𝐂𝐇𝐈𝐀𝐑𝐎𝐒𝐂𝐔𝐑𝐎 ↳ ⊹ ° . ᵐᵃᵗᶜʰᵃᵇˡᵒˢˢᵒᵐ

chapter 3.

"Thanks for the meal, it was amazing!" Kaoru exclaimed, contented (and a little out of breath from climbing the castle's steep stairs).

"Trust me, this is nothing compared to my handmade antipasti." Kojiro responded with a smirk.

"Oh, so you like cooking then?" The painter asked, looking his king in the eye.

"I do it every so often, it gets things off my mind. My mother taught me, actually." The green haired man explained, sparks of golden light exploding in his eyes as he talked about what Kaoru op could only guess he loved most.

The pink haired man just hummed in response, and a comfortable silence took over the corridor in which they were now walking. Well that was until Kaoru realised that he had no idea of where he was going.

"Hold up- where exactly are you taking me?" He asked, stopping dead in his tracks.

"Well, you're here to work aren't you?" Kojiro flashed a smug grin. "I'm gonna test you, I can't simply go around feeding you without your work in return now can I?"

"Test me?"

"You'll be painting something of my choice, and then I'll decide how we'll work on my painting. Do I make myself clear?" The purple eyed man asked.

"Absolutely." Kaoru answered, feeling a buzzing sensation in his fingers as he imagined the way the brush would feel in his hands. He could almost see the canvas before him, and a warm soft feeling took over his brain as he thought of all the wonders which he could realise. "Crystal clear."

"Well, that's unexpected. You seem pretty excited to work." Kojiro noticed, a puzzled expression on his face.

"I don't work to live, I live to work." The painter took a step towards his king, his golden eyes shimmering in what could almost be a look of challenge. "Lead the way."

"Your wish is my command." The green haired man hummed, walking straight towards a small green door. He opened it, and rays of sunlight broke into the hallway. "After you."

What Kaoru saw behind those doors was beyond words. He was speechless yet again, and Kojiro kept his bored expression, seemingly unfazed.

"What would you want me to paint, my lord?" The painter asked, turning to Kojiro, his eyes still filled with all the amazement in the world.

"Whatever you may like. Find your muse." The king said, motioning at the room.

"Well then, your highness, pose for me."

Kojiro sighed. "No, I won't. You've barely even met me, and I don't have that kind of inspiring and emotional aura that just shines brightly even to strangers - I'm not like you. So please, just... pick something else and save yourself the trouble." He chuckled, but his purple eyes shone with a hint of disappointment. Kaoru, of course, noticed none of it, too blinded by the generosity of the compliment which the king himself gave him to even respond. As he felt pink grow to his cheeks, he simply nodded and turned around, casting his choice onto a snowbell tree, and got to work.

And so he painted, drew divine strokes along the lines of leaves, ethereal shapes in the form of branches, and added heavenly reflections of the sun, letting a scene of pure and raw beauty take place on his canvas. And even, it was more than just beautiful, in fact the word would have been an insult. No, what he painted was... life. His works respired, breathed, and lived just as you and I. It was so much greater than just art.

And for the first time that day, Kaoru wasn't the surprised one.

Kojiro slowly raised his hand to his agape mouth before murmuring "to your chambers, now."

The painter did as he was told, and joined his room. After struggling to find it for about a half hour, he finally plopped down on his bed and covered his eyes with his arm, dazzled by the sunlight. He couldn't help but wonder if he had done something wrong to offend his king. He couldn't help but dread that very possibility. Even if he wanted the opinion of this virtual stranger who tried to kill him to be the least of his worries, it wasn't. And that wasn't new to him. Which made him even angrier. He laid down on his bed, and looked at the beautifully painted ceiling. Man, I wish I could paint like that.

—

Knock knock...

"The door's open!" Kaoru barked, sitting up from his bed on which he had been half asleep for god knows how long.

The door opened.

"Sorry." Kojiro came in, and he looked small, shy, perhaps embarrassed? What he was feeling was as hard to tell for the painter as for him. "Um..." he started, and he wasn't really looking at Kaoru but he wasn't really looking down either. "I wanted to... make an offer."

"Go on." The painter whispered, as though he wasn't sure whether he needed to talk.

"Would you like to become my official painter?"

"Your what?"

Kojiro didn't respond. He kept quiet and looked Kaoru straight in the eyes, his previous shyness replaced with a bold confidence that was so raw it was irresistible. Kaoru couldn't say no.

"I- it would be an honor to serve you, my lord." The painter replied, bowing. He didn't know why he did it, didn't really understand why his lips acted before his brain's say-so, but he was already back up and staring into the green haired man's eyes, with stars in his eyes. He knew it was already late to turn back.

"Kojiro, please. If you're going to work closely with me from now on you might as well get comfortable with me." The king announced.

"I hardly think that would be appropriate, my lord." The painter replied. You did try to kill me earlier in the day, mister Kojiro.

The green haired man sighed. "Whatever you say."

A/n: HOMIES OMG ITS BEEN SO LONG I CRY- so y'all even remember me- probs not lol 😍😍 anyways i've been super busy with exams this past year and i've had like 0 time to update this book so sorry about any mistakes, im still getting warmed up w the writing 😦😦 anyways i'll update the one shots soon (hopefully), but since my exams aren't over yet i won't be vv consistent w updates. see y'all soonnnnn <33333