Work Text:
The clock rings out, sounding the top of a new hour. The halls of the university bustle as students go from one class to the next. You, on the other hand, exit your last class and begin making your way to the courtyard. You have about an hour before your art class, and you have some homework you still need to finish. The sun is quick to warm your skin as you step into the midday light. The sky is a vibrant blue and the courtyard is beautifully verdant. You wander the wide outdoor space, looking for the perfect subject. You spot him in one of the large oak trees that scatter the yard. You smile at the scene, and approach the base of the tree with confidence and a vision.
"Hey!" You shouted up the trunk. High up in the tree, almost obscured by all the branches sits another student. His warm brown skin glows in the sunlight and wonderfully compliments his stark white locks. With a quizzical look on his face he climbs and jumps down from the tree.
"Yeah?" He questions.
"Could I draw you?"
"Draw me?"
"Yeah, in the tree. It's for my art class. The light was hitting you just right. You don't have to pose or anything. It'll be quick and painless, I promise." His gaze moves to the sketch book and pencil you've been clutching close to your chest. He can see the excitement in your eyes.
"Uh, yeah, sure." He hesitantly agrees, beforing climbing back up to the position he was in. He sits more stiff than he was before, knowing he's being watched now, but he's in the relatively same position so it's good enough. Ready to translate your vision to paper, you settle at the nearby park bench and flip to a clean page in your sketchbook. You focus on his bold features, the patterns in his hair and clothing, and the way the sunlight creates soft shadows across his form. You make sure to include the cute doodles that litter his clothing and arms, and you wonder about the story behind them. You spend maybe more time than you should on his eyes; they're big and soft, distant as they stare out over the little patch of nature entrapped by the university. As time passes, you can tell he forgets he's posing and relaxes a bit, a content smile subtly spreading across his lips. It feels all too short a time when the clock sounds once again, marking the new hour. The chimes seem to startle both you and your subject. You hastily pack up your bag as he clambers down the tree. You turn to him with a wide smile.
"Thank you! I'll be sure to show you once it's graded!" You quickly ramble before rushing off to class. You think you hear him call after you, but you're already in the throws of students, like a fish in a school, rushing to your art class.
You get in and find your seat just in time. You pull the page out of your sketchbook before a thought hits you. You need a title. Your pen halts as you touch it to the paper. Your first instinct is to write his name, which you never got. You suppose that's why he was calling after you. Even after the almost intimate period you spent drawing him, you were so caught up in your vision that you forgot to ask his name. You sigh, wondering how you're ever going to find this stranger again. A soft smile spreads across your lips as an idea forms. You scribble a title across the top of the page and turn it in, excited to get it back.
Ekko spent the rest of his day wondering who that curious stranger was: the one so enraptured by the scene of him in the tree he settles in nearly every day. He wonders how he's never noticed them before and if he'll ever cross paths with them again. He's sitting in his current class, only half listening to the professor's lecture, arm stretched out to the side as Jinx scribbles even more doodles over his skin.
"You seem more in your head than usual, which is really saying something." She whispers. He recounts the events of the past hour: the curious stranger who ran up to him, eyes shining with creativity as they asked to draw him. Jinx giggles as he speaks, making him look at her with a raised eyebrow. "You can't blame them, you're easy to draw. And draw on." He breathes out a laugh as she goes back to drawing on his arm. Whoever that stranger may be, they'll have to live in his memory until he can stumble upon them again.
The sun shines just as brightly the next day. After the first several hours of classes, Ekko needs nothing more than to escape to his favorite spot. The clock chimes and he's already out the door, headed towards the courtyard. He can't help but wonder if that stranger will be there, asking to draw him again maybe. He sighs when he sees the park bench the stranger sat at completely vacant. As he prepares to scale the tree's winding branches, his arm brushes against a piece of paper stapled to the tree. He'd normally be less than thrilled about signs posted to such a beautiful oak, and rip it off with no more than a thought. The piece of sketchbook paper catches his eye before he can, though. He gingerly removes it, and smiles. He smiles as he looks at the drawing of himself. He's taken by the detail and gentle shading. The piece makes him look like a Greek statue carved from marble. The title at the top of the page reads "meet me at the top." He looks up, surprised to see the artist staring down at him from the highest branches they could reach. He carefully slides the drawing into his backpack and heads up to join them, hoping to no longer be strangers to one another.