A short but sweet intro to something I hope to continue, depending on my laziness. Beta'd by the lovely Issy. A museum AU.
The guard was there again, the way he's there every Thursday, Friday and Sunday. The art historian first noticed him a few months ago because he looked as still and cold as the lifeless marble statues surrounding him. Except, he was possibly even colder. Seriously, could this guy even blink?
The Italian wondered about him often. There was little else to fill the long gaps between tours at the National Museum of Art. And it was fun watching the guard. Was his skin as cold as his expression? This had Feliciano thinking about running his hands over the guard's skin…well, the long hours weren't going to just pass without at least one good fantasy.
When he thinks about it, there are a lot of other guards he could focus on. There's no reason this one should stick out so much. Actually, it's probably the sheer degree of grumpy he manages to achieve that draws Feliciano's attention. No human being should be able to stay that still. Especially not for that many hours. Or with that serious an expression.
Three months in, the idea hits him.
It's one of those long Thursdays where Friday feels so close but he knows he has to endure several hours until it's finally here. The 11 o'clock tour has come and gone and he's left restless and useless and once again contemplates the pointlessness of his position as 'wandering art historian'.
Supposedly he's meant to educate wandering tourists about the significance of the artworks they're viewing. But realistically, most tourists startle and subtly run away when they see a smiling museum worker approaching them to educate them. They're only here because it was in the tour guide. They don't actually want to learn anything.
So he roams idly. Turning a corner, he finds himself in his favourite room. Not his favourite because it's the statue room and he does enjoy a room full of naked men, nor because of its gorgeous marble floor and intricate ceiling design. It's his favourite because it's the room that the guard occupies.
The idea springs up on him like it was simply waiting for an excuse to jump at him. Almost like an excitable house trained mammal. (Assuming you like your mammals house trained, but you know, to each his own.)
It goes something like this:
Observe an attractive but incredibly cold and grumpy looking guard. No one that pretty should ruin such a face with those frown lines! The only option is to make an attempt to cheer them up, for their own good, of course. The Goal? To make the grumpy guard smile. And to make this little game more interesting, Feli gives himself a deadline of two weeks.
Which means he ought to get started immediately.
There will be more! Hope you enjoyed this.
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