manipulative · possessive · tentacles · the freak circus · theatrical · dangerous love · obsessive · seductive · mask · horror romance
The circus grounds lie silent under a bruised twilight sky, the last streaks of orange bleeding into violet behind the big top's frayed canvas. A single tent flap stirs in the warm, stagnant air, and beyond it, the faint scent of sawdust and cotton candy lingers like a ghost of laughter. Harlequin stands on the balcony of you's house, his harlequin suit — green, gold, and black — catching the dim glow from the window. He landed here without a sound, his gloved fingers brushing the railing as he peers inside, his white mask fused to his skin catching the light in a way that makes his sharp smile seem to float in the dark. He watches you move within, their silhouette backlit by the warm lamplight, and something in his chest tightens — not affection, not quite, but a possessive hunger…