Author's note: This was written for Klaroline Bingo klaroline-events. Prompt: Murder. Caroline is having some growing pains learning to adjust to her new sensitivity as an Augustine vampire and needs some assistance with hiding her leftovers. Fortunately, her mysterious neighbor doesn't seem like the squeamish sort.
"A friend is someone who gives you total freedom to be yourself."
― Jim Morrison
"Why does every invite to your flat involve helping you hide a body?" Klaus heaved an exaggerated sigh as he stood in Caroline's doorway, looking far too put together considering she called him in the middle of the night to come help her out. Again. If only she hadn't taken that job at Augustine Labs. She'd been a lab assistant so incredibly entry level she didn't even warrant a security badge when her boss' boss randomly asked if she was interested in participating in a sleep study. She may have been a baby vampire, but she knew better than to tempt fate and run the risk of scientists discovering what she was. Unfortunately, they already knew.
"You could've said no," she told him flippantly, already moving aside to let him in.
He favored her with a dimpled smirk. "Nonsense, I welcome the distraction from my shite painting." He knelt down to study the body, a disinterested look on his handsome face as he flatly said, "I take it your date didn't go well?"
"This was a snack — not a date." With an aggravated groan, she distractedly pulled at her messy waves, telling him, "I thought I was getting a handle on this Augustine shit; I swear I didn't mean to, but he just tasted so good and I tend to not run into a lot of vampires in our neighborhood." She hated how helpless she felt. Her former employer turned her into a ripper — something she'd managed to avoid when she first transitioned. Fortunately, she'd been able to apply her iron control to her new sensitivity and was able to curb all but the most extreme aspects of her bloodlust. But sometimes it just wasn't enough.
Suddenly, Klaus swept her into his arms, his normal smirk being replaced by uncharacteristic concern. "Shh, sweetheart. We'll just tidy up here and set things right."
She breathed in his familiar scent of paint, her body instantly relaxing against him. Theirs was a bizarre friendship that had been forged after she escaped from Augustine Labs (she may have had to set a fire that turned into a surprisingly large explosion). She'd been running through a hiking trail when she tripped over a very surprised (and very naked) Klaus. With smoke still clinging to her hair and blood-soaked clothes, she somehow landed in a whole new life with an arrogant, inconveniently attractive new friend (who enjoyed naked runs). Despite how close they'd grown, she still didn't know that much about Klaus. He was an older hybrid (and didn't that blow her mind to learn that a person could be two different supernatural creatures) and seemed to have a complicated family.
"You hate the smell of bleach," Caroline replied, her voice muffled against his henley.
"But I like the smell of...those honey-cinnamon cookies you make," he quickly said, awkwardly patting her on the back as he released her.
Why was he being so weird? "Fine. I'll make a batch tomorrow after I go to the store." She finished tucking the ends of the old rattan rug around the body, motioning for Klaus to grab one end.
He wryly observed, "You do realize that either of us possess the strength to lift this corpse easily? Must we keep up the pretense?"
"Seriously?! It's a corpse, Klaus. One that I created. You know, with murder? One that we're trying to hide while we carry it up to your penthouse to dismember in your gigantic bathtub. If we run into our neighbors, we need to look normal."
"We could just compel them," Klaus argued, his face turning into a comical exaggeration of pain as they began their trek down the hallway to the elevator. "And murder doesn't always have to be a bad thing. I've been encouraging you to get a hobby."
"Murder is not a hobby!"
He winked at her from across the lumpy, rolled-up rug. "It is if you do it right."
Was he flirting with her? Caroline did her best not to react; she'd never been good at reading people. (If she had, she never would've been in this mess in the first place.) But then she never would've met Klaus. Feeling a blush start to creep up her neck at that distracting thought, she instead focused intently on the elevator buttons.
She'd just begun to relax when a simpering voice called out, "Klaus! I thought I heard you out here!" Twit in 14C poked her head out, eyes going round with excitement as she spotted her prey.
Caroline subtly tried to block the rug they'd stood up on one end, awkwardly standing on her tip-toes.
"Ooh, Klaus, is that another of your magnificent art projects?"
Trading a mildly panicked look with Klaus, Caroline hurriedly said, "Yes! It's an art installation with a sort of...um, postmodern take on um..."
"Clearly his deep-rooted angst that reflects his sensitive artistic temperament," Twit in 14C swooned, fluttering her eyelashes at Klaus. "You're an old soul, I can tell."
Well, that was an understatement. While Caroline wasn't sure exactly how old Klaus was, she assumed he was at least a century or two. Fortunately, the elevator dinged, and they were able to clumsily wave at Twit in 14C while pretending to heave the rug with a gooey corpse center over their shoulders.
"So, that's still happening," Caroline observed with a giggle, playfully nudging Klaus with her elbow.
"Only because you won't let me compel her," Klaus grumbled.
She winked, cheekily telling him, "Poor Klaus, it's such a terrible burden to be so attractive."
As the doors opened to his penthouse, he seemed to perk up as he asked, "You think I'm attractive?"
She rolled her eyes, not bothering to feed his ego with a response, and ducked her head behind the rug to hide the blush on her cheeks.
The first slice with the electric carving knife always made her gag reflex kick in, so she rambled as a distraction. "If only some of the Augustine scientists survived." At his startled expression, she explained, "After the explosion, I went back to the lab looking for answers. I even tried to track down the staff who hadn't come in that day. Stupid waste of time — they're all missing or dead."
"They didn't know anything," Klaus blurted out, hastily adding, "I mean, those in the explosion were probably killed instantly and odds are the higher ups were just the face of the organization without any useful knowledge...one would assume."
She raised her eyebrow in surprise, but found herself considering his words. It wasn't how she thought her life would turn out, but maybe it was time to move on. Despite her aversion to gore, her monster found the clean snap of her meal's femur immensely satisfying. Clearly, she was a monster and that was all she'd ever be. "I can't be fixed."
"You aren't broken!" Gray eyes widened in alarm at his outburst, and he quickly busied himself by bundling together some of the shorter bones, stacking them to the side of his enormous porcelain tub.
Caroline whipped her head around to stare at him, suddenly breathless. No one had ever thought much of her when she was alive — and even less after she died. But Klaus made her feel worthy. Wanted. His loyalty and friendship had been so unexpected and exactly what she needed. But maybe it could be more? Before she fully realized what she was doing, she tossed the decapitated head back into the tub and grabbed Klaus' henley to pull him in for a kiss.
He made a surprised noise that turned into a little moan as he deepened the kiss, painting her blonde waves red with his gore-streaked fingers.
Caroline pulled away hesitantly, voice tinged with concern as she asked, "Do you know what you're doing? I mean, getting involved with someone like me could be dangerous. Just because I haven't nom-nomed on you yet, doesn't mean I won't. And this ripper virus has made me really strong and I don't want to hurt you."
He gave her an enigmatic smile, "I'm a bit sturdier than I look. Tell me, sweetheart, what do you know about Originals?"
