fictional characters are for kissing

ever since kai had met the people in mystic falls, unabashedly forthright about his initial intentions of killing the gemini coven, his family, he had been shunned in the same ways as before.

he understood the reason why, unfazed when people he came into contact with instantly treated him with wariness. it was disturbing for someone to coolly disclose that they were a sociopath, with a desire to kill whoever stood in their way. 

at first, bennie was the same as everyone else, but open to him about everything; her initial dislike of him, similarly to others reactions.

but despite that, unlike the rest of society, she held a sliver of faith in him that had grown since the merge. that made her outshine everyone else, considering he'd hurt her all the same.

she gave him a chance to prove himself, holding him accountable yet helping him discover what had impacted his own character. she was sympathetic over the neglect from his family, allowing him a taste of being seen for more than an abomination.

it had become addicting, and the fascination grew into a genuine interest in her.

it took their bond for kai to learn more ways to live than inflicting and receiving pain. there was hope that maybe someone could care about him, and to seek out a life outside of that.

but kai didn't want anyone, he wanted bennie—the honest, playful nature she exhibited drew him to her, similar to a magnet. but underneath it all, she was vulnerable, something real growing from their connection.

all his attention focused on the newbie witch, but rather than showing interest her rookie magic skills, it was for the emotional bond that blossomed from her kindness, the acceptance no one else gave.

as a result, kai vowed to stay loyal to bennie. he devoted himself to burning anything that stood in his or her path, all to make bennie's life easier.

every one of her efforts to help him remained tucked away in his brain, remembering all the good she'd done for him.

kai almost believed he ruined everything that they built, upsetting her with his forced attempts to gain bonnie's forgiveness, but...

the cold winter air surrounded them, snowflakes falling as the bright light that shone ahead of them faded, leaving nothingness behind.

kai stared forward in shock, his stomach sinking at the realization that they'd been trapped in another prison world by the group, despite all their efforts to help.

kai's arm draped over her shoulder, with bennie assisting him after bonnie stabbed and abandoned him in the snow. bennie had found him and still tried helping him back to the others, to return home with her friends.

he could barely feel the wounds now, his blood running cold as he removed himself from leaning onto her for support, lifting his weight off of her shoulders. instead, he slumps next to a nearby tree before collapsing to the ground, his legs folding from beneath him.

the colors around them changed, morphing into green, blue, and purple hues, the northern lights painting the sky above their heads.

he couldn't breathe, panic setting in at the fact that they were imprisoned again. kai could feel himself laughing, or gasping, the certainty ebbing away. all he could identify was the feeling of sinking deeper into distress.

then, a whimper sounded from behind him, yanking him out of his panic, making him freeze and turn towards the source.

bennie stood frozen too, staring ahead at where friends had been present before them. it was dawning on her that they were trapped, abandoned, unable to return to the present.

despite typically being able to hold herself together through the worst situations, it was evident by the shaking of her entire form and the struggle to breathe, that she was seconds away from hyperventilating.

bennie was stuck here, despite never participating in his crimes, all due to her trying to save him in her compassion for kai.

a seething, vengeful anger flowed through kai's blood, combined with the need to aid her—because kai could comprehend that feeling all too well.

he stood up onto his feet again, immediately closing the distance and wrapping his arms tight around her frame once close enough, crushing her in a distracting embrace.

"bennie, breathe," he forces out, feeling her inhale at the man's command. but the next breath that left her mouth came out in a choked sob, both hands clawing into his jacket.

bennie's cries echoing through the trees, and his own mind. the familiar crawl shuddered up his spine, sprouting the urge to destroy that he had once stifled. that old part of himself dominated every passing thought.

but she was grounding him, clinging onto him with every cry that ripped itself from her lungs, both hands gripping onto the front of his jacket.

eventually, after enough tears were shed and she released her grip on him, she peered up to meet kai's gaze. the lights from above them reflected off bennie's stained, glistening face, droplets stuck to her glasses lens.

it made her even more beautiful to kai, despite the gravity of the situation now weighing on them.

