Work Text:
Uki got up with a sigh, putting on a sweater that was a bit too big on him over his shirt and underwear that he wore as pajamas, he was used to waking up in the middle of the night, everytime he closed his eyes he saw the same person over and over. There was only one way to get this man out of his head : he made his way to his atelier, sat in front of his canva and took out his paint as well as his brushes. The moon was high outside and the clock was showing 2:30, Uki’s hand moved swiftly, he didn’t have to put any effort into his work, he was so used to seeing him in his dreams and painting his body and face that he was sure he could do it with his eyes closed at this point. His mind wandered and confused him even more, why does he always dream of a man he’s never seen once in his life ? Who in the world has an unknown muse ? Was he so gay and desperate that his mind has to create people to make him feel something ?
Hours passed without him noticing and soon enough the sun was rising, Uki had finished his painting once it was well up in the sky, he stood a few steps away, looking at his painting and its every detail. He felt a warm feeling enveloping his body and a shameful one at the same time, feeling stupid to get these emotions over a mere stranger he wasn’t even sure existed. He left his atelier to make his way to his bedroom, here he grabbed a few clothes before going to his bathroom, once there, he undressed and stepped into the shower, turning the hot stream on. As the water hit his tensed muscles he started to relax, looking down he saw the water leaving the drain mixing with the paint, slowly the color faded and the water turned clear again, he always found this process satisfying for some reason. He stayed there a few more minutes, washing his body and hair profusely then he got out of his comfortable cocoon and got dressed. He’d describe his outfit as simple but in the eye of most people it would probably be defined as stylish, but Uki was an over the top kind of person, and he liked this about himself.
He then went to the kitchen and made himself some toast while his tea was brewing, he then looked at his phone to check the time : 10A.M. already ? It was a Saturday, he put some jam and butter on his toast and sat at his high table, pouring himself a cup of tea and sipping on it as he was scrolling through his phone, looking for things to do. He stopped on a specific page that had caught his attention : there was a temporary exhibition at a nearby museum, he thought to himself that he might just go there today. After finishing eating and doing some cleaning in his place, Uki put on his shoes and a long trench coat, he put some stuff in a bag, among which was a little notebook with a few pencils then left and decided to walk to the museum as it wasn’t so far away from where he lived, he needn’t take the bus and he was feeling like taking in some fresh air today.
Once he arrived there, he first took the time to go to every piece of work, look at them and analyze them, he loved art museums, he loved looking at art, analyzing it and letting his emotions overcome his body as he felt the painting and sculpture hitting him right to his core, he often felt overwhelmed in the end but that was the beauty of it in his eyes. After that first walkthrough he did a second one, during which he was searching for a sculpture in order to draw it and practice perspective. After finally finding one that satisfied him, he sat down on a bench facing the piece and started drawing it.
The museum was pretty calm, but he was used to it, not many people were interested in going to museums nowadays and the few that were there like him were alone and quiet. He liked this atmosphere but he also sometimes enjoyed hearing friends or lovers discussing the beauty and meaning of the different pieces or art. It was as if someone or something heard his thoughts because a trio of probably friends entered the part of the museum he was currently in and they were slightly loud but not too much to be disrespectful. They stopped to look at a painting right next to where Uki was but he didn’t pay too much attention to them, they started talking about it, one of them was quietly standing there, while the other two were playfully bickering. One of the two was trying to look smart in front of his friends, trying to explain the meaning of the painting, Uki chuckled quietly to himself finding his dedication amusing despite being completely wrong about it, even though you could argue that everything is up to interpretation. As he was ranting on and about, his friend seemed pretty lost and tried desperately to grasp onto what he was saying, Uki felt his desperation and despite being very tired that day and not really wanting social interaction he, for some reason, decided to step into their conversation and explain the true meaning of the painting, and as he did so, the boys turned to him.
That was when Uki’s heart stopped and his breath got caught in his throat, his hand clasped onto his notebook and his other one dropped his pen. It was him. The man haunting his every night, the man he could only get out of his head after painting him for hours after waking up. His muse. He was pulled out of his thoughts when this exact boy layed his hand on his shoulder with a slightly concerned expression.
