Disclamer: I do not own The Vampire Diaries, or make any profit from this story.

Summary: What is going through Stefan's mind as he plunges his fingers in Klaus' chest to stop the Hybrid's heart and dessicate him.

Warning : Mature content for slash pairing.

The Only Exception

It took only one second. As Tyler and Damon kept Klaus immobile, it took only one second for Stefan to dig his fingers into the Original hybrid's chest, putting Bonnie's spell into immediate effect. He was prepared for this – the resistance, the cry of pain, the strength it would demand to keep his fingers in until the enemy's heart came to a halt.

What he hadn't expected however, was to see so much emotion in Klaus' eyes as he'd bring him to the edge of death. The burn of betrayal, the incredulity, the realization that his life would be ended untimely, at the hands of someone he had trusted long ago. Someone he had loved, long ago.

Stefan nearly flinched when there was a subtle shift in the air, as the Original's pale blue eyes widened. They were screaming at him, like they had been once, because some words between these two were never meant to be spoken. A reflex from another life made Stefan interpret Klaus' unspoken screams. I should have known, he seemed to say, but how could you?

Stefan could feel the pulsation under his fingers beginning to slow, and he willed himself to immobility. You gave me no other choice, he thought. He gritted his teeth together to keep the words inside, too afraid to go down that road in presence of people who couldn't dream about the true nature of what they had shared.

More than a fight to preserve his loved ones in Mystic Falls, this moment had turned into a fight against himself. He fought to convince himself that this was the right thing to do, and bury the Stefan from the past, suddenly awaked, who was screaming in agony at the sight of Klaus being desiccated.

On the one hand, he was holding on to these familiar orbs before they closed for eternity; on the other, his thirst for revenge was finally quenched. It didn't take long for the other side to take over.

Stefan was distracted for a second as Damon left his side to take care of Elena. When the one he loved confirmed she was fine, Stefan didn't even experience relief. How could he, in a moment like this?

Klaus' head slowly turned right, to acknowledge Tyler's involvement into his demise; then left, to witness Elena's escape with Damon on her arm. He had failed on these two levels and many more, obviously, but his gaze inevitably focused back on Stefan – the biggest failure of them all.

Dark veins began to surface on his skin, from the neck up. The end is near, don't let go, Stefan kept telling himself. Klaus cocked his head to the side, and his lips trembled as if he was going to speak. Stefan braced himself for last words that never came. The Original was too weak, and silence sometimes spoke volumes. As did his agonizing eyes.

Seconds seemed days before Klaus' legs finally gave in, resting his weight entirely in Tyler's arms. As the young hybrid brought Klaus to the ground, the Original's eyes never left Stefan's – the image would haunt him for many decades to come, there was no doubt about that. Just like other images.

—

As the sound of gun shots and broken glass interrupted the pleasant conversation, Stefan found himself dragged into a cubbyhole and pushed against the nearest wall, a muscular body pressed against his. Gloria's speakeasy was under attack, and the green-eyed vampire couldn't suppress of groan of frustration. Any moment he could have spent getting to know Klaus better that wasn't used for those purposes was wasted time.

Following his natural instinct to retaliate, Stefan launched against the invisible aggressor, but was kept in place by Klaus' firm hand on his chest. The Original quickly picked up one of the projectiles from the floor and put it under his nose. Stefan looked down, and sighed. His evening had just gone from "pleasant and uncomplicated" to "potentially lethal".

"Wooden bullets," Stefan said. "They know."

"Bloody Hell," was all the answer he got from his sandy blonde companion. "He's here."

"Who's here?"

Silence met Stefan's question. Klaus' hand gripped his arm in a silent apology; the Original was visibly just as upset about the turn of events. The grip of his fingers, too firm at first, gradually became softer. Stefan looked down at the hand touching him, oddly mesmerized by the vision. There was something about the atmosphere.

The Original slowly raised a hand to his companion's face, unnecessarily careful when he removed a tiny shard from Stefan's cheek. It left a small trail of blood, of course, but the younger vampire barely flinched. A callous thumb pressed against the closing wound, and Stefan felt his brain functions begin to decline. The sound of chaos a few steps away became unimportant, and he relaxed as Klaus took a step towards him.

Something passed in the blue eyes, and realization slowly clouded Stefan's gaze. A small gasp escaped his lips, as his eyes widened slightly. Unconsciously, he enclosed Klaus' wrist in an iron grip.

"I'm sorry, Stefan, but the fun has to end here," Klaus said. "Until—"

"No!"

Stefan's heart was pounding in his chest, and a painful heat began to diffuse inside of him, like it did every time he thought that one of these days, Klaus would get on the move. A gut feeling was telling him to do something while he still could – to stop the compulsion, at any cost.

With this idea in mind, Stefan's body acted before he could comprehend its intentions. The prospect of returning to loneliness was truly appalling to him and so, as in an out-of-body experience, Stefan took a step forward, invading Klaus' personal space.

