his lemurian princess.

and there he was, perched at his artist's ladder, facing a large canvas that covered nearly half of the studio wall. rafayel was so absorbed in his work that he didn't notice sylus at all.

rafayel stood on the last rung, adding the final touches with slow, deliberate strokes. the painting was nearly complete—colors settled, details refined, only the smallest adjustments left to make it feel perfect. he let out a soft, theatrical sigh, stepping down from the ladder and straightening slightly to take in the canvas, tilting his head as if the colors themselves held a secret.

that was when he felt it—the unmistakable weight of another presence. he froze mid-step, hand hovering over the brush.

"sylus?" his voice was soft, almost breathless, a faint dramatic flair in his wide-eyed gaze.

sylus smirked faintly, stepping closer, bouquet in hand. "you're almost done. thought i'd come see my genius at work," he said, voice smooth, teasing.

rafayel blinked, then reached for the flowers. "for me?" he murmured, taking the bouquet. he placed it gently on a nearby table, fingers lingering briefly on the petals before returning to the canvas, a small smile softening his expression.

"consider this your reward," rafayel said, a playful gleam in his eyes. "since you brought me flowers… do you want to add something to the painting?"

sylus raised an eyebrow, smirking. "me? on your masterpiece? don't get your hopes up. i'm terrible." he leaned slightly against the edge of the table, glancing at the canvas with mock seriousness.

rafayel chuckled softly, tilting his head. "that's fine. sometimes the imperfect is the most… meaningful."

sylus picked up a red brush and a purple one—colors that somehow felt them. carefully, though awkwardly, he colored the little bird red and the fish purple. the shapes were messy, the lines uneven, but somehow it made the canvas feel warmer, more alive.

he muttered under his breath, "told you i'm bad…"

rafayel's smile deepened, almost theatrically. he crouched slightly, eyes soft, carefully adding his signature just beside the small additions, leaving the red bird and purple fish untouched at the bottom right corner of the canvas. "it belongs," he said, letting the words hang in the air like a quiet declaration.

sylus let out a small, fond laugh, shaking his head. "of course it does." he leaned a little closer to look at rafayel's finishing touches, shoulders relaxed.

rafayel straightened, sighing in pure satisfaction, then stepped forward. he wrapped sylus in a gentle, lingering hug. sylus stiffened for a moment—then relaxed, his arms settling around rafayel as he rested his chin on his shoulder.

when they pulled back slightly, rafayel brushed a strand of hair from sylus' face, leaned in slowly, and pressed a soft, tender kiss to his lips. sylus closed his eyes briefly, a faint smile tugging at his lips, letting the moment linger.