FLAMES | UNDER CONSTRUCTION

4. Cigarettes

"You know, you're a lot smarter than you look" Klaus commented, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Ouch?" Willow replied, looking up at him.

"No I didn't mean it in that way. It's just most of the people around here are dumb. But you don't seem to be" Klaus explained.

"Well, thank you I guess" Willow replied. "Also, is it not offensive to call your followers dumb?"

"Well, they aren't here right now are they?" Klaus asked, leaning closer to her.

"No they aren't, but I could tell them" Willow replied, looking over at him and noticing how close he was to her.

"But you wouldn't, would you?" He asked and she shrugged.

"Maybe. I'll see how I feel" She replied with a shrug.

"They'd probably think it was inspiring" Klaus commented with a small laugh.

"They would. You should probably be nicer when talking about them" Willow replied.

Klaus hummed in response before pulling out a packet of cigarettes from his back pocket, opening the packet and holding them out to Willow.

"Want one?"

"I've never smoked before" Willow told him as he placed a cigarette between his lips and lit it, maintaining eye contact with her as he did so.

"Really? I've smoked since I was 13" Klaus replied nonchalantly, as if it was normal, taking a drag from the cigarette.

"13? That's so young" Willow commented and he nodded as he exhaled the nicotine.

"I know. I was also a drug addict and alcoholic when I was 16, so that just shows you what type of childhood I had" Klaus told her with a chuckle as he sat down against the cold railings.

"Sounds rough" She commented, sitting down next to him as he held out his cigarette and offered it to her. She looked at it and then back up at him.

"You don't have to if you don't want to" Klaus replied as he held it out to her. She thought for a moment before she laughed slightly before taking it from his hand. Willow noticed the tattoos on the palm of his hands and raised an eyebrow.

"What's the story behind those tattoos?" Willow asked, putting the cigarette between her lips. Klaus glanced down at his palms before looking back at her.

"These are my hello and goodbye tattoos. They're kind of like an ouija board type thing" Klaus explained, holding out his other palm too. "See? Hello and Goodbye"

"What possessed you to tattoo those to your body?" Willow asked, taking a drag of the cigarette before coughing slightly as the thick, hot smoke filled her lungs for the first time.

Klaus thought for a moment. He wasn't about to tell her that he could see and commune with the dead. She would never believe him even if did tell her.

"I just thought they were cool" Klaus replied with a shrug. To be completely honest, he didn't remember even getting them. He woke up one morning after partying all night and suddenly he had those tattoos. He did rather like them though, it was different to the umbrella tattoo. The fact that he was able to decide to tattoo them to his body and didn't have to ask Reginald gave him a sense of freedom, something 18 year old Klaus had never experienced before.

"What about the umbrella one?" Willow asked, handing him back the cigarette, being careful not burn him with the small red flame. Although, she had seen that tattoo once before and knew exactly where it came from.