“Hey are you okay ? You looked kinda lost suddenly..”
“Oh yes I- I’m fine I’m sorry I don’t know what took over me..”
“No worries ! Thank you for explaining the painting though, Wilson definitely didn’t know what he was talking about, you seem pretty knowledgable on the subject.”
“Oh well I studied art.. thanks.”
Uki felt himself blush as the man leaned slightly forward to look at his drawing before letting out a gasp.
“Did you do that ? You’re so good !”
“Oh um thank you, I practice everyday that’s why..”
“Do you often come here ? It’s the first time in years that I go to a museum..”
“Oh not that often, I mainly come when there’s a temporary exhibition like now or when I feel like it.”
“That’s so cool !”
The boy’s enthusiasm puts a small smile on Uki’s face, he still has his head in the clouds, not believing what he’s seeing. This man looks even more surreal than all of the paintings and sculptures of the museum. His friends got his attention back and Uki finally snapped back to reality as he noticed that they were starting to leave, he messily put his stuff back in his bag and quickly caught up to them half shouting “wait”, they stopped in their track and turned around to face him. He stood before them looking directly at the face of the guy following him every night.
“May I know your name..?”
He pointed at himself, a questionning look on his face to which Uki only nodded.
“It’s Vanta, what’s yours ?”
“Uki.”
“It’s pretty..”
“Thanks..”
They awkwardly stood there, looking at each other, Vanta’s friends took their leave, noticing the atmosphere that has created around the two men. Uki felt his heart racing, not knowing what to do next, he asked for his name but now what ? What was he expecting to get out of this ? He was pulled out of his racing thoughts when Vanta started talking again.
“So.. Are you going to ask for my number, maybe to go grab a drink now or..? Because if you want to, know that I’d be up for it.”
Uki was slightly taken aback by the bold words of the man in front of him but he could only nod, he could not let him go, he needed to figure out who he was and why is he always in his dreams.
“I’d like to grab a drink with you yeah, and get your number at the same time.”
“Shall we go then ?”
“But your friends..?”
“Oh don't worry, they’ll understand, it’s not everyday that a pretty boy in a museum shows me interest.”
Once again, Uki’s cheeks heated up, did he just call him pretty ? If only he knew how many time he spent painting him and how many hours he admired his features, who’s the real pretty one here ? After that Vanta found his friends to tell them about the unexpected plans he just made with Uki and they both made their way outside of the museum, Uki doesn’t remember the last time he felt as shy as in that moment, they were walking in the street, exchanging small talk, wondering where they could go. After a few minutes, they finally found a little caffe that Vanta seemed to know and like, they entered and ordered each a drink and a little pastry to go with it, it was the middle of the afternoon and they started feeling quite hungry, especially Uki since he hadn’t eat anything after his breakfast. They sat in a quiet corner so they wouldn’t be bothered, Uki awkwardly started fidgeting with his drink, feeling slightly nervous which Vanta noticed pretty quickly.
“I hope you didn’t feel pressured to agree to this.. You seem pretty nervous, I hope I’m not making you uncomfortable.”
Uki felt bad as Vanta worded his concern and felt the need to clarify his behaviour.
“No no, don’t worry I’m fine, it’s just that..”
Uki was stuck, not knowing how to continue his sentence, what could he say ? He can’t just tell the man that he has a room full of paintings of his face and body because he keeps seeing him in his dreams ? But then what can he say ?
“I feel like I know you.”
Uki snapped back to reality as Vanta spoke, barely above a whisper, he seemed as troubled as Uki was. Could it be that he also dreams of him ?
“What do you mean..?”
“I don’t really know.. You seem oddly familiar and your voice.. It’s not the first time I hear it I’m sure of that but, it’s very unique so I know it’s not just similar to the voice of someone I know..”
“I um.. god I don’t know how to say that..”
His hesitation seemed to have caught Vanta’s attention who leaned slightly forward, listening carefully to what he was about to say.
“I don’t know how to phrase it..”
