Chapter Text
His mind was always filled with her since day one. For him she was his starting point, since she was the one who got him into art. Afterall, the day he accidentally encountered her prayer art in the clubroom was the day his life changed.
Yatora, now in his first year of university, is lost on what type of art he wanted to create. His mind wanders, but it always runs back to the one he admires the most, his senior from the art club in high school.
Yatora thinks of how Mori would always draw something connected to religion. It was the theme for all of her paintings. Even the sketch she gave him that he held dear to his heart was of Nike, the ancient Greek goddess. While for the young man, there was no connection between his creations and that made him incredibly self conscious.
'I should call her… No, I should go see her in person,' he thought at last.
The initial reason was to get advice from someone he admires deeply. The real reason though, was that he always thought of her during rough times. Just like that time when he fainted while climbing the stairs to go to his Geidai entrance exam.
'Just why did I confuse Yotasuke for Mori-senpai at that time…'
Yatora gets on the Yamanote line at the Okachimachi station the same day after his morning classes. It's a pain and about an hour trip away to get from Ueno to Musashino, but he has to see Mori.
He gets all excited thinking about seeing her again, after graduation and all. He wants to tell her that he got into Geidai himself. Before he even realizes and tries to cease his train of thought, the train he's physically on has already reached Takanodai station.
Yatora had texted Mori that he's going to visit and she had given him a meeting point, an empty classroom where she's currently doing her assignments. He quietly enters the said classroom and is greeted by a big yet stunning painting of an angel. In front of that painting is Mori's small frame, positioned exactly between the two wings. He's pretty sure that's the work she's supposed to be working on, being familiar with her art style and themes.
"Mori-senpai!"
The young man calls out his senior’s name and she turns her body around, while still being positioned between the two wings she had painted and the afternoon light from the window gleaming on her face. Yatora's only thought at that moment is how Mori looks like an angel herself.
"Yaguchi-kun!"
Completely stunned and at loss for words, his heart is beating fast enough that he's unable to hear his senior calling out to him.
Before she manages to snap him back to reality, he walks up to her and holds her hands in his without thinking.
"Senpai, can I paint you?" he asks, looking straight into her eyes.
Mori is taken aback but doesn't remove her hands from his grasp. She's blushing red and tries to avoid his gaze by looking to the side and that's when Yatora realizes what he's doing.
"I'm so sorry!!!" he exclaims, letting go of her quickly.
They stand there in silence for a good few seconds that seem like forever before Mori speaks up.
"It's fine. You can paint me, I mean"
Yatora's face lights up upon hearing that response.
~
They have spent a good two hours by now in that empty classroom, catching up with everything happening in their lives. Yatora even went into detail about the entrance exams and his whole train of thoughts during them, even about his seaside trip with Yuka and the first time he painted his own nude. Mori finds everything extremely fascinating, she's thrilled by how far her high school underclassman has made it, although she always believed in him.
The sun is starting to set and the older woman looks outside the window, a little frown forming on her face.
"We should go home anytime soon," she says and Yatora nods in response.
"Ah, senpai! About that painting of you…"
Mori notices that Yatora is like a fish out of water talking about it and gives him a calming smile.
"Are you free this weekend?" she asks.
"I am."
~~