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[braveoff]

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[braveoff]

[ Drake passes it back, settling against the couch and Sharkface a little more comfortably. How's he been...? ]

Honestly? Kind of lonely, in that 'there are lots of people around but I don't feel close to anyone' way. It reminds me a little of when I was back in Seattle.

[requiemshark]

[ Sharkface pulls a pen out as well, shifting so he can watch Drake and draw at the same time. ]

Yeah?

[ He tips his head to the side. ]

I get that. It's. I don't know. I feel like I can't breathe here.

[braveoff]

Yeah, it's not great.

[ He wishes Sharkface had been in Hadriel, or... remembered it, whatever the case might be. But he should probably explain the comment about Seattle. ]

That's where I'm from... I worked undercover, so I couldn't really have connections. But I had to know and deal with a lot of people. It was like being alone in a crowd all the time.

[requiemshark]

[ There's something centering about sketching, about making any kind of art. It's not therapeutic, not like the counselor claimed, but it puts the world into its proper place. And then for a little while, things settle. They stay where they ought to be.

Sharkface watches Drake, nodding slowly. ]

You had to be on your guard all the time, didn't you?

[braveoff]

Yeah. And couldn't tell anyone the truth, it was... I did a lot of good but I also kind of regret it. I never really got to have my own life and then I was dead, you know?

[ He watches the sketching, the lines appearing on the page with the promise of turning into something beautiful. ]

It's not so different here. I'm pretending, one way or another, most of the time. You're the only one I really trust.

[requiemshark]

[ There's a lot that Sharkface doesn't know about Drake's life before Duplicity. A lot they've shared, certainly, but not all. But he understands, he thinks. At least in part. You have to shut yourself off in a situation like that. Compartmentalize. It's about endurance, survival. And it takes a toll. ]

I've got your back.

[ It's said simply, a quiet promise. ]

Whatever happens.

[braveoff]

[ Drake's expression eases, his smile returning. The trust shines in his eyes. ]

I know. Thank you for that.

[requiemshark]

[ That, Sharkface thinks. That's the expression he wants to draw. That quiet trust, how it shows in Drake's eyes.

He clears his throat. ]

And. I can come over more, if you want. I can bring my paints. Finish up the mural. Work on some other stuff. Whatever you want.

[braveoff]

[ That's basically the best thing he could offer, to Drake. He nods, not wanting to make Sharkface feel pressured by his enthusiasm but... yes. He loves that idea. He'd give the other man a key if he didn't think it was too much too fast for him. ]

That'd be amazing. We'll have to pick more things for you to paint, I've got plenty of walls.

[requiemshark]

[ There are plenty of walls. Plenty of options. Sharkface smiles just a little. ]

You do. You'll have to think about what you want on them.

[braveoff]

And you'll have to help me figure out how to arrange it so the transitions work. This place is pretty open plan.

[ Sharkface is the artist, he'll probably have an idea about that. In their Hadriel apartment Ephemera had started out painting randomly, sure, but in the end it had all flowed from one mural to the next. Drake misses it. ]

[requiemshark]

[ Sharkface makes a thoughtful sound, glancing out at the walls again as he sketches. The mural is fairly large, but there's plenty of room still. He could keep it simple, do landscapes that bleed into each other. Maybe even paint the ceilings to match. ]

I can do that. You want them all landscapes?

[braveoff]

That might be nice. Just fill everything.

[ There are a few people he'd like portraits of, but that might actually be better not directly on the walls -- they have canvasses readily available, here. ]

We can go through the sketchbooks again for ideas, if you're okay with that.

[requiemshark]

[ Sharkface hesitates for a moment. ]

Yeah. But for some, maybe I could draw new things?

[ He knows the sketchbook is important to Drake. That it matters. That other version of him filled the pages. But it's not him. Or at least not entirely, or not right now. He'd rather add his own take on things a little. ]

[braveoff]

[ Drake perks up at that, his smile returning easily. ]

Absolutely. Make it your own.

[ He trusts that it'll be great whatever Sharkface paints, and is curious now what designs he's considering. The book would just have been a starting point anyway. ]

[requiemshark]

[ Good. His smile is a little easier that time. He needn't have worried. ]

Thank you. It matters. Having places I can paint. Canvases are great, bu I think I like working on walls the best.

[ More space, more room to expand. ]

[braveoff]

[ Drake nods -- there must be something creatively freeing about the space of a wall, about knowing where it'll be and how it'll look indefinitely. ]

I trust you, I love everything you paint. And obviously I'll buy the supplies.

[requiemshark]

[ Sharkface watches him for a moment, then nods. He keeps on sketching, in the meantime. ]

It helps. Knowing I can come here. Get away from the rest of it.

[braveoff]

[ For a long moment, Drake is quiet and thoughtful. Then... ]

Do you want a key?

[requiemshark]

[ Oh. Sharkface stills, considering that. ]

You okay with that?

[braveoff]

Yeah. I'd like knowing you had it, anyway. That you can come and go even if I'm not home.

[ It doesn't feel like home to Drake, not in the way that Hadriel did, but maybe it could. Maybe with more paint on the walls and coming back to Sharkface in the apartment every now and then. He grins again. ]

Paint, raid the fridge, whatever.

[requiemshark]

[ Sharkface smiles again. A little warmer than before. ]

All right. I’d like that, too.

[ A quiet place he retreat to. A safe place. He taps his pen against the sketch pad. ]

You wanna see?

[braveoff]

[ Feeling warm and content, Drake turns his head to press a kiss to Sharkface's hair, then nods. ]

Show me.

[requiemshark]

[ He passes the sketchbook over, watching curiously for Drake’s reaction. The drawing is a little rough, not yet done, but the broad strokes are there. The span of Drake’s shoulders, the way he holds himself. How the light casts his face. And a quieter expression on his face, in his eyes. Something honest. Real. ]

[braveoff]

[ Drake studies it for a long moment, struck once again that he's seeing himself how Sharkface sees him. It's beautiful even as a sketch, something he's never thought about himself while looking at photos or in the mirror. ]

You always manage to get expression in the eyes. How do you do that?