"k-kai," she croaks, eyes puffy and her expression twisted into despair, skin red from the cold. the anguish from her only worsened the hatred that began festering, rage and regret rising in him before she spoke again.

"what're we going to d-do?"

…

kai had found a way out of the prison world. after multiple trial-and-error attempts, he had succeeded in finding a way to return to the present. alongside their return, he constructed a plan of retaliation, setting it into motion.

the heretics had been brought along with them and hidden away in a storage trailer under a cloaking spell of kai’s, alongside the additional spell of binding elena’s life to bonnie’s, all pieces of a puzzle in the final act of his revenge.

the climax was to target his sister's wedding, kill the twins she was pregnant with, and the ultimate goal of eradicating the entire coven with his own death, once and for all. but only he would live, with the blood of lily salvatore's as part of the man's transition into a vampire.

kai stayed adamant about following through with his idea, determined to make every person associated with their pain pay for the harm they caused him and bennie.

the period of being trapped, everything she had to witness and suffer through, only spurred that hunger for revenge to burn brighter within him.

throughout everything, he made sure to keep bennie safe and sound by his side.

the worry bennie exhibited didn't go unnoticed by kai, though. even as he tried to reassure her that everything would go according to plan, that he would be right back at her side.

it was obvious that she wasn’t entirely convinced everything would work.

kai was delighted at the possibility of further tormenting the world with his own return as a heretic. on the other hand, bennie was skittish, second-guessing the idea periodically to kai, clinging onto him at every turn.

even when kai led bennie up the stairs of their shared home, a hand resting on her lower back, he could feel the tension while circling the space of her torso in a comforting, gentle motion. the drive for violence brewed within kai, a drastic difference to the gentleness of his hand resting on her.

the air remained heavy between them, both fully aware of what kai had planned. but he intended to follow through with his gruesome schemes.

he couldn't let bennie be involved, being caught in the crossfire again. kai guided her inside and into the main room of the house, the tension thick and stifling.

"just stay here, and i'll be back in no time," he assured her, the tone in his voice devoid of any emotion. kai tensed up from the lack of response, causing him to glance over at the woman, "okay?"

bennie, in all of this, was trapped in the numbness that consumed every part of her. she had grown even more paranoid than usual, her emotions haywire as they switched on and off, bordering on hysterics.

the pressure of everything left her feeling sick to her stomach, bottling up every fear.

kai would voluntarily throw himself into danger, and he didn’t even seem to mind. but bennie did, terrified of the outcome and only expecting the worst to happen to kai, because she knew exactly how her friends would seek payback.

"bennie," the woman jumped when kai prodded her for a response, tearing her from troubling daydreams. she turned, looking up at him through her blonde bangs, unable to hide her worry.

kai flinched at how suddenly she reacted, the jerk of her shoulders, both arms wrapped tightly around herself.

he sighs solemnly at the sight, naturally reading the anxiety thrumming through her system, plastered on her features. he lifts a hand to brush a thick strand of hair behind her ear, followed by cradling her face with his palm.

"did you hear me?" he asks gently, watching as she barely holds herself together. bennie nods wordlessly, shifting uncomfortably.

bennie quivered under kai's grasp, her movements crooked and jittery while she took hold of his hand on her cheek, trying her hardest to stifle the fear that consumed her.

except, she couldn't, an uncontrolled sniffle escaping.

"i-i really don't want you to do this, kai..."

the truth hit kai hard, making his stomach churn uncomfortably with that stupid feeling of guilt again.

he hated it, how flawlessly she could make him feel regret, those mushy spins in his gut when bennie voiced her opinions. he averts his gaze, her unease starting to influence his own to bloom.

