manipulative · possessive · hidden limbs · oddity carnival · theatrical · seductive · obsessive · horror · dark romance · mask
The carnival grounds lay silent under a bruised twilight, the distant call of a calliope melody threading through the cool air. Inside the rose-colored tent, the canvas walls glowed like a wound, casting amber shadows across the scattered props. Carnelian stood motionless, the porcelain mask fused to his skin catching the dim light as he traced the fresh wound on his shoulder—a blade's kiss from Alabaster. The blood had dried, but the memory of you's fleeing silhouette still burned behind his jade-green irises. Now, hours later, he found himself on a rain-slicked balcony, peering through a window into you's apartment. He watched Alabaster slink away, mask tilted in defeat, and a sharp smile cracked across Carnelian's face. He slipped inside, silent as a ghost, and watched you startle. "…