[ hang us in the louvre ]

. . .

au
how the boy with a
heart made of ice met
the boy kissed by fire

. . .

SUZUNO was only four when his parents died in a freak accident.

They were fighting, as usual, and fighting never scared Suzuno. He forced himself to get accustomed to the screaming, thinking they would never stop even if it meant it would to save their marriage. Even if it meant it would affect him, their child.

Though this particular time, he was petrified.

He was in the car with them, his small body trembling in the back seat. His father was drunk, and his mother was hysterical. Suzuno remembers how they both were facing each other, while the car was moving faster than what normal was to a four year old. They were arguing about money, family, selfishness, and his father's addiction.

It all happened so quickly. Like ice breaking as it hit the ground. Another vehicle crashed onto their car, mostly onto the side where Suzuno's mother was. The car went flying, and was flipped upside down. Suzuno felt like he was jumping on a trampoline. After the impact, he could only watch his motionless parents.

He observed the crimson red fluid flowing endlessly on his mother's thin arms and his father's silver head. It was a beautiful color, he thought. Later, sirens loudly rang in his ear, and it was only when the rescuers covered his parents in plain white cloth did he realize that death had taken their lives.

And Suzuno didn't cry. He never once did.

So when a new boy came into the orphanage, while throwing a tantrum, he was baffled. He's seen other children cry, as much to Suzuno's annoyance, but never from the ones his age.

The boy had hair the color of dried blood, and eyes as golden as the sun in 3 PM. Tears cascaded down on his flushed cheeks, and Suzuno vividly remembers how the caretakers attempted to calm him down, only to fail miserably. Perhaps he was crying because the orphanage was his new home now, or perhaps he was crying for a completely ridiculous reason, like most kids do.

Nagumo Haruya was kissed by fire, both in hair and personality.

And Suzuno didn't like him one bit.

&

"WHATCHA doin'?"

Suzuno sighed heavily, setting his brush down on the dewy grass. Nagumo stood beside him, and his towering figure blocked the sun's rays from illuminating Suzuno's face—to which he was grateful for—though either way he was still irritated. Not because he wasn't alone anymore, but because another person knows of his favorite place.

Suzuno had always been a lone wolf, and he spent the majority of his free time in the orphanage's large garden, on a hill facing a small lake. There was a cherry blossom tree on the hill, and he frequently stayed under it for shade every time he painted. Suzuno liked being isolated in nature. The whispers of the wind calmed him down, water streams were a wonderful melody to his ears, and the crunching sound of dead leaves give him a satisfying feeling.

Meanwhile, enganging in conversations is stressful, and human beings are undeniably annoying. (One particular human is Nagumo Haruya.)

"Painting." He bluntly stated, picking up a thinner brush and smothering it in light gray paint. Suzuno doesn't talk much; if he does, he usually just says one or five words. Never more than a paragraph. (Or maybe that's just what he wants to think.)

Curious, Nagumo settled down on the grass beside him, leaning towards Suzuno to get a closer look at the monochrome canvas. "Whatcha paintin'?"

Another sigh escapes Suzuno's lips. "I believe it's none of your business."

"Oh, 'tis like the inside of a car, amirite?" Nagumo said with a goofy grin. "See, this one's the driver's seat, this one's the—"

"Yes, yes, you're absolutely correct. Now would you please leave me alone?" Suzuno cut him off.

Nagumo raised his arms defensively. "Alright, alright. Geez, no need to be such a shut-off, ice princess."

"Why are you here, Nagumo?" Suzuno questioned. "Don't you have anything to do other than pestering me with your nonsense?"

"Well, sorry." Said the red haired boy with a frown. "I tried joining the other kids earlier, but they wouldn't let me play with them. So I'm basically all alone."

"Oh." was all Suzuno could say.

"It's fine if ya don't want me here though. I'll just go to my room, stuff myself with cheese, and sleep the whole afternoon."

"That's very unhealthy, so you should stop that." Suzuno gave him an exasperated look. "It's... fine if you stay. Just don't interrupt me while I'm doing my work."

When Nagumo's golden eyes lit up, Suzuno suddenly felt guilty for being so rude.

"Will you show me when you're done?" Nagumo asked, bouncing up and down like a little child.

"I... I guess." Suzuno gulped.

"Hooray! Thank you, uhhh..."

"Suzuno. Suzuno Fuusuke."

"Thank you, Fuusuke!"

"Wha—Don't call me by my first name!"

"Eh, why not?"

"It doesn't sound like me."

Nagumo chuckled. "Well, get used to it, Fuusuke."

"Tsk. Do what you want."

&

"Y'KNOW, you're a great artist and all, but I don't know if your painting has some sort of deep meaning or if it's just what it looks like."

It was night time already. The sun had already set. Lights in the garden began to brighten the surroundings. Children's laughter began to fade. Naturally, Suzuno would be alone with the tree and his creations. Now, however, Nagumo was there to keep him company. And It wasn't so bad.

Suzuno briefly glanced at the fiery boy, before taking a look at his artwork. "It's the car of my parents, before they died. It doesn't have a deep meaning. It's just a car."

Nagumo fell silent. "You... Were you with them?"

Suzuno nodded.

"Ah, okay."

"Let's head back, shall we? It's almost dinner time."

"Yeah, sure thing."

Nagumo stood up, and started striding away, his footsteps fading away as he did. Suzuno gathered his belongings, and his canvas. When he was done, he retreated to the orphanage. However, on the way back, he was surprised to see Nagumo standing still with his head facing upward, directly to the night sky.

"The sky's pretty lovely tonight, ain't it, Fuusuke?" He stated, slightly tilting his head and casually casting Suzuno a glance.

In response, Suzuno lifted his head up. And he blinked. He saw tiny specks of white on a bluish-black canvas, blinking and twinkling every now and then. Stars are beautiful, they always have been and they always will be.

"You should totally paint the night sky." He heard Nagumo say. "It's a perfect concept... for a painting."

Suzuno pondered about it. He was right. Such a beautiful sight deserved to be given some acknowledgement. But something was missing.

"I'd like to disagree." He retorted with a frown. "It lacks something."

"Really? Like what?"

Suzuno shrugged, squinting his eyes. "I don't know what, but it's definitely empty." Like Suzuno, himself.

"Huh, is that so?" Nagumo mused. "Well, I'm not an artist nor an expert, so I wouldn't know anything"—he suddenly grinned—"Guess that's something you ought to seek now."

When Suzuno lowered his head to look at his companion, his breath hitched; a sudden realization hit him like a brick.

Nagumo Haruya with his bold personality, and the goofiness in his heart.

Nagumo Haruya with his toothy grin, and his bright golden eyes.

Nagumo Haruya with his struggle to belong, and the gallons of tears he shed the first time he met him.

Nagumo Haruya with his hair of flames, and his voice full of warmth.

Suzuno smiled. He found what the sky's been missing.

What he's been missing.

〆

[l.] - merry christmas to everyone :3