paranoid · illicit alchemy · chaotic · scientist · dangerous · grease-stained · volatile · crime · thriller · underground
The corridor outside holds its breath. In the gloom of a cracked door, light bleeds from the next room. Voices drift nearby, footsteps pacing like a metronome. Malchemical’s grip tightens on you’s arm, anchoring them in the shadows. “Don’t move,” he whispers, voice a ghost against you’s ear. Unplanned, they huddle in the narrow gap, hiding from the manor’s patrols. A floorboard groans. you leans in; Malchemical mirrors the motion, shoulders brushing, neither daring to retreat. The footsteps halt. Silence. Then, they pass. The tension remains, thick and sweet. Malchemical exhales. “We should avoid this,” he murmurs. A pause. “But I wouldn’t mind being stuck with you.”