"Not that I don't enjoy being cooped up inside your little arts and crafts room for endless hours, but we haven't left the quarter in three days."

"I see nothing the matter with that."

Carlisle let out a low huff, placing a paint brush down a tad too rough, causing it to tatter to the floor along with a spatter of red paint.

The witch turned to look at Klaus with timid eyes, murmuring a small "sorry".

"It seems you don't have much of an ability for oil paints." Klaus moved from his canvas to stand beside Carlisle, his eyes traveling over the portrait.

Though the Original made no move to chastise Carlisle for the spilt paint, the witch silently grabbed a damp cloth to clean it up.

"Why a mutt?"

Carlisle looked up from his kneeled position on the floor, banging is head on the table of brushes in the process.
"Huh?" He replied dumbly before standing up, tossing the cloth onto the table.

"A dog. Why did you choose it?" Klaus gestured time the painting.

"Oh, uh, that's a dog I had as a kid."

Klaus only hummed before taking a few steps to stand in front of his own painting which was that of a field landscape, with a carriage and plantation house not far off. Carlisle assumed it was a place the hybrid had been before.

"I'd stay with architecture."

Though Carlisle couldn't quite tell if Klaus' tone was joking or not, he laughed, rather loudly in fact.

"God, If I didn't know any better, I'd think you were starting to enjoy my company." Carlisle's voice wavered nervously as he picked up a brush and continued to paint.

Klaus turned to him with a look that Carlisle didn't recognize.

"I wouldn't say that, little witch."

He noticed the hybrid's lips turn upwards slightly, which he took as a win.

Carlisle watched as the other man grabbed a cloth, wiping his hands before he turned into the other room. He nodded towards it, as his eyes caught Carlisle's. The witch assumed that he had heard someone.

"Aiden. To what do I owe this visit?"

The man in question seemed slightly bewildered before his gaze turned scrutinizing as he watched Carlisle trail close behind the original.

"I... just wanted to tell you that Hayley, Jackson, and Hope are at Marcel's jazz club. And they're safe there, very well protected."

Klaus took a deep breath in as he placed the cloth down on the table behind him. He turned to Carlisle gesturing for him to sit down at the chair nearby, to which he obeyed.

"Well, you can hardly be my eyes and ears there if you're standing before me." Klaus gestured to the werewolf.

The original's gaze turned harsh.

"Why are you here?"

"Uh, this." Aiden scrambled to grab a stuffed rabbit of the coffee table.
"Hayley said she left it here yesterday. I guess it's Hope's favorite."

Klaus hummed in thought, taking a few steps towards the other man as Carlisle visibly tensed.

"Klaus—" The witch tried to interject, before he was interrupted by the older man.

"Your loyalty is refreshing." He said with a smile in which Aiden returned before beginning to leave.

"However," Klaus spoke up, turning around to point at the man. "Your life will be worth less than the velveteen on this little rabbit if I find my faith has been misplaced. Understood?"

Aiden merely let out a breathy laugh before walking out.

Carlisle stood to watch him go, walking to stand beside the original.

"Not that I'm telling you how to do your job or anything but that guy gives me bad vibes." He spoke in a quiet voice.

Klaus, of course, ignored the comment. The hybrid shook his head before heading back into his art room, leaving Carlisle to pick up the painting cloth.

~

"Can we for one second, stop painting?" Carlisle groaned as he placed his brush down, staring at two canvases that looked rather similar. Klaus teaching him how to paint wasn't something he would have expected a few weeks ago.

"My wrist feels like it has needles in it and my hand feels like jello."

"Swap hands then." Klaus mused as he mixed their paint.

"Oh, you'd wish for that since I'm clearly showing you up." The witch gestured to their canvases to which the original only hummed in a half-minded reply.

"Hey," Carlisle snapped his fingers in front of the man's face.
"You haven't said one nice thing about my painting. I have to be doing something right."

The hybrid lowered his working hands to stand beside Carlisle, his eyes looked calculating.

"There's too little paint in your strokes, which isn't adding enough texture."

Carlisle threw his hands up in the air with a scoff.

"But," Klaus interjected, "I enjoy your color gradient. I find it nicer to look at than mine."

"Heyyy," Carlisle drew out the last letter as he turned to the man, holding out his hand for a high five.

The original gave him an unamused look as Carlisle heard heels clicking behind him.

Carlisle dropped his offered hand, opting for finger guns instead.
"I won't do that again." He smiled before turning towards their visitor.

A blonde woman stood at the threshold, Carlisle assumed he hadn't had the privilege of meeting her.

