Posted originally on the Archive_of_Our_Own at https://archiveofourown.org/
works/11288334.
  Rating:
      Explicit
  Archive Warning:
      Underage
  Category:
      M/M, Multi, Other
  Fandom:
      Persona_5
  Relationship:
      Kitagawa_Yusuke/Sakamoto_Ryuji
  Character:
      Morgana, Kashiwagi_Yusuke, Sakamoto_Ryuji, Akira, Persona_5_Protagonist,
      Captain_Kidd, Princess_Ann_(Persona_5), Sakura_Futaba, Persona
  Additional Tags:
      I'm_new_to_this_help, persona_5_is_pretty_great, Sexual, sexual_content
      comes_later, Sexual_Content, Sexual_Tension, additional_tags_to_be_added
      later
  Stats:
      Published: 2017-06-24 Chapters: 2/? Words: 3226
****** Paint Me A New ******
by Makamews
Summary
     Ryuji is a masterpiece, a broken, beaten, and dirty masterpiece.
     Yusuke will fix him, fix the broken lines, the blotches of ugly
     color, everything that doesn't belong will be removed. He's a
     masterpiece, Yusukes masterpiece, and he will be fixed and painted a
     new.
Notes
     I hope you enjoy the first chapter of my new persona 5 series~ I
     apologize if it's a bit short but I still hope you like it!
See the end of the work for more notes
***** A New Canvas *****
"Alright! Captain Kidd, you really are the best!" The loud voice coming from a
blonde, cheered happily as his said Persona just huffed and looked forward. The
voice was excited and tired, releasing slight pants because of the intense
fighting and concentration that was put into controlling his persona.
"Ryuji, please keep your voice down. We just finished a battle, we do not wish
to get caught and start another one." This voice let out an exasperated sigh,
as eyes scanned the room and dark blue hair swayed with every slight movement.
His persona, nodded lightly towards Captain Kidd, holding forward his pipe as
he awaited for his users next commands.
" ah, right, right. I knew that, I was just, ya know, let off a little after
battle steam!"
"And screaming your victory somehow releases the tension? It only heightens
mine..." the boy whispered the last part, his eyes wandering off to the side.
Ryuji could only pout, hearing Yusukes comment and rubbing the back of his
fluffy yet spiky hair. What was wrong with giving off a little shout of
victory? It was the first time the group has been in a palace in the last month
or so. Could the team really blame him for being hyper and excited to finally
be working as a phantom thief again? The only thing that greatly worried him,
was the fact that he was teamed up with Yusuke, of all people.
Akira had placed them together in hopes that Yusuke would keep him under fairly
good control while they split up and patrolled the palace. He hated it more
than anything to be tied down with Yusuke. Yusuke was so friggin..... nitpicky.
If Ryuji did anything that remotely set off Yusuke, he would know almost
immediately, Yusuke sure wasn't afraid to voice his own opinions, bad or good,
that much was true.
But there was something about him that made Ryuji’s head hurt, but in the
strangely nice kind of way. He found himself listening more intently to him,
watching him more, and giving back less harsh remarks. What was coming over
him? He didn't even notice he was staring until Yusuke snapped his fingers in
his face.
“ earth to Ryuji!” Yusuke watched the boy blink and quickly shake his head.
“ what? What is it, what do you want?”
“ you spaced out… again… if you're going to space out, at least do it somewhere
else but here…”
Ryuji quickly smacked Yusuke hand away, scoffing softly.” What are you, my mom?
Even she doesn't ride my ass as much as you do. Learn to loosen up and stop
being so demanding of things. I'm almost an adult, so at least stop treating me
like some kid…” Ryuji stuffed his hands in his pockets, watching as both his
and Yusukes personas disappeared.
“ excuse me?” Yusuke raised a brow at this. “ I am doing anything but, ‘riding
your ass’, i am just following through on Akira’s orders to keep you in check.
We're looking for clues, but all we've found is fight after fight because you
run off after we finish a battle. I'm utterly exhausted and we've barely been
in here more than thirty minutes! I would like to go home and work on my art
instead of passing out on my futon…”
“ sounds like a personal problem to me.” Ryuji shrugged as he turned on his
heels, begin to walk away.
“ what is with you?” At this, Ryuji stop in his tracks, listening to what
Yusuke has to say. “ ever since we found this palace, you have been acting out
more and more than what you used to. Mind telling me what exactly is going on?”
Acting out? How so? He didn't feel like he was acting any different than usual.
