𝐒𝐈𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐏𝐋𝐄𝐗

𝟑𝟐 | 𝐈𝐍𝐒𝐏𝐈𝐑𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍

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    After an awkward ride with Haru, (Y/N) jumped out of the car and hightailed it to her Math class, able to make it into the room just as the bell rang. After that came English which was just as easy, and finally Chemistry. But as she entered the room and sat down, not even a second later Cassius sitting beside her, she couldn't help but dread her next class with Haru.

    "You okay?" Cassius snapped her away from her thoughts as he stared at her with that blank gaze of his. "You look stressed."

    "I'm fine," she waved away his concern.

    "You were almost late today; I noticed you weren't up when I left... is it because of that?" He tilted his head, curious about his muse and what went on with her daily life—no matter if they lived under the same roof. "Or... was it something else? Kai is the one that drives you, right? Did he do or say something?"

    She blinked.

    "You're quite... invested," she commented with a raised brow.

    "Why wouldn't I be?"

    "You've just never seemed too interested in me."

    Propping his head up with his hand, Cassius stared at the desk as he filtered (Y/N)'s words through his head, knowing her to be right yet at the same time knowing that currently, she was wrong. Ever since it was discovered that he could draw and paint her so effortlessly and beautifully, he couldn't stop thinking about her as a masterpiece—a true vision for his artwork.

    In fact, to him, she was already a living piece of art that he wanted to readily obtain.

    "But, anyways... Kai wasn't the one to drive me this morning, Haru was," (Y/N) finally answered his question as she pulled her notebook out and flipped to a blank page that wasn't scrawled through with notes, ignoring the chatter of the other students around her as she thought of earlier that morning. "He was just acting... weird."

    "Doesn't he always?"

    Cracking a smile at that, the girl nodded before continuing, "He's always weird, yeah... but today, he was even worse."

    Her expression turned bitter.

    "If that's the case... why don't you just get your own car and drive yourself?" Cassius offered a solution as he tapped a finger against the desk whilst brushing back a lock of his white hair. "That way, such instances won't happen again."

    "Ah... about that... erm..." (Y/N) trailed off, obviously uncomfortable with the topic.

    "What is it?"

    She didn't answer him right away.

    At that, Cassius obviously took the hint, and although one would usually drop the conversation, he did the opposite and asked, "Is it about your accident? You're okay with others driving you... but you driving yourself isn't okay yet?"

    (Y/N) sighed.

    She knew she couldn't hide it forever.

    "After getting my cast off a few weeks ago, I've tried numerous times to get back behind the wheel," she murmured, her voice dropping several octaves as she stared at her hands, picking at her nails in hopes of soothing the topic of conversation. "But every time I do, I just freeze. I always think back to that night and how... painful it was. I'm okay with others driving me because I'm able to distract and make myself believe that I'm not actually there. That I'm safe. Yet..."

    She couldn't finish.

    And Cassius didn't force her to.

    As he stared at her, at her absolutely defeated and worn features, he couldn't help but find himself enraptured and drawn in by the sight.

    Moving slowly, he grabbed his notebook full of his drawings and immediately began to swipe his pencil across the paper. Broad strokes and tiny line work filled the canvas, only looking down momentarily since he found it hard to tear his eyes away from (Y/N) in the first place. And when he was done, all he could do was stare at in wonder. Her pain, her absolute defeat—all of it was presented so clearly and stunningly that he wished to preserve it for lifetimes to come.

    "What... why did you draw this?" (Y/N) shook her head in disbelief as she crooked the picture towards her, her expression vacant, however.

    "I just wanted to preserve it," Cassius mumbled truthfully, his eyes boring into her form.

    "I see..."

    Cassius watched as she took the piece and observed it for several seconds longer, her fingers lightly brushing against the surface as if in awe that she was actually the one presented. Finally, she gave it back, and for a moment, looked as if she wouldn't say anything more.

    But then she started to work.

    Cassius watched.

    It wasn't long before a picture of him was on her sheet of paper, a slow smile drawing across his features as her pencil continued to move. However, the longer he stared, the more he could make out a deep sadness inset in his eyes, a fact that irked at him and made him puzzled.

    He couldn't help but point it out.

    "I figured that no one had ever drawn you before..." (Y/N) spoke as she finally finished, turning her gaze upward to meet his.

    "That's true, but..."

    "So, you probably didn't even notice."

    He stared at her.

    "I'm not going to ask what it is or who it was, but—" (Y/N) didn't get a chance to finish when he cut her off altogether.

    "It was my mother."

    "...what?"

    "My mother was the one who taught me how to paint and draw and who inspired so many of my works," Cassius declared, never once tearing his eyes away from (Y/N)'s, the hazel color brimming with an emotion that wasn't entirely clear to her. "But then she died. So, what was I supposed to do after that? Nothing ever felt right. None of my art ever looked as beautiful as it did when she was around."

    (Y/N) was the first to look away.

    She knew that Takeshi's late wife had been an important figure in all of her stepbrothers' lives. And for some reason, she wished the woman was still there alive and breathing.

    "But..." Cassius pulled her back, his gaze soft. "Now I have a new inspiration."

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