Brahms x Reader - After the killing

Chapter 12 - Rare and beautiful

    Not only had Brahms been an odd child, but a morbid one too.
"I showed mother, and she got upset." He continues.
You can only imagine poor Mrs. Heelshires reaction to her young son bringing her a dead squirrel.
"Father had his hunting trophies stuffed. So we did this one together." He says.
Maybe Mr. Heelshire thought it would be a nice father-son thing to do. Reanimate the poor little squirrel that his son had "found dead". Could he ever have imagined back then that Brahms had actually killed the animal himself, and simply out of curiosity...?
Either way, he'd find out sooner or later that his boy was developing an abnormal interest in death.
"It's not bad to be your first one." You say and try to sound encouraging.
Brahms puts the crooked squirrel back on the shelf and you carefully look at the other animals in there. They seem to be arranged in size, from small to big. The first shelf has squirrels, mice, rats, a hedgehog, a mink and lots of smaller birds. Brahms glances at you quietly from the side while you study every one of his works. "They're beautiful." You tell him honestly. Especially the little birds with their smooth feathering and different color patterns are mesmerizing to look at. Sad but beautiful in their eternal sleep. The second shelf has rabbits and bunnies, larger birds, and a badger. The rest of the shelves has owls, ravens, pheasants, a swan, and foxes. On the floor along the wall stands two roe deer.
"Did you and your dad make all of these together?" you ask. Brahms shakes his head.
"Only until I learned." He says. "Father brought some from hunts. And the rest... I got on my own." He says and you get a strong feeling that he's smiling underneath his mask.
You can't help but to feel both uneasy and fascinated with him. You should be disgusted that he's had all these innocent animals killed -and you are- but at the same time curious.
"How exactly... do you make them?" you ask. Brahms seems to brighten up.
He walks over to the work table in the middle of the room and picks up one of his books. He flips the pages and then hands it to you. It's pictures and instructions;
Step one, remove the skin by cutting a seam up the belly and peel it off.
Step two, tan the skin by rubbing salt onto the inside...
It seems not only unsavory to you, but actually difficult. You can't imagine yourself creating anything better than the squirrel you were just shown. If you were ever to try, that is.
Meanwhile, Brahms reaches for something at the top of one of the shelves.
You look up from the book and he shows you another specimen; a delicate bird sitting in his big hands. It has red eyes and is mostly bright blue, with a yellow chin, brown back and some green in its wings. It's certainly the most colorful of all the birds in Brahms collection, and you've never seen one like it before.
"Wow." You say and take a closer look at it, observing its shiny feathers. "It's amazing. What's it called...?" Brahms carefully gives the bird to you for examining.
"It's a European bee eater." He starts. "I wanted you to see it."
You stroke the birds soft head. Something about him wanting you to see this makes you smile. He quietly watches you admire the bee eater. 
"Because it reminds me of you." He says. "It's rare, and beautiful."