Standing up straight, he looked down at the floor but answered him anyway. “ I
haven't changed and nothing's going on. This is who I am and maybe you just
haven't come to realize that.” Ryuji looked back at Yusuke, his shoulders
slouched and his body weight leaning on his non-injured leg.” Sorry that it
doesn't meet up with your ‘artistic’ standards. But when have I ever really met
anyone's standards? I couldn't even reach my own father's standards…” he looked
down at the ground before continuing to walk forward,” much less my own.”
Yusuke watched the boy slowly walk away as a sigh escaped Yusukes sweet lips
once again. “ you idiot…..” looking up at Ryuji, a piece of blue hair fell over
top of Yusukes fox mask, before brushing it back. “ You are a master piece…. of
course you don't reach my artistic standards… you exceed them…” It didn't take
long for Yusuke to follow closely after Ryuji, the two starting their hunt once
again for more clues on the palace.
*****
“ well, it seems none of us found much to go off of. This isn't good, but it's
not bad either! Just means we need to consult futaba and makoto on the matter.
I'm sure those two will figure out something.” Morgana hummed as his tail
swished around wildly.
“ man, this sucks major balls… none of us found anything!?” Ryuji groaned, as
most of the team chose to ignore his comment. “ let's head back for now, get a
good nights rest an meet up for tomorrow. Everyone needs to be there!” With
this last announcement, the group was sent back to the real world, back at
their usual hideout spot.
“ well, you all have a good night, stay safe on your way home!” Ann remarked,
the boys nodding as she walked off, Akira following close behind her on
leaving.
The two boys left could only watch the two go before Ryuji pushed himself off
the rail, looking around for the way back home.” Ryuji,” Yusukes voice made
Ryuji snap his head up to look at him, his eyebrow raised in wonder at what the
artist was going to say.
“ about… earlier… I, um.. wanted to apologize for getting on you so much….”
woah, was this guy blushing!? No effin way!? Ryuji has never seen this guy
blush before, he didn't even blush when he asked Ann to strip in front of him.
Where did this all come from!?
As Yusuke waited for a response, he looked up at Ryuji, noticing the boy
practically looked like a deer in headlights.” What? Why are you looking at me
like that?” Ryuji shook his head, probably to snap himself out of his daze as
he watched the boy rub the back of his head.
“ well, why the sudden apology?”
“ is it wrong to apologize now? Should I have done it earlier? Maybe later?
I've never really associated well with people, so this whole apology thing is
fairly new to me… besides apologizing to my master….” Yusuke looked down a bit,
his hair falling down to cover his face a bit. DAMNIT! WHY IS THIS GUY SO CUTE
ALL OF A SUDDEN!?
Ryuji lightly hit Yusuke on the back of the head, making the male look up at
him. “ it's nothin.. ok? S-so stop acting so weird…. your right, you
apologizing… geez, it's extremely weird. If your really sorry… I guess paint me
a picture…”
“ a what….?”
“ you heard me… ya know, a picture. The big canvas with paint and stuff all
over them… I would like one to hang up, or my mom might… draw whatever, I'll
leave it up to your artistic eye… but it better not be shitty, ok!?” Ryuji
could feel his face now burning, the blush on his cheeks blatantly evident as
Yusuke gripped his bag slung around his arm.
“ a picture… just for you?...” Ryuji looked up and swallowed dryly. Holy shit,
this guys eyes were practically sparkling, they looked like a child's eyes
after receiving a toy they've been wanting and yearning for ever so
desperately. “ uh… ya man… just for me…”
“ I'll do it then! It'll be perfect, one that will surely blow your mind!”
Turning, Yusuke started on his way towards his dorm as ideas flooded into his
mind on what to draw for Ryuji. He was going to create a masterpiece, one that
even Ryuji couldn't deny!
Running up the steps and quickly entering his dorm room, Yusuke set up quickly,
his canvas out, paints and brushes set up, everything was ready, except for
Yusuke. He stood in front of the canvas, staring at the white color for several
minutes, which turned into an hour. “ how am I to draw a masterpiece… when I've
only ever seen one in my life… and he stands before me every day when we work.”
He began to unbutton his shirt, slipping it off and placing it gently on the
bed. “ his rough, calloused hands, are a perfect opposite to mine… soft and
hard, large and small, dark and light…” he trailed his hand from his wrist to
his shoulder.” Large and peeking muscles, broad shoulders that have carried
more weight than I could have ever imagined.” His hand then dipped from his
neck down to his waist. “ that neck, perfect for kissing, his body, toned and
strong, how I would love to feel such curves and strength.” Looking up at the
ceiling, Yusuke could only imagine Ryuji being in his place right now. His
shirt off and his body bare just for him.
