Charcoal Pt. 6

 YAY! A new chapter.  I should have been editing the last part, but I wanted to add something new.  And for this section I have no excuses for editing this time, other than I am terrible at it.  I hope you can look past the mistakes and enjoy! Oh and thank you Jadelilac for the wonderful comments, they make me want to write more, better, faster.  And Charcoal Pt. 6:

Soul didn’t do very well with trusting people. And the task of trusting such an outlandish claim was even more difficult.

The barista was watching with interest, so the new trio headed to Professor White's office. It was a small, cozy room in the art building. It smelled slightly of acrylic paint, turpentine, and coffee. There were two soft armchairs not unlike those in the coffee shop.

Scott gently pushed Soul into one of the chairs and perched on the desk. The pleading look was gone from his eyes now that he had a purpose.

“Close your eyes.” Soul did what he was told. His heart was beating harder than he had ever felt, and yet, he knew Scott wasn’t going to do anything he wouldn’t like. Not yet at least.

Soul could feel Scott moving around the room, but dutifully kept his eyes closed, when he felt hands over his closed eyelids he jumped, but Scott's warm dry hands were oddly comforting. It wasn’t like the stifling closeness of a hug, but still had enough contact that Soul was secure in where Scott was.

“I want you to go to the place you go when you draw.” Soul frowned. This sounded rather new age-y and maybe a bit Freudian.

“I don’t go anywhere when I draw, I just do-”

“Shh.” Soul would have gone on, but now that he had agreed to do this he didn’t want to mess up, or disappoint Scott. He didn’t like how his feelings were all over the place lately, he wanted to go back the steady, calm, unemotional Soul from before, but knew that wouldn't, couldn't happen now.

“You aren’t trying hard enough.” Scott sounded like he was smiling. Soul sighed and tried to imagine drawing, but without paper in front him no image would come.

“I can't do this. I can't just imagine drawing. I just do it.”

“Try harder.” Said Scott. Soul tried. He pictured a pencil in his hand, the blank expanse of paper in front of him, but nothing would come. For an artist Soul had a very non-visual mind. He couldn’t picture things, he imagined the descriptions of them,, instead of seeing paper he thought of the idea of paper.

“I can't!” Soul sat forward in his chair ready to leave. He hadn’t agreed to be tormented, there were enough people willing to tell him his problems, he didn’t need a whole task to fail at.

“Maybe you need to try something else?” Professor whit spoke quietly. The hands left from Soul's eyes.

“What do you suggest, now that you are the expert.” Scott sounded angry, frustrated. All the times Soul had been mean, Scott had never gotten angry, but now he sounded livid. Professor White also seemed surprised.

“I just thought maybe-” The professor set his hands palm up on his knees, it seemed an odd gesture to Soul but Scott seemed to recognize it, and calmed- just a bit.

“Well I don’t need you telling me how to do my job how to deal with my Arima.” The professor nodded slowly. Soul wanted to know what Arima meant, but didn’t think it was a good time to interrupt, he filed the information away for another time.

“I don’t think I can be of any further help this evening. Let me know if there is anything I can do for you boys.” The professor stood to leave the room closing the door softly behind him. As he left Scott let his hand cup the back of Souls head.

“There may be a better way to do this. But that is for you and I to figure out. Not him, not any other randoms, yes?” Soul nodded and swallowed hard. He didn’t know if he liked this new Scott. “What do you feel when you draw?” Scott knelt down so he was face to face with Soul, who shrugged.

“Nothing, I just draw what wants to be drawn.” Soul spoke quietly. He felt so lost. The day had been such a roller coaster and didn’t look like it was going to be over any time soon. Scott bit his lip and studied Soul's face closely, Soul noticed how long his eyelashes were, he reached out a finger before he could think about what he was doing and brushed them slightly. They were soft, but didn’t move much under his touch.

“I would draw you if I could.” Soul's heart beat hard enough he could feel the echo in his throat. He could feel a blush working up his chest.

