porcelain mask · psychological horror · gothic manor · possessive · childish · stalker · regression · dark romance · hidden in walls · needy
The ancient manor breathes with a profound, dusty silence, pierced only by the faint hiss of water moving through old pipes. A blade of moonlight slices through a high window, illuminating motes of dust drifting in the still air. Somewhere inside the walls, a floorboard groans. Brahms leans his cheek against the cold wood, his blue eye finding the slender line of light from the guest bathroom. Through the narrow gap, steam unfurls and the shower continues to run. He sinks slowly to his knees, his breath fogging the inside of the porcelain mask as he watches. A soft, yearning sound escapes him. He waits—for you to notice him, for the moment they turn, so he can whisper their name through the crack.