[open] [ that picture from the iron giant of the guy yelling ART ]

[fabrefactions]

WHO: Yusuke Kitagawa + OPEN
WHERE: Around Recolle.
WHEN: From 5/3 to 5/12...!
WHAT: Oh just... normal things.
WARNINGS: Excessive use of PAINT.



[ Anyone who runs into Yusuke from the moment he gets his hands on his paintbrush and a paint pot is going to be aware of two distinct things: firstly, that he is an artist and definitely knows what he's doing with the utensils at his disposal. This ain't his first rodeo, that's for sure.

Secondly though, is that Yusuke is painting a lot like a man possessed - he's specifically focused on finding outlines and getting an idea of the layout, despite his well known attention to detail, and just... doesn't seem to be stopping. From the moment he finds his painting tools, he's back tracking to his home and wildly painting the street back into existence.

And this is how he is for the majority of the week. There's a method to his madness though, he's clearly looking for something, and seems to retracing old steps in an attempt to find it. The longer he's at it, the sloppier the paintwork becomes and, quite honestly, the worse for wear Yusuke seems. He only stops when it gets too dark to paint, and returns home, before leaving to begin again early in the morning. Watch him long enough, and you may even catch him swaying on the spot, or heavy lidded, like he's about to fall asleep on his feet.

... Help him? This is just sad. ]

Comments

[concasse]

[Yeah... once the words are out of his mouth, Sanji wonders if he should've just stayed quiet. Yusuke's the painter, not him. Can't even draw an egg correctly, remember?

But he offered, and Yusuke accepted, and so Sanji gets his paint brush ready, treating this with more severity than is probably necessary. This whole situation has got him acting uncertain.]

... Are you looking for something?

[fabrefactions]

Mm. Relocating something, might be more accurate.

[ ... He probably owes some sort of explanation? Maybe not 'owes', as it's still an odd thing to talk about, but he's been made aware by Elliot and Akira how worried people were that he never said anything about where he was going or what he was doing.

And all the people who had shown up looking for him since he started. It had been... odd, and awkward. But eye opening. ]

I need to find the graveyard before Saturday. Hence the rush.

[concasse]

Mmm.

[Sanji doesn't know what he's painting -- maybe a mailbox, or the outline of some cobbled path. He's only half paying attention to what he's doing anyway.]

Like an... anniversary?

[fabrefactions]

[ That... makes him pause. ]

...

[ It's an oddly specific thing to ask. Not impossible to guess, given the location he said he was looking for. But oddly to the point. ]

Yes.

[concasse]

[And honestly, it really is just a guess. Sanji hears of graveyards and thinks of the dead long past, of people with actual sentiments who'd want to honor them.

He could've been wrong -- would've preferred that for once of his life -- but Yusuke's confirmation sinks like a rock in his stomach.]

I won't ask anymore if you don't feel like talking about it.

[fabrefactions]

[ It's... not really even that he doesn't feel like talking about it. He just doesn't know how to - anyone who knew had been around when it had happened, and anyone who didn't had come along once everything had settled again and knowing hadn't been necessary.

Unless someone specifically brought up his father, he didn't have a need to talk about it. ]

I wouldn't say it's that I don't feel like. I'm not really sure how to.

But I'm not missing it, so I have to find the graveyard. It's simple.

[concasse]

[So that's permission to try, if he wants, and the paintbrush stills in Sanji's hand. The coward's way out would be insisting he's no good at this, and he's gotten along fine by not talking about his problems, or asking anyone of theirs.

Y'know, up until the point he nearly died. The brand long gone, but the inside of his wrist still itches.]

Who died?

[So he'll... just start this off slow]

[fabrefactions]

[ Well, there he goes. Slap bang into the target. ]

My father. Seven years ago this coming Saturday.

[ ... It feels a little clinical, but keeping to the facts is easy. ]

[concasse]

[Ah.

His mom's a widow.

Not a detail Sanji had in his possession, and his eyes drop to the ground.]

So... you and your mom, then? Do this every year?

[Again, assumptions galore -- maybe his mom has nothing to do with this, or Yusuke's only just started this tradition, but that doesn't check from what little he knows of his boyfriend and his mother.]

[fabrefactions]

[ He's not wrong. ]

Yes. We went on the first anniversary, and then just kept it up. I'm not stopping that tradition because Retrospec ruined something and we have to deal with the fall out.

[ Yusuke's tone is... notably harsh at that one. But what else would he push himself this hard for, if not for his mother, really? ]

[concasse]

... Y'know, from what you told me of your mom, she'd probably smack you for exhausting yourself, even if she didn't know the reasons.

[She seems like That Type. But hey, maybe he's wrong about that, too. Sanji feels like he's just throwing darts in every direction, to see what will stick.]

But Akira said he already bit your ass about that, so... [A shrug. He's gonna drop that.]

You find any of the graveyard yet?

[fabrefactions]

She wouldn’t know. It’s disorienting outside, so she’s been staying in to finish her outstanding commissions.