Scott smiled and ran his thumb over Soul's cheekbone.

“I'm quite sure you could. In fact do it now.” Scott got a pad of paper and a pencil down from a shelf. Soul wondered how many times Scott had been in this office to know where things were so easily.

“I've said before, I can't draw people.” Soul though back to the other times he had drawn form sight, or tried to draw figures, he didn’t want to embarrass himself any more than he had already.

“This time will be different, I’m sure of it.” Scott stood to sit on the edge of the desk.

“You can't watch me!” Soul could feel his blush spreading, he felt too hot, too closed in. He wished the door was open. Scott smiled again and sat in the chair the professor had recently vacated. He sat crooked in the chair, offering Soul a three-quarter view.

“Is this my good side?” Soul ignored him and began to draw. He began from the middle, with Scott's eyelashes. Soon Soul felt nothing, not the heat of the room, not the stifling embrace of the chair, he simply drew, not realizing that the moment the pencil hit the paper he stopped looking at Scott and simply drew.

As Soul was putting the finishing touches on Scott's hair he crossed his legs in the chair, his hips popped and a he sighed softly. Scott caught his breath. After Soul had slipped into sleep he had been almost holding his breath, the bond made him constantly aware of Soul's beauty, but watching him draw was something else entirely, he was more than beautiful. Scott wanted to hear that sigh again, and many other involuntary noises from that mouth.

Soul bit his lip and straightened his spine and sat the picture on the desk.

“I think I’m done.” He looked up and was surprised not to see Scott sitting in the chair across the desk, and even more to feel Scott's breath on his cheek. He turned to see Scott's reaction to the picture and to have room to breath, but was again lost in the length and thickness of his eyelashes. Scott was likewise lost in the haunting green of Soul's eyes. They really did seem like they were seeing more than other people, and at the moment they were taking everything in. Scott could see the emotion in them, the confusion, and longing, and loss. When Scott felt Soul's soft chai scented breath across his lips, any restraint he had dissolved. Scott bridged the short distance between them and brushed his lips against Soul's.

Soul blinked in surprise and pulled back. He couldn’t think, just hours ago he had hated Scott, or though he had, now he was kissing him. Before he could think more Scott had slid his hands deep into Soul's hair and kissed him again. It was a soft kiss, gentle brushes of lips. Scott heart threatened to choke him with desperation. As much as he wanted to feel Soul completely, he didn’t want to scare him more. So after a moment with more restraint than he thought he had, Scott pulled away from Soul's smooth, startlingly cool and sweet lips.

Soul's eyes were unfocused. He blinked slowly twice before speaking.

“Why can't I just be?” he bit his lip again and Scott bit back a moan, his whole body ached with wanting, but he knew if he pushed too hard, Soul would disappear, and that would be more than he could bear.

“What did you feel when you were drawing?” Soul looked up in surprise. What did he feel? Nothing. He answered such.

“I told you before, I just draw what wants to be let out.” Scott shook his head, there had to be something. He looked at the picture and found an impossibly detailed picture of himself, it would have been remarkable if that was the only significance in it, but there was more, if he looked closely, reflected in his charcoal twins eyes there was a figure alone, surrounded by trees, the figure looked like Soul.

“What were you thinking?” Soul shrugged, “nothing. I’ve told you.” Scott looked back at the picture, there had to be more than that. But maybe, even Soul didn’t know what was going on. He had been so disconnected form his talent for so long, thinking it only an art- useless for anything other than simple entertainment.

“Do you feel anything about this picture after you have drawn it?” Scott held up the picture. For a long moment Soul didn’t look when he did his eyes had lost their dreamy, open look.

“Nothing. The only image I feel anything for is the forest. And that, only that it isn’t quite right, I always want to make it better.” Scott frowned. He was stumped. Soul was going to be a challenge on so many levels.

“And that, can you draw it for me now?” An odd expression passed behind Soul's eyes, too fast to recognize.

