forum Pheasant Brook (O/O with Icarus!)

Started December 12, 2019 by @GoblinKing

tune

“Please do.” Wilhelm nodded, a small tinge of pink still dusted on his face.

Connor, too, was still blushing lightly, and he ran a hand through his hair, looking back down at his sketchbook.

Wilhelm studied his hands for a bit, which had finally calmed down without his noticing. “…Would it be conceited of me to ask how it looks, though?” He laughed, running his fingers through his hair and cocking his head.

Connor laughed. "Oh, just look, then." He held it out. He had drawn Wilhelm as the other boy had been on the bed, sitting on the blankets and concentrated on the book. Most of the lines were still wispy and sketchy, not yet finished, just mere suggestions of what the drawing would eventually look like.

Wilhelm tentatively took the sketchbook, studying it for a few moments. His face grew steadily more pink the longer he looked at the drawing. “Ah, geez- that’s really.. really good, Connor.” He handed the sketchbook back over to Connor, slipping his hands through his hair once more.

Connor bit his lip a little bit, smiling shyly. "Thanks." he said softly, taking the sketchbook back. "Like ah said, though, yer really…great for drawin'."

Wilhelm smiled, folding his hands in his lap. “Well, I’m glad you think that, Connor.” He remembered the past comments Connor had made about wanting to draw him, the painting, the previous drawings.. “I’m still blown away every time I see your work, though.”

Connor shrugged, picking up his pencil again. He smiled a little bit at Wilhelm. "Thanks." he said again, a shy little smile flashing across his face again.

Wilhelm nodded, running his fingers along his book’s cover. God, I love his smile. He glanced out the window momentarily, going back to his reading.

Connor went back to sketching, starting to firm up the lines.

Wilhelm’s teeth barely caught his lower lip as he read, his concentration finally returning to him.

Connor let out a breath and kept sketching, glancing over at Wilhelm every now and again, trying to capture the exact expression on the other male's face.

The whisper of turning pages filled the room once more as Wilhelm read. His eyes scanned the pages, reaping them for all they were worth. He shifted slightly, adjusting his posture and form.

Connor kept sketching, the faint scratch of his pencil across the paper joining the whisper of Wilhelm's turning pages.

Wilhelm glanced over at Connor after a handful of minutes, watching his pencil move. It was only after a few moments that he looked away, although he wondered what Connor was drawing this time.

Connor kept sketching. He was still working on the drawing of Wilhelm.

Wilhelm slid down on his bed, head propped up on the headboard. He continued to read, now laying down on top of his blankets.

Connor kept sketching, firming up the lines and working to get everything right.

Wilhelm lay partially curled up on his bed, turning the page and continuing to read. He yawned, running a hand down his face.

Connor kept sketching, starting to add a little shading.

“..This man’s writing is infuriating.” Wilhelm groaned, shutting his book. “He’s so.. what’s the word..? He believes that a man in power- in this case, a prince- doesn’t have to be a good person, just.. manipulative and aggressive.” He huffed, rubbing his eyes.

Connor looked up, eyebrows knitting together. "What? Oh my god, tha'…" he frowned. "Tha'…tha's no' righ'." he said slowly.

“I’m fully aware, Connor, but clearly this man has no clear sense of right and wrong, because he goes on to say that the prince’s common people are essentially sheep and will go along with most anything that still benefits their interests- note, of course, that he says when taking over a principality, one must use extreme force to beat the people down instead of gentle, because in that case they can fight back.” Wilhelm ranted, sitting back up and speaking with his hands now. “This man, Machiavelli, is dead and cold in the ground, but still, I feel that that is not punishment enough for what he has said.”

Connor looked away for a moment at that, thinking of his uncle's fists. He swallowed, then looked at Wilhelm again, nodding a little. "Yeah. Ah get it." he said softly.

“He’s fucking vile, in my opinion.” Wilhelm huffed, picking his book back up. “What’s worse is that this is a political treatise, it was written for one specific man in power.”

Connor scoffed under his breath. "Jesus." he muttered. "Tha's…damn it. Who?" he asked, looking at Wilhelm.

“Ah, let me see..” Wilhelm checked around in some marked pages. “Ah- here you go: Lorenzo de' Medici. Italian, just like Niccolò himself.”

"Yuck." Connor made a face. "Wonder if my uncle's read that." he muttered under his breath, shaking his head a little bit.

Wilhelm looked at Connor with a concerned look on his face, his head tilted. “What was that?”

"Ah. Nothing." Connor shook his head again. "Ah'm just…talkin' t' m'self. Nothin' for yeh ta worry about."