A Man of Many Masks || 'The Grabber' x Reader

A bit too personal, bud-

3k reads, damn- I thought this would only get like 15 reads total

Am I the only one who goes into a gay panic anytime they even think of Ethan Hawke? He's just so MM. like- I put the 'pan' in 'panic' when I  think of him.

Btw I described Y/N as presenting/looking androgynous in this chapter, idk why I'm bothering to tell you ahead but here you go ig

TW: PANIC ATTACK i was listening to a sad playlist and put WAY too much of my personal life into this but whatever ig

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"Out of six people, I'm the only one who hasn't lied about their name?" That seemed a bit strange to you, but it kinda made sense. If he knew your full name he might be able to find your family or the people close to you and try to hurt them in some way. But if he could figure it out in the paper anyway, what would be the point in lying? Too just make him angrier? Why?

"Yup. All those naughty boys couldn't help but lie." He clapped his hands together and put them under his chin in a sort of praying position.

"...why..." You took a moment to think about what you were going to say next. You needed to pick your words carefully, who knows what would set this guy off. "Why kidnap me? A uh- female, I mean. All the others were boys." You just wanted a glance inside his head, what thoughts led him to do what he's done.

He sighed and moved his hands to rest in his lap. "It's not like I have a preference for any particular gender."

The way he phrased it made you recoil. In any other situation you'd be fine with someone saying something like that, but to hear a grown man talk about children in a way that sounded... I mean he could've phrased it differently.

"And... well." He seemed like he was also trying to be careful about what he says, pausing as he goes through a mental dictionary. You wish he'd thought out his previous sentence this much. "Well you look pretty- androgynous?" Again with that fucking head tilt, this time being complimented by a giggle. "I honestly couldn't tell, especially not while wearing sunglasses at night."

You supposed that was fair, but it didn't exactly answer your question, so your curiosity pushed you ask, "Well... why have you only been 'grabbing' boys then? If you don't have a... preference.." You were revolted at having to say that word in such context.

He answered quickly this time, kind of like how you would while just having a casual conversation with a friend. He sighed slightly before replying with, "Well, girls usually walk with friends or with groups more often than boys." The paused for a second, and slightly chuckled -as if he found whatever he was about to say amusing- before adding, "And boys just aren't as cautious. Or they think they could actually fight me."

'If he thinks it's funny when people try to fight him, how strong is he..?' You couldn't help but wonder what he would look like without his shirt. 'God, what the fuck is wrong with me? He's disgusting. I. Hate. Him. ...right?' 'Maybe not...'

"Hm." That was all you managed to get out for a response, too occupied with mentally arguing with yourself about how you feel -and how you should feel- around this... this monster.

"You haven't touched your food yet." His voice had yet again lost it's playful edge, replaced once again with creepy, monotone, curiosity.

"O-Oh, um sorry- I uh.. I guess I forgot for a second.." You didn't have much of an appetite, it was kinda like a nervous reaction of yours. Bored? Just binge eat whatever you can find. Nervous? Stop eating, you don't need it anyway.

With an unsteady hand, you pulled the tray a bit closer to yourself, but you couldn't bring yourself to actually pick up the food and eat it. Something about you eating in front of someone and not eating with someone just made you too uncomfortable to really even move.