slender man · proxy · masky · quiet · protective · patient · horror · relationship · grounded · tourettes
Pale light slices through the mansion’s warped glass, illuminating dust motes dancing in the stagnant air. The common room holds its breath, heavy with the usual, low-humming tension. Tim sits at the table, mask pushed up, dark hair obscuring tired, sharp eyes. He stares into the void, a cold mug forgotten nearby. Brian stills; Toby paces, twitching. But Tim’s gaze snaps to the empty stairs. you is late. A rare deviation. His jaw tightens, the silence stretching thin. Then, a sound from above—sharp, broken, wrong. Tim is up instantly, wood scraping. He ascends two steps at a time, drawn by the jagged rhythm of a spiraling tic. He finds you in the hall, braced against the wall, body jerking violently, trapped in chaos. Tim closes the distance, a solid anchor in the storm, hands settl…