Author's note: This was written for Klarosummer Bingo and is the third part to Chapters 70 & 115 in my series, A Beautiful Symmetry. Their meet-cute started with a corpse. And now their first date will end with corpses. Who knew massacres were an aphrodisiac?

Prompt: Fireflies

Warning: Klaroline sexytimes — finally!


"I should fancy, however, that murder is always a mistake. One should never do anything that one cannot talk about after dinner."
― Oscar Wilde, The Picture of Dorian Gray


The acid-resistant apron had elastic cuffs and her face shield had goggles built in. But somehow it still wasn't worst outfit Caroline had worn on a date. At least the teal brought out her eyes. She warily eyed the severed limbs, all neatly spread out along the plastic sheeting, and realized that "date" was no longer the correct word for this mess. Nightmare. Disaster. Surreal hallucination brought on by too much coffee.

She probably should've cut her losses when the coffee date with Klaus turned into them foiling a robbery. Instead, she stubbornly brought them back to the crime scene where they originally met — and then they were attacked by vampires. Vampires, for fuck's sake.

"Seriously?!" Though muffled by the protective gear, her indignant tone was apparent. "This is just...how are vampires a thing? This violates every scientific law and...and FANGS! There were fangs, Klaus!"

He chuckled, carefully tipping a thin stream of hydrofluoric acid from the plastic jug just as she taught him. "I'm aware, love. It may have escaped your notice, but I have them too."

Like she could forget. They split the flesh wide open, spilling blood and shredding muscle and tendon. The two beefy vampires had gone from menacing to terrified in an instant, babbling nonsense about how they hadn't realized she was his — an insulting tidbit that she definitely would be bringing up with Klaus — once her hands stopped shaking. "About that — why do you have a double set of fangs? And your eyes were gold — I assume this means you're a different flavor from them," she asked, wrinkling her nose as she gestured toward the various piles of mutilated flesh.

"One would hope," he replied boastfully, "I'm the Original Hybrid; vampires originated from my bloodline."

Klaus grew more interesting by the moment. With a raised eyebrow, she eagerly said, "I'd love to take a peek at your nucleotides. Your DNA sequencing must be fascinating."

His surprised laughter was punctuated by the sizzling of body tissue in the corrosive acid bath. Flashing a dimpled smirk, he told her, "I can assure you my bits are quite fascinating; please feel free to take a peek whenever you like — no microscope required."

"You're...flirting with me? In the middle of this...this massacre?!" Caroline shook her head in disbelief, out of the corner of her eye noticing that Dr. Maxfield's mangled fingers were still curled into half circles after they'd been torn away. After Klaus tore them away. It was unthinkable how she stood by and silently watched Klaus butcher his way through those men. She had an oath to keep. Laws to uphold. But those laws were written by men. And whatever she'd stumbled into was decidedly other.

He ducked his head shyly, the tips of his ears burning as he mused, "I've forgotten proper courting etiquette; is it appropriate to make one's intentions known before or after the bodies have been disposed of?"

She absolutely would not blush. Nope. She was grateful when Klaus moved closer to the toxic smoke surrounding the melting flesh, distracting her from processing whatever insanity kept making her body react to his. "Stop breathing in those poisonous fumes! It can damage your lung tissue and cause fluid accumulation! Do you want chronic lung disease? Because that's what you're going to get, mister!"

"Immortal, sweetheart," he replied smugly.

"So? You're telling me with absolute certainty that not one vampire ever suffered from a chronic illness before they were turned? Maybe your tissues can regenerate, but if a human with a chronic illness becomes a vampire, won't that illness still eat away at the body in an endless cycle of sickness and healing?"

Something flashed in his gaze, a begrudging spark of admiration, as he muttered under his breath. As Caroline meticulously arranged the shredded, oozing remains of Dr. Maxfield's organs, he curiously studied her, observing, "This slaughter — those putrid remains — you aren't disturbed by something so macabre?"

