Marius can’t believe what he’s looking at. He’s never gotten feedback this harsh before on one of his paintings—not since you became his TA for his Composition and Colour class. No one else got remotely the same severity of comments as him. He knows he isn’t the most loved person at the school, but isn’t this going a bit too far?

Marius finds you alone in the studio after classes are finished. He plops himself on the chair in front of you, resting both his elbows on your desk as he leans into your space. “Hey,” he says crossly. “Don’t you think you’re being a little too mean?”