“Is it something that you can show me instead of telling me..?”
Uki seemed deep in thoughts, he could show him but should he..?
“I could, it’s um at my place, not that far away..”
“Awesome, lead the way ?”
Uki was slightly taken aback, he did not think the man would agree so easily to go to a stranger’s home like that but after all, seeing how taller and stronger he was, he had nothing to worry about, even if Uki wanted to hurt him, Vanta could stop him using just one hand, and he did say that he felt familiar, the sense of security might come from that. They then stood up from their sit after finishing their drinks in a hurry and they made their way outside, Uki led them both to the building where he lived and they took the elevator, Vanta seemed impressed by the whole thing and even more when they entered Uki’s apartment.
“It’s pretty wide and fancy..”
“Yeah.. um so follow me.”
Uki stood in front of the door leading to his atelier, feeling nervous about what the other’s reaction will be, Vanta padded across the room to his side and with a sigh to give him courage, Uki opened the door and they both went inside. He looked at Vanta who’s mouth was wide open as his eyes were scanning from piece to piece, his gaze lingering on the painting that stood in the center of the room, it was the one Uki did last night, you could see Vanta’s naked toned back, with wings coming out of it, Uki looked at the man’s profile which was the exact same as the one he painted, he was at lost for words, just like Vanta was as he stretched a hand toward the painting, impressed by the color on the painting that was identic as his tanned skin, he however took it back when his finger came in contact with the paint and he quickly noticed that it wasn’t fully dry, letting out a small “sorry”. Uki did not have the heart to break the silence to warn him about that, he could hear his heart beating in his ears wondering what was going on in the other man’s head, it was Vanta who spoke first, softly.
“How.. it’s incredible how did you..?”
He looked at Uki, a mix of curiosity and admiration shining brightly in his pupils.
“I see you in my dreams.. Almost every night, I never understood why, I’ve never seen you before today, the only way I found to get you out of my head was to start painting what I saw.. So when I met you today I was shocked, I didn’t want to let you go, which is why I went to you before you could leave the museum. You’ve been haunting my dreams, keeping me from sleeping, so earlier I thought that if I let you go I might never see you again..”
A simple “wow” escaped Vanta’s lips, Uki was growing more and more anxious by the seconds, fearing an outburst of anger, disgust or even fear from the man but none of that happened.
“I’m sorry if I’m scaring you, I’ll admit that I’m pretty scared myself of this whole situation..”
“Is there a recurring pattern in the time at which you wake up..?”
“Always between 2 and 3am.. Why ?”
“That’s also when I always wake up.. Your voice.. That’s where I heard it, it’s always what wakes me up..”
Both of them were looking at each other, the pieces of the puzzle were coming into place in their heads, for some reason they were linked to each other.
“But why did you see me so clearly while I barely remembered your voice.. Are you a psychic or something ?”
Uki chuckled, what a silly question, he couldn’t be.
“I don’t know but, there’s something going on there, it’s almost like we’re-”
“Soulmates”
They both said in one voice before looking at each other, Uki looked up into Vanta’s eyes, he saw them so many times, recreated them so many times, but facing them for real so closely hits different, they were shining, shining with.. hope ?
“I need to sit down..”
Vanta looked overwhelmed by the events which was very understandable, Uki immediately came back to his senses leading him to the living room, closing the door of his atelier, they both sat on the couch with a glass of water that Vanta downed in one go.
“Alright..”
Uki’s head snapped toward Vanta, waiting for him to keep talking, wondering what he might want to say.
“This situation is crazy.. But for some reason I don’t find it this scary anymore.. I think we met for a reason today and your dreams.. Uki I wanna get to know you, I wanna spend time with you and understand why I was put into your path..”
Uki was speechless and definitely did not expect this from the man, he couldn’t deny the happiness and relief he felt, he has been haunted and obsessed with this man for months and having finally found him felt surreal to him, of course he wants to know about him too.
All he can do is nod with a tired smile.
Maybe now, knowing Vanta will be in his life and not only in his dreams, he’ll finally be able to rest.