I love drawing, but I love writing angst and destroying my best friends feelings even more. True friendship, ladies and gentlemen, is destroying each other's feelings (in a loving way).

Day Eleven: Drawing each other

"Why are we doing this again?" Saguru asked, eyeing her warily.

"Aoko said that this was a bonding exercise between couples." Taylor answered, handing him a pencil and a sketchpad. "I don't really believe it, but it's really popular right now and is now expected of us since we're couples." She paused. "Plus I can't say no to Aoko."

"No one can." He took the items. "But why do we have to do what's expected of us? You didn't with your father." He realized what he said immediately after he said it and gave her an apologetic look as she glared at him. "I am so sorry."

"Teaching kids a foreign language is something that my father should be quite proud of me doing." She huffed, opening her sketchpad to a fresh page, but otherwise ignoring his comment. "And if we don't do this then Aoko and Kaito will be on our case, and I really don't want them coming over right now."

"We could always say that we did it."

"And lie to dear Aoko?" She asked, shocked. "No way- plus Kaito would know that you're lying. Just know that I don't want to do this as much as you do."

"Come on, at least you're better at drawing than I am." Saguru scoffed, leaning back against the leg of the couch.

"True, but I'm not good at drawing actual people. I'm more of an abstract drawer and drawing girls." Taylor said. "Since for some reason boys are hard to draw."

He sighed. "Fine. How much of one another do we have to draw?"

"I assume that just a torso shot is fine." She said, already scratching away at the paper.

"Any style is fine?" He stared at the pencil in his hand, unwillingly putting it to the paper.

"Well, I assume that it's meant to be realistic. But realistic sucks so I'm not doing that." Taylor glanced at him and then back down at the paper. "I had an art teacher that wouldn't allow us to draw in an anime-like style 'cause that's stealing the artist's art style."

He lightly marked on the paper. "Aren't you taught in school to paint like Vincent Van Gogh?"

"I think it doesn't count 'cause, you know, he's dead. He can't get mad." She crocked her head and tilted the page. "But seriously, it's a high schooler's art work. Who would look at that and think 'oh, they're using my style. I'm going to sue them for all their worth'?"

"Obviously a teacher would do that." He murmured , glancing up at Taylor and then erasing at the paper.

"Obviously this specific teacher would think- okay, what the hell is up with your hair? Why the hell is your hair styled like that?"

"What's wrong with my hair?" Saguru asked, appalled.

"Have you seen your hair? Tell me, how long does it take to style it in the morning? Is that why you always take so long in the bathroom in the mornings?" Taylor asked, pointing her pencil at him accusingly.

"My hair is naturally styled like this, just so you know."

"So to draw the sides and the top of your hair I draw stairs. Got it." She decided, scratching at the paper once more.

"No! It's not like that at all!"

"Well I would try and draw it wet, but that wouldn't do anything to the hair, which is what I need to have changed." She chewed on the eraser end of the pencil as she stared at him in thought.

"Well, like your hair is even better. What kind of person has bangs that floof around like yours?" He argued.

She stared at him. "Did you seriously just use the word 'floof'?"

"Well what other word would I use to describe it? Look at it- it's all... poofy." He motioned to it with his pencil.

"Others would use the work fluffy, but okay." Taylor shrugged. "But unlike yours, my hair will lay flat when it's wet. Remember- it turns brown when damp too."

"I'm not drawing you wet." Saguru grumbled. "I'm drawing you exactly how you look right now." He looked down at the doodles. He honestly had no idea what he was doing, with a messy circle for a head and straight lines for hair. He erased at it again.

"Well, have fun with that," she said. "While I sit across from you and also have fun with what I'm doing."

"I don't think either of us are having fun with this."

"You're right, I hate drawing actual people." She admitted, grinning. "You're no exception."

They sat in silence for a minute or two before Saguru noticed something. "Why aren't you glancing at me?"

"Hmm?"

"You aren't looking at me. That's a requirement if you're drawing me, correct?" He repeated.

"I would assume it is." She replied, looking at him. But it wasn't a glance and then back down at the paper; she actually set her pencil down and was looking at him while he was speaking.

"Then why aren't you?" He accused.

"Uh..." Saguru stared at her and she shifted nervously. "I..."

"Let me see your drawing." He said, holding a hand out for the sketchpad.

"Uh, no, I think that's okay." Taylor said, leaning back and moving the paper behind her.

"I don't think so." Saguru said, leaning forwards on his knees to grab it.

"Saguru, no, you don't need to see it- oomph!" Taylor had leaned back even further to get it away from him but had lost her balance and fell backwards. Saguru was leaning above her now, arms on either side of her head. She blushed with him being so close to her and staring at her so intently.

"See? This position wouldn't have happened if you just gave me the sketchpad." He mused, looking down at her.

"Or if you didn't reach for it." She offered, giving him a nervous grin. Saguru gave her a cocky one in return and leaned down to kiss her. She automatically closed her eyes, waiting for the feeling of his soft lips on hers. But it never came. She opened her eyes again to see Saguru sitting up and looking at the picture she drew. Hey!"

"You didn't even draw me!" He accused. "You started to, but when you got to the hair you drew stairs."

"I told you that I was!" She shot back.

"No, it's not even the design of the hair. You drew actual stairs on the side of my head!"

"Well what was I supposed to do?" She questioned.

"Then you stopped and drew some other doodles on the side of the paper!" He paused. "Why did you put 'angry Brit' in all caps with an arrow pointing to the side of my head?"

"Uh." Taylor said. "I didn't actually expect to show it to you."

He deadpanned. "What do you think the point of this exercise was?"

"Yeah, yeah, I know." She scoffed, crossing her arms. "Well, I showed you mine, you need to show me yours."

"I need to do no such thing!" Saguru argued, setting her sketchbook aside to grab for his own. She sat up and they were nose-to-nose again.

"I believe you do." She disputed. "It's only fair, right?" Saguru sighed, handing her his sketchbook and giving in much easier than she had. Taylor tilted her head. "Well, it's better than some of the kids in my class."

"Don't joke around, it sucks." Saguru grumbled. Taylor laughed.

"Yeah, it does." She agreed, setting the sketchbook aside and putting her arms around his neck. "But I have seen worse. Have you ever seen high schooler's drawings?"

"Yes." He said, putting her hands on her sides. She gave a cheeky smile and leaned in to give him a quick kiss. He leaned his forehead against hers, staring into her eyes. "I saw no point to this exercise."

"Neither did I." She laughed. "Do you wanna watch TV?"

"As long as there's something good on." They stood and left the room, sketchbooks left forgotten on the floor.

Uuugh... this was so hard to type up again simply because my fingers won't type correctly on the keyboard. It. took. FOREVER. I think it's the longest one I've wrote so far too.

If you watch the anime, Saguru's hair totally looks like stairs. I know how it's supposed to look like based on a real life hairstyle, but I state it how I see it. And it's complete bullshit to draw.