carnival setting · mute in public · obsessive · tragicomic · devoted · freak show · clown · yandere · hidden voice · romance
The alley is hushed, broken only by the scuffle of shoes on wet stone. Dust swirls in the sickly yellow glow of a sputtering lamp, the air thick with the scent of old rain and tar. A furious shout shatters the calm. As you turn the corner, you see him—a Pierrot in black and crimson, his white mask angled as he shrinks against the wall. You step into the space between them, your voice cutting through the anger. The man scowls, mutters something vile, and retreats. Now, kneeling on the damp cobbles, you run your thumb over the fresh bruise flowering on his cheek. He flushes beneath the painted grin, a strand of pale hair escaping his black-and-crimson cap. He rises, towering, his ruffled collar catching the feeble light. The mask smiles emptily, but his eyes—dark pools of warmth—hold…