Peering around a teetering pile of ruined flesh, she gave Klaus a withering look as she reminded him, "My life's work is in forensic science, clawing through the most vile, disgusting things humanity does to each other, remember? I once processed a crime scene where the murder weapon was a hole punch — do you have any idea how long it takes to kill someone that way? I do — almost down to the minute! Trust me — it's nearly as messy as what you did here."

"Not my finest work, but I think there was a certain flair to it," he boasted. As he placed another ragged grouping of flesh into the toxic acid bath, he chastised, "However, you have us toiling away to hide the corpses when there are much more expedient methods available."

Spraying an especially greasy viscera stain with extra-strength solvent, Caroline reminded him irritably, "And after you explained what compulsion is, I told you I'm firmly against it." She gave an involuntary shudder as she recalled Dr. Maxfield's cold stare, and his crazy ramblings about experimenting on vampires to create even more dangerous monsters. And then he'd tried to recruit her! She'd never been so insulted.

"Look, I only understood every third word or so out of my old professor's crazy speech, but it's obvious that humans need to stay far, far away from whatever supernatural power struggles are going on." And she really should take her own advice.


How is it possible to still find fireflies charming at a time like this? She had two industrial biohazard bags in each hand, filled to the brim with the remnant sludge of a massacre, but she scrunched her nose in delight every time one of the tiny glowing creatures whirred by her face. They'd inadvertently picked a romantic place to bury bodies. Why did those damned fireflies have to perfectly outline his incredibly hot body with their inviting glow? She kept stealing glances at him, nervously biting her lip as she tried to come up with something to break the weird silence between them.

Underneath a stand of thin maple trees, Klaus was nearly finished digging the deep hole, pausing to study her until she grew warm under his intense gaze. Leaning against the shovel handle, he smirked, "I must admit, your methods of body disposal are quite efficient. If you ever turn to a life of crime, I suspect humanity will be in great peril."

Rolling her eyes, Caroline tried to ignore the pleasant shiver that traveled down her spine at his backhanded compliment. Charming asshat. "Yeah, well, you're not a terrible field assistant and could be decent at hiding bodies once you stop whining and follow my directions." Seriously?! She closed her eyes in embarrassment, allowing the awkwardness to flow over her. Klaus was centuries upon centuries old — even if he only hid a body a few times a year, that's...No. Stop doing math. The math will freak you the fuck out and you need to focus.

As though sensing her discomfort, he set down the shovel, placing his hands on the dirt ledge and pushing himself out of the hole. With biceps that bunched impressively underneath his dark henley. In a voice that was uncharacteristically soft, he said, "You're so capable and maddeningly fearless that I forgot this day must've been quite...unsettling for you, love."

Unsettling. Yes. Because she learned that her century-old cold case was the work of a serial killer vampire and her former professor brought even scarier vampires to bully her into working for him, but it didn't matter because it turned out her work crush was the scariest vampire of them all.

She should've gone for her gun; the muscle memory was there, but somehow her training fled her body the second the intruders flashed their fangs. But she'd been comforted when Klaus revealed his monster. He hadn't hesitated to stand in front of her, his voice fierce as he swore that she was safe. Apparently, when it comes to vampires, there were levels of...evil?

"What you did for me...it was incredible." She shook her head, a hitch in her voice as she said, "You saved my life. Thank you." He'd been so protective. And then there was that growl. A feral, inhuman growl shouldn't be sexy. Ever.

Fuck it. She dropped the biohazard bags to the ground with a disturbing squelch and was on him in an instant. His grunt of surprise sent a thrill down her spine as she attacked him with lips and tongue. The smells of rotting corpses and toxic chemicals wafted on the breeze, but they both seemed weirdly energized by their surroundings, taking what they wanted with sighs of pleasure. He hooked his hands underneath her thighs, roughly pulling her into his arms as she let out a squeak of surprise. He was so strong. She'd witnessed his strength when he tore apart her would-be kidnappers.

