A/N: "Hey Yao-Yao, draw me like one of your sunsets, da?" *bangs head I can't even!* Just kidding. Anyways, here is another chapter for you all.
Before I go any farther, I'd like to thank Pansychic27213, once more, for her help. She is pretty much my beta for every major story I write. If it were not for her, this story would be a whole lot shorter. I'm talking like fifteen-twenty chapters shorter than it's going to be. Before she looked at this, the rough draft was a hyper-paced mess that needed to be revised. So thank you, child! If you are reading this now (you've already been reading this anyway), *sends hugs and kisses*
Anyway, onwards, my readers!
Chapter VII
It was another normal evening. Yao was sketching, waiting for Ivan to show up. He was oddly running late today.
Yao wondered why he had not shown up yet. And for some reason, he felt his heart sink, thinking that he may have forgotten or something. He was confused as to why the thought of Ivan not showing up made him feel that way. But then he realized that getting to see Ivan every evening was the highlight of his day.
Why the h*ll do I care about him so much, aru! I think about him all the time and sketch him subconsciously! I blush when he compliments me! What is wrong, aru!
He looked at his sketchbook, finding himself drawing Ivan again. "Uggh! Again, aru!"
That was when the sound of splashing interrupted his thought stream. He closed his sketchbook just as Ivan pulled himself up on the rock beside him.
"I am sorry I am late." He apologized, "I was putting finishing touches on this." He took a hair fork out of his bag.
"Is this for me, aru?"
"Da." He handed him the fork.
Yao took it and examined it. It was simply crafted, with a few small shells arranged on it and strands of seaweed wrapped around it.
"Wait, wait! There is something else." Ivan said excitedly, "Can I?"
"Umm, okay, aru." He held out his hand and Ivan took it in his own, turning the hair fork over. Scratched in messy, jagged letters was "Yao".
"You carved my name, aru?"
"Da! You taught me how, so I wrote it!"
"This fork is so nice, aru."
Ivan beamed.
"Yao-Yao, did you know I was bringing it today?"
"No, why do you ask?"
"You are wearing your hair long today."
"Oh, yeah."
"It looks nice that way. You should wear it long more often."
Yao chuckled, blushing, yet again. "It actually is annoying like this, aru. I think I am going to use my new hair fork now."
"Can I put it in for you?" Ivan asked shyly, blushing, "I like to play with hair."
"If you want to, aru. My hair hates everyone."
"That is silly, hair cannot hate, it does not have feeling."
Yao chuckled. "I mean it is hard to manage."
"Oh! I feel silly now…"
"It's okay, aru."
"Even if your hair hates me, I still would like to put it up for you."
"Go ahead." He handed the fork to Ivan and then turned and sat in front of him. Ivan ran his fingers through the dark brown locks, smoothing it down, twisting it into a bun, and sticking the fork in it.
"Does that feel good?"
Yao nodded.
"What have you been drawing?"
Yao felt blush crawling up his cheeks. There was no way he was about to tell Ivan he had been drawing him.
"Nothing that interesting, really."
"Can you draw me?"
"Uhh...sure, aru." Stop blushing, idiot! "Can you sit still while I sketch?"
"Da. How would you like me to pose?"
"I want to draw your entire body, aru. Could you lay up on rock, aru?" He pointed to a flat ledge near the rock he usually sat on.
"Da." Ivan slid back into the water, and then popped up again, pulling himself completely out of the water and onto the ledge. He lay on his side, using one arm to prop his torso up, and extending the other down near his tail.
Yao turned the paper to a landscape orientation and began to sketch. He drew every detail, from the seaweed scarf to each scale and strand of hair and visible water droplet on the merman's pale skin.
As he sketched, Yao realized how beautiful and magnificent of a creature that Ivan was. And he was determined to make the sketch a perfect replica of the sea creature's beauty.
"Are you done, Yao-Yao?" Ivan asked after a while, "I starting to dry."
The latter had been absorbed in sketching. "Yes, aru. Just one last detail and…done."
"Okay, finally." Ivan slid back into the water, "I was getting tired and drying."
"You asked me to draw you, aru! It takes long time." Yao snipped.
"I bet it looks beautiful. Let me see."
"Come up here, aru." Yao said.
Ivan swam over and pulled himself up next to Yao. The Chinaman turned the book so he could see.
"It is amazing, da. It looks just like me. I wish I could keep it, but water will ruin paper."
Yao beamed, "I could copy it and give it to you in a corked bottle."
"Like message in bottle! I would love that! Spasiba!"
"You're welcome."
-xXx-
Ivan headed back to the cave feeling quite happy. He was happy because being around Yao brightened up his day.
Yao was amazing. Funny, talented, adorable, beautiful. Sure, he may have been prone to snapping, but the merman did not mind. He loved being around him because it gave him such a warm, fluttery feeling. He blushed easily around him too, and loved being near him. He wanted to be with the Asian forever, but that was a sacrifice he was unprepared to make. Yet, imagining life without him was enough to make him cry. He wanted to learn everything about him, call him his own. He longed to say those three special words, and longed for Yao to say the same. But thinking about that made him sad. He was confined to the sea and Yao to the land. Yet, that could not stop his feelings, only keep them from becoming reality. But the thought of keeping those feelings inside was enough to drive him mad. He wanted to tell Yao how important he was to him, tell him he loved him, but...hold on... "Is this really love?" Ivan wondered aloud, "…It can't really be, it is too soon isn't it? I have no idea if this is love I feel. Maybe I just feel attraction to him? Or do I just love him as a friend? I do not know really...I need to talk to someone about this."