[ THAT’S NOT THE POINT, YUSUKE.... ]

I’ve found the house and from there I know the way to the graveyard. So it should be easier... but I want to have found it before Saturday, or mother might decide not to go this year. That would probably upset her more than she’d admit out loud.

[concasse]

[That is really not the point, and Sanji's teeth grind as he works to keep a snappy retort to himself.

Pot meet kettle and all. This is not the time to be sour over Yusuke not telling him he needed help with something.]

I'll lend a hand.

[fabrefactions]

[ Pot and kettle, a match made in heavenll. Still, Yusuke smiles in response, and while it's a little tired and small, it's genuine and grateful. ]

Thank you.

Once I know where it is, I just need to make sure I don't lose it again and it should be fine.

[concasse]

[Don't smile at him, Yusuke, he still wants to kick your ass.

A little bit.

Listen that's just how Sanji shows he cares]

Don't expect much from me. You've seen the horrors I create with a pen and pencil.

[fabrefactions]

As long as you can fling paint around, I'm sure you'll do fine.

[ He's not kidding. ]

Speed, over style.

[concasse]

[Well shit, that almost startles a laugh out of him, but not enough to hide the sudden grin that overtakes his features]

We're reached that shitty point, have we?

[A good thing Sanji is great at flinging shit... including paint. Right now he's only armed with a brush, but that doesn't mean he can't start lobbing projectiles if necessary.]

Alright, what direction am I flinging?

[fabrefactions]

I am a desperate man.

[ it’s said with levity though - and after a moment, he spreads his hands in a wide arc. ]

Pick a direction and let your brush run wild. You will find something, which is better than nothing, that is for certain.

[concasse]

[Run wild, eh? Sanji looks around at this options, a white void in every direction Yusuke himself hasn't already painted.

... Actually just for curiosity's sake, gonna swipe at an area already painted, just to see what the black turns into...

And it's a light, subtle purple. Huh. The man rubs his chin, thoughtful]

So you're some kind of blue, I'm guessing.

[fabrefactions]

[ Sanji that is not speeding ahead with the painting that is--

--oh. ]

I believe so. I presume you are a shade of a red?

[ Red like fire. To put it down to the absolute bare-bones-basics, and ignoring the intricacy and beauty of a flame in beautiful mixes of red, orange and yellow. ]

[concasse]

Yeah.

[An amused hum]

These colors are a little on the nose.

[Eh, well, can't fault the symbolism. His curiosity sated, Sanji starts on the actual project and does as promised, just FLINGING PAINT in an attempt to get some more landscape on the map. Ugh, it's so slow going... he can't imagine how Yusuke managed this entire tim--

Oh wait yeah it's because he wouldn't eat and barely slept, he remembers now. B|]

... How long since your dad passed?

[fabrefactions]

[ Yusuke takes a step back, looking a little thoughtful. ]

Perhaps. But red suits you for a number of reasons. If something seems so precise, there is likely a reason for it.

[ Symbolism, yes. But the colour itself suits him. It worked out rather well. Yusuke has pared his painting down to the minimum - swiping paint into blank spaces and searching for notable landmarks or signs. Things that make it easy to identify. Efficient, and quick

...

And yes, he's been putting in a lot of hours. He made his choices. ]

This Saturday will be the seventh anniversary.

[concasse]

[While tempted to ask Yusuke in how many ways the color red fits him, he's too focused on that answer to derail the topic. Seven years... with some number crunching, that would've put him at eleven? Twelve?

A good age for death to mess with a kid, but not so old that Yusuke hasn't learned to cope by now. A couple more swipes with his brush, a few feet in front of Yusuke's work so they can keep the flow going, and...]

You remember him much?



[He doesn't know why he asks. Father's aren't really his domain, ya see, and it's difficult keeping the bitterness out of his voice. So he chalks it up to curiosity, waiting to see if his boyfriend will answer]

[fabrefactions]

Well enough.

[ He swipes another arc of paint across the scenery. ]

He was supportive of both mine and my mother’s art. He was kind and friendly, and was much better at acting as my mother’s carer than I was when I was younger. I don’t think I realised how much he did until I took over that role - and he worked a full time job as well.

[ There’s a little pause, and then: ]

I was so angry with him when he died, even though it was in no way his fault. It’s a little embarrassing now, to think about it.

[concasse]

[-- Hn. He doesn't recall being told about Yusuke's mother's health.

Not to say he's angry about being kept in the dark. Sanji never asked, Yusuke never told. He already knows how his boyfriend works.

Still, it's a detail that lingers in the mind, and there's a pause in which he's not sure which thread to follow. The complexity of these feelings aren't ones he can relate to.

After all, Sanji despises his father. Isn't all that embarrassed about the fact, either. With a sigh, he drops his brush, using his now free hand to rub at the nape of his neck.]

Hey, you went from getting to be a kid, to having to take on the responsibility of an adult. And you lost a parent on top of it. [He shrugs] 'Course you'd feel a little sore.