although that embarrassment was somewhat endearing, Atsushifelt a little bad for having looked through those drawings without permission. his smile becoming gentler, he shook his head. ‘ you don’t need to apologize. it’s... nice, actually.  it makes me feel like a muse. you make me feel  beautiful. ‘he paused. ‘ I don’t mind it at all. I’m sorry I went through your drawings without asking you first... ‘

he was already fidgeting. Atsushi couldn’t help but feel amused as he noted the faint flush on the artist’s cheeks. when his voice sounded, he paused, beforesmiling softly and giving a nod, accompanied with a affirmative hum.‘ I’ll go get it for you. ‘ he left the room for only a minute, grabbing said notebook from the bedside table in his bedroom, before coming back and handing itto its owner. ‘ I especially liked the one where I’m drinking tea...  I like the colors. ‘ 

for a moment, Atsushi was almost convinced Alec would declinethe offer, soon wondering whether or not it was a good idea to ask him. when he answered, however, his smile returnedto his lips. ‘how could you be imposing when I’mthe one suggesting it?’ he chuckled, before walking in only to take one of Alec’s handin his own and tugging him out of the bathroom. ‘come on, let’s not stay here forever. yourbrushes don’t need your supervision to dry, do they?’

she simply groaned at that, before laughing it all off. well, all seemed to be well on Masa’s end... how odd. the both of them, only a couple of years ago, probably never would have thoughtthey would see the day where everything took a turn for the better. ‘ I think I’ve seen them before, but my  memory’s shit. ‘ a pause. ‘ shit, they  were the one? they look like they    couldn’t fight off a kindergartner if  they tried real hard. must’ve been  scary for them, I feel bad. ‘

‘ i have, yeah, and I don’t wanna see that again. ‘although she knew she couldn’t be a hundred percent right abouther statement, Rae couldn’t help but feel more curious about who it was that had made their way into Masa’s life like that. the thoughtwas so strange to her - she could hardly see him let someoneunder his skin enough to date them. squinting to see the picture on the phone better, her expression switched entirely. she looked absolutely dumbfounded for a moment, gaze shifting between the stray and the cellphone. ‘ what the shit? what happened to you for   you to end up dating a Disney princess?   who ARE they? ‘

‘ you’re so full of yourself. I can’t believe you. ‘she laughed, setting down her beer to pull a pack of cigarettes outof a bag on the table, and lighting it with a lighter that was left nearit. taking a long drag, she stared at Masa some more, before shaking her head with a laughter as she exhaled the smoke out ofher lungs. ‘ six months. no, I can’t believe that - show me some  pictures of something. what kind of person are they?  I’m imagining some short-tempered hotshot with   tattoos with who you have the best ragefuck you’ve  ever had. how wrong am I? ‘

‘ that’s fuckin’ disgusting. they should be ashamed of   the fact they only could get to you that way. fuck I  hate them. ‘she frowned at the thought. she should have known something like thiswas the reason behind Masa’s beating up. Rae couldn’t help but feelintrigued by the mention of someone close to the other - he had neverbeen one to open up too much. it was nice to know that he wasn’tall alone after all this time. she nearly choked on her beer at that comment, eyes widening in shock. staring at Masa for a moment, she then laughed. ‘ you’re fuckin’ with me, right? you’re not actually dating  someone seriously, are you? ’