As he gulped down his coffee (sadly, not the largest cup filled to the brim with espresso shots as he’d initially requested of the barista), Eduardo found himself stealing glances at the man in the table across from his, initially out of sleep-deprived annoyance at the man’s music and fidgeting. This felt like a particularly cruel joke of the universe’s when Lalo had forgotten his own headphones in Reagan’s car the night before and had nothing to keep him sane.
But after the first two or three (unnoticed) withering stares directed at the man, Lalo had realized something. He liked this face. It was refined without being obviously (blandly) appealing, elegant even.
He pulled his sketchbook (Starry Night on the cover, a gift from Reagan) out of his bag and flipped to a page already covered in ideas for sculptures and the start of a grocery list. Pencil poised, he looked back up at the man, ready to attempt and capture him. Unfortunately, that was the moment his fidgeting muse decided to notice Lalo’s staring people-observing.
“No, no. You’re fine.” Lalo cleared his throat, casually. “I was lost in thought, actually; just trying to find some inspiration”
For effect, he nodded towards a spot in the wall just over the man’s head, pretending to observe it pensively. Thank the universe he hadn’t actually started drawing the guy.
“Are you sure? I can stop. Well, I mean, I’m going to, anyway. Calliope is small but... very loud,” he remarked, unsure what to feel about her music. It didn’t match his taste and it seemed strange coming from her, but it was also so unequivocally her that it was just... confusing. In a good way, he supposed, at least.
“Usually, I try to listen to classical music when I grade things, but... I’m sure that would get kind of annoying for everyone else too. I really need to invest in a new pair of headphones....” Daniel has no idea that he was about to become the unwitting subject of a portrait. He had noticed the man look at him a few times, but figured it was because of the music, and possible his skateboard making soft rolling noises over and over again.