"Family time"

Camille sat cross-legged on the bed, humming happily as he painted, the blues, greens and turqoises creating a swirling mass of watery colours as he remembered swimming for the first time. He gulped, the back of his throat dry. It had been too long since he had last drunk, and he should probably feed, but he didn't particularly want to. He definitely wouldn't hunt at any rate. He was too weak right now.

Jason walked into the room with a skip in 'her' step - full and content form tonight's feed and sex.

His painted lips twitched into a smile at Camille as soon as he noticed his 'little brother' painting in the corner of the room.

"Hey~ You been in here all day then?"

Sitting on the bed opposite, he kicked off pink heels with a sigh of relief. Maybe wearing those ones were not a good idea when dancing. Rather, they were 'sitting down and having a meal' heels.

Camille blinked, looking up at the "woman". Oh, Jace, right. He looked back to his drawing. Well, Jace definitely didn't do things by halves, that was for sure. The redhead nodded. "Yes, I couldn't really think of anything to do, and I couldn't find anyone to spend time with, so I just decided to paint."

"Aww. Well, you got me now~"

Pulling off his black dress, he threw it into the wash basket before joining Camille on the bed. Careful not to bounce and jerk Camilles steady hand.

"What you drawing then?"

He peeked over the boys shoulder to look, and guessed something to do with water.

"I'm not painting "something". Just painting. It helps me think." he replied, the brush sweeping over the paper.

It was more of a feeling put onto paper than a painting of something in particular. Yes, it was based on water, but it was also about the calmness that he had felt since he joined this place, and a little of the depression that he had felt before, the turquoise sweeping into a dark blue, almost black at the bottom of the page.

"So, you are painting nothing."

he did not quite understand that, but he guessed it is like when he was sometimes on the piano, or some other instrument, and he would just play random tunes, rather then see a piece out.

He watched Camille add a few more strokes, careful not to fidget, before speaking up again.

"What are you thinking about?"

He laughed softly. "It depends what you mean by "nothing". This is a portrait of my thoughts. My past, my present, and my present that never was."

It hurt a little, but then at the same time, he was happy. Confusing, bittersweet feelings. He was glad to be able to look back at that time and think how happy he was now, but at the same time, he could not help but wonder. Could he have got through that time if he had not left? Could Sergei have changed? Had he gained everything or had he lost?

He was not sad, but rather... analytical. Thoughtful.

It was times like this, when he was thoughtful rather than weak and pure that his age really began to show. His forehead crinkled in thought as he painted. But then... Jace probably wouldn't understand this. He looked up at him, forcing a grin onto his face.

Cocking his head to the side and squinting his eyes and tried to see what Camille saw... It still looked like a load of swirls in diffident colours to him. But, he guessed, things like this are so personal that only the creator and those extremely close would understand.

"I see~"

Watching him paint a little more, he smiled brightly back at the redhead.

"You seem to be quite the painter, if you put so much thought into your paintings... My sister would love to talk to you, if that is the case. She is one of that painters that don't think too highly of scenic painters, as she feel not much of their thought and feelings are put into them. 'Art is supposed to portray a message or a feeling that is hard to put into words' she would often say."

The boy smiled. "She sounds like an interesting person."

He was not sure if he should ask where she was now. From his own experience he knew that asking people about their past or family was often not a good idea. On the other hand, Jace did seem to talk of her affectionately, and as though she was still alive, so maybe he could...

"Where is she at the moment?"

Jason blink at the question, rolling his eyes up in thought.

"Not too sure, it has been a while since I last heard of her, she was in Mexico then... She is not the type to stay in one place." He looked back down at Camille, smiling a little. "It is hard to keep up with them all, and that is not including the siblings I am in contact with. We are a very large family. What can I say? My mother had a lot of sex."

He snickered, poking his tongue out at him. "Like mother, like son then."

Big families, or family at all, really, was something he had no experience of. He had found a brother in Jace, but he had never known any blood relatives, no father, and no mother, at least, since he was very young. He didn't exactly miss it, never having known was it was like, but he wonder from time to time.

Jason was taken aback by the dig, not expecting it. A grin spread across his, previously shocked, face and he nudged his 'little brother' in the ribs when the paintbrush was not on the paper.

"Oi! I am not as bad as her." Which he knew was a lie through and through.

From what he remembered, Camille told him that he has never been a brother before, so it was easy to assume that he had no siblings or sibling figures. But what about other family members...?

"So, what about you and your family?"

He giggled nervously, glad that he hadn't taken offence. His expression fell slightly at the question, frowning.

"Umm... my mother lived on the streets after my father passed away. She caught pneumonia and died when I was four. And then Sergei took me in."

