forum Glitches // OxO // Closed

Started November 27, 2019 by @ElderGod-Icefire

tune

Nyx blinked, and nodded. His eyes scanned the parking lot for parking spots. "There are some over there." He pointed with a finger, sitting up straight in the seat.

"Hm." Jude nodded, pulling into the nearest one and getting ready to hop out, "C'mon." He thought back to a distant memory of his first visit when he was eight and his father brought him there. They were mostly silent, not knowing what to say to each other at that time.

Nyx climbed out of the car, and adjusted the clothes nervously, hoping they wouldn't give him away somehow. "Alright." He replied slowly. "Let's go." He bounced on his heels for a moment, studying the building.

Jude nodded in agreement, almost forgetting himself when he almost reached for Nyx's hand. He pushed the thought away, gesturing for Nyx to follow him across the street and breathing in its grandeur. The huge pillars stood tall and the archway welcomed the trickling stream of tourists as they moved forward with the crowd. He turned to Nyx, hoping all the people wouldn't overwhelm him, "Hey, don't be nervous," Jude smiled reassuringly, moving past the line of taxies at the sidewalk.

Nyx crossed his arms, eyes flickering nervously around the crowd. He shifted closer to Jude almost fearfully, biting his lip. "There's…a lot of people." He breathed, swallowing.

"Tourists." Jude said in a bitter, sarcastic tone. He sighed, slowly moving forward into the line for the ticket booth. Fuck it. Jude bit his lip, reaching for Nyx's 'new' hand and holding it reassuringly, still looking straight ahead as if nothing was making his heart skyrocket.

Nyx blinked at the handhold, then laced his fingers through Jude's, swallowing again. His blue eyes flicked around the crowd again, unable to stop. He hadn't seen this many people in his life, much less all at once.

He glanced around the tightly packed room, seeing all the different people who were coming to see the masterpieces that lived here. "Just breathe," Jude told him over the loud buzz of people talking,
"It's like this all the time; it's an attraction, and they'll spread out eventually."

Nyx nodded a little, taking a deep breath and trying to calm himself down. He focused on the feeling of Jude's hand in his, focused on the male next to him, instead of the crowd around them.

"Hi, two tickets, please." Jude asked with a curt nod as he abandoned Nyx's hand as thumbed through his wallet and traded in a few bills. They were given two programs and maps in return, detailing the museum's main attractions and layout. Jude looked back to see if Nyx was still following him as he moved through the main entry, quickly admiring the high arches and the partially domed ceiling.

Nyx took a program, and followed closely after Jude, eyes flicking around, wide. He caught his breath slightly, studying everything. A smile spread over his face, and he slowed down a little bit to take in everything, those blue eyes wide and studying as if he couldn't stop.

The crowd had broken off into smaller groups, with little gatherings of families on vacation and art students being given a tour. Jude sighed, propping his sunglasses on top of his head and surveying their surroundings,
"Where do you wanna go first?" He asked, unfolding a program and seeing the different sections of the museum.

Nyx stayed close to him, not wanting to get lost in the crowds. "I uhm…I don't know." he replied slowly. "Where do you like it best, here?" he asked, giving Jude a curious glance. His hand almost itched to take Jude's again, wanting that contact again, wanting to actually feel Jude's hand in his.

"This one's near," Jude smiled, looking from the map to an arched entryway, "Dutch Masterpieces of the Met?" He suggested, sighing at the sight of Nyx's curiosity and wishing he could rediscover life like he was.

Nyx smiled back, bouncing on his heels. "Okay." he agreed, looking at Jude and smiling happily. He wanted to see as much of this place as he possibly could.

