A/N: Expect irregular updates. School has been keeping me rather busy lately, and I'm quite a lazy person as well, so yeah. Even if I'm free, I'll probably choose to read fan fiction than update on my stories. Probably. Hope you enjoy reading this chapter. ^^
Extra Note: Thank you so much, Metamorcy! The ideas you suggested were really helpful! :D
Disclaimer: Shattered Apocalypse (my partner-in-crime for world domination) and I have been making plans lately, so maybe sometime soon? *cue evil laugh –Hack! Hack!–continuing with laugh*
Canvas
-Chapter 6-
Fon gently covered the petite figure with a blanket and smiled at the sight of the sleeping brunet. He slowly reached out to play with a few strands of the boy's silky hair, fingering them ever so lightly with his fingers. Letting out a small chuckle, he thought back on how cute the sleeping rabbit before him acted a few hours ago.
"Fon-san?"
At his name, the Chinese turned towards the source of the voice reflexively. He stopped going through his supply of art materials and gave his full attention to the quivering brunet at the far end of the room. Inwardly, he felt a bit sad that Tsunayoshi would still choose to stand as far away from him as possible when engaging in conversation. Not letting his thoughts be known, he smiled softly at the boy.
"What is it, Tsunayoshi?"
Fon watched the brunet as his face immediately colored a light shade of red, reaching up to his ears. He averted his gaze and looked everywhere except at the man seated a distance away from him, attempting to avoid eye contact. He hung his head low and pulled at the ends of his oversized T-shirt. Glancing up for a second, Tsuna spoke in a soft voice.
"W-what are you doing?"
The Chinese blinked a few times before the question registered in his mind. He glanced down at the pile of drawing materials scattered before him, his failed attempt at organizing. He smiled as he reached for a 2B drawing pencil and his sketchbook, bringing them up for the young brunet to see.
"Well, you see, I was planning on doing some sketches today. I feel that I've been slacking off lately."
Fon didn't fail to notice the almost nonexistent widening of the boy's eyes and the split second glance towards the wall sporting the numerous framed paintings. Some of his early works as a painter.
Tsunayoshi turned to look at him now, though still trying to keep eye contact at a minimum, with what seems to be determination in his caramel colored orbs. His cheeks were still lightly tinted with pink, accentuating his feminine features.
"A-ano...If it's not much to ask...C-can I stay here and, um, watch you while you work?"
His voice was barely above a whisper and Fon strained to hear what the young lad had said, but he heard nevertheless. The Chinese smiled gently at the awkward brunet.
Really, how can he find the heart to say no?
He finally pulled away and went back to his position on the floor. He couldn't blame the boy for falling asleep. Fon knew that there was nothing the least bit interesting in watching someone drawing pictures on white paper for hours. Tsunayoshi was bound to get bored, even if he shook his head furiously from side to side when the older brought it up.
Once on the floor, he reached for the cup of oolong tea he prepared for himself a few hours ago. He completely forgot about it. He took a small sip of the now cold liquid before placing it back on the ground in favor of continuing his unfinished sketch of a picturesque countryside.
Every so often, he would catch himself glancing up towards the brunet sleeping soundly on the couch.
He slowly set down his pencil. Having caught himself staring for the nth time within the last few minutes, he leaned back with both hands supporting his weight and looked at the open page of his sketch pad lying innocently on his lap. The drawn picture was of a grassy plain, with a rustic looking house and a babbling brook to the side. In all honesty, it was coming along quite nicely, though still lacking quite a bit in detail, with which he is currently having problems concentrating on.
Sighing, he let his back completely drop to the ground. He gazed at the intricate crisscrossing patterns on the ceiling for a few minutes before his thoughts wandered back to Tsunayoshi. Thinking back now, it's been two days since the puking incident, and he can see the improvement, albeit small, in the current relationship he has with his anthropophobic charge.
Sure, the brunet still couldn't stand staying no less than two meters from him and still quivered and avoided eye contact as if his life depended on it, but it was mostly due to the graveness of his phobia. There was nothing much they could do about that, lest Tsunayoshi suffers a full blown anxiety attack. But, he was sure that somehow the boy has warmed up to him. He could feel it. That thought brought a smile to his face.
His mind soon travelled to the small bottle of pills in his medicine cabinet. He still has questions regarding the medicine that Reborn left him. Why was Tsunayoshi so against taking it? Surely, it'll help ease his discomfort with people and make socializing more plausible.
After a few minutes of silent musing, Fon pushed himself off the ground and once again sat cross-legged. He picked up his sketch pad and tried to continue on with his work. Much to his chagrin, he still found himself constantly distracted. He ran his fingers through his bangs in frustration. This isn't getting him anywhere.
Maybe he should stop for the day.
He was about to close his sketch book when a sudden thought ceased his movements. He glanced up towards the sleeping brunet and stared intently at his angelic face, studying the lines, the contours, the shapes and proper shadings. His dark calculating eyes took in every detail; from the brunet's slightly parted lips to the somewhat puffed up cheeks.
He fingered the edges of his sketch book. He has never drawn people before, though. He always preferred sketching or painting nature and landscapes.
Shaking his head, he turned the sketch pad to a clean page and immediately started the rough outlining.
Meh. Who cares? It's worth a try.
47 minutes.
For a simple sketch, he took quite a long time to finish it. Well, far longer than the usual spur of the moment sketches he sometimes does. He had intended it to be a quick sketch, nothing fancy, just a rough drawing. It ended up anything but.
