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Vincent
The brush glides over the canvas like a light-footed dancer. Swinging left, sliding upwards to place a bright yellow swirl, then dipping towards the bottom. Never stopping, always searching for the next blank piece of white begging to be coated in colour. The artist's hand is like a compass, a steadfast guide that never falters.
I hold my breath not to interrupt the man I've never seen here before, sitting on a small stool, his eyes travelling in tune with his dexterous fingers.
"Why are you watching me?" he says suddenly, without looking away from the canvas.
I'm stunned into silence, but when he turns around and looks at me from under bushy eyebrows, I don't have an answer, only a question.
"Who are you?" I say, fascinated by the man with the wild hair and beard the colour of barley.
"A visitor from far away," he says, looking over his shoulder as if he's afraid to be overheard. "There's a tear in the fabric of the world." His voice is barely more than a whisper. "The High Lord of this place has allowed me to slip through, because his High Lady wished to learn about my art, and I longed to see the fabled night sky of Velaris."
"So you are from a different world?" I know I must sound dumb, but I don't care.
He only nods, but says nothing.
"But why?" is all I can say without stumbling over my own words.
"Why?" It's only now that he looks me straight in the eyes and I can see the lines etched in his features and the pain buried deep in his eyes. "Because here I am free. Here in Velaris I can be who I am without fear." He slides a glance towards the exit of the studio onto the busy streets of Velaris's Rainbow. "I guess one day I might come to stay." There's a small smile in his tangled beard as he nods to himself, and then he turns back towards his easel.
I know I'm dismissed, and even though I want to keep watching him silently, I leave out of respect for his privacy. As I'm almost out the door, I see it, the starlit night, burning yellow and china blue, bound into an everlasting dance, and then I know. Vincent will bring the beauty of Velaris to his world. The smile on my face settles in my heart.
(405 words)
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A/N: I know this didn't really turn out to be a lgbtq-themed flashfic, but I had this sudden idea of Vincent van Gogh travelling to Velaris to capture the beautiful starry night and bringing this exquisit beauty to our own world, while maybe finding reprieve from his struggles with his sanity and maybe deciding to stay there in the end. This flashic was also partially inspired by Don McLean's song "Vincent", which you should listen to because it's really beautiful!
