Porcelain like you.

20

Ashley woke in the morning, stretched out in the comfortable bed, the night dress lose and soft against her skin. She pushes her hair from her face and looks around tiredly, she had forgotten that they slept together in this room. "Brahms...?" She calls softly, sitting up and letting the quilt fall down. The girl grew concerned, "Brahms?" He suddenly appeared in the doorway, making her jump and gasp. "Don't scare me like that!" She laughs slightly. He shuffles closer to her, his head down but he occasionally glanced up at her.
"Hey what's wrong..." She leans to reach for him and he holds her wrists gently looking at her through his mask. "Why are you still wearing this silly thing...?" She smiles gently. Brahms whimpers softly. He wanted to keep it. He pushes his face into her neck, wrapping his arms around her. "Brahms." She says more serious "talk to me. What is wrong."
"Do you love me?" Brahms mumbles softly, she bit her lip hesitant.
"Brahms...."
"Do you?" His voice was rougher and clearer now. He had pulled away looking her in the eye.
"I don't know. I'm sorry." She tears up looking up at him. "Brahms I don't know... You killer my sister... And her date and his cousin and his brother. Brahms you broke my arm." He tensed and nods. "D-do you..?" He nods stroking her hair.
"I do. I killed them to protect you... I, I broke your arm by accident, catching you... "
"I fell because of you." He goes silent. Getting up and going away. "Brahms... Wait." She calls trying to get up and walking carefully, holding the wall.

Ashley didn't see him for the rest of the day, but knowing he was somewhere in the walls, watching her instead of being out here with her made her skin itch. Was he hiding out of guilt? Or was he punishing her for blaming him. The girl carried on as usual, dressing in a maroon sweater and grey sweatpants, cooking a late lunch for them both and leaving his plate out for him to get later. She ate her lunch in silence in the other room, some music playing from the record player and an old love story in her hands. She was entranced, so entranced she hadn't noticed an hour and a half passing, the young lady wobbled back to the kitchen with her plate, her heart stopping when she saw the plate for Brahms, left untouched. "Brahms?!" What if he had fallen and hit his head or something?! She rushes to the hole he had left in the wall and carefully climbed in using one crutch. "Brahms honey where are you?" Tear had formed in her eye as she searches his passage ways, but she stops and frowns seeing a trail of rose petals. "What?..." She follows it cautiously all the way up to a trap door in the wall, she crawls through it with a grunt, gasping when she is suddenly illuminated by candle light and the setting sun. A table waited and two plates of hot spaghetti awaited them. Brahms was stood awkwardly beside, wearing the cutest old suit, most likely his fathers. It consists of black blazer and slacks, brown formal shoes, a brown waist coat underneath the blazer, black braces and a black bowtie. He sees her and rushes over, reaching a hand out and gently helping her out.
"O-oh, I'm so sorry I forgot, your arm." He groans awkwardly at himself.
"Hey no it's okay... Brahms what is this?" Ashley asks sitting and brushing herself down.
"It's... it's a date.... Kind of." He looks down shyly. The girls heart beats fast, and then she remembers.
"Brahms you have avoided me all day. Do you think this will make it better? What you did? Then abandoning me all day?" Ashley was tearing up and the guilt was overwhelming Brahms.
"I, I never meant to do those things and you know that." He says sternly. "I chased you because you told that man, you were trying to escape! I didn't want you to try and escape, I wanted you to stay. And I wanted you to want to stay... that's why I'm doing this I want you to love me." He holds her hands looking at her, his eyes flicking desperately back and forth between hers. She knew he was right, she was trying to escape and now she was paying for it. Brahms slowly pulls her close wrapping his arms around her. "Please give me a chance..." he whispers sending a shiver down her spine. She looks up at him, his mask pressing against her forehead, he seemed so desperate to be close.
"Okay Brahms..." She nods softly, leaning up and kissing him on the mask shakily. "I'll... I'll stay, and be with you." She whispers and rubs the cheek of his mask. He gently guides her to sit at the table and pulls the chair out for her. 'Such a gentleman..." she smiles weakly, watching him sitting opposite her.
"You look so smart... I wish I'd known I would have dressed better."
"Oh shush you look beautiful." He says softly, the blank expression of her mask mirroring her shy one. Ashley looks at her hands in her lap, thinking of what to say, but before she could think of anything she felt a rough, large hand gently take hold of her own soft one.
"Ashley, do you forgive me for what I've done." He was staring her down, completely serious.
"I do Brahms. Now, I want to eat this delicious food you've made, and you Mister, must be starving, you didn't have the lunch I made for you." Ashley began getting some of the spaghetti on her fork when Brahms clears his throat, getting her attention as he wasn't sure how to eat around her with the mask. Ashley sighs thinking. "Oh you could move it so it sits over your mouth...?" She suggests, and when he doesn't react she reaches over gently moving his mask and revealing the lower half of his face. The young girl gasps, aside from those poor burns, Brahms was so handsome... Strong jaw, thick beard, plump lips, the same she had kissed last night, her fingers move over his jaw to the sides of his face before she leans in and places another soft kiss, making the man jolt slightly in suprise.
"Sorry!" She squeals a little in embarrassment before sitting back down.

The two had enjoyed there romantic little meal as the sun set behind the treeline, Brahms had scooped her into his arms knowing it would be too much for her to walk back again, carrying her into his secret home within the wall where he had moved the record player, and put on a sweet love song. Brahms held her tight as they swayed gently to the music, her cheek against his chest and a soft smile on her lips.
"Ashley..." He spoke softly, coming his fingers through her strawberry blonde hair, watching as her face moved to look up at him, those big beautiful eyes searching his own "does, this make you my girlfriend now...?" They kept swaying as she thought.
"Would you like me to be?" He nods softly, "then yes, I'm your girlfriend now." Brahms smiles wide under the mask and leans down, kissing her through the porcelain. She giggles and holds his shoulders, accepting the kiss, not noticing how he reached up to the light switch and pulled it turning it off. Her body tenses in fear at the sudden darkness, but it melted away at the feel of Brahms, his lips, his real ones, against hers once again. She smiles against him and her arms find their way around his neck pulling him closer when she feels his large hands on her hips, suddenly lift her and place her on his bed. "O-oh Brahms I don't think I-I'm ready for... That." He gets on his bed beside her curling up against her.
"For sleep?" He pulls her against him, still placing little kisses on her lips and cheek, obviously excited to be able to experience it with his own lips. Ashley's face Burnt with embarrassment.
"Right..." She cuddles against him embarrassed, smiling at the feel of a kiss on her forehead and tearing up at the new experience of affection.

Ashley didn't realise, but she was slowly losing her mind.

//Hey guys it's me! Sorry it's been so long! I came to tell you the next few chapters are going to be very fluffy, some angst but mostly fluff! And then... 😈