Not that Carlisle would ever live up to telling anyone this, but he hated meeting new people. Small talk being the main reason. No one wants to know how your day was or what the weather is like. He preferred being close enough with someone to sit in silence if they didn't have anything entertaining or important to say.

Klaus and Carlisle shouldn't be at that point in their... friendship, but due to the witch's debilitating social anxiety and Klaus' brooding silence, Carlisle didn't find the quiet they shared awkward at all.

"Bad time?" The woman called out as she strutted into the room. Carlisle assumed she had been here many times before with the way she carried herself.

Klaus still had his eyes on Carlisle for a moment before looking towards his uninvited guest.
"Camille," He turned towards the girl, his back facing Carlisle.

"Oh, yes, as I've recently proved disagreeable..." He took a few steps towards her, placing his paint atop a nearby table. "I assume Elijah asked you to play therapist to the savage beast."

Carlisle huffed a small sigh as he took a step away to sit on a low standing window seal. At that point, he wasn't sure he could get used to the endless amount of anger and snark the hybrid held.

"Actually, I was going to say you look like you could use some fresh air. Maybe we could go for a walk?" She offered as she stepped closer, hands on her hips.
"You could spend, I don't know, five seconds not obsessing about who not to trust and who you're going to murder next."

"I quite enjoy my obsessions, thank you very much." Klaus turned to gesture at the open window Carlisle sat at before turning to continue the work on his canvas.
"No need to worry, we have all the fresh air we need. And fear not, I shall tell Elijah you came as asked. And you may leave assured your duty is fulfilled."

Camille's eyes narrowed at Carlisle before standing close to Klaus.

"Who is this?" She inquired, giving the witch a confused bet rather welcoming smile which he timidly returned.

"Nothing that concerns you." Klaus snapped.

Camille look taken aback yet she stepped closer which Carlisle admired as he was sure he would never have the confidence to do such a thing.

"Klaus... Talk to me. And not because Elijah sent me."

~

"—Yes, for the second time. Your point?"
Klaus conversed with Camille while they sat at a table outside a restaurant, three coffees on the table in front of them.
Klaus kept his eye on Carlisle while he spoke with her. The witch standing a few yards away, watching two young child street performers tap dancing.

"You don't have any feelings about that?" The human questioned which made the hybrid turn to her with narrowed eyes as he placed his elbows on the table and leaned in.

"My only feeling is a lingering sense of annoyance that he didn't stay dead the first time." He smiled.

"I don't believe you." Camille continued with defiance. "Mikael raised you."

"And I ended him,"

Camille reeled back slightly while Klaus held his hands out for a moment.

"After the first good day we ever had together. We actually made quite a team. And just as it looked as though we might for once be allies... I drove a stake through his heart."

Camille looked as if she was in thought before turning her eyes on him once again.

"Because he said he loved Freya?" Klaus' lips turned down slightly.

"Or maybe it's just what I do." He reasoned. "Kill my enemies. Sometimes my friends. This may come as a surprise to you, Camille but I'm not a terribly good person."

Camille seemed to falter at that, taking a sip of her coffee before she started at it again.

"Then let's talk about your feelings on something else then."

Klaus looked confused before the human nodded towards Carlisle who was giving a ten dollar bill to the street performers as they finished, an upbeat jazz song starting up they began their tireless dancing.

Klaus didn't deign himself to answer her question, looking down at his untouched coffee cup.

"Come on, I've only just learned the guy's name. You order him around like one of your wolves but you're never secretive about your strengths so it makes me believe he's something different."

Her words were met with silence.

"Come on," She urged. "Is he a werewolf, witch, human? You can trust me!"

"Can I?" The hybrid growled out.

Cami flinched slightly, her eyes going wide. Klaus didn't apologize though she didn't expect him to.

He let out a tired sigh, rubbing a hand over his face.

"He's my soulmate. I'm sure Davina has told you about the nature of her relationship with Kol."

"Oh," the human spoke out before turning to look at the witch nearing closer to their table.

"Don't speak of it to anyone. This information stays in the family for as long as we can keep it there. Such a thing is a weakness which I can't  have in enemy hands."

Camille quickly nodded as Carlisle came into earshot. He sat down with a smile adorning his face, plucking a nearby bread roll from a basket before he hesitated, noticing the tense air between the two.

"I don't know if I walked in on something but can you ask for butter, I'm scared to talk to the waiter."

Cami covered her mouth with a loud laugh while Klaus nodded, raising his hand to flag down a waiter.

~~~~

okay so i know it's been a while but i'll try to update more often. ((also klaus ordering food for carlisle is my favorite thing in the entire world.))