He let out a contented sigh. Even with the fact that he had been distracted quite a few times from his work when normally he'd have been so engrossed to the point of working through breakfast, lunch, and dinner, he was still rather productive today. Closing the sketch pad, he glanced up at the clock and checked the time.
1:30 pm.
Huh. He blew at his bangs. He hadn't expected that he'd lose track of the time yet again. They haven't had lunch yet, so he probably should wake the brunet up now. After putting away his supplies, Fon quietly walked towards Tsunayoshi, careful not to startle the boy into abruptly waking up.
The brunet has been sleeping for a good couple of hours now. Fon sported an amused expression at how much of a heavy sleeper the boy is. As much as he didn't want to disturb Tsunayoshi's peaceful slumber, he had to wake him up. It's not healthy for a young boy to skip meals.
"Tsunayoshi. It's time to wake up."
"Nngn."
Fon furrowed his brows. That sounded as if...
"Tsunayo–" Color drained from the Chinese as he saw the brunet's face, scrunched up in pain and...fear? He immediately shook the boy awake, calling out for him to wake up, but still keeping his voice from betraying his overly worried self. It is during these kinds of situations that he should keep himself calm and level headed.
There was a soft cry of pain, then Tsuna immediately shot up to a sitting position, eyes wide open, surprising Fon in the process. He kept both hands to his face, sweating and trembling. His eyes were unfocused and he tried to control his breathing. His lungs felt so constricted. Dizziness swept over him and he felt nauseous. It felt painful, so painful. Yet he wasn't passing out, as if it was intended for him to experience all that excruciating pain.
Fon couldn't keep the worry from showing on his pale face. The brunet was as white as paper. Just what can he do?
His mind wandered briefly to the small bottle of medicine, Tsunayoshi's medicine, standing innocently amidst other medications. He didn't waste another second before rushing to the kitchen to retrieve the glass bottle. Reborn's words played in his head.
But if the situationcalls for it, I give you the permission to shove it down his throat...
As soon as Tsuna laid his eyes upon the 'damned thing', his eyes widened more than it already was. He shook his head frantically from side to side, inching further away from the other. A sudden pain in his chest stopped him almost immediately; his knuckles went white from clenching onto his shirt. His breathing became even more labored and his body shook uncontrollably. Sweat matted his bangs to his forehead. Tears formed at the corners of his eyes.
Fon could no longer stand seeing the brunet in such a way. He felt so helpless when it came to the brunet's phobia. He twisted the bottle cap open and took out a single orange colored pill.
"I'm sorry about this, Tsunayoshi."
After having said that, Fon popped the pill into his mouth and crashed his lips with Tsuna's own. This elicited a surprised squeak from the brunet and Fon took advantage of the small opening to slip the medicine into his mouth. He instantly covered Tsuna's mouth with his hand until he was sure that the brunet has safely swallowed the pill. Slowly, he drew back his hand.
The room was silent for a while, save for the ticking sound of the clock. Tsuna was slumped on the couch, his head hung between his shoulders. His breathing soon returned to normal and his body ceased shaking. Fon let out a sigh of relief. Thankfully, the medicine seems to be working. He reached out to ruffle the brunet's spiky hair. A small smile adorned his face.
"You really scared me there."
His hand stopped its movements and he immediately withdrew it. He eyed Tsuna cautiously. Something felt odd.
"Tsunayoshi?"
A small giggle erupted from Tsuna's throat, turning into laughter. It soon died down to a low chuckle.
Fon's eyes widened as Tsuna lifted his head to look at him. The normally fearful and apprehensive caramel eyes were glazed over and calm, tinted with an almost orange gleam because of the room's lighting. His cheeks were flushed pink and his lips were curved up into a small smile. The Chinese could not deny the fact that the brunet looked...beautiful, for a lack of a better word to describe him.
He giggled once more then latched himself onto the older man.
Fon was almost knocked off balance if he hadn't immediately dug his palm onto the floor for support. He held the brunet by the waist, who was now currently giggling while rubbing his cheek on Fon's chest, like a cat seeking affection from its master.
The Chinese was stunned into silence. What was happening?
"Fo~n –san~" A fit of giggles.
Fon opted not to answer. He eyed 'Tsunayoshi' warily. Is this because of the medicine?
A giggle.
"Why don't we play~?"
"Wha–"
It all happened so fast. Fon found himself roughly pushed and pinned to the ground, his back aching slightly from the impact of the fall. Tsuna sat on top of him, a small grin ever present on his lips. His oversized shirt hung loosely on his petite body, showing a bit of creamy white skin around the neck and shoulder area.
Fon tried to push Tsunayoshi off, but then his arms were firmly secured to the ground by the other's legs. He wiggled under the weight.
Tsuna smiled in triumph.
"Ara? You can't run away, Fon-san~!" His glazed eyes gleamed as he spoke in a singsong voice. A giggle resounded across the room. "It'll be fun~!"
Fon's breath hitched as he felt cold fingers slowly trail over his exposed skin. His eyes widened as the knot buttons of his Chinese clothing were being unbuttoned by a pair of small hands. He did his best to struggle.
"Stop! What are you doing?"
Giggles flew from the brunet's mouth. He lowered his face until his lips were merely centimeters away from Fon's. Caramel orbs bore into onyx ones. His grin widened as he spoke.
"Why, I'm just picking up where we left off~"
Just as Tsuna was about to close the distance between them, the front door of the apartment suddenly burst open, causing the two to both look to the direction of the racket.
A/N: Was that too much of a cliffie? XD Well, thank you for reading. ^^ Please do leave me a review. Leaving reviews = happy author. Happy author = faster updates. :)))