He boldly kissed the other man. On the lips. With no trace of hesitation, at all. The sensation was unfamiliar, yet it felt like it was the thousandth time. It felt like the kiss given to soldiers after long weeks of staring at the empty side of a bed.

Klaus' lips were warm, and faintly tasted of all the liquor he'd been drinking. They were soft, and forbidden, and all the more delicious. Stefan closed his eyes and tentatively pressed his body against the other man's, prepared to face cruel rejection. It never came.

Klaus rapidly got past his initial reluctance and accepted the intimate contact, eventually melting into it. He hadn't experienced the feeling of lips dancing across his own in a long while, and the unexpectedness of it all came with a rush that he found himself enjoying.

The kiss was awkward, as Stefan's lips only merely against his, but the meaning behind it made up for it. Stefan felt something for him – something very similar to the feelings he'd been experiencing, himself. Not even Mikael's grand entrance would ruin this, Klaus decided, as he snaked his arms around Stefan.

The younger vampire welcomed the contact, refusing to listen to his conscience that was positively screaming at him. Acting on impulse was all he wanted to do at the moment.

Suddenly, the power went off, and darkness engulfed them. It magnified everything – the sense of urgency, Stefan's hands now gripping Klaus' shoulders, the sound of their panting breaths, their clumsy kissing. It was a whirlwind of sensations that neither was able to fathom; one that they didn't even know they had been yearning for.

"You were going to leave," Stefan said accusingly, breaking the kiss. "Without me."

Klaus answered merely by kissing Stefan again, unleashing the passion and intensity only he was capable of. When he heard Stefan growl low in his throat, and felt his vampire traits emerge, he was gripped by a fierce tension that soon gave way to disappointment when Stefan broke away from him.

Stefan had never let anyone touch his vampire face before. But Klaus was staring at him in amazement, freezing his inhibitions. He'd only ever seen Stefan's vampire face when they shared meals; he knew what blood did to him and the mere idea of affecting him just as much made shivers run down Klaus' spine.

His fingers tingled from the need to touch those handsome features. Slowly and deliberately, the Original brought his hands to Stefan's face. The other tried to inch away, of course, but found himself unable to. The tenderness of Klaus' hands literally paralyzed him.

"Don't hide from me."

No one had ever touched Stefan like this. No one had ever caressed that part of his darkness. If this – whatever it was – was going to happen, he might as well expose himself for what he truly was. He let their lips meet again, from a mutual impulse. Stefan's fears melted like butter in the sun as the tip of a tongue caressed his lower lip, demanding access – which he happily granted.

His senses seemed even more heightened than usual as his body relaxed completely, and he embraced the feeling of becoming intoxicated by Klaus.

When Klaus' hands gripped his waist somewhat tightly, Stefan broke the kiss. Maintaining his eyes closed, he struggled to calm his irregular breathing.

"Nik," he said, his voice barely above a whisper. "I've never—"

Klaus' eyes twinkled with something infinitely malicious that caused Stefan's breath to itch as he blushed under his almost lover's amused gaze.

"Ever?" Klaus murmured.

Stefan simply shook his head, dropping his gaze. He bit his lip, suddenly overwhelmed by shyness. He had not felt so inadequate in decades; however, the frantic beating of his heart encouraged him to look up to Klaus.

The latter hesitated. He had kept at a comfortable distance from matters of the heart. He indulged in pleasures of the flesh, took whoever he fancied, but this was different. He had recently sworn himself content with loneliness, seeing as none of the people he had stumbled upon were worth the risk. But here stood this green-eyed Greek god, watching him through lids rendered heavy by lust. Klaus had a strong hold on Stefan's hips and he recognized at this moment that he'd already fallen in the trap Stefan hadn't even set. He could not let go, now.

He inched closer to Stefan, making him nervous. The Original used his fingertip, and with a feathery touch, brushed Stefan's ruffled hair out of his right eye. He wanted so much to be as confident as the man he'd been admiring from a far for weeks now.

"Step by step, then," Klaus said invitingly.

Stefan was combusting inside from their vicinity alone – he doubted that he could go through this. As Klaus continued to trace his trembling features, going over his cheekbone to the tip of his nose and stopping at his lips, Stefan reminisced about the first time he'd laid eyes on the man, in that same speakeasy. He remembered envying the confidence this suave, handsome man was exuding. The same impression overwhelmed him, and he couldn't contain himself.

Inexperienced as he was with a man, he'd had his fair share of affairs with ladies. And as he registered the faint trembling that agitated Klaus' body, he came to understand that this was no different. The skin was less soft, the sound of the exhales deeper, the jawline more chiseled – but in the end, his own desire to please remained the same.

