Inside the wall - Brahms Heelshire x male oc

4

Vincent, holding a large garbage bag, waits by the side of the house. Mr. Heelshire emerges from behind a shrub with a large rat-trap containing one very large, very dead rat.

Mr. Heelshire pulls the rat out of the trap as he talks. "Personally, I don't know that any of this is necessary. But the Missus is convinced they'll get into the walls. And Brahms..." He drops the rat into the bag and resets the trap. "...well, Brahms has never been very fond of animals of any kind. He was always very shy, you see. Very timid."

Mr. Heelshire's voice drops, almost to a whisper, as if he doesn't want the house itself to hear him. "I know how it must look to you, Mr. Livingstone. To be completely honest I'm not sure how it all came to this. Little by little and then all at once, I suppose." He bends behind another shrub. "Empty."

They move on to the next trap.

"What I'm trying to say, Mister, is that whatever it might look like on the outside, our son is here. He's very much with us. Do you understand, Mr. Livingstone?" Mr. Heelshire asked.

"Yes." Vincent said, nodding.

Mr. Heelshire smiles. "Good. That's very good."

They reach the end of the house where a large chimney rises up along the house. A thick shrub grows around it.

"No need to look here. We don't put traps 'round the chimney." Mr. Heelshire said.

𓉞

The bath water runs.

Brahms sits in the tub. His little suit is hung up on the shower rod. His doll-body is a yellowed kind of fabric with patches and repairs here and there. From the looks of it, this is an old doll.

Vincent stands in the doorway and watches as Mrs. Heelshire gently, lovingly cleans his hands and face with a wet cloth. The whole time she talks to him, just as you would a child.

"You were a very good boy today, Brahms. I'm very proud of you. You behaved like a little gentleman..." Mrs. Heelshire combs his fake hair carefully and a clump of hair falls out. "Oh dear. We'll have to get papa to fix this..."

𓉞

Brahms is in bed. Mr. and Mrs. Heelshire is on either side of him, hands folded, heads bowed in prayer.

Vincent waits in the doorway, not daring to break up this touching family moment.

The prayer ends. Mr. Heelshire whispers something to his wife and they both turn towards Vincent.

"If you would give us one second to speak with Brahms..." Mrs. Heelshire said.

Vincent nods and backs out of the room, into the hallway.

Mrs. Heelshire closes the door.

Vincent shivers, pulling his cardigan closer to his body. A cold night in a drafty house. He can hear low, urgent voices from inside the room. For a second it almost sounds as if a child's voice is among them.

The door opens and Vincent turns around to look at Mrs. Heelshire.

"He wants you, Mr. Livingstone. He's chosen you if you'll have him." Mrs. Heelshire hugs Vincent.

Vincent wraps his arms around Mrs. Heelshire, letting out a shaky breath at the familiar grasp of a mother's love.

𓉞