雨宮蓮

♔   he makes haste to meet up with ren once more , being sure to lock his dorm room on his way out . though being one to actually attend kosei ; walking though the dormitory usually rendered silence . it wasn’t exactly that everyone there hated him   ( though he definitely carried a reputation from being a pupil of madarame both before and after his change of heart ) ,   there was just no acknowledgement . not a glance in his direction , not a single wave . it was more like he was entirely    invisible    to them . 

it didn’t seem to bother him at all , though . 

“ certainly , “   he nods in regard to ren once he reaches him again .   “ central street , correct ? “

Ren could recall a time when Yusuke had mentioned that the other students at Kosei didn’t really speak to him, and that much was evident right before his eyes as Yusuke wasn’t really greeted or regarded by anyone. But he had people who cherished and accepted him after seeing him at his lowest points, so the opinions of random strangers really didn’t seem to matter to him. Ren could relate. He felt proud of Yusuke for that.

“Yeah,” Ren replied as they began to make their way to Shibuya, “bunch of places there.”

He still wasn’t the most familiar with Tokyo’s bustling city areas, but after working his various part-time jobs and running around at the whims of his friends and confidants, he was certainly getting there. It was only a matter of time until Ren became a real city slicker, really.

@kasumirae​ said: "Senpai, do you have time after school? If it's not too much to ask, can I watch how you make your coffee?"

♔   that look ren had in his eyes — that was the look that was simultaneously warm and kind , but also hinted that he wouldn’t take    ‘ no ‘    for an answer . although , knowing yusuke , it wasn’t as if he would actually decline the offer of a meal . 

“ let us walk about shibuya and decide . it would be nice to get some air . “   the biggest benefit of shibuya was definitely its bustling scenery during most times of the day . while he wasn’t sure it would strike any kind of inspiration given his current mindset , there was no harm in the walk regarless .  he glances down to paint-stained hands . how unprofessional — he’s usually much neater in his works .   “ allow me to wash up first , i’ll meet you outside the dorms . “   

Ren nodded, agreeing to give Yusuke his space. He was careful not to step over any of Yusuke’s paints on his way out, though the place was such a disaster zone he was almost sure it wouldn’t make much difference.

He waited for Yusuke at Kosei’s dorm room entrance outside. Some random Kosei students heading into the men’s dorm area briefly regarded him, likely because his Shujin Academy uniform stood out, but they pretty much gave it little to no thought. There were some muttering over all the weird rumors surrounding Shujin... but it was pretty tame compared to all the shit-talking he’d endured when he had first transferred to Tokyo. Not that it had mattered much to him in a first place.

“I see, that’s great that you can understand him to the point you can tell that. Also I’ll keep that between ourselves, I believe that if he’s not doing anything disruptive then he should be allowed to attend as well.

Although do you think he would mind if I went to pet him? I tend to have a love-hate relationship with cats, I like them but they tend to hate me for some reason…”

*He would be thinking about their current topic when Ren reminded him why they’re there. So after thinking about it for a moment he would allow himself to grin.*

“I do and it’s one of the few activities I think I’m quite good at.”

“You’re a real one, Doc.” At least some teachers were out here fighting for cat rights. Really, it was just too sad to leave Morgana at home all day... plus, Ren was constantly gathering intel for Phantom Thief operations throughout the day, be it at school or around the city, so it was a given to ensure that Morgana was included. He did recall the story about Maruki getting scratched up by a cat he was trying to help... But it just suited Maruki’s bumbling nature so well that he’d get into a little trouble with a stray, almost like he was a character from some kind of slapstick comedy series. He definitely deserved to enjoy the comfort of cats now and then, Ren thought. Ren owed him for a lot of things -- and now, so did Morgana.

“I’ll do you one better,” Ren offered, pulling Morgana out of his bag and holding him up to Maruki. “You can hold him. As thanks.” The last part was emphasized -- not so much for Maruki’s understanding, but for Morgana to get the hint that Ren would be very cross with him later on if he were to hurt Maruki right now in any way.

He felt a little impressed, though. Maruki, good at darts? It was a stylish activity that required good precision and coordination. Maruki didn’t strike him as that type of person, but hey, everyone had a hidden nature. Ren probably knew that just as well as Maruki did.

