Expression

Chapter Twenty-six

content warning for not great use of alcohol, please be safe y'all

Kakyoin decided to finish the painting from memory. Marco didn't really want to go back to the park yet, which was understandable. It had been a minor spectacle, and after all that attracting too much public attention seemed dangerous. There was no way of guaranteeing some other stand user wouldn't show up.

He still had to finish the series though, and he needed Marco as a reference for the other paintings. He approached Marco about a week later."I know you're not performing anymore for now, but can I ask to paint you taking on and off the makeup you use for your shows?"

Marco answered this with a soft hm . It wasn't that he was necessarily opposed to the concept, but he didn't like when people saw his natural face. Even now, a thin layer of makeup retraced the contours of his face in a way he found more presentable. Still, it was rude to decline, and he did enjoy the idea that art would exist of him.

"Yes, I suppose that's alright. How many more do you need, again?"

"Four. So I'll need one more after that, but I don't have an idea what I want it to be about."

"Alright, sure. When's this project due, anyways?"

"Halfway through the semester. I have time."

"Well, sure but why waste it?" Kakyoin shifted uncomfortably when he said this. "Well, you don't mind working on these earlier, do you? If you're not too busy right now."

"Yeah, whenever you want."

So that's how he is. Certainly not in a rush, but it's not as if he doesn't want to get this done, either. Just hard for him to start on his own, probably. "Saturday, if that's alright?"

Kakyoin agreed, and Saturday came. He welcomed him into his apartment.

"What?" he asked as Kakyoin looked around as if incredulous.

"Oh, I just hadn't expected your home to be so... minimalist."

That was certainly one way of putting it. There were no decorations, all the furniture just what was necessary and very basic. Even the bookshelves had hardly any more than textbooks, and the television is the corner was coated in more than a few layers of dust. Damn... I forgot to clean that. "Ah. I just... never expected to have visitors over. So I didn't decorate or anything."

"Aren't there at least things you think are pretty? Or anything you're interested in?"

Marco shrugged. "I mean, yeah. I have some books." He gestured over to a half-empty shelf with a couple psychology textbooks and some volumes of poetry. Kakyoin's face seemed to ask that's all? but he didn't say anything more about it.

"Well, anyways, I'm ready to begin if you are." His makeup table, in the corner, had barely been cleaned earlier of the countless foundation smudges on its plain wood surface. Taking a seat in his chair, he waited for Kakyoin to set up his canvas.

"You know, I actually did want to bring a piano here."

"Oh? Why not, then? Is it too expensive?"

"No, that's not it, I just—I don't know. I just didn't."

"Well, there is the music building on campus. I'm sure they have several you could practice with."

Marco winced. "To be honest, I'm not a fan of practicing in public. Or where anyone might see me. My personae are all finished products."

"... Huh." Kakyoin adjusted his canvas, placing it into position.