It didn't hurt to tell somebody this. He felt empty, and he didn't want to talk about Sergei but... he had never known his parents, so it didn't hurt to say that they weren't there. He only hoped that Jace wouldn't ask about Sergei.

So, he never knew his parents? Granted, he only knew his mother. but he still could not push down the little bit of pity that the boy never knew either of his parents. Despite the fact he felt pity, he was careful not to show it on his face. Normally, a lot of people he met never liked pitying looks.

"Sergei?"

The boy avoided Jace's gaze. He asked. He wasn't sure how to define his relationship with Sergei. Employer? Sire? Teacher? Lover? Captor?

"He adopted me." he settled for that. "And later, he made me a vampire."

He didn't want to say too much. It wasn't that he didn't trust Jace, it was just that... it wasn't something that most people would understand, loving and being afraid of and despising someone all at the same time. And it hurt to talk about it.

Jason's smile dropped a little as he noticed how Camille looked slightly... Uncomfortable? talking about Sergei.

"Oh, so like a family figure?"

Though, Camille did not talk fondly of him. Like someone would normally do when talking about someone in there family...

His smile dropped a little more, so the corners of his lips were only tugged up slightly.

"Yes and no." he bit his lip softly. "It's complicated."

The boy looked up and, upon seeing his "brother's" concerned expression, forced a grin onto his face. He didn't want him to worry. It was all in the past now, afterall. There was nothing to worry about now that he was safe. Even though he didn't feel it sometimes.

Jason's smile turned into a grin again, mirroring Camille's own grin.

Though, despite the redheads sunshine smile, Jason still sensed something a little... Off.

He gently squeezing the smaller's shoulder for a second, bringing him closer, hesitating in what to say.

"If you want to talk to me, you can... okay? No matter how complicated it is."

Giving the boy another squeeze, he moved off the bed - careful not to nudge Camille and make him accidentally mess up his painting. Making his way over to his draw, he beamed as he brought out blue bag.

"What me to paint your nails? It is quite relaxing."

He snuggled into him, a little comforted. It still surprised him how he didn't mind physical contact when it was with Jace. With anybody else, it would make him frightened, or at the very least uncomfortable. With Jace, it was different. For some reason, it made him feel safe.

"Ok."

He was starting to get used to the whole "men-sometimes-wear-make-up" thing. Or, more specifically. "Men-don't-wear-make-up-apart-from Jace-who-apparently-wears make-up-on-occasion". He hadn't met any other men who wore it, so he had come to think that Jace was the exception to most rules. For example, the social rule whereby you didn't jump someone the first time you met them.

Beaming at the redhead, he carefully sat back down on the bed.

He rummaged through the blue bag, picking out the bottles to judge them, all in different shapes, sizing and colours. Nibbling on his lip, he glanced up at Camille before looking back into the blue bag. Letting out a "Aha~!", he pulled out a small bottle filled with a light green nail varnish.

Holding out his hand, he waited for Camille to place his palm in it so he can begin to paint his nails.

He rolled his eyes a little but giggled, holding out his hand. The idea of wearing make-up was still a little odd to him, but after not really having gone out for most of his life, he was quite eager to try a lot of new things. Besides, there seemed to be a lot of choice with make-up... it seemed like it could be fun.

He gazed at Jace's make-up bag in curiosity. There were so many beautiful, bright colours. A little like painting.

Jason giggled lightly back at Camille, shaking then unscrewing the bottle in his left hand.

He changed his position on the bed, so that he was facing Camille, balancing the light green bottle between his feet.

"We are going to put one coat on this hand, then one coat on the other hand while this one dries before putting another coat on. Then, we will put a second coat on them before sticking a clear coat on top~"

He began to paint the thumb, a strip in the middle and the a strip either side, with ease, quickly going along the hand to paint each individual nail.

He nodded, knitting his eyebrows together as he tried not to move, freezing. It felt a little cold, and he was worried that he would get the varnish everywhere. He couldn't really understand the point of this, sure, but it was quite entertaining looking at his nails all shiny and green. The boy grinned shyly, silently wondering how much make-up Jace was actually intending to put on him.

"Fan your hand gently in the air and give me the other hand. It will take a few minutes to dry - longer then most nail vanishes. Make sure you don't let it touch anything, or was have to do it all over again." He told Camille, letting go on his hand and waited for the other one to be placed in his palm.

Looking up at the redhead, he grinned brightly, already planing out in his head what to attack Camille with. Not only make-up wise, but also clothing wise.

He nodded, fanning his hand in the air slowly as instructed. "Ok."

Looking up, he noticed Jace's gaze, cocking his head at him, his eyes narrowing suspiciously. He really did not trust that grin.

"What?"