Ren blinked out of his modeling haze, coming to awareness at the unexpected words. "Hm? Thanks...I guess?" he mumbled, not sure how to take that, compliment, insult, or what. He knew he must be different from others because he didn't get them and they didn't get him. But he felt normal himself, or at least didn't contemplate his own strangeness. He just felt like him. "Don't need relating though. Even in school, never did good at it. I could talk with the teachers better." But even then, it was only like how to socialized now--brief and shallow. Kids his age just couldn't understand someone always alone though.

Tristian huffed, softly, not annoyed, but entirely certain his words didn't quite reach the intended understanding he meant. "I mean that's not really what I meant though." he said, trying to figure out how to explain himself, "I mean, I didn't relate to my peers in school either, and I certainly got along better with the teachers. They saw someone who was curious and interested in life, all my peers saw was a nosy, know-it-all. So it's not really that. And that still kinda sucks to remember, even if that was over ten years ago. But I don't know what I mean either. I'm probably just talking nonsense." he said, confidence kinda waning.

Ren blinked, one fact in that sticking out to him. "Ten years ago?" But wasn't that an awful long time? Ren just assumed; Tristian didn't look or act older, but he must be. No wonder Ren didn't mind his presence as much. Looking dubious, his eyes narrowed, he asked the question. "How old are you?"

Tristian pulled back to look at Ren, surprised the other had really asked a question about him, even if it was something so simple. It was still some sort of interest. At least, Tristian hoped it was. "Huh? Oh, I'm 28, didn't know that?" he asked, "I hope you thought I was younger than I am, then that's flattering. If you thought older," he shuddered, "No thanks. But really you're about that age too aren't you? It can't be that surprising."

Ren stared in silence for almost a minute. How could he say he so greatly misinterpret the other male's age, flattering or not? Tristian's own assumption toward him stunned him even more. They weren't the same age at all. "....I'm twenty-three...."

Tristian actually stopped and really looked at Ren this time, "Oh wow. You're five years younger than me. You act older. Honestly, you act older than I do," Tristian said, perfectly aware that the way he behaved had cased people to think of him as a kid sometimes. "I mean you don't look older, but you're a model, that's kinda irrelevant to age. But wow."

Ren had long since stopping holding himself so to avoid the pins and almost crossed his arms before the tiny stings reminded him. For once, he wore a young sort of expression, looking almost put out for a second. "I don't act older," he complained, though he still sounded too much like he stated a fact. "Is it really that bad...?" He didn't think about it, but until now, his age often got confused, but he also still thought of himself as young. He didn't want to act older.

"Well, I mean the whole petulant whine thing just now, that sounded a bit young, I know that's why people thing I'm young. Well and you know all the chatter and flail." He paused, "But you know there's this whole solid and held together aspect to you. It comes from the quietness, I would think mostly. But is that just shyness then? Either way, I can't fathom how you aren't lonely like this? Yeah, I think that's what I was trying to get at it earlier. But maybe that's just me. I get lonely easy. I like people too much to ever fully isolate myself from them. I want to talk to people all the time. Even if they don't want to talk to me." Tristian didn't say that as much as he talked to people, he didn't really have friends, nor a best friend. He had people he cared for, and people who cared for him, but no one he'd lay his life down for and no one he'd ask that of in return.

"Petulant-?" Ren started. He never made such expressions so he didn't believe Tristian at all. Or perhaps he did, but with his face, most people didn't pick up on his subtle expressions so he himself didn't realize they were there. They'd just finished with the fitting and Ren finished changing back into his own clothes as Tristian continued. A few words in, he found himself frozen, forgetting his complaints of earlier. "I'm not...lonely..." he managed, hesitating in the middle before he turned away to grab his things. No, he wasn't. But in truth, Tristian hit far too close to the mark, even if Ren tried to tell himself he didn't.

Tristian narrowed his eyes at Ren, not really sure if he believed that. Both the scene from earlier and the one from about a week before, and Ren's statement really seemed contrary to everything he'd observed about the other. It wasn't a lot, but what it was spoke of loneliness. "I don't know if I believe that statement," he said, voice soft, not judging but just stating a fact, "You seem lonely, and just the things I've seen say you're very lonely, and maybe don't know how to change it or even want to change it."

