(A/N: I'm so sorry for taking forever to do this request! I'd tell you how busy I was but that's just a waste of space
(also all early readers, i just fixed the spacing)
Requested by AlibiAstronaut)
I rounded yet another hallway of the school. This art project was due in a month, and I still hadn't found a subject yet. Other people in my class had chosen simple things like nature or their favorite show, but I wanted to do something else. My eyes wandered the walls of the school, hoping to glean some kind of inspiration from one of the lackluster posters. I sighed, stopping at the window. I leaned onto the sill, looking out.
The bell rang.
I might just have to settle for drawing a bird. Again.
Class was a snoozefest as usual. I was a close friend of Makoto, though, so it didn't much matter if I caught some shut-eye during class. She'd reluctantly share her notes with me at the end of the day.
Lunch was the same. I stared blankly at the vending machines. Could I put a spin on one of those soda brands? I mentally smacked myself. That's... so dumb.
Back to class I went, this time without Makoto. She had math during this hour while I had english. Instead of making us pull out our textbooks immediately, Kawakami pulled in another student. She didn't look as bored as usual. If anything, a bit irked. I turned my gaze to the new student.
Oh my.
It seems I've found my muse.
~ le time skip brought to you by area 51's aliens ~
I couldn't take my eyes off of him the whole time. He had to have felt the burning in his back from my intense stare, but I was glad he ignored it.
He was on his phone a couple of times during class, texting someone. I couldn't see who it was from here.
Class ended, and he stood up, his bag already on his shoulder. I blinked, picking my head up from where it rested on my hand.
I moved my jaw around, unused to not having my hand ground into it. I swung my bag onto my shoulder and followed him.
It really wasn't until he was climbing the stairs to the roof did it occur to me that perhaps this was a bit inappropriate. I spied a shock of blond hair through the door, recognizing it instantly. It was Ryuji. He would see me if the new kid didn't.
I reluctantly turned away.
~ le time skip brought to you by my new alien puss ~
It was hopeless.
At night, I tossed and turned. I couldn't stop thinking about him. I wanted a brush in my hand and a canvas in front of me, pronto. I wanted him to pose for me and let my imagination run wild.
I pushed myself up. I clicked on my phone to check the time. 3:04. I groaned. The night was never going to end this way.
I crawled out of bed, shivering as the cold air hit my body. I wandered blindly through the darkness, waving my hands in front of me to navigate. I found the lightswitch and clicked it on. A dim light filled my room, and I squinted, waiting for my eyes to adjust.
I spied a stray paper on the floor and scooped it up, scanning the room for a pencil. When I found one, I began to sketch.
And sketch.
And sketch.
But nothing really came of it. I couldn't understand what the problem was. I was great with faces. I remembered his to a T, but for some reason I just couldn't put it down on paper. I scribbled over the most recent sketch where his eyes blankly bore into mine. Something was missing.
~ le time skip brought to you by i actually love discord so much like the lewdbot is so awful but so good ~
Class came again the next day and I arrived early, despite my inconsistent sleep the night before. I needed as much time as I could with him. He entered the classroom much later than I did, but still on time, I noted happily. The second he sat down in his chair, I threw myself into my work. My pencil scratched across the notebook in front of me, trying to capture what I was missing before.
5 minutes passed.
10 minutes passed.
20 minutes passed.
I threw down my pencil in frustration, ignoring the looks I got. Nothing was going the way I wanted it to! No matter how many times I drew him, no matter which angle I drew from, the picture itself didn't seem to change. There was still something in it that just didn't feel like... him.
That sounds so stupid, I literally don't even know him, how would I know?
I spent the rest of class just staring at him. I was going to find what I was missing if it was the last thing I did.
Class ended and I was up in a second, glaring at him expectantly, like it was his fault for not giving up his secrets. He headed to the rooftop again. I bit my lip. Ryuji was up there, again. Was this some kind of tryst? Why the rooftop, of all places? I shook my head. I'd leave if I got uncomfortable.
I peered through the door's window at the two of them. They chatted for a bit. I couldn't squash the disappointment in me. What did I expect anyway? I turned to leave.
But... the world around me warped. I gazed in awe as the stairs before me puckered and bloated. Red filled my vision.
And then, I was somewhere else.
I whipped my head around to see that I was by the gates of the... not school. It was undeniably the same roads to the right and left of me, but this castle before me was decidedly not Shujin.
"(Y-Y/N)?!?!? What are you doing here!?" a voice exclaimed. I looked over. Some thugs in weird masks stared back at me.
I smiled back at them and waltzed over, my eyes glittering in excitement. "Where is here?"
~ le time skip brought to you by also i cant do pls gayp on the dankmemer bot anymore n im p sad about it ~
A month later
I handed in my project today. No, I didn't end up doing that bird like I thought I would. I found that thing that was missing, I guess. It's hard to describe.
The painting itself was... vaguely Akira-like, but all of the inspiration came from Joker. Sure, they're the same person but... I don't know, I get different vibes, I suppose. There was a haze throughout the painting, shrouding his figure in darkness. Red accents tied most of it together---I can thank the Metaverse itself for that. There's another part to it that just came out of the brush, but I'm not sure which part of me it came from.
Point is, I'm glad I didn't hand in another bird.
The bell rang.
I grabbed my things and headed to my lunch spot. Akira, Ryuji, and Ann have joined Makoto and I at our lunch spot, and I had a weird feeling this group would grow.
I turned the corner. "(Y/N)!" a familiar voice speaks behind me, unusually close. I blink in surprise and shift the slightest. It's my muse. I smiled faintly. "Hey, how'd the painting go?" he grinned widely, "Can I see it now?"
We walked together towards the table. I bit my lip. "Ah... sorry, Akira, I already turned it in."
He visibly deflated next to me, "And after all those hours I spent posing..." I patted his shoulder.
"You'll live."
Truth be told, it felt a little personal to show him how I saw him: mysterious, deep, and utterly captivating.
~ le time skip brought to you by my throbbing cock i bought 50% off at Kohl's ~
My phone buzzed in my pocket. I blinked, startled out of the haze I had fallen into. I was surprised I hadn't fallen asleep yet. I pulled it out of my pocket.It was a text from Akira. I opened my phone, lazily typing in the code.
Akira: i saw the painting
My heart dropped. I took a deep breath. Chill out, it's not like he's gonna glean anything from it. I typed out a hopefully casual-sounding reply.
Me: You did?
The texting bubble popped up not long after.
Akira: yeah, im gonna be honest its not what i expected
I sighed. Well, what did he expect?
Me: I'm sorry, I got a little carried away.
There was no response for a bit. Did my wording scare him off? My thumbs twirled over the keyboard, ready to tap out another apology.
Akira: am i really that scary?
Me: What?
Akira: thats the vibe i get from the painting
Me: Oh, gosh, that's not what I intended at all! It was meant to be more mysterious, if anything.
Akira: im mysterious ;)
I laughed lightly, happy to have kept him.
Me: And full of yourself.
Akira: well i think i can clear up the mystery
Me: Oh yeah?
Akira: meet me at leblanc afterschool tomorrow?
My smile grew wider than I thought it could.
Me: I'd love to.
A/N: ack this was short but i hope you enjoyed ! :)