Breathing ∞ Kol Mikaelson [1]

[23]

Emma sipped on the same glass of champagne that she got at the start of the ball. Smiling into the glass she watched as Kol tormented Damon in the distance. And it wasn't even some meaningful taunt, no. Damon was simply being told he wasn't memorable. And the look on his face because of it made Emma let out a small laugh. All these vampires lived grandeous lives in big lavish houses, but their big egos were much too small.

"So, she laughs. That's good to know." Kol's voice sounded as his feet carried him over to her side once his conversation with Mayor Lockwood and the Salvatore ended soon after. The fact that she'd been watching them in amusement did not go unnoticed by him.

"And you enjoy meaningless victories. That's good to know." Emma retorted back, smirking up at him as once more he tried to cover up his disappointment. She really wasn't going to give in.

"You wound me, Emma." Kol said, dramatically placing a hand over his heart to add to the effect. Emma let a frown take over her face as she looked up at his face again.

"Oh, Kol. That's terrible." She said in a gentle voice, almost sounding and looking as if she were about to apologize. She wasn't. "But I think you'll live." And the smirk was soon back on her face, making Kol chuckle in amusement. She really wasn't going to make this easy for him.

Before she could walk away from him again, Kol reached out and grabbed hold of her hand. For a moment Emma looked down at it, trying to ignore the odd feeling that spread through her at the touch. It wasn't one of those sparks of electricity that made everything rosy and romantic. No, it was different. It was... weird.

But as soon as it appeared, it was gone. Emma looked up back into Kol's dark eyes, her own holding a questioning look, silently demanding an explanation as to what exactly he thought he was doing.

"There's only one way to make sure. You wouldn't want the guilt of my demise weighing you down." Kol spoke confidently.

"Something tells me I'd be able to move on."

He chuckled at the rebuttal. From the corner of his eye, he could see Elijah climbing up the grand staircase. Knowing what was coming, Kol did not reply to Emma's words, but simply continued on. "Dance with me."

"No one's dancing."

"If everyone could gather, please." A different voice suddenly called out to the room, catching the attention of everyone in the crowd and making them look up at the large staircase where one of the Mikaelson members stood. It wasn't long before other members of the family started to gather on the stairs around him.

"And something tells me your brother needs you." Emma added on to her previous statement, feeling thankful for the distraction. Perhaps, she could use it to her advantage in denying Kol's request.

"Elijah can wait. It's just a yes or no answer, darling." Kol smirked and it was clear that he wouldn't leave until the answer was the former. Eyes started to turn towards them, all awaiting for Kol to join his family. Even the Mikaelsons were starting to grow somewhat impatient. And he wasn't the only one to notice that he remained as the only one holding Elijah back from saying whatever he planned.

"Fine. Fine. I'll dance with you, now get up there please." Emma wasn't about to let the first impression she made on the majority of the Mikaelson family be disrespectful. If saying yes to Kol meant he'd leave, then that's what she'd do. She'd find a way to get out of it later.

"Welcome, thank you for joining us." With Kol finally climbing up the steps and joining his family, Elijah took it as his chance to continue on. "You know, whenever my mother brings our family together like this, it's tradition for us to commence the evening with a dance."

"That little shit." Emma muttered to herself. She didn't make the mistake of forgetting that the members of the Mikaelson family could still hear her despite being a good distance away, something that became obvious as she watched Kol send her a smug grin.

"Tonight's pick is a centuries-old waltz, so if all of you could please find yourselves a partner, please join us in the ballroom." Emma reminded herself that letting out an annoyed groan at that moment in time wouldn't be the most dignified, or polite, thing to do. However, that didn't mean she couldn't still glare at Kol as he descended down the stairs and rejoined her side, his hand already extended and waiting.

"I don't know how to waltz." Emma pointed out, trying her luck one last time. And it wasn't a lie either. She wasn't too keen on making herself look like a fool out there.

"Then it's a good thing I know how to lead."

With no other option left, Emma placed her hand in Kol's. For a moment, she waited, wondering whether she'll get the same feeling as she did before, but nothing happened. Instead, Kol whisked her away to the ballroom. A number of couples had already gathered on the dance floor, prompting Kol to, quite rudely, place them in one of the remaining empty spaces before another couple claimed it.

"That was rude." Emma whispered quietly as the music began to play. Despite hating it, she let Kol take control of their movements. While she took all his bolstering with a grain of salt, she had to admit, he knew how to dance. And how to lead.

"I couldn't let them prevent me from the joy of dancing with you." Kol flirted shamelessly. And Emma wouldn't have it. Kol could lead of course, but that didn't mean Emma had completely lost her ability to control her movements. Which she reminded him of as she missed a step on purpose, her heel digging into his foot.

"Still feeling joy?"

"Even more so than before." Kol replied to the question, the cocky smile never leaving his face as he spun them around on the dancefloor. Emma let out an annoyed huff, but Kol could see the corner of her lips giving a small twitch as she held back her amusement. After that they didn't speak much, Emma rather choosing to focus on not bumping into any of the dancing couples around them.

But it wasn't long before Kol spoke up again. "Now here comes the part I wasn't looking forward to." His words made Emma's brows furrow in confusion. For a moment she wondered what in the devil he may have planned, but before she could even open her mouth to ask what he meant, Kol twirled her around lightly leading her in the opposite direction before he let go and Emma found herself with a new partner. And of course, she stepped on his feet.

"Oh god, I'm so sorry. I warned Kol I'm not a good dancer." She instantly apologized. She didn't care about stepping on Kol's feet (especially since most of that was on purpose), but this was an innocent victim.

"It's alright. I hope my brother isn't being too much trouble?" Elijah gave out a small chuckle as he continued to lead them through the waltz. It wasn't as smooth as it went with Kol, but Emma was grateful to the Mikaelson for ensuring she doesn't look like a fool.

"He's more annoying than anything else, but nothing I can't handle." Emma reassured him with a small smile, quickly following that up with an apology as she stepped on Elijah's feet again.

"Yes, I believe you've proven you can handle yourself around my family." Elijah said, unable to keep the curious note out of his voice. Throughout their long lives they've seen many humans trying to befriend and gain something from their family, and yet Emma seemed the complete opposite. She was simply there because she thought it to be the smart choice.

He remembered the way Klaus described her on the night of their family reunion after Rebekah left: 'Smart enough to be dangerous, but weak enough not to be an actual threat.' With time, not only Elijah, but all of the Mikaelsons would come to know just how right, and wrong at the same time, Klaus truly was.

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You can just feel the tension between them hehehe! I can't wait to explore it further.

On a different note, I can't promise to update today as much as I did yesterday since the race weekend has officially started (and during those most of my time is spent screaming, crying, celebrating, and just panicking), but I do hope to provide more soon.