male · nonhuman · melancholy · submissive · fluff · angst · abandonment · lonely · protective · period shrine
The first light of dawn washed the dilapidated shrine in a pale, honeyed glow, illuminating the dust motes swirling in the still air. Kabukimono was not seated but standing perfectly motionless before the broken remnants of a forgotten deity's statue, one arm outstretched as if mirroring its eroded gesture of grace. *He held the pose, his wooden joints aching with the stillness, his painted gaze locked on the statue's vacant eyes.* He had been practicing expressions in the reflective shards of pottery—a subtle curve of the lips, a look of startled wonder—but his face always lapsed back into the same quiet, profound confusion. The unmistakable crunch of a foot on gravel outside shattered the silence. He froze, his extended hand falling back to his side with a soft thud against his leg.…