Evan Peters Drabbles

You're a Work of Art (Edward Philippe Mott [AHS] x Reader)

"Tilt your head a bit to the left, Mr. Mott," you said as you stopped painting for a moment, redirecting Edward so you could get a better angle of his face. You were one of the greatest painters of the 18th century, so of course, Edward Mott, one of the richest men in the current colonies, had hired you to provide him with a self-portrait of his dreams that only your skills could satisfy.

You had heard all the talk about Edward from clients & other townsfolk, especially about how bizarre he was. No one seemed to like the fact that he preferred solitude to human company, but you understood. You were a painter, so of course you understood his love for the art, but you also understood his desire to be away from others. You hated people because you knew how cruel they could be & you enjoyed the loneliness of your occupation, perhaps a little more than you should have.

Either way, despite all the talk about Edward Mott, he was a client--an over-zealous, good paying one, at that-- & he was quite the masterpiece himself to look at, even in that ridiculous, powdered wig.

"Forgive me, I cannot seem to stand still for longer than a few moments," he admitted with a laugh, moving as he spoke.

"It's quite alright, Mr. Mott. I've only got your head remaining, so keep your eyes & attention on me for a bit longer."

His lips curled slightly in a smirk, "With pleasure," you almost didn't catch his quiet side remark, but you did & you were thankful you had the huge canvas to conceal your reddening cheeks.

You continued painting, Edward's beautiful face slowly forming & appearing onto the canvas. You had to look up at him continually to ensure that you painted every detail of his garb & physical appearance accurately, but you did take a few unnecessary, extra looks, just to reward yourself for sitting put & painting nonstop for the past seven hours.

What you didn't realize was that Edward was sneaking glances at you, as well, which wasn't very difficult considering he had to look at you so you could paint him. He loved the different expressions of concentration that you made as you worked. You were quiet & reserved, like himself, which he liked. He could tell that you didn't judge him, like his servants & the other towns-people did, & he admired that. That was one of his favorite characteristics of paintings, the fact that they judged nobody, & he admired that quality in humans with great respect.

As he continued posing & watching you paint him, he began to find himself comparing you to his beloved paintings. The way that you didn't judge him for being out of the norm of the other colonists' definitions of normalcy, the kindness of your spirit, & the fact that you not only shared his insatiable love for paintings, but could also create breath-taking works of your own (a skill that Edward desperately wished he had) were all traits of yours that he was quickly taking a liking to, yourself included.

"Almost finished!" you called as you finished up the final, detailed touches on his self-portrait.

"Good Heavens!" he muttered, "I thank thee for finally bringing an end to my suffering," he said seriously, but it instantly cracked you up.

"I do apologize, Mr. Mott, but your form is simply too exquisite & eloquent to attempt to reproduce in the normal four hour time span for a self-potrait."

He grinned crookedly, relishing in your compliment, "Well, as they say, I am in a wagon far different from normalcy," he said it flatly, but you could tell the judgements about him did hurt him.

You looked up at him seriously, holding your palette of colors sassily as your brush stopped mid-stroke, "There's nothing wrong with that. Quite frankily, the wagon of normalcy is incredibly bland & distasteful," you smiled softly, "I'd prefer your wagon over the dreary & dry wagon of the other townsfolk any day."