✓ | ✩ louis partridge imagines ✩

venus / p.m.

"you have to get the shading right because she looks ugly. unless that's what you're going for, a self portrait?" your older brother, sandro, snorted. he was sat on the other end of the table, peering over at your sketch with a slice of bread in his hand. 

"i obviously know that, you know i'm not done yet. now get back to your breakfast and mind your own business," you rolled your eyes. 

"sei una sfigata," he snickered. (you're a loser) 

"e tu, cara fratello, sei una testa di cazzo. vai a quel paese," you shot back. (and you, dear brother, you're a dickhead. go to hell.)

"if i'm going to hell, you're coming with me. i think you're forgetting that you're an artist too," he jested.

realization of what he said dawned on you and you immediately burst into laughter, any aggression that was once in the room now fading away. 

your brother, sandro botticelli, was one of florence's most renowned artists. while some of his work was religious, he dabbled in more secular art and was commissioned by a lot of wealthy families. you had just recently began to follow in his footsteps and you had even been commissioned from a few prestigious families yourself. 

the obvious downside was that secular art was frowned upon, savonarola being one of the more renowned figures who openly showed his distaste for humanism and secular art. his lame attempts of convincing the public that artists were to go to hell were anything but comforting, but he wasn't the one paying the bills.

your parents had died shortly after you were born, leaving you under sandro's wardship. the two of you lived in via nuova where your brothers, giovanni and simone, once lived before they got married and moved away to the country side. you loved all of your brothers, but one was more than enough to deal with, so you were glad it was just you and sandro left. 

with the money he made, it wasn't very hard for him to support just the two of you, but you had been working as his apprentice and he figured that it was your turn to shine and try your hand at commissioned work, instead of random pieces that were left frameless in your workshop. plus, it's not like the extra money would hurt.

after the two of you caught your breath, you went back to your piece as sandro got up and wandered over to the shelves where your paints were stored. you eyed him curiously, watching as he lifted a few jars to inspect them, before tucking them away in the leather case he used to store them in during travel.

"have you got somewhere to be?" you questioned.

"actually, we have somewhere to be," he chirped, emphasizing the 'we' while you raised an eyebrow. 

"and where might that be?" 

"don't tell me you've forgotten."

"it seems that i have. now are you going to tell me?"

"lorenzo's commissioned us to paint the medici annual portraits. now that you're proficient enough in portraiture, i'm going to need you to help me even out the workload. after all, there's quite a lot of people in that family."

you stood up with a sigh, closing the leather cover of your sketchbook. making your way over to the wooden wardrobe by the door, you retrieved your cloak, before throwing it over your red gown. walking back towards where sandro was with his travel case of items, you stifled a laugh as he struggled to shut it.

"oh shut up, will you?"

"i didn't even say anything!" 

"i saw it in your beady little eyes that you were about to," he muttered.