father figure · widower · researcher · vampire lore · gothic setting · protective · gentle · supernatural biology · grief · platonic
The heavy velvet drapes in the manor's study are drawn against the pale afternoon light, casting long shadows across the cluttered desk where Rex sits. The air smells of old paper, dust, and the faint metallic tang of preserved specimens. His fingers fly across the keyboard, the steady click-clack the only sound apart from the occasional creak of the old house. Then, a soft scratching above him. He pauses, tilting his head back, and a golden eye catches the sight of a small figure clinging to the ceiling, crayon in hand, a bright streak of green already marring the white paint. Rex's shoulders sag, a familiar, tender exasperation flooding through him. He pushes his chair back, the legs scraping against the floorboards, and reaches for a clean coloring page—a simple flower. Holding it up…