♔   “ i suppose you’re right . “   no — he was definitely right . while it’s true that he wanted to be the kind of artist that create pieces that others could understand and feel themselves , it was only a waste of everyone’s time if his own heart wasn’t in it . he thinks back to    the sayuri ;    after all , anyone with even the slightest knowledge of art or art therapy would see that it was a painting made out of passion and not just out of a need to create something to display .   “ you’re much more knowledgeable thank your lack of vocalization makes you seem . “   that could have been a back-handed compliment in some context , but knowing yusuke , it was deeply genuine . 

gaze returning to the other at his last remark , and he lets the slightest chuckle leave his lips .   “ i owe you a great deal , ren . you have my thanks . “

“Thanks,” Ren said with a chuckle, rubbing at the back of his head, “I think.” 

It was easy to poke a little fun at Yusuke because of how blissfully blunt he could be, but Ren understood what Yusuke meant. He really did. And it meant a lot that Yusuke was willing to take his thoughts seriously, regardless of whether Ren was his leader or not. Outside of the Metaverse, they were just regular friends. If Yusuke had continued to hurt himself like that... Well, they’d probably be throwing hands right about now, to put it simply. It wasn’t that Ren wanted to impose himself on Yusuke or tell him what to do, but there were some things that were just unacceptable in his eyes. 

♔   ren was right , and he was well aware of that . perhaps this was just the kind of situation that’d birthed the trope of the suffering artist — and the starving artist counterpart . eyes return to the canvas before him , but he doesn’t reach for his brushes again . there’s no potential in saving this piece . he’ll have to start over .   “ what a pity … “   he murmurs , primarily to himself . 

“ where have i gone wrong with this piece ? it seems that i had started out so confident that this piece could portray such grandiose power . like one would feel when looking over from the top of a mountain , or the front of a protest — or the entrance of a palace . “   his voice trails off , arms crossed at his torso with defeat in his eyes .   “ when did these colors become so dull and lifeless ? “   that lack of inspiration had struck him often these days ; and if anything , it made him feel useless as an artist . of course , many artists go through a block , but it was unlike yusuke to feel this sort of nervousness . 

“I’m sorry. It can’t be easy...” Ren said, sympathetic as he placed a hand on Yusuke’s shoulder in a gesture that he hoped might be something reassuring. He wasn’t an artist or anything, but he did know what it was like to force yourself to work hard on something that your heart wasn’t into. It must have been even harder with art, where one was most moved by inspiration. That didn’t come cheap. It was something priceless. If one searched too hard for it, they’d end up just getting lost, losing their sense of purpose.

“If you want my opinion,” Ren started, “you should create art because you like it, right? Passion makes a world of difference... but it has to come from you. No one else.” He shrugged. Ren didn’t know how it was with art... but that was what made most sense to him. A passionate piece that came from the soul left the strongest impression on an audience. "Whatever you throw at us when you’re ready, I’m sure it’ll be a privilege, Yusuke.” 

“...Besides, I’m not letting you even think about touching a paintbrush again until you eat something. It’s my treat.”

♔   the brush in his grasp completely freezes . ever the leader he was , ren had one of those voices that was difficult to disobey . opposing hand reaches up to run through navy hair with a deflated sigh . perhaps he was right — making this difficult would not produce the desired results . dulled grey eyes graze over his canvas ;    he hates it .    but , he turns to face the other before he gives himself the chance to start over . 

“ i apologize … however , the gallery reception is in merely three days . i wish to make a name for myself through this piece . i was former student of madarame . i need to have something to show for that . “   resting his paintbrush back on a nearby table , he subconsciously picks at his nail beds , a habit he had as a child that he thought he’d overcome . perhaps it had just been quite some time since he’d felt this kind of pressure ; usually the one to curb nervousness without a problem .

“Yusuke...”

Ren’s disposition softened considerably. Of course, he understood Yusuke’s plight. Sometimes working under pressure was unavoidable... Especially when Yusuke was already having issues with his art, worrying that he was beginning to stagnate. People had high expectations for him. But this was just something Ren simply couldn’t let slip by without putting a stop to it.

 @shujinroyal​ said: Sneaks up on him just like she did in Hawaii. "Konnichi.......WA!".