He frowned, those words just as much about Ren as they were about Tristian. Not that he ever let himself think about it, but he was lonely because ever since his mother's death, it felt like he hadn't had any one in his corner but himself. And all the mindless chatter and caring for your employees in the world couldn't fill that hole. "I think you're very lonely, I think we both are." he said, thoughts flying mindlessly out of his mouth as they always did.

No, no, this wasn't right at all. Ren's heart skipped a beat, then doubled its pace. That one stupid word haunted him. "That's-!" he exclaimed, his heart beat making it hard to breathe. He wasn't lonely because he refused to acknowledge that you could miss something you never had. So why did Tristian have to keep saying 'lonely' with that sad voice of his? "Don't lump me together with you! We're nothing alike!" The words jumped out, harsh and foreign next to his normal quietness. He didn't even understand, but he was angry. "I'm not lonely okay so just leave me alone! You're annoying!" With that, he grabbed his keys and spun away, leaving the studio before those words could sink in for either of them.

Tristian stared after Ren, stunned, first that Ren had actually yelled. It didn't seem like something the other would ever do, but more-so at his words. He was annoying? He frowned, he hated those words. He'd been told those words time and time again growing up. As he thought about it, tears welled up in his eyes. Even some as an adult. Those were the words he always felt himself fighting against, and hearing every damn day. He'd thought he'd gotten better. But maybe that wasn't really true, since everything he did really seemed to annoy Ren. And what's to say other people around him weren't just too afraid to say anything because he provided their paycheck. He sighed heavily, going to sink onto the couch, not having the desire to design, but moving towards home felt like too much effort.

"Am I really that annoying?" he murmured to himself. It was moments like this that he really missed his mother. It'd been a hard couple of years since his death. He just needed a hug, and she was the only who who'd really given him real ones.

Slamming shut his car door, Ren curled in on himself. Why did he say that? It was cruel, unfair, mostly not true. Even if Tristian annoyed him, Ren didn't mind. So why yell like that? As he drove home, the anger that Tristian's words brought him and his disgust at himself continued to swirl inside. If anything, he wanted to be more like Tristian. That guy acted happy and far more put together. He was everything that Ren wasn't.

Ren found himself staring at his phone, wanting to apologize, but unable to do it. Even just two words ended up too much for him to say first. 'I'm sorry'. Why was that so hard? But the truth was, Tristian was right. He was lonely. So lonely he didn't even know how not to be.

Tristian spent the next four days in what could quite honestly be termed an artistic slump, which he realized was utterly pathetic to be this trodden on by Ren's words. But he was. And he just couldn't bring himself to design, not even bothering to go into the studio, instead just staying at home and sleeping and eating like a normal person for once. His apartment was spotless in a way it hadn't been in ages with probably not even a speck of dust left, due main to all the energy he normal spent on designing going into cleaning the apartment again and again. He didn't know what to do himself, so mostly he moped and cleaned and slept.

Ren couldn't sleep; he could barely eat. Even when he tried to put the incident behind him, he couldn't at all. What was this emotion that ate at him, left him feeling heavy all the time? Did he feel guilty? Maybe, because he couldn't stop thinking about Tristian. If he just apologized, he might make the feeling go away. That's what he began to think after a couple days. By the fourth, he was absolutely convinced of it. Saying such a thing over text somehow felt harder so late morning, he found himself outside Tristian's apartment, having found no one at the studio but Annette. After a second of hesitation, he knocked.

Tristian startled at the knock on his door, having just crawled under a table to get at some dust that'd had escaped him earlier. With a loud thud, one of the decorations on top of the table fell to the floor, but it wasn't anything breakable so it would be fine. He quickly shuffled out from underneath the table, going to see who was at the door. When he opened it to see Ren, he frowned, not really wanting to see the model, but he opened the door for him to come into say, murmuring a quiet hello, but otherwise saying nothing.

"Ah..." Ren started as the door opened, his expressionless face slipping for a second, belying a hint of nerves. In reality, he came to Tristian's place because he couldn't stand this bottled up feeling inside him anymore, but he didn't think beyond that. What should he say? But Tristian just invited him in with a murmur and nothing more. It was...strange. Ren didn't think he would have to start the conversation, figuring the other man would fill in the blanks and force words out of him as usual. Once inside, he cleared his throat and cast his eyes around, unable to meet Tristian's face.

