Closed Painting Our Future

[Blake van Houten]

Though there was no reason to hide anymore, there was something fun and nostalgic about hanging out in abandoned classrooms with Lars. As much as he relished the freedom to be with his boyfriend in public, Blake still cherished the time they spent in private, away from the rest of the school. It reminded him of their early relationship, of finding comfort and safety with another person for the first time in his life. Learning to open up to Lars had changed him in so many ways, had freed him to finally find the person he was meant to be, to find the courage to be that person, uncaring of what others may think of him. He had found his freedom alone with Lars, and it was a relief to spend one on one time with the Ravenclaw again, to still enjoy one another's company after so long together.

All that said, Blake wasn't entirely certain he was going to enjoy today. "If I suck at this it's all your fault." He joked, giving Lars a small nervous smile as he looked over the supplies strewn across the desk they had taken over. Art was something that had never played a role in Blake's life, beyond admiring just about everything Lars ever made, and the thought of taking his first steps was intimidating, especially with Lars watching his every move. He didn't want to embarrass himself in front of his boyfriend, but if anyone was going to be understanding of his struggles, it was Lars. "Alright." Blake cracked his knuckles and picked up a paintbrush. "Where do we start?"

 

[Lars van Houten]

Being in the abandoned classroom with Blake was bringing up a lot of memories. Not too long ago, this was the only spot where the two of them could be together. It gave the place a bittersweet feeling, and Lars couldn't help but wonder how many students before them had used these classrooms in similar ways. To hide away from the world together.

But today they weren't hiding, they weren't even just going to kiss or make out. Today, Lars was going to make Blake try out painting. If he had told this to his younger self, he never would have believed this could really happen. He could still remember the ways Blake had ridiculed his paintings in the past. Lars had gathered a bunch of supplies, lying them on a few of the desks. They had two canvases as well, and Lars was waiting to see if Blake would pick something up. "You can't suck at this," Lars told him. "Even if your painting doesn't turn out how you imagined, it will still be wonderful." He said, smiling slightly. "I think you should start by picking up the brush and picking a color." He told him. "Just.. pick what you feel like, don't overthink."

 

[Blake van Houten]

Blake laughed when Lars said he couldn't suck at this, giving his boyfriend a look. "Oh, I can and will suck at this." He smiled, though the encouragement put him at ease slightly. That ease disappeared quickly though, as Lars began giving instructions. "Okay but like, what kind of brush? And what colour? Like, there's rules and theory and stuff, right?"

 

[Lars van Houten]

Lars smiled and shrugged. "Then you suck, but you will have created something. Isn't that wonderful on its own?" He asked. He shook his head. "You don't have to get all technical. Just grab a brush and a color you like. Don't worry about rules." He told him gently.

 

[Blake van Houten]

Blake laughed slightly at Lars' encouragement, unable to help the grin that spread across his face. "Alright, yeah, let's create something." He smiled, feeling a bit more at ease, though the instructions to just... grab things made his smile slip slightly, and he looked the supplies over warily. "Okay, I wanna paint... a snitch, I guess? That's... easy, right? It's just a circle, I can handle that..." He said, reaching for some yellow paint.

 

[Lars van Houten]

Lars laughed softly. "Would it help if I just start painting my own thing? You might be less self-conscious if I'm not looking over your shoulder." He said, though he nodded at Blake's idea. "That sounds good." He said. "Give it a try."

 

[Blake van Houten]

Blake relaxed immediately at Lars' suggestion, nodding. "Yeah, I think that would help." He laughed nervously. "But like, if I'm doing it wrong, tell me." He smiled slightly. He nodded when Lars approved of his idea, getting some yellow paint on his brush and trying to figure out how to start. It was just a circle with wings, right? He couldn't get that wrong.

 

[Lars van Houten]

Lars smiled and grabbed a canvas of his own. He set it up a bit behind Blake, so he wouldn't be looking at Lars' work and comparing it to his own. Also because he wanted to paint Blake like this. He watched him for a moment, then got started on the basic shape of the room around them, leaving Blake a white blocky shape in the center so far. "You can't do it wrong." He told him. "Literally, just do what you want."

 

[Blake van Houten]

Blake laughed a little awkwardly when Lars said he couldn't do it wrong. "Oh, I'll find a way to do it wrong, just watch me." He smiled, finally bringing the brush to the canvas. It was messy, he had a bit too much paint, and the circle wound up larger than he had intended, but he had started now. He was doing it. Painting. Like some kind of.... artist.

 

[Lars van Houten]

Lars smiled. "I mean, eating the paint is probably the wrong way to do it." He said with a slight grin. "So as long as you don't do that, it'll be fine." He watched Blake closely, mixing brown and yellow for the perfect shade of gold for Blake's hair as he continued to paint him.

 

[Blake van Houten]

Blake couldn't hold back a small giggle at Lars' comment, a laugh he had found he only let out with Lars. Everything just felt easier, when it was just the two of them. No masks to hide behind, nothing to prove. Just knowing and being known. "I'll keep that in mind." He smiled, trying to focus on the conversation and not.... whatever was happening on his canvas. He started trying to add the wings, but they quickly wound up too big as well, looking like formless blobs and smeared where he had caught some of the colour of the snitch itself on his brush by accident. "I dunno. I think I'm doing a pretty good job of getting this wrong." He joked, taking a small step back to take in his work. "Looks like a munted ear of corn..."