Ren felt a presence aimed directly towards him and quickly deduced that he was being watched closely by someone. Who, though? It couldn’t have been Akechi -- for all of his deceits, he was more the type to hide in plain sight than sneak around someone who was as attuned to his surroundings as Ren was. Were the cops finally onto him? And here Ren thought he had been doing a good job of acting the model student, keeping his head down and his grades up. Was there some kind of slip-up? A betrayal? No, Ren trusted each and every one of his confidants who were in on his double life as though he laid his life in their hands. So who? How?

...Oh. It was Yoshizawa messing with him again. How was she so good at that? Ren was starting to think she might have what it takes to be the leader of the Phantom Thieves herself if she was able to pull one over on him like that.

"Oof,” Ren muttered, sweating slightly. “Got me good this time, eh?”

Could one blame him, though? He’d never seen Yoshizawa hanging around Yongen-jaya unless it was to hang out at Leblanc, and he was currently stopping to grab some ingredients real quick for Sojiro. Usually the only people here were the other residents of Yongen themselves. Or the local cats. They were cool.

askbox meme .

@rainylotus​​​ asked:

“Don’t you realize you deserve more than this?”

♔   “ preposterous ! i don’t even know what you’re talking about — “   obvious harshness in his tone , he doesn’t even bother to look up from his canvas . hands are covered in cuts and paint , and he looks like he hadn’t slept properly in a while . but he needs to get this painting done ; and it needs to be up to the gallery’s standards to match what used to be under madarame’s name . 

“Come on, Yusuke,” Ren sighed, adjusting his glasses with some ambiguity to his movements. “Get up.”

The leader of the Phantom Thieves was not the kind of guy to lose his patience, and especially not with the friends whom he held dear to him. But that didn’t mean he was going to simply roll over and let Yusuke degrade himself over something that was ultimately trivial when put up against Yusuke’s well-being. A painting could wait; Yusuke’s health was already in shambles as is... But Ren’s words seemed to go through one ear and out the other.

This experience had been so unusual for Haru, not that she was complaining though! Although Haru once had a fiancè, it was strange for her to have someone that she actually liked who had been so kind and caring. Ren was the first guy to truly take an interest in who she was as a person and didn’t seem to see her as an heiress to advance himself in society. She was so glad for this, to be able to spend time with someone she liked without having to feel like she had to act a certain way or because it had been for some certain gain. She really hadn’t realized this until she started spending more time with Ren. Haru was so thankful for this feeling, and thankful for Ren. 

“Hehe! I’m so glad you think so!” Haru could feel herself beginning to blush a little more. At this point she wouldn’t be surprised if Ren caught the blush that was tinging her cheeks now. “Um… Ok!” she waited although she wondered what Ren had been doing. Maybe Ren saw something he had liked and wanted to buy something for himself! She wondered what kind of purchase he would make. 

While Haru waited she saw a nearby mirror and fixed her hair up a bit. It had been unlike Haru to check her appearances often but she also wanted to see if her blush had still been visible! Upon seeing Ren returned she smiled happy to see him back, but she was surprised when she noticed he had been holding something…

“H-huh? You got something for me?” Oh her heart was beating so fast! A gift from Ren? She would treasure this forever! “You didn’t have to get me anything! Thank you very much, Ren-kun! Ah! I want to get something for you too…Do you think we could have matching bracelets?” she was blushing again, would that be too much? 

“I wanted to, though,” Ren shrugged off, trying to play it cool. Even though he was pretty sure Haru would be happy to accept a gift from him, it was still pretty nervewracking. She could probably buy the whole store if she so wished, but he hoped the gesture more than the pricetag would communicate his feelings. And he really did think it would look nice on her considering the elegantly cute way that she liked to present herself.

Normally, his modest self would insist that she didn’t need to get him anything. However, the way she was blushing gave Ren the impression that she was a bit embarrassed to suggest having them wear something matching. He felt he needed to reassure her that the idea was definitely not strange, and in fact welcomed. It was something special shared between them, too... Would their friends notice the matching bracelets and ask? And how would Haru respond to the line of questioning? Ren really wanted to see that.

“What do you think would suit me?” Ren asked, curious. “I’m new to the whole jewelry thing. I’ll leave it to your expertise here, Haru.”