a messy canvas

Musings [Tronnor]

Stereotypes were molds you could never break away from. That was the thing with growing up, labels of any sort were always lingering around.

With arms forever dusted by faded doodles made in sharpie, at least a dozen nail polish bottles that called their bedroom home, and notebooks filled to the brim with codes they made to ensure the safety of their secrets, there was never an escape from the questioning glances for Troye.

The icing on top of society's cake had to be when Troye made the decision to go by they/them pronouns. Their parents had been completely supportive of the choice (which they were forever grateful for) as for the rest of the neighborhood, the adjustment wasn't taken so welcomingly.

Amongst the reticule they would receive, especially now that they were in high school (their junior year to be precise, which Troye honestly thought would've given people time to at least be a bit open to them and other 'labels' but that's beside the point) only one peer of theirs stood out as going above and beyond towards breaking the expectations they developed over this town's views over the course of them opening up about their identity.

That kind soul was none other than Connor Franta, the boy known for his deep appreciation for sunsets for none of them could be depicted the same yet were always a sight to see, making up poems to mumble under his breath in times of stress, and his round framed glasses with two small cracks alongside the top of one of the lenses.

The two of them would always send each other glances of acknowledgement, such as small smiles when one was going through a tough day to glistening eyes filled with pride over any particular action one of them would perform.

Connor and Troye only had art class together, which just so happened to be the favorite for them both for more reasons than one. Troye found this to be perfect to let their creativity run wild, while Connor used this to reflect quietly on what was going on in life and how to let his feelings to be released from their containment.

Rather than let the students be to themselves as usual, their teacher decided to switch things up a bit. The assignment was rather simple: to pick a student in the class and learn about how they depicted art and what significance something in particular held to them, which you would then use to create a piece combining both the partner's style and your own.

Seeing as the two had this unspoken connection, working together was a lovely thought in both of their minds. However, carrying out these perfect pictures they envisioned wasn't going to be so easy.

Connor and Troye's art styles couldn't be more different, which was proving to be a major obstacle towards combining the musings together into one coherent piece. While Troye had their works recklessly burst with the most vibrantly colored splashes and swirls formulated in spontaneous placement, Connor was very precise in how his monochrome works were brought to life, sometimes spending days etching details to ensure they were exactly as he wanted them to appear.

"I don't get it.." Troye remarked that Monday afternoon. "We seem so similar in character, yet our perspectives towards making art couldn't clash more."

"Just because we're alike in viewpoints doesn't necessarily mean we are exact duplicates." Connor responded thoughtfully. "What do you think our message should be in our shared piece?"

"Well, do we want to have the same focal point carried out or differing ones?"

"It really depends on the overall subject."