…….
Jason stared at him for another minute or two; the loss of the other's concentrating creeping into his mind in a slow shuffle. When it finally clicked, he hopped off his stool and scanned the room, drawers with paper sticking out, shelves filled with random objects; pans, broken bottles, plants and the windowsills stacked with artwork, colourful and homely, blaring against the bright white walls.
Bending down, he sifted through a paper-stacked drawer, his fingers snatching up a large creamy sheet, and his other hand slid into another drawer, pulling out a box of charcoal sticks. Turning back to the desk, the tall boy regarded Freddy's hunched figure, his bowed head, and his frantic pencil strokes, with hooded eyes. He sat back on his stool, spreading the paper in front of him, he extracted a stick of charcoal and set the tip on the paper, he began to draw, occasionally glancing up at his companion, creating silently beside him.
……………
Freddy growled and scowled furiously at the sketch in front of him, his step-father's face. He scrunched up the drawing, hurling it angrily across the room, as far as possible away from him. He looked over at Jason, who in turn, as though feeling his gaze, looked up at him, exposing his charcoal drawing.
Freddy felt his jaw drop. He was staring at a nearly perfect study of himself. Could Jason see his aura? The darkness surrounding himself and his eyes… God he looked haunted. He saw the other's hands trembling and looked up into the face of the taller boy, seeing the unrestrained fear held there. He watched, transfixed, as Jason's dark pink tongue slid over his lower lip, the lip shining in the artificial light of the classroom.
Swallowing hard, Freddy quickly looked away from the other's face, back down to the haunted representation of himself, the stab of reality it brought home. He watched as Jason began drawing again, another figure beside the one of himself.
…………
Jason began sketching the form of himself sitting opposite Freddy, he wasn't sure whether Freddy would understand, that he would try to help him. In the picture, he drew his hand reaching across the table, reaching out to Freddy. At the touch of a hand on his shoulder, Jason turned to the other.
The expression on Freddy's face was unreadable; his eyes burned some sort of light, their intensity frightening Jason slightly. He jumped as the other's right hand curled against his cheek and the tall boy felt heat in his cheeks, though he wasn't sure why. Freddy inched forwards, fingers splaying over Jason's soft, warm cheek. The taller saw that Freddy's lower lip was quivering and his lips parted slightly, his own right hand dropping the charcoal stick to clasp the other's side.
"Okay guys, I'm back! You guys can go home now-"
Freddy pushed himself away from the other that he fell off his stool and onto the floor, his face an incredible shade of red. Jason sat on his stool, his face confused beyond reason.
The teacher looked confusedly from one to the other. "Were you two fighting?" he asked curiously. Freddy growled something unintelligible and leapt up, grabbed his bag and skidded out of the room, as fast as his legs would take him.
………