THE PRIZED MODEL [R18][Ran x Rindou]

..

Rindou looked around at the enormous sea of people occupying the gallery, with a mixture of awe and disgust. According to his observation- a rather pompous and snobbish one- the vast majority of the onlookers consisted of bored housewives and uninteresting young men, who walked hand in hand with their prospective lovers, aiming to impress them by appearing to be art enthusiasts. He hoped in the deepest of his heart that those men's schemes backfired and they got dumped on their asses the moment they left the gallery.

His mother had declined to go with him, instead agreeing to drop him off at the entrance, then rushed off somewhere she dubbed the "Moist Paradise", whatever that means. This is the first day of the exhibition, for they usually last about a week at most, not that he considers himself fluent in subjects regarding arts to frequently visited the gallery, but rather by his deduction. Nevertheless, he sucked in a breath and was ready to traverse the insufferable crowd.

Inside the gallery is nothing special- white walls expanded endlessly through several winding halls, black granite-covered floors and a high ceiling- a cheap imitation of 19th-century architecture. Countless paintings decorated the walls, some displayed on wooden easels. They are of various themes- from societal depictions to flowery, artistic canvases- with different color mixtures that made his head spin just from observing them from afar. About 15 minutes in and he's already bored out of his mind, and what a shame it was for the person he took an interest in turned out to be one of the fake scholars that plagued the entire New England.

He harbored no hope to have a chance encounter with the artist in this bustling gallery, for perhaps he was a renowned painter and didn't have time to spare for a wandering, insignificant kid; but according to his research he conducted about him, the man was still among the novices. What caught his attention the most was the article regarding his works, which had dubbed him "the man not of sound mind, for not a human being can produce that horrid, hideous and mind-abhorring madness." Unfortunately, the article didn't bother to clarify more on that note and instead change their attention to another nonsensical gossip. It did not contain any images either.

So it came as a surprise to Rindou when he caught sight of the painter himself, loitering around the hall with a bored expression while trying to stifle a yawn.

With a nervous gait, he approached the painter with small, unsure steps. Every step he took, he felt that his heart could leap right out of his chest and made its home in the painter's gentle palms. The desire to hold his hand is so strong that Rindou had to force his hands into his coat's pockets to hide the tremor. 

"Good morning, mister..."

The painter whipped his head around, eyes opened wide as if startled, looked at him as if discovering a brand new species for the first time. The smile blossomed on his thin lips almost made Rindou glance down to check if his heart was still in his chest or not. Ran cleared his throat, ignorant of the flippant of Rindou's heart, and crouched down to his level. From this angle, he could almost taste the sweet almond scent on the artist's collar, with a sprinkle of cinnamon and sandalwood here and there. Despite never having been drunk in his life, Rindou can surely affirm that this is what's being drunk feel like.

"Good morning to you too, Rindou!" I'm really glad you're here!"

How can such a simple man have such an impact on him like this?

"Y-yes, you're the one who invited me after all, and surely it's such a waste of money if I decided not to go."

Excuses, excuses, Rindou. He wondered why he always had to make a fool of himself in the artist's presence- his words got jumbled together and he couldn't stare straight into Ran's gorgeous blazing eyes. He hoped Ran wouldn't think him strange, instead chalking it up to some childish insecurity when meeting a new person.