Stefan didn't know what it was like to relish in the slight scratch contact of stubble against one's skin. He'd never even considered that such a thing could be pleasurable. He simply didn't know how it felt to be attracted to a man. And although, in that moment, he longed for much more than just the feel of stubble against his skin, Stefan still wasn't attracted to man. He was only attracted to Klaus. Klaus would be the only exception.

The realization emboldened him.

Having taken the habit of getting what he wanted right away and without ceremony, Stefan fell into his usual pattern and "see-want-take", and devoured Klaus' lips while nearly tearing at his pants, eager to finally take the leap. He clumsily wrapped his hand around the evidence of Klaus' desire, causing the other man to groan low in his throat. Klaus broke the kiss and gently, but firmly pulled Stefan's hand away.

"Slowly," he said. "We have time."

Stefan almost rolled his eyes. He was the Ripper of Monterrey. A blood-thirsty monster who owned people with a single glance. Not tonight, he was not. Still, he was not a schoolgirl who needed endearments and butterflies. He was a man whose carnal desires were getting the best of him. And they didn't have time.

A moan escaped Klaus' lips as Stefan became more confident. The Original breathed in deeply through his nose, willing himself to stay perfectly immobile until he was in control, again. Stefan had no idea of what he was doing to him. The sensation of his hand around him added to that of his lips peppering his neck with wet kisses was almost unbearable.

Several minutes passed, during which the two men danced around each other with more and more audacious caresses and kisses, heated words passing their lips as they forgot about the world for a moment. Shirts and pants were shrugged off and carelessly arranged on the floor to host two feverish, bare bodies.

"Enough," Stefan whispered, a wave of lust rushing through him.

"I'd hate to hurt you, Stefan," Klaus said, dropping a kiss on the impatient lips.

Stefan groaned in the kiss, biting on the other's lip to express his frustration, causing Klaus to chuckle softly. Patience was not his strong suit, especially when every cell in his body was screaming for this. Klaus' delicate precaution only served as a reminded that, unlike him, Stefan was inexperienced in this particular realm and the thought was upsetting. Thinking of Klaus doing this with other men was upsetting.

Stefan squeezed his eyes shut as a foreign sensation of pain flashed through his body. The burn vanished almost instantly, replaced by the feeling of Klaus' deft fingers moving in and out, agonizingly slowly. The sensation was rather strange, Stefan mused, but incredibly pleasant.

"Nik, for God's sake," Stefan growled.

The other man all but laughed in his face, and deep down, Stefan felt even more turned on. Klaus loved how much he needed him, and it suddenly became obvious to Stefan that he should treat him like any of his other lovers. His hands combing through the sandy blonde hair, he drew Klaus in for another kiss, panting slightly at the change of pace and angle of the digits that moved inside him.

"Now," he said, his voice just on the edge of begging.

Klaus nodded in silence; he wasn't sure he could trust his voice at the moment. He made eye contact with Stefan for a second, relishing in the image of the green-eyed vampire already breathless under him. Ever so slowly, with a softness that could seem uncharacteristic, he plunged into him.

Stefan gasped violently as they became one as the man above him squeezed his eyes shut. Nothing he had ever felt could compare to this.

—

Stefan's arms fell uselessly to his side. Emotions long forgotten were resurfacing, at the worst possible time, keeping his feet solid in the ground. He could not move to save his life as he watched the lifeless body. A sudden sense of modesty made him turn to face the others before he dived too much into the state of emotional chaos that was threatening to crush him.

"We should get her home before the sun sets," he said.

Stefan ignored his brother's questioning glance. His only wish for the time being was to be alone with Klaus.

Ever since the Hybrid had walked back into his life, time seemed to pass in a blur. Vegetarian vampire one day, and Ripper the next, Stefan never got the opportunity to think about events and make sense of them. He wanted this moment to be different.

Before him laid a man who'd been part of his life for ninety years – a monster, in many aspects, but a part of his own history nonetheless. Niklaus Mikaelson represented not only his greatest Ripper days, but also the short-lived existence of a side of him he had never known existed.

Stefan knelt beside the body, glancing at his bloody hands. He swallowed the lump in his throat as he reminisced of a time when it was the other way around, and it was Klaus who held his heart in his hand. Although, not quite as literally.

He looked around to make sure they were alone, and relaxed when he heard complete silence around them. He cautiously leaned over the inert body, and impulsively pressed his lips to Klaus' forehead. The once familiar sensation triggered another wave of memories that crushed him. He squeezed his eyes shut, and felt his heart clench at the lack of reaction. He reluctantly detached his lips from the cooling skin, and wiped his hand on his dark jeans before closing Klaus' eyes.

"Goodbye, Nik," he whispered.

Klaus was gone, and with him, Stefan's biggest secret.

Slowly, the reality of everything he had just lost sunk in.

Fin.

Author's Note : This is my very first attempt at writing for a male/male pairing, so please feel free to share any criticism. Your reviews - good and bad - are the reason I keep writing.