#jyoan

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“Genjo, I need you to do me a favor.” Jyoan’s words come as a surprise, startling him enough that he turns without thinking, cocking a brow in confusion.

“With what?”

“I need you to model for me. Someone canceled last minute and this presentation is today.”

There’s a note of genuine distress in his roommate’s voice, and Genjo knows the plea hadn’t come without him exhausting every other available option. They aren’t in the same field, and Genjo doesn’t model.

“You sure it’s okay?”

“Yes, I called my teacher. The clothes should fit you, and I’ll tell you exactly what to do. I just need a live model who can pull off the look right.” Jyoan’s eyes meet his, and there is enough desperation there that he can’t stop himself, despite his misgivings.

“Alright. I’ll do it.”

To Jyoan’s credit, in his element he directs well; the perfectionist in him giving him an eye for detail. And yet, Genjo never feels uncomfortable with what he is told to do, though it’s certainly not his forte.

The class never seems to catch on, and he hears several of them mutter amongst themselves trying to find out when he’s booking. Genjo ignores them, because there’s only one person who can talk him into this shit. Jyoan tells him to keep the clothes when the project is graded and done - a perfect score - and hands them off to Genjo like it’s nothing. Genjo doesn’t miss the slight pride in his eyes on their next trip to the bar when he just so happens to find Jyoan’s design in his closet.

The clothes are comfortable, he says, and he leaves it at that.

----

“Jyoan, I need you to model for me.”

Weeks later find Genjo at Jyoan’s door, the same tone of pleading in his voice. When Jyoan turns to look at him, he sees his own confusion mirrored in delicate features.

“You do? Why?”

“Figure painting. None of the models are available until after it’s due. It has to be live.”

The concern in Jyoan’s voice is genuine, brows knitting together in uncertainty.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes. It’ll be fine. You just have to pose long enough for me to get the sketch down. I’ll direct you where I need.” He doesn’t miss the pleading in his own voice, and neither does Jyoan. The verbal confimation almost isn’t necessary, the look on his face saying more than enough.

“I’ll do it.”

Jyoan barely needs any direction, and he stays impressively still for as long as Sanzo needs, despite the pose. With the light falling just so, the fabrics draped just right, and hair falling just so, the lines of his body make an elegant, delicate picture. Neither the professor nor the class can find anything to say, and it’s Genjo’s highest grade to date. They all praise the subject, and the remarkable way Genjo captured the look in his eyes. He doesn’t tell them his roommate is a predictable man.

When Genjo brings it home, Jyoan insists on hanging it on the living room wall, to celebrate, he says. He looks back every now and then, the same look of wonder crossing his features. Like he’s never realized what he is capable of.

He says art beautifies a space, and Genjo doesn’t argue.

----

They make a good partnership between the two of them. They work together well, and somehow manage to draw out the strengths of their programs, in their own ways. Genjo has an eye for design, even though he won’t admit it, and Jyoan knows color even better than Genjo. And if they both happen to model a lot in the process, it’s an added bonus.