Title: Self Reflection
Author: mander3_swish
Fandom/Characters: Brian/Justin (Qaf-US)
Word Count: 200
Summary: Justin creating art in a post-bashing world.

It was Justin’s first self-portrait since his bashing. Hell, if he thought about it for a second, it was really the first one, ever.

The assignment didn’t require a photorealistic likeness (thank god), but he did want to test out his hand and the fancy computer Brian got him with something, anything representational.

Brian was fucking impressed, to say the least, when Justin showed it to him; almost more with how proud and confident – bordering on cocky – Justin was of the piece. It was bold and beautiful, full of life and swirling colors, and Brian wondered how Justin could be filled with so much optimism and hope so soon after everything he’d been though in the wake of the bashing. The drawing was never meant to be a perfect likeness, but one could not look at it and not see Justin. He marveled at the artist Justin had become.

Justin hoped Brian could see in the drawing, and in his eyes, how it was Brian’s actions of caring, love, and protection that helped him feel alive again. He might have been able to do it on his own, but he truly believed his life, his future, was richer for it.