The soft creak of bedsprings cut through the pervasive silence filling the neatly decorated bedroom of Niigo's artist, each gentle groan and squeak of the mattress accompanying the sycophantic scratching of brush on canvas, creating a muted melody of activity.
Leaning back on her girlfriend's bed, legs kicking lazily off of the edge as she hugged one of her many stuffed animals tight, Mizuki watched in rapt attention as Ena diligently worked on one of her paintings, the brown-haired girl's beautiful features set in an expression of deep concentration. Checking the time on her phone, Mizuki noted that her girlfriend had been working on her newest artwork for several hours now, Ena's concentration on her work never faltering, not even once.
Even with someone else in the room, especially one as cute and lovable as herself, Ena was completely absorbed in her painting, the entire world around simply vanishing, leaving only her and her art. Leaning forward, resting her cheek in the palm of her hand, the pink-haired girl watched her girlfriend create her newest artwork with a fond smile curling on her lips.
While it may seem boring to some, watching someone spend hours on a singular activity, practically ignoring your existence the entire time, Mizuki found it deeply enchanting. Dressed in a plain t-shirt, shorts, and a simply adorable apron, her wide, brown eyes shining with passion, her tongue stuck out of the corner of her mouth in concentration as she added another splash of paint onto the canvas, random flecks of color dotting her clothes and face, Ena was the picture perfect definition of cuteness.
A gentle warmth pooled in Mizuki's stomach as she continued to watch Ena work, a soft hint of pink coloring her cheeks, the fashion-conscious girl thinking about just how amazing her girlfriend was. It wasn't just the beautiful art she created, with its deep layers of colors and underlying expression of hope, but how dedicated the brown-haired artist was to her craft.
While Ena has been fairly secretive about her tenuous relationship with her father, though Mizuki learned he had been an artist himself at one point, the pink-haired girl knew that pursuing art hasn't always been a positive experience in Ena's life. She had even admitted to having given up on it at one point, all of the pain, the overwhelming feeling of failure, had been too much.
But, even through it all, through all the agony and sadness, Ena stuck with it, working harder than anyone Mizuki had ever met. All of it to make her dream come true, to make illustrations worthy of Kanade's music, to find that acceptance she so desperately craved. Ena kept making her art, flaws and all, even with everyone else seemingly trying to hold her down, even if it was from within.
Looking down at the stuffed animal in her arms, idly playing with one of its legs, a small frown appeared on Mizuki's face as she worried that she herself may also be hurting Ena. When they first met, truly met, face to face in that empty sekai, it became quite clear that Ena had a clear distaste for people with so-called 'talent'. It hurt Ena, who had to work hard for everything, being rejected at all turns for not being good enough, being told that she will never improve, to see ones with talent be showered with praise at all turns, to just let it go to waste.
But Mizuki tried. Every chance she got, Mizuki tried to let Ena know just how amazing she thought her work was, whether it be in person or on her social media page. She wanted her girlfriend to know just how much her art moved her, that there was a beauty there, one that can only be found with hard work and dedication.
A beauty that Ena carried within her own soul.
"Phew." Mizuki's inner musings were cut short by a gentle creak of a chair as Ena suddenly leaned back from her work with a tired sigh, the brown-haired girl casually wiping the sweat from her brow as she looked around herself, a slightly dazed expression on her face. "Oh, it's already this late?"
Giggling merrily at her girlfriend's sheer adorableness, gently placing the stuffed animal back on the bed, making sure to give it a quick pat on the head, Mizuki deftly hopped to her feet before eagerly skipping over to Ena's side, excited to see just what she had created. Leaning over her shoulder, Mizuki inspected her girlfriend's work with wide, inquisitive eyes, Ena peeking up at her as she admired her work with a look of doubt and apprehension before turning back to her painting.
"So…what do you think?" Ena's voice, usually so strong and full of confidence, came out surprisingly meek, a clear hint of worry noticeable in her tone as she nervously gripped the edge of her paint-stained apron, brown eyes looking over her painting with an anxious stare.
Looking over at Ena, with the fading sunlight filtering through the window bathing her in a pale, orange glow, flecks of paint dotting her cheeks like a rainbow-colored blush, Mizuki smiled brightly before turning back to the painting. Wrapping her arms around Ena's shoulders, the brown-haired artist gasping softly in surprise, Mizuki gently rested her head against her girlfriend's as she looked over the painting, admiring it and its creator's beauty.
"It's amazing."
A/N: Painting with the colors of her soul.
Chapter 4 here we go! A little look into Mizuki's thoughts about Ena's artistic expression and all the hardships that come with it. Of course, we couldn't go without a bit of Fluff, right?
The next chapter should be out fairly quickly! Writing these has been a blast and they are coming together wonderfully so I have faith the next one will take no time at all! Please look forward to it!