Jude weaved through the scattered crowd, glancing at the artwork that surrounded them as they walked. He wished and he pictured a bittersweet scene of his hand around Nyx's waist as they moved through the museum, and Jude would point at something and whisper in his ear and Nyx would smile his smile and look at the ground shyly. They'd kiss between the exhibitions and get lost trying to find the gift shop. No. He groaned internally, wanting to have more of his split-second daydream. "This is all seventeenth-century." Jude commented, silently thanking himself for that art history course in college, "The Protestants had destroyed almost ninety-percent of the art in the Netherlands, so in their revolt, they kind of played with a new idea..or way of painting."

Nyx swallowed, wishing he could take Jude's hand again. But he stuffed his hands in his pockets instead. He stared around the exhibition with wide eyes, drinking it all in. His eyes flicked to Jude for a moment, and he nodded, studying the paintings. "Oh." he kept looking around, stepping closer to the paintings.

"Mh– you know not to touch them, right?" Jude asked quietly, smiling, at Nyx's curious gaze. "Oh–" Jude marvelled, his smile faltering and twisting into awe. "This is a Rembrandt. It-" He said quietly, feeling a little starstruck.
"It's called The Goldfinch." Jude sighed, his eyes flickering over the painting.

Nyx nodded. "I know." he replied. He followed Jude's gaze, raising his eyebrows a little. "Oh. It's beautiful." he said with a smile, examining the painting.

"Yeah, but to think–" Jude sighed, "To think that that bird was alive and moving while he painted it, and yet..the colours are balanced and everything is right." He smiled glancing at Nyx, subconsciously picking up on it's parallel to their situation, "He must have been pretty dedicated."

Nyx glanced over at Jude, a faint smile on his face. "Yeah." he agreed softly. "He must have been." he took another small step closer to Jude, telling himself it was only because of the crowd of people. But another part of him knew that it was because he wanted to be kissed again, wanted to hold Jude's hand.

"Poor bird," Jude said quietly, glancing at the chain on its leg, keeping it from flying away. The bird was Nyx– and the realization pained Jude like a dull ache; a sliver of guilt wrapped in a box, delivered with a bow. "What do you think?" Jude prompted, nudging him in the side as he studied it.

"I don't know." Nyx replied slowly. "On the one hand, it's a beautiful painting. On the other…how long was that bird trapped, just so that it could be painted?" he bit his lower lip a little bit.

"Yeah, exactly." Jude sighed, "So we're at a little paradox– do we love the painting, or hate it? Because of the subject matter?" He tilted his head, "This is why I like art. Sometimes…you don't know how to feel about it."

(gtg :) be back later!)

Nyx nodded, looking at the painting still. "I don't know." he replied softly, letting out a quiet laugh. "I think…" he shrugged.

(kk)

Jude sighed quietly, fiddling with his sleeve. "Hm." He hummed in thought, wondering if Rembrandt released the bird after all. Another painting to his left caught his eye, and he stepped to the side, looking at it from afar.
"I did a study on this one for school." Jude pointed at it, looking back at the rosy-cheeked child staring at him.

Nyx looked, cocking his head a little bit. "Oh. What is it?" he asked, raising his eyebrows. He took a few steps towards the other painting, studying it.

(i gtg to bed in about 15 minutes. just a heads-up)

"The Van Moekerken Family." Jude answered, remembering the lengthy essay he wrote on it, all about how it captured the times and revolution in the composition and their positioning. "It's a family portrait; mom, dad, and their firstborn. The mom's lookin' at the pocket watch, cause she knows her kid's gonna die. The dad is on the right side, instead of left, which is weird, because the left side is usually the honoured side of whatever." He smiled, like he knew the family's secret and was revealing it in front of them, "So, the husband is honouring the wife for giving him an heir, but the heir is going to die. Another paradox, I think."

"Huh." Nyx said slowly. "I see." He ran his hands through his hair again, looking over at Jude. "I think I understand."

"Yeah." Jude nodded, "Death is a huge part of this type of art. The lighting in all these paintings are darker and more realistic, and there's always some type of symbol, hinting towards the idea that all things end." He shrugged, "Fruit will rot, flowers will wilt, and candles burn out. It's all the same"