(A/N):
Drop a meme here that you find funny. Or reflects your mood.
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Hearing Klaus's words, Damon frowned.
He turned his gaze on Rafale, irritation flickering in his eyes.
"If you really do have some idea as Klaus mentioned,"
Damon said flatly,
"you'd better forget it. Otherwise, you'll only drag a whole lot of trouble onto yourself."
Rafale swallowed hard, his throat dry.
Gulp~
"____"
The weight of both men's stares pressed down on him, making his palms sweat.
He hesitated, then finally blurted out, voice trembling.
"Do they… do they really intend to seal my brother—Landon—in the Prison Realm?"
Klaus chuckled, the sound low and mocking, as if the boy's fear amused him.
Chuckle~
Damon's expression, however, shifted.
"____"
His narrowed eyes told Klaus all he needed to know—
Damon was finally believing what he'd hinted at before.
Klaus smirked, gesturing lazily toward Damon as though to say told you so.
With a sigh,
Sigh~
"____"
Damon rubbed the bridge of his nose before answering Rafale,
Who was staring at him with raw hesitation.
"No,"
Damon admitted.
"We don't have any intention of sealing Landon in the Prison Realm… at least, not currently."
Rafale's chest loosened slightly, though his eyes still darted between them with unease.
Klaus only nodded as if satisfied, then leaned back in his seat.
His eyes wandered around the room, taking in the walls plastered with posters of girls—
Faces smiling down in faded colors.
His smirk returned, curling with mischief.
Smirk~
"Well, well,"
Klaus drawled.
"Quite the collection you've got here, boy."
Klaus's smirk deepened as his eyes lingered on the posters.
He let out a low chuckle.
Chuckle~
"You've plastered these walls with more women than I've had drinks this week."
Rafale's face flushed red.
"____"
He stiffened, unsure if he should be embarrassed or on guard.
Damon, however, only shook his head with mild disgust.
"Focus, Klaus,"
Damon muttered.
But Klaus ignored him.
His gaze flicked back to Rafale, sharp now,
Though his tone remained deceptively playful.
"You see, that's the thing with women,"
Klaus said smoothly, leaning forward.
"They smile, they charm, they promise you the world—even freedom for your dear brother—and yet…"
He tapped his temple with a sly grin.
"It's all a game. One you're already losing."
Rafale's breath caught.
He clutched at his jacket's pocket, where the ritual paper was hidden.
Klaus's eyes darted toward the motion instantly, a predator scenting blood.
"There it is,"
Klaus said softly, voice dripping with amusement.
"You've still got it, don't you?"
Rafale froze, every muscle in his body tightening.
Damon crossed his arms, his gaze heavy on the boy.
"Klaus,"
Damon said coldly,
"Don't play with him."
Klaus tilted his head, ignoring Damon again.
He extended his hand toward Rafale, palm open, almost mockingly gentle.
"Hand it over, boy,"
Klaus said, his voice a velvet command.
"The ritual paper won't save Landon. But I just might."
Rafale's hand trembled as he finally pulled the folded ritual paper from his pocket.
He stared at it for a moment, then reluctantly extended it.
Klaus snatched it up with an almost boyish grin,
But instead of keeping it, he casually passed it to Damon.
"There you are,"
Klaus said smoothly.
Damon unfolded the paper, scanning its contents with a furrowed brow.
Before he could speak,
"____"
Klaus stepped forward, extending his own palm now—
Open, expectant.
"Go on, then,"
Klaus said.
Damon blinked.
"What?"
"My pay."
Klaus's grin widened.
Damon's brows drew together.
"Your pay? Since when did I owe you money? I don't remember buying anything from you."
Klaus let out a low laugh, clearly enjoying himself.
"Not money, Damon. Payment."
He gestured vaguely toward the school around them.
"For saving this place's ass. Consider it an invoice from one… let's say, an esteemed member of the DMC."
Damon stared at him, blankly.
"When the hell did you join the DMC?"
Klaus smirked, tilting his head.
"Oh, Damon… if you have to ask, then perhaps you don't know your club as well as you think."
He gave Rafale a wink, then turned on his heel, strolling toward the door with that infuriating, unhurried swagger.
Damon remained standing, baffled, until it clicked.
"____"
His jaw tightened,
And he let out a long sigh, dragging a hand across his face.
Sigh~
"Damn it,"
Damon muttered.
"He tricked me."
All Rafale could do was glance nervously between Damon and the now-empty doorway.
Damon rolled his eyes and shoved the ritual paper into his jacket.
Klaus strolled down the corridor toward the Headmaster's office,
Hands tucked casually into his pockets, whistling faintly.
