Yixing came home with bags of groceries and found Jongdae lounging in the living room again, thankfully fully clothed this time. “What do you want for dinner?” the manager called out as he walked into the kitchen.

“I’m fine with anything,” Jongdae lazily answered back as he blankly stared at the drama that was currently playing on the television screen. His mind was racing with figures and schedules, trying to mentally piece everything together in preparation for the impending launch of his company’s new jewelry lines for the winter collection. There were dozens of tasks he had yet to check off and time was steadily ticking by as the deadlines inched closer by the day. Jongdae desperately needed something to numb his brain right now, lest his mind combust with the stress and pressure of overseeing his first big product launch.

“Since Byulyi is busy putting the finishing touches on the actual jewelry, I need you to do all of the administrative work related to the launch.”

Jongdae nervously nibbled his bottom lip as he accepted the stack of binders from his grinning boss. “Yes sir. When would you like these proposals finished?”

“Whenever you see fit. I trust your judgment, Secretary Kim.”

With a loud groan, Jongdae flipped onto his side and began childishly kicking his feet into the air. “Argh, why can’t he ever give me concrete instructions?!” he whined out loud in frustration. “Is it that hard to tell me exactly what he needs and by when?!”

Yixing poked his head in the living room, having finished putting away the groceries in the refrigerator, and stared questioningly at Jongdae. “You okay?”

“Sorry, I’m just stressed out from work.” Jongdae swung back into a seated position to make space on the brown leather couch for Yixing, who had walked over. “It’s been an absolute nightmare trying to plan this upcoming product launch without the main jewelry designer. She isn’t available to work on the technical details with me and I’m not well-versed enough in jewelry to confidently do this by myself.”

“Why don’t you ask Jongin for his input?” Yixing suggested while simultaneously sitting down and lowering the volume of the television. “I know he took a few courses on jewelry design back when we were in college.”

Jongdae snorted before answering bitterly, “There’s no way he’d agree to help me. Jongin always made fun of me for having no artistic sense, even though I am able to recognize good art when I see it. He’d just mock me some more before shutting himself in his work room or his bedroom if I asked him.”

For heaven’s sake, why were these two brothers always so pessimistic when it came to interacting with each other? Yixing just couldn’t figure it out, even after knowing and living with them for years now. “It wouldn’t hurt to ask him though. This might even help him out of his rut,” the manager added with a hopeful smile.

“Well, he was pretty interested in the prototype set I have upstairs, so he might…” Jongdae replied uncertainly, still not completely convinced that asking his genius younger brother would be a worthwhile endeavor. “We’ll see. If I’m desperate, I’ll ask him for help, even if I really don’t want to,” he couldn’t help adding in a low mutter.

“What are you releasing this winter anyway?” Yixing asked, trying to steer the conversation into a more pleasant topic for Jongdae who was visibly uncomfortable with the thought of asking Jongin for assistance.

“We’re debuting three lines this season: a polished version of the jet set that’s upstairs, a rose quartz set, and an aquamarine set,” Jongdae began describing as he took out his phone to show Yixing the unreleased promotional photos that would go live after the scheduled photo shoots with models showcasing the accessories on themselves took place. “We wanted to tackle different ends of the color spectrum, but also keep everything more muted and not as bright since a lot of winter clothing is achromatic.”

Yixing nodded as he carefully examined the photos, taking the time to really study the jewelry and imagine how the pieces would look on consumers. “Which one are you planning to promote the most?” he asked curiously as he zoomed in on an aquamarine brooch that sparkled brightly. “Or have you not decided yet?”

“Haven’t decided,” Jongdae admitted sheepishly. “We’ll probably choose after they’re properly modeled, since we don’t know yet how they look on people. If something ends up not looking right, we’ll have to make adjustments before the product launch. My boss will make the decision after the final products are finished.”

The sound of a key turning in the lock of the front door put a stop to their conversation as both men turned their heads in the direction of the hallway leading to the entrance of the mansion. “Jongin must be back from the ophthalmologist,” Yixing said as he stood up from the couch. He caught sight of the artist speed-walking down the hallway and stepped towards him. “How was—”

But Jongin just ignored him as he stomped up the stairs to his work room on the second floor. A loud slam reverberated through the building and Yixing stared helplessly at the empty hallway with one of his hands outstretched. “God, what’s his problem?” Jongdae leaned back with a disapproving expression on his angular face. “I swear, his temper’s gotten so much worse since you guys came back from Paris. He’s always been rude, but this is on a completely different level.”

Yixing sank back into the couch as he exhaled noisily. “It’s been really hard for Jongin these past few months. I don’t know when it started exactly, but since he won the Gold Cup in a very prestigious European fine arts competition, he hasn’t made anything he’s really liked.”

“That’s it?”

