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"..No, that's simply not right."
You'd been hearing this for over an hour. Similar phrases of annoyance and frustration were nearly all that had clouded the air this afternoon, the gloomy atmosphere building up around your partner and yourself, leaving no room for positivity.
You can't help but wince, seeing as he flips the page once again to start over.
Why weren't you saying anything? Oh, believe me, you'd tried. Many times. The answer was always the same;
"Hush, my dear. Even the slightest movement of a muscle may disrupt the flow of the piece.." were always his words.
..It was safe to say, it was beginning to get a little hard to act like a stiff mannequin for this boy to reference from. Even so, how could you refuse the request from someone who you loved so much?
Hearing him express his passion, and how he wished to capture the essence of the pure, gentleness in the affection he felt for you.. or something like that. It had caused your heart to become too soft to decline.
"Yusuke.. perhaps you should take a break," you suggest, attempting to stretch your joints without moving too far as to ruin the pose.
Alas, the boy simply squints.
"I do not see the use in wasting time that could be spent tackling the problem at hand.. It seems as though I have been forsaken by the gods of art on this particular day; I can't capture these emotions— Agh!" his answer, overly exaggerated as always, falls upon your ears as he flips yet another page over to the back of the book. You can't help but let out a small breath of discontent, hearing the frustration that influenced his tone.
Yusuke pauses for a moment, his eyes shifting to the blunt pencil in his hands. His eyebrows furrow.
"..How inconvenient."
The boy sighs, falling back into his long forgotten stool. For a moment, he sat slumped over, although it didn't last for very long. Soon he has shifted positions.. again. A hand curled in a fist under his chin, one leg crossed over the other.
..He was stumped.
You let out a short breath of annoyance, finally giving up. You hate to disappoint the boy with the dark hair, but you worried that you would turn to stone if you held your pose any longer. Stretching out your joints had never felt better.
"Ah—!"
As soon as Yusuke had seen your movement in the corner of his eye, he jumped slightly, reaching a hand out to ask you to stop your movements... But after a few seconds had passed, he retreated to his previous position, a bitter look on his face. You hated to laugh when he was feeling so frustrated, but the expression was quite cute.
"Are you alright?" You ask, voice carrying a worried tone. By now, you'd taken a much more comfortable position to sit in.
"..Yes, quite." He replies shortly. He doesn't look at you, eyes still focused on his current piece of art. It was obviously a lie, but there was no point in refusing it.
"You need to rest," you instead reply, changing the topic.
"I already am.. I've barely moved a muscle; you've been observing me this whole time."
"Not what I meant."
"..."
He shifts again, now sitting up straight, arms stretched out and hands placed on his knees. He closes his eyes, an expression of frustration plastered all over his face. This wasn't the first time. He'd organised various other occasions to do exactly this, although in every one so far, he would get nowhere. It was slowly becoming pitiful to watch, the first few sessions being this same routine over and over.
"Come on, Yusuke," you try once more, although your efforts are only met with silence. Why is he so stubborn? The boy won't budge. Supposing that you didn't have to stay put anymore, you finally stand up from your place on a stool in the centre of the room. He didn't make a comment upon your movement, which gives a good indicator that he's finally given up. Pulling a chair out from a nearby, you sit beside him.
You take a sharp breath of air in as you finally look at the piece. It's unfinished, but still very amazing. Leaning forward, you cant help but cover your mouth in awe. Soon enough, your head turns back to the boy in question, who immediately meets your eyes.
Your eyes dash over the piece for a moment, examining his efforts carefully.
"This is perfect..!" You exclaim, a smile accompanying your praise. His hard expression rests slightly, although it's still easy to see his dissatisfaction.
"Your words humble me, my dearest, although.." the artist replies with hesitance. You sigh, leaning back into your chair.
"You can't see it yourself?" you ask softly, eyes on the pitiful boy. He simply nods to your reply, humming in agreement.
"There's just something that I am.. unable to capture. I'm not sure what exactly it may be, although I feel as if it entirely diminishes the aura you carry, and..!" The boy continues to ramble about the meaning of the painting. You listen quietly, giving him a space to talk freely. Soon, the boy quietens for a moment.
"..I would merely like to capture your beauty," he finishes, disappointment in his voice.
You felt a palpitation in your heart as he said that. This boy was sweet; far more than he realised. It was a shame to see him so distraught over something like this. Even so, you could understand his feelings. Art meant the world to him. Would you not feel the same if your passion started to fail your expectations? Still... You felt that you should do something to help him. Even if that was just showing your gratitude.
"..Hey, Yusuke," you call out to the boy, to which turns his head shortly.
You place a hand under his chin, pulling him into a kiss— only short and sweet, but it would do the job.
The boy immediately flinches, his eyes widened slightly. If you could see his heart rate, surely it would have gone up a few levels. He was hardly used to affection, much less social interaction at all. It was always hard for him to get used to these kinds of things. Having said that, after parting Yusuke doesn't say anything. He just stares questioningly.
"Yusuke, you're amazing," you remind him.
"I love you, and I'm so happy that you want to do this for me, but.. I don't want you to feel bad doing it." You tell him.
He immediately feels a warmth rush to his face, and turns his face back to the canvas. His expression switches between a few emotions; caught off guard by your actions, disappointed in yourself, and relieved that you don't mind. His mouth is agape, trying to think of something to say. Soon enough, he closes it. He returns to his previous position, staring at the canvas.
"Yusuke." You stop him again, sternly calling him back over before he got lost in his thoughts again. He looks back over to you, his face somewhat sad. You could tell this was stressing him.You take his hand, gently pulling it over your heart.
"Let's get out of here for a bit. You're glooming up the studio."
He looks down to your hands, clasped together softly. He takes a moment before looking up to you, smiling softly. He takes your spare hand in his, turning properly to you. Leaning forwards, the boy plants his lips on your cheek. Afterwards, he sits back up, his smile remaining.
He closes his eyes, nodding.
"Yes, perhaps I do need a break."