You're My Canvas

Doodles by kingsofspring

Most days Dan wore black. Somehow it didn't come off as goth or punk, so his friends unanimously put Dan in a category of his own. Sort of.

Phil, the really tall kid with dorky anime shirts, was Dan's best friend. Honestly not counting the admirers (most of the school), Phil was his only friend.

Study hall was the only class Dan and Phil had together. Most days, the two would talk, oblivious of the to the whispers and jealous stares.

Currently Dan had his earbuds in, probably listening to High School Musical, Phil thought.

He doodled geometric shapes on his paper, but they all came out slightly lopsided. Phil sighed and moved on to his arm, drawing a different type of sword on each finger.

A few boring minutes later, Phil wished he hadn't. it would have looked so much cooler if he had drawn a skeleton arm.

Phil pulled out one of Dan's earbuds. "Give me your arm," he whispered.

Dan raised his eyebrows but complied. His right arm was limp in Phil's left.

Using his thinnest black market, he started at Dan's elbow. Carefully he drew ink bones on Dan's skin. This counts as studying, Phil thought. It's for biology.

He looked up and saw Dan watching, bemused but not bothering to move away. Dan's fringe was doing that dumb thing were it fell over his eyes, and Phil had to look away.

Not because he thought it was adorable or anything.

Satisfied that he had sort of drawn 27 bones, Phil added cross hatching to make it look more realistic. Each time he glanced at the diagram he had pulled up on his phone, Phil saw several people look away.

Phil finished shading the final bone. Exhilarated, Phil tapped on Dan's shoulder. "Turn around," he said.

Sighing loudly Dan got up and straddled his chair backwards.

Shit, Phil thought, I didn't think of what to draw. He pulled out a red marker and tapped it on the desk until inspiration struck.

Nothing is more ironic than old fashioned tattoos. Phil drew over-stylized flowers just above the elbow. Vines trailed down Dan's forearm, one looping around his wrist like barbed wire.

Dan snorted in ironic appreciation.

Scooting his chair over slightly, Phil wrote HOPE on his knuckles in punk rock lettering.

After drawing a bloody cross, there was only one spot left on Dan's arm, just above his wrist.

Phil thought for a few moments, then giggled. He uncapped the red pen and drew a red heart.

It looked empty so he added AP, (AmazingPhil), his screen name.

The bell rang. "Can I wash this shit off now?" Dan asked, not sounding very irritated.

"Nope!" Phil said brightly.

By lunchtime six very nervous people had asked Phil if Dan was going with Amy Patterson.

PJ laughed "We all know who it's really for" Chris raised his eyebrows.

"You're quite the artist AmazingPhil," he said.

Privately Phil thought that Dan's slender arm did most of the work.