Dangerous, a voice whispered, but it wasn't a warning — it was a sensual promise. Trailing kisses down her neck, he pushed her against the thin stand of trees, the peeling bark breaking crisply against her back. His eager fingers flew across her shirtfront, popping off buttons with little pings.

Klaus paused at her bra, eyeing the bright pink and purple polka dots with interest. Sliding down one strap, he observed with a smirk, "Adorable and sexy — what a confounding creature you are."

She yanked off his henley with an impatient huff, molding those beautiful muscles with her palms. "And you look like the CW grew you in a lab, designed to be equally stalked by teenage girls and soccer moms."

His deep chuckle made her skin tingle, and he nibbled deliciously on her earlobe. "I have an affinity for bossy forensic detectives; perhaps you know one who might wish to stalk me?"

Caroline crashed her lips into his, his smug tone turning into a blissful sigh as he rubbed his bulge against her center, creating a sensual friction through their pants that suddenly were too tight, too hot, and just too much. Off off off. The chant reached a feverish pitch in her mind as they groped and licked.

They briefly registered the sharp snap as the thin maples gave way, but somehow landing down in the freshly dug hole still caught them by surprise. The jolt took her breath away, but Klaus' chest was firm underneath her cheek, and she loved the feel of his arms around her, tentative touches at first as though he wanted to ensure she was unharmed. Gray eyes searched her face, and whatever he found there must have satisfied him, because his kisses devoured her, an ecstasy somehow made sweeter by the cool, damp earth that surrounded them.

Caroline responded in kind, tugging at his zipper impatiently until it broke free with a series of soft clicks. He flipped them over with a groan, the speed and power he displayed making her lick her lips in anticipation. She traced the curve of Klaus' hips, pushing down his jeans, as he panted against her breasts. The shredded remnants of her bra were tossed aside with a growl when he caught a nipple between his lips. The rough stubble scraped along her skin, and she let out a jagged whine that lasted long after he'd moved down her body to tackle her zipper. With his teeth.

Not quite fangs, but too long to be human, the feral gleam in his gaze made her writhe along the dirt. Caroline's nail dug deep into the ground, their sweat mingling with the earth as Klaus ripped away her jeans. They were going to fuck in a grave. Grave fucking. Yes.

She spread wide for him, and he rewarded her with a devilish smirk as he asked, "It's like that, is it?" The tip of his finger slyly brushed her soaked folds. "This is where you want my tongue?"

"Yes," she panted, vibrating with anticipation. When his warm tongue slid inside, she cried out, gripping his curls to draw him close. And then he moved. Little flicks of his tongue that left her a begging, sobbing mess.

Klaus made his way up Caroline's trembling body, wrapping her legs around his waist. She noted with pride his leaking tip at her entrance. She did that. The first press inside was a tease, and she didn't understand the tentative strokes. "Please, I need it."

He chuckled, a golden flare lighting up his gaze as he palmed her breast. "Trust me, sweetheart, you want me to go slow."

And then she understood. The hiss escaped her before she had time to register the stretch. And what a stretch it was. Putting his flesh into hers was delectably tight, and so, so good. Widening her thighs, she urged him inside, his thick cock stroking her walls. The pace he set was steady, hips stuttering as she slyly trailed her fingers between his ass cheeks.

"Naughty minx," Klaus gasped as his puckered hole tightened around her finger. He surged inside her, a punishing force that made her moan. With a final twist of her finger and a shuddering twitch of his cock, that swirling, seductive ride crashed around them as them came together.

They stretched out against the damp dirt, staring up at the night sky where the fireflies flickered overhead. It was peaceful. Like a grave should be, she thought wryly. With a surprised grunt, Caroline realized already Klaus was springing back to life.

With a sly grin, she straddled him, leaning down to whisper teasingly, "I think I need to gather some more samples before I peek at your nucleotides."