"i need to do this. they trapped us there. it's only fair to get back at them, to send a message that they can't hurt us," he mutters, turning to glance into his lover's eyes, hoping for her to understand and agree.

she appeared smaller than usual, but most importantly, there was a glossy shine to her eyes. bennie could feel it, the dryness on her tongue, as if the stress was going to make her vomit.

he offers one last smile to her, leaning closer and allowing his lips to brush her other cheek, kissing it tenderly in one final act of devotion and assurance. he leans back and clears his throat, releasing her from his grip to straightening the front of his black blazer.

it was eerily quiet when he turned away, slipping through the hallway solemnly. he closed in on the front door and stepped outside into the night, a heavy sigh slipping through his nose.

however, he stopped upon reaching the bottom of the wooden stairs, his ear perking up at the sound of movement from behind.

a startling force of bennie’s body had suddenly slammed into his back, both of them stumbling before crashing to the grass in front of the front lawn. bennie quickly straddled him when kai swiveled to be met with the sight of her, eyes wide with a mixture of emotions.

"bennie?! what the hell are you doing!?"

the man twists to peer up at her, turning onto his back to face her. bennie takes his wrists, pinning them down on either side of his head, a gasp ripping out of him while her chest rises and falls in frantic gasps.

there were wet drops that fell onto his face when he struggled in her grasp, dripping down his cheek when he peered up into her eyes. he stopped at the tears on his face, paralyzed at the sight of her crying while hovering above him.

"i know you want to do this! but i-i can't, i won't let you," she sobs, shaking her head with begging, taking in huge, yet uneven puffs of air.

"they'll kill you, kai! a-and i won't let someone else i care about die!"

kai blinked, his breath hitching at how urgently she sounded, a disturbing contrast that brought goosebumps over his body. he couldn't tell if it was the remnants of hopelessness from being trapped, or if his plans were now a part of her anxiety, were impacting her.

kai hated it, wanting nothing but to take away her pain. but that's what this was all for, right?

a part of him wanted to stay to comfort her, to see that sarcastic, laughing girl he adored. kai wanted that side of her to return, but he had to protect it first.

he could only ensure that tonight, with his revenge to enact. in kai's mind, he had to do complete this mission, and the man attempted to yank his hands out of her grasp.

"i have lily's blood, remember? i'll be fine–"

"that's not how that works! even if you drink it preemptively and turn, they could still kill you again afterwards! don't you get that?"

she continues pleading, shifting all of her weight to restrict him beneath her body, despite being aware of his capability to overpower her at any point.

but kai's brows furrowed in frustration at her defiance, "i do get it! i'm doing this for us, we deserve to see them suffer for everything they've done to us!"

bennie squeezes his wrists, almost pleadingly, matching the gravity of her words as her dread worsens. 

"this isn't what i want! i just want you here," she argues, shaking in dismay and causing her grip to grow weaker.

"you can say you won't get hurt, that you'll come back to me, but we can't ensure that'll be the case!"

kai stares up into her eyes, tears still pooling in her waterline and threatening to escape. he was torn, stuck between staying for her sake and storming off to pursue his massacre.

but alongside the emotions and impulses of his own spiral, he could feel the weight of bennie on top of him starting to affect him. kai wanted her closer, yet craved to watch everyone’s terror at the wedding.

it was too much, yet not enough.

in one swift movement, he used all his power to rip his hands from out of her grasp, taking her shoulders and flipping her onto her back. their breathing had accelerated from the short-lived scuffle, propelled by the increasing stress between them.

“you’re going inside, bennie. i’m not arguing with you on this,” kai declared, both hands planted on either side of her head, caging her beneath him while he towered over bennie.

bennie’s lips were parted in surprise. but she grits her teeth, shaking her head.

“make me.”

kai growls and takes each arm into his grasp, dragging her up from the ground and pulling her back towards the house. as they ascend the steps, bennie continues to fight back against kai’s grip in the struggle, yelling out disobediently.

"let me go! i won't let you leave!"

while she staggered to be released, instead, bennie was spun around to face him, hastily shoved against the wall beside the door, rather than inside.

she blinked a few times from the action, but there was no fear coursing through her, still motivated by her impulses.

the man caught both of bennie’s hands with his, pinning each of them by her wrists on either side of her head. bennie’s gazes finally met kai’s once, trapped under his imposing frame and the solid wall under her back.

but rather than being frightened, bennie's unwillingness to give in to kai made her wiggle under his strength.