“Well, it’s a bit more complicated than that. He’s really discouraged and distressed with himself, so he ends up angrily lashing out whenever things don’t go his way,” Yixing added as he stared sorrowfully in the direction of the artist’s work room. “I know Jongin has always been a bit volatile, but he’s extremely stressed out lately. He must have gotten some bad news from the ophthalmologist though. He seemed to be doing better when we came back here…”

“Let’s not talk about him anymore,” Jongdae cut in while turning back to face the television screen, looking quite disgruntled. He was getting more irritated by the second, thinking about how Jongin was throwing away his talent and acting out for seemingly no reason at all. His younger brother had been lucky enough to have everything served to him on a silver platter; it wasn’t even like Jongin had suffered a devastating loss at the hands of a more competent artist. In fact, Jongin had won the grand prize in the latest competition he had entered, so what was his egotistical little brother even complaining about?

Yixing recognized that Jongdae was becoming agitated as the conversation went on, so he obliged and dropped the subject of Jongin. He tactfully turned up the volume of the television so that the words of the actors on the screen filled the atmosphere while the two men silently watched the drama.

Halfway through the episode, several thunderous crashes suddenly sounded from the second floor and Jongdae let out a high-pitched squeal when he accidentally knocked his phone to the floor after jumping in his seat in surprise. “What now?!”

“He must be having another tantrum.” Yixing sighed as he reached for the remote control and powered off the television before heaving himself up from the couch. “We should see what’s wrong. He hasn’t been this angry since we first noticed his color disability.”

Jongdae wistfully remembered how nice and peaceful it had been when he was the only one living in the mansion as he followed his friend up the curved, ivory staircase to Jongin’s work room. He was worried about his little brother, but after hearing Yixing’s accounts from their time in Paris since they had returned home to Seoul, Jongdae didn’t think he was ready to face a wrathful Jongin.

When they arrived, Yixing slowly turned the golden doorknob and pushed back the door to find Jongin in the process of ripping another canvas. There were several torn up canvases already littering the floor and Jongdae gulped when he saw the sharp, jagged ends of the broken wooden frames. It was his first time ever seeing his younger brother’s work space turn into a warzone like this, with splotches of different shades of brown paint oozing from dozens of tubes onto every surface reachable and overturned cups of water that pooled into misty brown puddles. Jongdae made a mental note to leave an extra large tip for the cleaning ladies the next time they came by.

“Get out.”

Yixing bravely ignored Jongin’s callous command and stepped forward, taking care to avoid treading in the puddles of paint and murky water. “Jongin, you can’t keep shutting us out like this whenever you get upset. I don’t know what happened at the eye clinic, but doing this isn’t going to solve anything.”

“I didn’t ask for your opinion, did I?” the artist spat out scathingly as he kept his downcast gaze focused on the canvas he was currently destroying. “So get out of my work room.”

Jongdae was about to lunge forward and grab Jongin by the shoulders, but Yixing was quick enough to hold back the irked male before Jongdae could get his hands on the distraught artist. “You don’t have to be such a brat,” Jongdae snarled with his narrowed eyes glaring daggers at his younger brother. Even if he wanted to knock some sense into the stupid artist’s inflated head, Jongdae knew violence wasn’t the answer so he let Yixing pull him away while continuing his tirade. “Yixing’s trying to help you, but you’re too much of a conceited jerk to even notice that. The world doesn’t only revolve around you. Mom and Dad spoiled you way too much when we were younger.”

All of a sudden, it became silent as Jongin paused in his artwork demolition. The artist slowly turned his head and stared straight into his older brother’s eyes, the expanse of his dark aura rapidly increasing. Yixing felt his throat dry up as the overwhelming force filled every corner and crevice of the room. “Don’t ever speak to me like that again, Jongdae,” Jongin ordered in a low voice after several seconds of stillness. “I won’t warn you a second time.”

“You can’t tell me what to do, you disrespectful little—”

Yixing quickly interrupted Jongdae before the argument could escalate any further. “We’re leaving. We won’t bother you anymore. But Jongin, please try to calm down, okay?” The manager quickly pushed Jongdae out of the room and securely shut the door behind him. A moment later, a distinct click pierced the air; Jongin had immediately locked himself in his work room once the two were gone.

“That freaking—”

“Come on. Let’s go out for some fresh air,” Yixing proposed, his fingers tightly hooked around Jongdae’s thin shoulders to keep the other male from furiously kicking down Jongin’s door. “We’ll give him some space and he’ll hopefully cool down by dinnertime.”

Jongdae shot another smoldering glare in the direction of Jongin’s work room before loosening up under Yixing’s firm hold. “Fine,” he grumbled reluctantly as he knocked away the manager’s slender hands and began trudging down the stairs. “I need some coffee anyway.”

--

From his work room, he could hear the muffled voices of Jongdae and Yixing gradually fade away as they trooped down the stairs. Jongin then listened as they shuffled around downstairs for several minutes before opening the heavy front door and closing it shut moments later. A sigh of relief escaped his lips, instantly feeling more at peace now that there were no other people in the mansion except for him. The artist critically eyed the mess he had made, the smears of brown paint making him feel gritty and antsy as he continued sweeping his stony gaze across the disheveled room. He was in no state to clean right now. Jongin knew he would end up wreaking even more havoc if he forced himself to glance at his failed creations any longer.

