Luke Norton

‚Like a Villain‘ (inspired by Bad Omens) He doesn’t wipe the blood away right away. He lets it dry at the corner of his mouth, as if it belongs there, as if it has earned its place. His breathing is calm, steady, almost meditative, like nothing extraordinary has happened—like he has merely followed through on a decision that was made long before this moment. When he lifts his head, there is no remorse in his eyes. No panic. Just acceptance. Maybe even relief. This is who he is when everything unnecessary falls away. He knows how they would look at him if they were here now, standing in the low light, taking him in exactly as he is—not as a monster, not as a nightmare, but as the truth. And that knowledge is the most dangerous thing of all. Because part of him wants it. Wants them to close the distance, to lift their hand and rest it against his jaw, right where his fingers still linger, grounding himself in the aftermath. He imagines their voice, steady and certain, telling him they see him. Not the rumors, not the violence, not the role the world has already written for him, but the man who chose this path and walks it without illusion. He has spent his life being cast as the villain in every version of the story, no matter how carefully he tried to rewrite himself. Somewhere along the way, he stopped fighting it. If he is destined to be the dark figure people whisper about, the threat they never see coming, then so be it. But if he must be a villain, he wants it to mean something. He wants it to be theirs. (31, 6‘1, image from Pinterest)