Damon followed a few steps behind, still muttering curses under his breath about being played.
As they rounded the corner near the library, voices floated out—
Light, playful, and unmistakably familiar.
Caroline, Bonnie, and Elena were walking side by side, animatedly talking.
"…I'm telling you,"
Caroline was saying with a laugh,
"that bromance in the short film yesterday? Pure gold. The way those two had each other's backs—ugh, I could watch that on loop."
Bonnie rolled her eyes.
"You call everything a bromance, Care."
"Because it was! Right, Elena?"
Before Elena could answer, the trio came face-to-face with Klaus and Damon.
"____"
"____"
"____"
They froze.
Damon was scowling, clearly annoyed.
Klaus, however, wore that infuriatingly smug half-smile as he clapped Damon on the shoulder with faux affection.
"Speak of the devil,"
Klaus said smoothly.
"What do we have here? The ladies of Mystic Falls, catching us in a… shall we say, brotherly moment?"
The girls exchanged a wide-eyed glance.
Caroline's jaw dropped.
Bonnie blinked, as if she couldn't believe what she was seeing.
Elena opened her mouth, closed it,
Then opened it again—
Speechless.
"You've got to be kidding me,"
Damon muttered, shrugging Klaus's hand off his shoulder.
Caroline whispered loudly to Bonnie,
"Are we… are we seeing this? Klaus and Damon. Bromancing."
Bonnie stifled a laugh.
"Wow. Did not have that on my bingo card today."
Elena just stood there, utterly dumbfounded, trying to process the bizarre sight.
Klaus, of course, leaned into it—
Literally—
Resting an elbow casually on Damon's shoulder as if they were lifelong drinking buddies.
"You see?"
Klaus teased, flashing his dimples.
"Some bonds are stronger than enmity. Damon here just doesn't like to admit it."
Damon pinched the bridge of his nose, muttering,
"Kill me now."
The trio? Still speechless—
"____"
"____"
"____"
Because no one in Mystic Falls was ever going to believe this.
The encounter in the corridor became the day's gossip fuel.
That evening, the girls sat together in the common area.
Caroline couldn't resist.
"So… Damon and Klaus. Bromance of the century. Who knew?"
Bonnie smirked.
Smirk~
"I thought they hated each other's guts. Guess the short film yesterday was foreshadowing."
Elena shook her head, still dazed.
"It's Klaus. He always has an angle. I just… can't believe Damon let it happen."
Caroline grinned wickedly.
Grin~
"Oh, I'm never letting Damon live this down. Next time he rolls his eyes at anyone I'm just gonna say: 'Careful, Klaus might get jealous.'"
The three of them burst into laughter, imagining Damon's face.
HAHAHAHA~
The next morning, Klaus made sure to capitalize on it.
In the courtyard, a few students and even some staff were whispering—
Word had spread fast about Damon and Klaus's "moment."
Klaus, ever the opportunist, strolled confidently into the chatter.
"Oh, yes,"
He said loudly, catching just enough ears.
"Damon and I have reached… an understanding. Call it mutual respect. Perhaps even—dare I say—trust."
The whispers grew louder.
Some nodded, others exchanged uneasy glances.
While the students and staff witnessed this thought.
'If Damon Salvatore was lowering his guard around Klaus… maybe Klaus wasn't as monstrous as they thought.'
Damon appeared a moment later, glaring daggers.
"Stop spreading fairy tales, Niklaus."
But Klaus only smirked, stepping in close so only Damon could hear.
"Why waste good gossip, mate? Let them believe we're allies. Makes my life easier—and yours more entertaining."
Damon groaned, realizing Klaus had successfully twisted the joke into something much bigger.
Since Aleric has left the school for some reason Klaus decided to stay at the school to play games.
How did he failed to see how childish Damon reacts when he Encounter someone he cant handle.
Over the next few days...
The "Klaus–Damon bromance" spread like wildfire across campus.
What began as Caroline's teasing joke quickly turned into whispered conversations in classrooms, lunch tables, and even faculty discussions.
The girls never meant for it to go beyond laughter—
But Klaus, of course, leaned into it.
Every time he passed Damon in the halls,
He'd offer a pat on the shoulder or an exaggeratedly friendly smirk,
Smirk~
Loud enough for people to notice.
Damon's scowls and muttered
"I hate you"
Only made it look more like playful banter between reluctant friends.
"See?"
Klaus would say with a grin.
Grin~
"He's warming up to me. That's how it begins."
By the week's end, students were speculating.
"If Damon trusts him… maybe Klaus isn't all bad?"
"Yeah, I mean Damon doesn't put up with anyone. If Klaus is on his side…"
"Could he… actually be good person?"
