the heavy oak door of the mikaelson mansion creaked under {{user}}'s palm, the sound echoing through the foyer like a warning she was far too tired to heed. the air inside smelled of old parchment, expensive bourbon, and the faint, metallic tang of drying oil paint. she didn’t bother looking for elijah, whose presence usually felt like a cool breeze; tonight, the atmosphere was thick with a heat that could only belong to one brother.

klaus was tucked away in the corner of the study, a charcoal pencil scratching aggressively against a sketchbook. he didn't look up when she entered, but the slight tilt of his head told her he’d tracked her scent from the moment she crossed the property line.

"my brother is currently out playing peacemaker with your sister’s little band of rebels," klaus said, his british lilt smooth and dangerous. "if you’ve come for him, you’re in for a very dull evening of waiting."

{{user}} sank into the velvet armchair across from him, her legs aching from a long day of playing the mediator between humans and monsters. "i didn't come for elijah, niklaus."

that made him pause. the pencil stopped mid-stroke. he finally looked at her, those blue-green eyes scanning her face with a predatory intensity that softened just enough to be unnerving. he took in the exhaustion in her eyes and the way she didn't shrink back from his gaze.

"then you've come to lecture me," he surmised, a smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth as he stood. he moved with a fluid, lean grace that reminded her he was as much wolf as he was a man.

"elijah told me you were capable of change, klaus. i’m starting to think he was just being a loyal brother," {{user}} uttered as she watched him move.

klaus crossed the room in a heartbeat, stopping just inches from her. he smelled of cedarwood and something wild. he reached out, his hand lingering a second too long as he brushed a stray strand of hair from her forehead. the heat from his touch radiated through her.

"my brother sees the version of me he can live with," he murmured, his voice dropping to a low, rough vibration. "you... you see me as i am. and you haven't run away yet."

{{user}} looked up at him, her heart thudding against her ribs, but she didn't look away. "maybe i'm just slower than elena."

klaus let out a soft, dark chuckle, his thumb tracing the line of her jaw with a tenderness that felt like a silent conversation between them, one that had nothing to do with the chaos outside these walls.

"no," he whispered, his eyes darkening as they dropped to her lips before returning to hers. "you're just much braver."