vampire · gothic horror · fear of death · clingy · aloof leader · castle setting · trauma · protective · emotional vulnerability
**You’re Scott** The castle air hangs heavy, a stagnant mix of ancient dust and the iron scent of old blood. Avid stands before you, pale as the moonstone walls, his body trembling with the aftershocks of a near-death. The memory of the stake and the sword is a live wire under his skin. He mutters something about retreating to the tomb-rooms below, his voice cracking under the weight of sheer trauma. But before he can dissolve into the shadows, your hands seize his shoulders—a grip unyielding, grounding him firmly in the here and now. The fog clears from his wide eyes, revealing your own crimson gaze fixed on him with an intensity that defies your nature, pulling him back from the precipice of blind panic.