dangerous," he said meekly, eyes darting to the floor.
"You knew that and were fine to accept those risks. Stop bulshitting me!"
"Caroline, you've not been yourself lately. Moody, out of control… And Klaus...he has a strange influence on you, you shouldn't go on that mission together."
Her anger flared to the roof. "Seriously?! I know I've been struggling lately but that is no reason to cut me off from this. And Klaus has no hold over me, I have no idea what you're talking about, Stefan," she was seething, hints of her original blue skin flashing through.
"See!" Stefan pointed at her blue scales. "You have problems with the simple cover, how can you expect to be trusted with more at this point? You used to be so good at this, Caroline, what happened?" The true concern in his voice weakened the blow delivered by his words, but only a little.
"You know very well what happened, Stef. My father happened. Humans happened. Why should I…" she shook her head in frustration, unable to voice her thoughts.
"What, Caroline? Tell me," he looked so lost, as if he couldn't recognize her anymore.
Maybe he didn't. But she knew that peace she had once felt in this place, the feeling of belonging, of home...it was shattered to pieces, the walls of the boarding house as well as her own skin suffocating, binding, restraining like the shackles her father had used on her years ago.
Her control snapped completely and there she was, standing before Stefan in her natural form. She inhaled deeply, relishing the air filling her lungs and the brush of it against her skin. Finally, her eyes darted up to Stefan, noticing his features shaped in a dumbfounded frown as he shifted awkwardly.
"Caroline! Cover yourself, for god's sake!" he looked everywhere but at her. "See! This is what I'm talking about! You are not trained to fight, you stopped controlling your shifting - you will be a liability in the field."
The scales on her skin spiked and goosebumps tickled her body before she heard his accented voice.
"And whose fault is that?" Klaus mused, settling himself against the doorframe. Caroline flinched and made a move as if to cover herself from his judging stare but when she looked at him, it was anything but.
His eyes raked over her form but it was admiring, soothing...like a soft caress. Somehow, there was nothing dirty about him observing her even if she could feel the slow tension coiling in her stomach and her heart pounding. Still, she wanted to wrap herself in these feelings he invoked like a warm blanket, shielding her from the cold sting of Stefan's rejection.
He was supposed to be her friend. Her brother. Why shy away from what was her true self? Was it who she was supposed to be? Or not?
Her head was spinning with questions that had no right answers.
Klaus' words brought her back.
"Fret not, Stefan, I said I would will train her and I will. To full combat form," he mockingly saluted towards the other man, then turned back to Caroline. "Be ready tomorrow at 6 am. And don't be late, sweetheart. We don't have much time." Smirking at the stunned silence he left behind, Klaus slipped away as silently as he appeared.
Among the turmoil of her feelings, Caroline sensed a new one prickling at her insides.
Anticipation.
And hope.
The next day, Caroline was set and ready in the gym, waiting for Klaus with curiosity gnawing at her bones.
She became aware of his presence seconds before he joined her, the magnetic pull that stretched between them catching her breath. "You're late," she croaked, swallowing hard when he pulled off his shirt, sweats set low on his hips, revealing the low V on his abdomen, dipping lower to…
"And you're distracted, love. See something you like?" he smirked at her, eyes shamelessly roving over her body clad in a tight black tracksuit, clinging to her every curve. Yet, he's seemingly unimpressed. "We'll start with a few basic moves," he simply said, motioning for her to come closer.
Standing behind her, Klaus bracketed her body, his breath brushing against her neck and sending a string of shivers down her back. He gripped her arms and moved them in the right position, then he arranged her feet. Caroline tried to gather her focus, instead of wondering what else those hands could do to her.
Before she was ready, he threw the first punch.
Due to her body's natural flexibility, Caroline had always thought she would be excellent at martial arts. She did have a basic training and used to have no difficulty in taking on her sparring partners, even Katherine who was the expert at fighting dirty.
Well, Klaus certainly proved her wrong.
"Dead," he panned, throwing her onto the mat and pinning her down. "Is that really all you can do, sweetheart?"
Yanking away his arm, she jumped to her feet and jerked her leg forward to kick him in the abdomen, only to have the limb twisted and shoved away with force. Moments lates she was back on the mat, caged between the floor and Klaus' body.
They were both panting hard, the muscled planes of his chest and thighs pressing into her heated flesh.
"Dead again," he whispered, pinning her arms above her head with one hand.
She could feel his breath on her cheek, her panties dampening with arousal as her control ran thin.
"You're stronger than me," she bristled through her teeth.
"No, I'm not. I'm not even using force," he shifted against her, settling between her thighs. "How much energy do you waste pretending, Caroline? To be something you're not?"
Caroline scoffed in reply, turning her head so as not to face him.
Klaus was having none of it.
Cupping her cheek with his other hand, he forced her to look at him, the true amber of her eyes glimmering through the blue and taking his breath away. "Don't let the world contain you, Caroline. Don't let Stefan cage you in this pretty little box where everything fits. You're a glorious creature. You leave me in awe. People should be at your feet, not the other way around." His fingers played with the loose strands of her hair and it was as if he was cherishing her with his gaze. But then his features hardened and he spat his next words. "When you fight, it's for your life. Do you prefer to be a pretty little human or do you want to stay alive, love?"
Before she had a chance to say something, to fight back, Klaus jerked away and left her alone, more confused than ever. Her heart was beating so fast as it rushed to burst out of her chest and her blue skin shone through, longing for his touch.
He seemed to have that effect on her.
Please let me know what you thought of it and leave a comment :) Did placing Klaroline in X-Men world work for you? What of Caroline's inner struggles and her relationship both with Stefan and Klaus?
Thanks for reading :)