Even a few staff members began to shift in tone, lowering their hostility whenever Klaus passed them.
Damon finally snapped one night, cornering Klaus in the courtyard.
"You're using me as a bloody PR stunt,"
Damon hissed.
Klaus tilted his head, smile dripping with amusement.
"Of course I am, mate. You've got credibility here. I don't. Why not let them think you're rubbing off on me?"
"And what do I get out of this?"
Damon demanded.
Klaus leaned in, voice smooth as silk.
"You get people to stop asking questions about your little… darker habits. They'll be too busy believing you're civilizing the monster."
Damon froze.
"____"
He hated to admit it, but Klaus wasn't wrong.
People had been leaving him alone lately.
"Face it,"
Klaus whispered, patting Damon's cheek with mock affection.
"We make quite the pair. Bromance sells."
From the shadows, Caroline, Bonnie, and Elena were watching again—
"____"
"____"
"____"
Half horrified, half in stitches.
Caroline whispered, barely holding back a laugh.
"Okay, this has officially gotten out of control."
Elena sighed,
Sigh~
"Yeah… but Damon brought this on himself."
And Bonnie? She smirked.
Smirk~
"Honestly, I think Klaus just found the best cover story of his life."
The courtyard was quiet that night, moonlight spilling across the stone tiles.
Damon's patience had snapped, his expression twisted somewhere between frustration and disbelief.
"Why?"
Damon finally demanded, his voice lower than usual, tight with something close to desperation.
"Why the hell are you doing this? This bromance charade—it's worse than death for a man."
Klaus only smirked at first,
Smirk~
But Damon pressed on, words tumbling faster, almost as if he hated admitting them.
"Do you even realize what you've done? Elena—she looks at me differently now."
"Yesterday her brother visited with their daughter, and she… she shielded him from me. Like I was out of reach. Out of bounds."
"We've lived under the same roof for years, and suddenly she's holding pepper spray like I'm some goddamn creep. Do you understand what that feels like?"
For a moment,
Klaus looked genuinely entertained by Damon's torment—
But then, surprisingly, he laughed.
Loud, careless, and echoing through the courtyard.
He pressed a hand to his chest, gesturing to himself with a theatrical sigh.
Sigh~
"Do you want to know the truth, mate? The real reason?"
Damon's glare hardened, but he didn't speak.
"You guy's painted me as the villain in nearly every book. History, literature, even bloody magical theory. Except, perhaps, mathematics,"
Klaus said with a dry chuckle.
Chuckle~
"My name, my face—it's carved into these children's minds as the monster under their beds. My daughter's social life in school has been made unbearable because of it."
Klaus's grin softened—
Not in kindness, but in something that almost looked like resolve.
"So, I decided to change the narrative. Ease the tension around my name. Make them laugh instead of shudder. If they see me as a man who can—how do they say it?—share a bromance with the great Damon Salvatore,"
"then perhaps when my little girl arrives here, she won't be met with the same fear. She'll have a chance at normalcy."
Damon's frown deepened,
Frown~
"____"
but Klaus continued, voice lowering now, carrying a rare edge of sincerity.
"Why should I let them cast me as the villain of every story, when I've lived more adventures—done more, seen more—than the fools who founded this school?"
"I could be the hero, Damon. I should be. But the world loves its villains. So, I'll play with their expectations… and turn them to my favor."
"____"
"____"
"____"
Silence stretched between them, broken only by the faint rustle of leaves.
Damon's jaw tightened; he hated to admit it,
But he understood Klaus in a way he wished he didn't.
Klaus smirked again, stepping closer.
"So, yes, mate. That's why I'm doing this. Not for me. For her."
Meanwhile,
New Orleans...
In New Orleans—
Inside Jojo's mansion—
Jojo sat lazily on the couch, one arm draped across the armrest.
Across from him,
Alaric sat straight-backed,
While beside him an older man with a weathered face and sharp gray eyes studied Jojo as though sizing him up.
"____"
Jojo finally broke the silence, his voice calm but carrying weight.
"Alright, Alaric… who's the old man? He's been staring holes into me since he walked in."
Alaric leaned forward, clasping his hands.
"This is Richard—Officer Richard. A forest officer who works near West Virginia. Old friend of mine. We crossed paths again while I was visiting an acquaintance… Catalina. She's digging into Landon's background."
At the mention of Landon,
Jojo tilted his head slightly, his gaze sharpening.
"And why is a forest officer from West Virginia suddenly knocking on my door in New Orleans?"
Richard leaned forward, his voice raspy but steady, betraying years of experience.
"Because what's happening in those woods isn't natural."
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(Author's POV)
(A/N):
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