“ how do I create a masterpiece for a masterpiece?” A thought occurred in his
mind, replaying what Ryuji had said to him earlier. “ that's it… the strongest
pictures aren't the ones you paint, but the ones that are acted out in real
life. I will show him he is worth it, he is perfect, a masterpiece worth
savoring… Ryuji, I will paint you a new. Make you see the true perspectives of
life and how much you mean to everyone… to me…” Yusuke wrapped his arms around
himself, his blush showing as he smiles softly. “ You will become my canvas,
and I… your painter, one that will fix the crooked lines, the mishaped
textures, and the blotches of color that do not mix. You are a ruined
masterpiece, but soon enough, you will be a perfect one. My Ryuji… my
masterpiece.”
***** Lost in Thought *****
Chapter Summary
     Yusuke can't concentrate, which is getting him left behind in class.
     Ryuji coming by to update him on the phantom thieves meeting doesn't
     help matters
Chapter Notes
     Once again, sorry it's so short everyone. Softball is killer and
     really keeps me busy. But I still hope you all enjoy this chapter and
     many more to come! Thanks for all the love and sweet comments~
See the end of the chapter for more notes
The gentle sounds of a brush over a canvas could be heard from around the room
as multiple students were hard at work, painting away, and staying silent while
doing so. They were all focused and knew what they were doing, that is everyone
  but Yusuke. The dark haired male was currently staring at the blank canvas,
  wondering what exactly he should draw. He has placed his pencil down on the
 rough surface, but never moved it, only removing it from the canvas to think
  more on his art piece, as well as the events that occurred the day before.
“Alright class, that's all for today. If you have not finished your piece, you
 still have the rest of the week to work on it. Pace yourself and really bring
out your emotions within the painting. Pictures just aren't for looking but-” “
to bring forth the utmost emotions.” The class recited confidently. “ exactly,
                           alright. You all may go.”
  Yusuke slowly stood, beginning to place his art materials away, so lost in
  thought that he didn't even hear his teacher's footsteps approaching him. “
Yusuke, is something the matter?” The boy looked up only briefly before looking
back down and shaking his head. “ no, sir, it's nothing. I've just been lost in
 deep thoughts on what to do for my project. The project is supposed to match
 the subject you've given us, which is Liberal Despair concerning how life is
currently in our small city. But, no matter how hard I think, I just can't come
                       up with something worth drawing.”
   Placing his bag around his arm, Yusuke sighed.” I've never had this much
 difficulty drawing before…” seeing the sympathetic look on his teachers face,
 made him feel all the more guilty. “ I'm sure I'm just having minor art block
 right now. I will make sure to finish the piece on time and make sure it fits
  the subject. If you'll excuse me sensei.” Bowing softly, Yusuke trudged off
 towards the door, walking out and making his way to the front of the school.
 One thing he was not expecting to see was Ryuji waiting for him at the bottom
 of the stairs. As Yusuke stood at the top, he looked down at Ryuji, his eyes
     wide in wonder. Most students passing by him gave him strange looks,
 considering he wasn't a student from the school and if he wasn't, why was he
 here? Yusuke was asking himself the same thing, but didn't get to think about
   it long because Ryuji had spotted him, waving him down with a small smile
                          stretching across his lips.
Yusuke hurried down the steps, feeling like he was walking on air before making
  it to the bottom.” Ryuji… what are you-” “ what am I doing here? I came to
      remind you about us meeting today to talk about our teams mission.”
“ you couldn't have texted it to me?” The artist raised a curious brow as Ryuji
                             sighed and shrugged.
“ Jokers phone is acting up for some reason, also, I don't wanna use up my data
  just to text people when I can go talk to them myself!” Ryuji said this so
confidently that it made Yusuke smile. “ also, how's my picture coming?” Ryuji
“smoothly” leaned against the stair case, almost falling backwards but catching
                                   himself.
Yusuke went wide eyed when Ryuji asked this, before looking down at the ground
 ashamed. He hadn't started on his picture either, gods, what had gotten into
him.” It's, um… coming along fine. Still in the sketching process, but coming.”
               Yusuke mumbled while looking down at the ground.
“ wha!? For real!? Dude you work fast, I didn't expect you to start working on
  the picture that soon. I imagined other things were probably gonna keep you
 busy, but hearing this makes me a bit excited. Just means I'm one of the more
  important people on your list!” Ryuji hummed with happiness as Yusuke could
                        only stifle a chuckle at this.
“ if that is how you would like to portray it that way, then so be it. You are
a friend after all.” But was he? Was Ryuji just a friend? Yusuke wanted so much
 more, he craved more than just the simple chats and jokes thrown around when
 they worked together. He wanted to hold those rough calloused hands, to kiss
 those chapped but perfectly shaped lips, look into his eyes and tell him, “ I
                                  love you….”
