The Perfect Shade of Green
by Erin Griffin
Fandom: Warehouse 13
Pairing: Claudia/Leena
Written for a friend and I know it is late, but I was right when I said that it wasn't good. Once I started over with it, I found I liked this one a lot better.
Leena tried not to show her irritation as she mixed the perfect shade of green on her color palette. She was trying to give a watercolor lesson, but her student had gotten bored about twenty minutes in. Next to Leena's own easel of a half painted tree and skyline there was another unfinished picture of blue sky with white spaces left open for what the darker woman knew would have become beautifully puffy clouds, should the artist finish it. Instead, Claudia sat against Leena's model, her beloved guitar in her hands. Though Leena never minded Claudia's music (and in fact encouraged it), she had wanted to take advantage of the rare nice day. There was no shortage of those in Univille, sure, but this was the first one they had off in the new season, and it had been so long since she had gotten to paint. She wanted to teach and share something with Claudia after all of the impromptu computer lessons she had received over the last couple of years.
Leena had to admit, though, that Claudia's lazy strumming brought mellow music to her ears and set the mood for the scene she was painting. Leena and Claudia matched each other, both wearing overalls to paint in, only where Leena wore a light blue shirt that was near rags now, Claudia's black t-shirt bore the name of a music festival that was older than she was.
Leena squinted at her painting, and then she looked down at her color palette. She frowned. This was the perfect shade of green, she knew, but the tree was nowhere near that she would put on the tree. When she looked up, she tilted her head some. The green on her color palette was the perfect shade, this much she knew, but definitely not for her tree. It was for the small shine that came off of Claudia that Leena had never seen on the junior agent before. Yet there it was, both in front of her as well as on her plate. Leena's brush strokes became quicker after this, but they were more confident as the painting began to complete itself.
The darker hadn't been aware of the fact that the music had stopped until she looked up from mixing to find the shift in Claudia's aura. Dark eyes met with light. "What?" Claudia asked self-consciously with a hint of suspicion.
"Keep playing," was all Leena said in return. Expecting a question but not getting one, Leena heard the start of music. Though Claudia's playing was much the same as before, the younger woman's eyes remained on Leena as the painter continued to work. Every now and then their eyes would lock before Leena went back to her painting.
Neither woman knew how long that went on, but the sun hid behind clouds, making the sky was slightly darker because of it. Leena looked at what she'd painted. In the painting, short strokes completed the image of the girl in front of her. The picture was of a woman made of chaos who was surrounded by the softness of the nature, much like Claudia herself was. Yet somehow the clash of order and chaos was smoothed by the green of Claudia's aura, just like in real life. "You finish it?" came Claudia's voice. Leena was startled out of her thoughts on the painting by how close Claudia was once she had looked up at the younger woman.
"It needs finishing touched.
"May I see it?"
Leena was reluctant. Hidden away in her room were countless sketches and paintings of the agents that passed through her Bed and Breakfast over the year that she hoped never saw the light of day. None of them were like this one, though, and she didn't want to think of just why this painting quickly became her favorite during its completion. Leena swallowed slowly. "Well, alright."
Leena stepped away from the easel and waited for Claudia's response. The younger woman made no sound, but her face and aura said it all. It pleased Leena to know that Claudia loved it (she could tell by the almost scarlet color that seeped into the green, making her aura a dark brown). What she hadn't anticipated was seeing the tears in Claudia's eyes before they fell on her cheeks. "Claudia..." Leena said. She didn't have the words to say more than that, and the younger woman turned towards her.
"Do you really see me like that?" Claudia asked with a small gesture towards the easel.
"Yes. I really do."
Claudia took a couple of steps towards Leena and held the dark woman's face in her hands. Then she tipped her face upwards slightly and placed a kiss on Leena's lips. The older woman felt the hands leave her face a moment later. She felt the loss of them immediately before those fingers trailed down her shoulders and clavicle and then latching onto the straps of her overalls. Leena's tentative fingers went to the back of Claudia's neck to pull the younger woman into her further, as if by doing so, their auras would mix. Leena wondered briefly what that shared aura would look like, the hue that it would become.
Only the need for air broke their kiss, and Claudia kept her hold on Leena's overall straps. The darker woman noticed small dots of paint her fingers had left on Claudia's neck, but that was before she saw how Claudia was looking at her. "Can I keep it when you're done with it?"
"Yes," Leena said in a voice so soft Claudia wouldn't have heard it had she not been right in front of her like she was.
"And... Can I keep you?"
"A Casper reference?" Leena asked. "Somehow I thought that would be beneath you, the older woman teased, but this only earned her a shrug from Claudia. Leena leaned forward again, leaving a peck on Claudia's lips. "Yes," she said again, "You may have whatever you want."
"You're going to regret telling me that, "Claudia warned. Leena's laugh was interrupted by another kiss.
End