Laureate || OiSuga

10

Kōshi was cold, as always, but he was in the school studio which meant absolutely no wearing sweaters- Kenjirō had hugged him after working on a ceramics project while he was wearing his favourite sweater and it took him weeks to get all of the clay out of the knitting.

He rolled up the sleeves to his only long-sleeve shirt he was willing to sacrifice, preparing his supplies and sitting on his stool. The easel before him bore an empty canvas, and for once in his life, Kōshi was unsure of what to paint.

He took out his headphones and played some of Keiji's music, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. He kept his eyes closed as he sketched- a habit which Kiyoomi despised. He swore it wasn't out of jealousy, but Kōshi knew the second he opened his eyes there one of his closest friends would be, glaring and blushing slightly at being caught.

He always drew what he was painting first, which Kiyoomi worked through putting paint down first and building with finer and finer details as time progressed.

When Kōshi opened his eyes, he saw a silhouette of a man on the canvas before him, with a hand gripping his chin and flowers in his hair, hair that flowed freely.

It took Kōshi a moment to realize that it was the man he had seen at the opera a few nights previous, and he was surprised he remembered exactly what he looked like. He had been truly ethereal, after all, though Kōshi wondered why he left out the man's glasses.

He decided that it was best not to add them, as he had a tendency to overdo it and ruin paintings when he kept adding details. He mixed his paints, preparing a violent shade of red for the flowers, adamant that they were the same shade as the flowers the other man had held in his hands and the colour of the hair of his companion.

Kōshi painted, not a speck of paint touching his skin or his clothes, as he spent more time concentrating on this piece than most. He wanted to attempt to capture the beauty of the brunette, though he thoroughly believed that nothing could even pale in comparison. He was one of the most beautiful people Kōshi had ever seen, and he put every ounce of that into his piece.

He stayed late that night; even Kiyoomi had gone home by the time Kōshi decided that it was finished. He took a few photos of it before letting it dry on a different easel, this one in a far corner away from everything else. He didn't want anything to happen to this piece- he had slaved over it more than any other he'd completed.

It was one in the morning by the time Kōshi got back to his apartment, and he had left at nine the morning previous. He was exhausted, and he ignored Daichi and Yui in the living room on his way to his bedroom.

He posted his favourite two photos he had taken earlier, followed by T.O.'s newest poem. Kōshi thought it fit the piece almost perfectly, for the man was more beautiful than any star Kōshi had ever seen in the night sky.