“i’m not letting you do this–!”

“why are you stopping me, bennie?!” kai finally snaps, panting as he squeezes her wrists.

“all of my plans are for us, to finally feel the power that they tried to strip us of! you, of all people, deserve to lash out. i don’t understand why you aren’t onboard with it!?”

bennie didn’t flinch as he challenged her, glaring up at him as his voice rose.

yet she went still at his words, recognizing his response wasn’t out of anger. it was desperation for answers, to know why she tried this much to prevent the inevitable from happening, from his perspective.

the outdoor lights of the house glowed above her, shining along her drenched cheeks, even with tears streaming down her cheeks, leaving wet trails on her skin.

it still made her look gorgeous to him, holding her against the brick while she stared up at him.

“because i love you, kai!"

she cries out, pushing back against his grasp on her, the agony in her voice emerging. "you’re the only person i’ve ever loved this deeply. i don’t care about revenge. i care about losing you to this!”

the sight of bennie breaking down, confessing the extent of her love, made kai’s breath hitch. he stared down at her in shock, feeling his stubbornness falter.

she shakes her head in the silence, "because if i don't lose you tonight, t-they'll find a way to kill you later on... i can't live with that."

kai never experienced bennie in this state, not even during their first interactions in his prison world, or when they were locked away with the heretics.

he couldn't help thinking back to those grueling days trapped in 1903—bennie too petrified to leave their room, broken by the perceived betrayal of the others, who had trapped her with a so-called monster they perceived kai as...

even when everything felt pointless, a spell failing, an escape attempt falling apart, bennie was kai's purpose to find a way to escape.

she stayed present by his side, had kept him stable to figure out a way of escape, and that proved to be everything to him. whilst kai had been someone she could lean on, she'd always been the same for him, too.

for once, maybe the first time in his life, he was confronted with the fact that someone needed him. kai sacrificed the choice of living with her, all to satisfy an itch of rage he desperately wanted to scratch.

what if bennie was right? if he didn't succeed in returning to her?

she'd be heartbroken, broken, betrayed, without kai there to put the pieces together...

at it's best, he would be overlooking her concerns and leaving her alone when she was still struggling, at its worst? it was participation in destroying the final sliver of joy she could keep.

that realization caused a lump to form in kai's throat, and damn her for being so convincing. the idea of crashing jo's wedding became less appealing at her pleas for him to stay.

this hadn't been what bennie wanted, not at all. the plans of his retaliation were all for his self-absorbed gratification. meanwhile, all bennie wanted was for kai to stay…

and kai didn’t want the last time between them to end in this manner, breaking every promise he had made to her.

a sense of deja vu filled him from seeing her crying, the light reflecting off her teary eyes, almost a parallel to that first night of their confines of 1903, the northern lights casted over them.

the grimness settled over the duo, their shaking breaths mixing with the occasional hiccup from bennie. kai wrestled with his thoughts, finalizing his decision by straining his grip on her wrists.

bennie suddenly gasped at the burning sensation that exploded in her skin. the contact of his hand around her wrist glowed in a red and orange shine, clutching onto her.

he was siphoning from her, all while bennie grits her teeth, trying to ignore the pain to focus on convincing kai to change his mind.

"kai–don't–!" she spat, weakening in response to her magic being sucked away. she slumps into his chest, trying her hardest to hold herself up, both legs shaking and causing her to wobble.

the power shifting between them allowed kai to easily take hold of her shoulders before she could stumble forward. he observed the woman crumple to the floor with a whine, lowering her down with both arms wrapping around her waist.

the energy coursed through his veins, settling in and only bursting within his flesh, his blood pumping harder at the feeling. the feeling was exhilarating. it always had been when he siphoned magic from bennie.

bennie could only lie on the floor below him, her body limp while she watched his next action in despair. kai knew she was expecting him to depart.