“I don’t want you to look at it. Ever.” After he spoke Soul was startled. He hadn’t meant to say that. He meant to make some excuse about he couldn’t just draw it whenever. He felt relief at having someone he could really talk to about how he drew, however he felt about Scott. But he had never said something so different from what he intended. He opened his mouth to apologize but couldn’t get the words out. He rephrased in his head.

“I didn’t mean to say that.” Scott could see the confusion in his eyes. “I meant to say I can't draw it for anyone and you aren’t one of those people.” Soul covered his mouth and looked at Scott with wide eyes.

“Maybe you can write what you want to say?” As frightening as it was, Scott felt they were finally getting somewhere. The block in Soul's speech told him there was more significance in the picture than he had originally thought.

Soul picked up the pencil and tried to write, but it was as if he was writing with his non dominant hand. He couldn’t make himself form real letters. Never before had he had such a problem. He looked up with true panic in his eyes.

“Scott, I can't- I can't show you something your eyes aren’t meant to see.” Soul bit his lip hard enough to draw blood and tried to hold back tears. Never had he felt so out of control. Scott brushed the ruby of blood from Soul's lip and smiled.

“This means we are getting somewhere. There is obviously something special in that picture, we just have to figure it out.” He tucked a piece of Soul's hair from his face, and looked into luminous green eyes. “There has to be a version somewhere I can look at.” Soul's stomach turned as he though of Scott looking at the picture. He felt like the few sips of chai he had were going to make a violent reappearance.

“I don’t think that is a good idea.” Soul spoke the words he meant to and allowed himself a small smile. “I don’t think that you are meant to see it, at least not yet.” As long as he didn’t suggest anything that would lead Scott to the picture he felt better, “I'm-” He couldn’t finish his apology, a tickle in the back of his mind telling him that he shouldn't give Scott anything. Not an apology, not anything that could give Scott the upper hand.

“You are sorry?” Scott asked, trying to read the expression in Soul's eyes. Soul couldn't even make himself nod. Scott, somehow understood. “Your eyes tell everything.” Scott leaned forward for another kiss as Soul's stomach dropped. He closed his eyes as soon as the meaning reached his minds, and was once again startled by the feel of lips against his own.

Soul had never imagined kissing someone could be so perfect. He had always imagined it as rather gross, swapping spit and all, but this was so soothing, and so rousing. The feeling of Scott's hands in his hair send goosebumps down his spine, the heat of Scott's lips against his own made his dropping stomach twist into knots. Overcome by the intensity Soul couldn’t sit still. His own hands were reaching for Scott. He pushed himself out of the chair and wrapped himself around Scott, suddenly he couldn’t be close enough. His breath was stolen and he couldn’t care less. The only thing that mattered was getting closer to Scott. One of Soul's hands slipped to the bottom of Scott's shirt, he needed to feel more skin.

Scott responded to Soul's intensity. He had meant the kiss to be sweet and reassuring but it was anything but. They were caught in a fever of sensation, both their thoughts focused on the texture of the others skin. Just as Scott pulled back just enough to pull Soul's sweatshirt over his head the door opened.

“I've found something!” Professor White was faced with two livid, tousled students. Soul was straddling Scott on the desk, pieces of paper, pencils, and art covered the floor. The professor didn’t mind the mess but the looks on the boys' faces was close to terrifying.

A low growl began in Scott's chest, feeling the vibration Soul's hands clenched on Scott's shoulders and his head fell back, his eyes closing. As the sound faded Soul leaned down to rip the buttons off Scott's shirt. Scott rolled and they both ended up on the floor. Soul scrabbled at Scott's buttons, but the fall had cleared the intensity for Scott, just enough for him to remember the professor stricken in the doorway.

“How dare you.” Scott's voice was dark and low, completely different form the pleasant tone of his everyday life, the professor gulped, regretting with all his being interrupting. Before he could blink Scott's hands were around his neck, the nails that had so recently been running through Soul's hair now drew blood in the smooth weathered skin at the base of the professors skull.