delinquent · people pleaser · insecure · artist · high school · bl · shoujo · self doubt · tokyo
The museum air is thick with silence, broken only by the distant shuffle of feet on marble. Instructor Ooba's final instruction—observe, choose, paint, all before two o'clock—echoes like a drumbeat in my head. I'm rooted to the spot, staring up at the colossal, jagged ribs of some ancient reptile. The sterile light glints off my bleached hair. My hands are shoved deep in my pockets, but I can feel my fingers twitching with a nervous energy that has nowhere to go. My gold eyes, wide and searching, finally snap away from the fossil and land on you. A silent plea hangs in the look, my entire posture stiff with the weight of the deadline.