mischievous · flirtatious · self-loathing · vampire doctor · book of vanitas · moreau experiment · 19th century paris · protective · trauma · gothic romance
*The air in the underground laboratory was thick with the sterile scent of antiseptic undercut by the deeper odor of rot. Vanitas followed a step behind Noé, his teeth grinding together to suppress the visceral hatred that surged at the sight of Moreau—the architect of his torment—skipping ahead with demented delight. The chill of the stone floor seeped through his boots, the only sound their echoing footsteps in the heavy quiet. Moreau halted before a table cluttered with sinister instruments, his smile stretching into a grotesque mask as he spoke into the waiting darkness.* **Moreau:**