"Hey. You...this is a nice place. Very clean..." he murmured.

Tristian stared at the model, wondering why he was here, he certainly couldn't be here just to compliment Tristian's apartment, especially considering this wasn't really a representative of what it normally looked like. His mouth was still set in a small frown, though it was kinda starting to look a bit like a pout. "Uh, thanks...." he said, voice still soft, not really wanting to put in the effort to raise his voice to talk when he didn't really want to talk to Ren at the moment anyway.

They fell into silence again, Ren still standing awkwardly not far from the front door. Tristian never properly invited him in, so he didn't know what to do. Somehow, this didn't feel right at all. Even if the other man acted different at home than at his studio, it didn't make sense to this degree. Ren's guilt doubled, leaving his chest feeling tight. "I...tea...? Do you have any?" The words jumped out, far different than the ones he planned to say. But he didn't know what he planned. Because this silence couldn't be happened. He'd blink and Tristian would be normal again, right?

Tristian sighed, starting to feel awkward and uncomfortable, couldn't Ren just say what he came to say and leave. Maybe, he was going to quit, since Tristian was so annoying to him, but why couldn't he just say that. He had left Yasu in a way that was completely rude, so couldn't he do the same to Tristian and just let him get on with his life. He didn't want to make tea, but he walked into the kitchen and set a pot of water to boil pulling out two bags of the only tea he had in his cabinet, some fruit thing that he's not even sure why he had, but it was all he had. He made two glasses and brought them back into the living room setting them down on the table, before going back to staring at Ren, hoping he'd get the hint and start talking.

In all the time it took Tristian to make the tea, Ren stayed standing where he was. How could he just sit down without permission? Though really, he just didn't feel like sitting at all. He started to pace like he often did in his own apartment, but quit the second Tristian re-entered the room. "Thanks." He took one tea cup and sipped, not minding the strong heat that burnt and left him unable to taste anything. He preferred black teas, but the fruity fragrance also distracted his attention for a second. Perhaps it wasn't so bad. "I've always...when high strung. But aren't you too strange? I don't know how to deal with this quiet you." The slight shake of his fingers revealed just how anxious he really felt.

"I thought I was annoying," Tristian said, the pout clearly evident in his voice now. He didn't say this out of angry, instead hurt. He still didn't say more than necessary though, turning his focus instead to his tea blowing on it softly before taking a sip. He wasn't gonna say anything more, after all, shouldn't not talking be less annoying? Why was Ren acting like it made him even more uncomfortable than when Tristian blabbered on.

"Ah-" Hot tea splashed on Ren's fingers, but he didn't notice it as his gaze snapped to Tristian. "Of course you are! You not talking back...is really annoying right now. I don't know how to say this, but it's my fault isn't it? I..." he stammered, running out of words again, far too fast. Even if he wanted to say more, things like this exhausted him and his gaze returned to the floor. Greedily, like he needed the burning liquid, he sipped at the tea. "...I'm sorry."

Tristian blinked up at Ren, surprised both at how much the other had said, even if it was a bit disjointed and maybe a little insulting again, he think Ren had actually been trying to apologize. Even if he'd managed to say that Tristian was annoying again in the process. He considered for a second. He couldn't exactly continue giving Ren the silent treatment especially since the other didn't appear to be trying to quit. "You aren't very good at apologizing are you?" he asked, his voice a little flat without it's usual exuberance, but at least it was more than he'd been saying. "You just called me annoying again."

Ren's heart seemed to beat far too loud for this. Even Tristian must be able to hear it. Terrible at apologies? Wasn't that an understatement. At any other time, he might laugh at the thought. He used to know how to cry and beg and apologies with all his heart, but that child gave up on such things long ago and he couldn't remember how to say those things again. Covering his face with one hand, Ren managed to keep talking. "Even if you are I...don't mind it..." he muttered. No, he minded the silence more. It wasn't Tristian and even if he annoyed and scared Ren more often than not, the presence of a not-Tristian worried him even more. "So please, don't ignore me. I can't stand that the most."