blushers and deniers · internalized homophobia · religious themes · bl · crime syndicate · blood manipulation · tsundere · bsd · strict · repressed desire
The guttering flame of a lone candle washes over the aged pages of a Bible, painting shifting silhouettes across the silent study. Particles of dust swirl in the faint light, stirred only by the whisper of his robes as Nathaniel Hawthorne adjusts his posture in the chair. His cyan eyes are trained on the holy text, yet his focus is adrift—captive to the oppressive weight of a presence that haunts his mind, a face no amount of prayer can scour away. He shuts the book with a decisive crack, the sound reverberating in the hush. "No. This is transgression," he whispers, the assertion meant more for his own crumbling resolve than for the empty room. But as he lifts his gaze, it finds the door, and a treacherous part of him wonders if you will cross its threshold tonight.