So he found a relatively unsullied space on the floor to lie down on and closed his eyes, letting the overpowering darkness blanket over his being. The artist’s mind swirled with various shades of brown, all haunting him because he could visualize them perfectly in his head but not with his eyes. He tried to empty out all of the needless thoughts, wanting to leave his mind as blank as a sheet of paper. But instead, everything turned black with no semblance of light discernible in his mind’s eye whatsoever.

Jongin knew there was no point in trying to fight off the darkness anymore. It just kept growing more and more, no matter how fast he tried to run from it. So why should the artist even bother trying to escape it at this point? He might as well just embrace it and give up on painting.

Perhaps he was never meant to be a world-class artist in the first place. Perhaps he wasn’t the art prodigy he had always believed he was. Perhaps he was—Jongin involuntarily shuddered as the horrifying thought crossed his mind—just an ordinary person like Jongdae was.

Out of the blue, his cell phone began to ring and Jongin stiffly sat up while grabbing the vibrating device that had been placed on the floor next to him as he rested. His thumb swiped across the bottom half of the screen to accept the call before he brought the phone to his right ear. “Hello?”

“Jongin! Are you up to anything right now?”

Hearing Sehun’s voice never failed to put a smile on Jongin’s face. With his free hand running through his tousled hair, the artist responded in a relaxed tone, “Actually, you’re just the person I need at this moment. Can you come over?”

“Will Yixing make dinner for me?”

“He always makes extra when you come,” Jongin pointed out with a soft chuckle.

“Then I’ll be right over,” the model replied cheerily before hanging up.

--

“You’re the only one home?” Sehun questioned once Jongin let him inside. “What about dinner?”

The artist flicked his best friend across the forehead, causing Sehun to yelp, while saying with a lopsided smile, “Shouldn’t you be monitoring your figure, doofus?”

“My metabolism will take care of everything,” the handsome model answered carelessly as he gently rubbed his smooth, pale forehead after Jongin hit him. “But it’d be pretty funny to see Donghae freak out if I gain extra weight. Anyway, what did you want me here for?”

“What else? I need my favorite model to pose for me,” Jongin answered matter-of-factly while pulling his best friend up the staircase to his work room.

Once they were situated inside, the artist immediately apologized for the mess as Sehun surveyed the cluttered room with raised eyebrows. The model had never seen Jongin’s work space look so…destroyed, but he just silently nodded along as the artist scurried around to tidy up as much as he could, which wasn’t very much without proper cleaning supplies. He recognized that his best friend was slightly on edge and knew that mentioning the room’s current state would put Jongin in a foul mood.

“You can stand here,” the artist directed as he led Sehun to the section of the room that wasn’t streaked with brown paint and dirty water.

“Do you need help setting up the lights?” the other male asked, gesturing to the large studio lamps that were placed around the pile of broken canvases.

“Yeah, thanks.” Jongin left the model to grab a new canvas and his box of charcoal pencils from his shelf of art supplies. He tucked the canvas between his legs, so he could easily open the box and check on the pencils that hadn’t been used in months. Some were stubby and dull, so the artist tucked the open box against the left side of his chest and then used his now free right hand to search for a pencil sharpener. After grabbing two, Jongin then glanced over his collection of kneaded erasers and picked up one that was molded into a sphere to use later.

Sehun had finished lugging over the tall lights, having done this numerous times in the past whenever he modeled for Jongin, and was in the process of plugging them into the nearest wall outlet. “Need help with anything else?” he asked with a low grunt as he pushed in the last two-pronged plug. “I’m basically done here.”

The artist was now settled on his silver stool with an empty one near him for Sehun to sit on. “Help me sharpen these?” Jongin held up the charcoal black pencils while smiling apologetically at his best friend.

The lanky model accepted a handful of pencils and one of the small pencil sharpeners as he made himself comfortable on the other stool. “By the way,” Sehun started as he began twisting the first charcoal pencil through the sharpener, “Sunggyu wants you to come to my next photo shoot.”

“Really?”

“He thinks you’re a genius and he’s definitely right about that,” the model said with a laugh. “We can grab some food afterwards if you come.”

Jongin was about to accept when he remembered his next appointment with Dr. Do Kyungsoo. “Do you know when the photo shoot will be?”

Sehun thought for a moment before answering, “I think Donghae mentioned that it'll be a few weeks from now. We’ve wrapped up most of this season’s shoots, so I get a short break before jumping back onto the runway.”

“I should be free. But remind me when it gets closer,” Jongin said as he finished sharpening the last of his charcoal pencils. Sehun added the ones he had been working on into the heap of perfectly sharpened pencils. “Ready to pose now?”

“Ready when you are.” The model jumped up and shrugged off his ash gray coat before moving the stool into the empty space surrounded by the studio lamps. After quickly ruffling his silky hair to obtain a more windswept look, Sehun leaned back and tilted his head up to the left while opening his long legs in an outwards angle.

Jongin looked at his best friend’s pose in satisfaction as he held out one of his charcoal pencils in front of him to measure Sehun’s proportions. “Perfect.” Or at least as perfect as it was going to get at this time. He only wished he had been able to successfully paint those mesmerizing brown eyes instead.

♈♈♈