"you told me you wouldn't let me go..." she mutters, weakly reaching for kai with a shaky hand.

the siphoner's gaze softened, "i'm sorry."

he whispers, leaning forward and leaving a kiss on her forehead, gentler than any other he had offered previously. she closes her eyes with a whimper, shaking her head limply.

but instead of pulling away, storming off to his sister's wedding, he remained glued to her side. he maneuvers off of bennie and tucks one arm under her back, the other sliding beneath her knees to hoist her up.

"c'mon, upsy daisy," he urges, lifting her bridal style from the wooden planks, cradling her close against his torso without much effort.

bennie didn't hesitate to scramble to grab onto kai, both arms tangling around his neck, gripping onto him. she clung to the sleek, black fabric tightly in disbelief, tears still caught in her lashes.

"what're you doing?" she asks, her voice barely above a whisper, shaking with emotion when they enter past the doorway. the warmth of their house contrasted massively with the cold air outside, trying to calm her nerves.

kai shushes bennie gently, planting his lips on the crown of her head in another chaste peck, kicking the door closed behind them and carrying her to the bedroom.

the calloused surface of his thumb rubbed shapes into the bottom of her thigh, the affectionate motion an attempt to soothe her.

the entrance had been cracked the same amount when they returned home, signaling that she hadn't waited long to chase after him. that made his heart ache.

when they arrived at the doorway, kai swiftly bumped the opening further with his shoulder. he handled the woman with care, making sure not to knock her into anything while approaching the bed, laying her down over the blankets.

"there we go," he murmurs, pecking her temple before pulling back, staring down into her glassy eyes.

he sighs at the teary look, wiping away the wet streaks her tears left. the pit in his stomach grew bigger from shame.

she could only stare up in bewilderment at the change in his behavior, even as she leaned into his touch, almost hesitant to give in to him when he had been planning to leave, not even five minutes ago.

despite her own skepticism at the sudden change of heart, her body went slack in the softness of their bed. 

"kai, you're not–?" she asks, feeling kai plant another press of his lips on her head, peppering down her cheeks and jawline in an attempt to ease her out of her frenzied state.

the first sign was him kicking his dress shoes off, kneeling on the mattress and capturing her mouth with his own in an attentive embrace, one hand drifting to cup the back of her neck.

the touch made her whimper into his mouth, both hands rising and landing on his shoulders.

"no, i'm staying, you were right," kai whispers, gravitating down towards her throat, kissing over the smooth space and starting to suck small marks there. the act became a silent claim of ownership over bennie, even as she writhed and mewled beneath the attention.

"you're always right, you've been right this whole time."

he could feel adrenaline buzzing in his flesh—her magic coursed through his veins furiously. he still wanted to invoke his wrath on every single person who had wronged them, wronged her.

ultimately, that wasn't a sentiment that she shared. he would only throw himself into needless danger over something that could tear them apart, hurting her more in the process.

all kai sought out now was bennie's forgiveness for ignoring her initial concerns.

"i'm sorry for not recognizing it sooner, bennie. but you're staying right here with me, okay?" he purrs comfortingly into her ear, pulling back to look down at her, crawling further on top of her with a darkening gaze.

bennie blinks a few times in shock. kai had decided to stay, listening to her worries and taking them into account—the experience alien to her, the consideration being given to her.

it made her heart flutter in her chest for kai, a glimmer of happiness flickering within her soul.

"you promise?" she squeaks out, both hands sliding to rest on each side of his neck, relief starting to set in.

"mhm," kai hums, stripping the black coat off his frame and tossing it haphazardly to the floor, swiping his tongue over his bottom lip.

he takes her hand with his own, squeezing it reassuringly before curling his other arm beneath her head. she stays splayed out beneath him, the energy between the lovers much fonder than panicked.

"i promise.”

he mutters one last time into her lips, all the feelings of possessiveness over her flooding to the surface again, and bennie could only find herself reciprocating the kiss eagerly.

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