  Wait, what was that? Was Ryuji hearing right? Did Yusuke just say ‘ I love
  you’??? Who was he saying it to, where did that even come from!? It seemed
   Yusuke also noticed what he said, a blush covering his cheeks as his head
                         whipped up to look at Ryuji.
 “ I love yolks! Egg yolks! Their absolutely delicious! Especially with a few
 Japanese dishes where you just use the Yolk and put it into the food. I-it's
  quite tasty!” Yusuke stuttered over his words every now and then, watching
                       Ryuji tilt his head in confusion.
   Ryuji swore he heard something else, man he really needed to get his ears
 checked or something. “ it's fine man, no need to get so excited and hyper.”
Ryuji waved his hand, brushing it off as Yusuke’s shoulders finally relaxed and
                         a sigh passed his tired lips.
 “ anywho, thank you for coming to tell me the plans. But… I'm not completely
sure if I'll be able to make it to the mission tonight…” pulling on the canvas
           nestled under his arm, he heard a light gasp from Ryuji.
“ dude, you're joking right? We need you! You're the only one on the team that
  deals mass amounts of physical damage, not to mention the only one besides
 joker who knows any ice abilities! I think…” Ryuji scratched the back of his
     head at this as Yusuke looked up at the blond. Was he… praising him?
    “ are you…. praising me Ryuji?” Ryuji hummed at this before shrugging.
“ I guess so… but what I say is true! Your one of our strongest members there…
 without you being there for the mission.. what knows what could happen to the
team… or me.” Ryuji sighed with a light blush covering his cheeks. “ you always
  have my back, and even though we snap at each other a lot and are always at
 each other's throats… you're always there to keep me safe, and the same goes
 for me to you… if anything were to happen to you while we were in a palace or
  metaverse…. I don't know what I'd do…” Ryuji mumbled the last part, lightly
               kicking the rocks under him with his healed leg.
 Yusuke could practically feel his heart swell and burst out of his chest. He
 had no doubts that his face was a dark shade of red by now.” Sorry for kinda
 spilling my guts out there… was really cheesy I think.” Yusuke shook his head
                                   lightly.
 “ no, you're fine. It was actually quite nice to hear. To know that you don't
 think of me as a bad person makes me happy. Let us continue to have this kind
                 of trust and confidence in each other, yes?”
  At this, a large smile placed itself across Ryuji’s lips, before the blond
nodded quickly. Yusuke hadn't noticed till then, but several of his classmates
that passed by gave the two strange looks, mainly at Ryuji more than Yusuke. “
anywho, I'm gonna head to my place. Gotta help my mom with some cleaning before
we meet up. I'll see you there right? If not, Morgana and Ann will chew my ass
                 out.” At that, Yusuke looked very concerned.
 “ chewing out your ass doesn't sound very pleasant… or anyone's ass for that
                                   matter…”
 “ Not literally dude!” Ryuji shivered. “ it's just a saying ok? Don't take it
too seriously.” Ryuji chuckled and turned on his heels, making sure no one was
                        in his way before running off.
 Yusuke watched the teen sprint off in the opposite direction to where Yusuke
would be going. Yusuke wanted to know more about Ryuji, he hinted only a small
 portion of his family life and what he went through with Kamoshida. He wished
 the boy would open up to him more than just what he has said to him already.
Placing a hand over his chest, he gripped the fabric of his shirt, feeling his
 heart beat rapidly.” But… he did say that he trusted me… if something were to
                    happen, he wouldn't know what to do….”
  Looking up at the sky, Yusuke stared at the baby blue and the white fluffy
   clouds. “ to paint a masterpiece, you must break it down and find all the
 pieces that must be placed together. And I… am one of those pieces that must
    fit into the painting. But, if I can't even love myself and my own work
anymore…” Yusuke began to walk towards the student dorms to head up to his room
  and get himself prepared for the meeting. “ how can I love someone else? Is
that another piece of the broken masterpiece I must find through my art? I hope
 the time I spend with Ryuji, will give me my answer soon… I can't hold out on
                             waiting much longer…”
Chapter End Notes
     Wonder if Ryuji will ever open up to Yusuke? Especially if he now
     knows that if something were to happen to him, Ryuji could show him a
     side he's never seen before.
End Notes
     I'm kind of new to this site so I'm still trying to get used to
     everything and figure stuff out. Thank you for baring with me until I
     do, but until then, please enjoy my first series!
Please drop_by_the_archive_and_comment to let the author know if you enjoyed
their work!