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thetargaryenbride · 1 year ago

Text

Nail To The Coffin - S4 - Chapter 2

Warnings: hallucinations

Pairing: Steve Harrington x f!Byers!Reader

Word Count: 5766

𝐀𝐍: 𝘈 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘧𝘰 – 𝘉𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘙𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘴𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘴𝘰𝘳𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘯 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘑𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘞𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥, 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘭𝘺 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘵𝘴, 𝘴𝘩𝘦’𝘴 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘶𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦, 𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘶𝘢𝘭, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦. 𝘚𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘦𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘦𝘱 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦’𝘴 𝘭𝘢𝘺𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘸𝘢𝘺. 𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘵’𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘺 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘴𝘦𝘦 𝘏𝘦𝘯𝘳𝘺 𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥. 𝘐𝘵’𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮 𝘢 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢 𝘥𝘦𝘦𝘱𝘦𝘳 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘪𝘮 – 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦, 𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘰𝘥, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘷𝘶𝘭𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦.

𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘱𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘴 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘰𝘧𝘧 𝘵𝘰 𝘯𝘰 𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘰 𝘧𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘥𝘰 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘷𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘺-𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘝𝘦𝘤𝘯𝘢 𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘢𝘪𝘭𝘴 𝘴𝘰 𝘧𝘢𝘳 𝘭𝘮𝘢𝘰. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘦𝘥 𝘢 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘰𝘵 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘜𝘱𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘋𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘪𝘯 𝘴𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘬𝘦𝘱𝘵 𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘴. 𝘚𝘰 𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘶𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘥𝘪��.

𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘵’𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘺 𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘯 𝘴𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘰𝘯 3 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘥𝘪𝘥𝘯’𝘵 𝘬𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘩𝘦 𝘬𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘭𝘢𝘺𝘦𝘥. 𝘏𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘢𝘯 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘤𝘵, 𝘢𝘯 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘪𝘮𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘦𝘳, 𝘴𝘰 𝘴𝘩𝘦’𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘶𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘻𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘰 𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘬 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘱 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘭 𝘪𝘯 𝘴𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘰𝘯 4. 𝘏𝘦’𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘴𝘭𝘢𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦.

𝐀𝐬 𝐚𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬, 𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐝𝐨 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐦𝐞 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐢𝐟 𝐈’𝐯𝐞 𝐰𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐧 𝐜𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐎𝐎𝐂 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐛𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲. 𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨. 𝘏𝘰𝘱𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘪𝘵! 🖤 🥀

Masterlist || Chapter 1 || Chapter 3

“You packed everything, right?” asked Joyce.

“Yepp.”

“And you didn’t forget to get some warm clothes? Remember, Indiana is not as warm as California.”

“I know, Mom,” you chuckled as you went to give her a hug and she squeezed you tightly.

“I’m just making sure, honey. I want you to be comfortable.”

“I will be, don’t worry. Besides, I’m coming back in like, two weeks,” you smiled as you pulled away and El and Jonathan took their turns saying goodbye.

Just when you were ready to depart, already taking a step backwards and turning around halfway, Will halted you.

“Wait,” he jogged towards you and collided against you, making you take a step back due to the force, your face contorting in confusion as your hands hovered over his form.

“He-ey, what’s wrong, buddy?” you muttered as you hugged him, and his hold on you tightened. “It’s gonna be, okay. I’ll be fine. We talked about this,” you whispered as you gently ran a hand through his hair a couple of times while the other rubbed his back soothingly.

When he pulled away and looked at you with sad eyes full of concern and fear, your heart dropped as you remembered the little boy you had consoled at the lab after the horrible visions he had gotten because of the Flayer. Just as you did back then, you closed your eyes, a soft breathy chuckle escaping, as you cupped the side of his face and leaned in, placing a couple of kisses on his temple.

“Think only about the good things that are yet to come, hm?” you smiled reassuringly and he nodded hesitantly before you parted. His hand didn’t want to leave yours even when you began walking away, and his fingers were forced to untangle from yours and slide down, grazing the eight-pointed star tattoo on your wrist that you, he, and Jonathan had gotten to symbolize your union as siblings, before he finally let go.

He could only watch your retreating form with a heavy heart and a horrible feeling nestling at the pit of his stomach.

One of the things he hated most was when he had to get separated from his family. He got separated from all of you back when he was biking home alone and was taken into the Upside Down by the monster. He got separated from Jonathan back when he got possessed by the Flayer. He got separated from both you and Jonathan back when you got possessed. Then he got separated from his Mom on top of that when she and Hopper had taken off to seek Murray’s help. It’s like bad things happened when your family wasn’t sticking together.

And now he was scared that something bad would happen again.

“Are you afraid?”

“What?”

“Are you afraid?” repeated the boy and you tilted your head in confusion.

This was the first time you’ve heard him speak and the first thought that came to your mind was how similar his voice was to Will’s.

You let out a small smile, followed by a soft chuckle, as you crouched in front of him, and locked gaze with his while your ears strained to listen, for this time instead of music, the sound of a mechanical clock filled the air faintly. His eyes were so deep with knowledge. They looked old. Wise beyond their age. It was the strangest of things.

“I’m afraid of many things. You’ll have to be more clear,” you told him and he just looked at the jar he was holding.

“Are you afraid of spiders?” he asked timidly and your smile grew.

“No,” you shook your head. “I believe they are deeply misunderstood creatures. They are commonly associated with darkness and death but they can also represent new beginnings and life cycles. In many cultures, they are seen as protectors and symbols of good luck. Pity, most choose to believe otherwise.”

“How come?” he looked at you with curiosity and you shrugged, pursing your lips.

“I guess that people just… often choose to trust silly superstitions and are quick to believe dark meanings and omens over good ones. But you want me to tell you a secret? The way you see and perceive things determines the meaning it holds. Kind of like the glass being half-full or half-empty. So if you see the spider as a sign of good luck, then good luck will come your way. It's all about what you believe in.”

“Then…I choose to believe in death,” he muttered and your smile faltered.

Suddenly, the jar cracked and multiple spiders began slithering out through the tiny opening, falling onto the ground and rapidly approaching you. You backed away in fear as they began crawling all over you. You kicked and waved your arms but they just kept on multiplying either way until your whole body was covered with spiders. They were like a tidal wave, toppling and suffocating you.

And as you screamed and flailed around, the boy only watched on with his piercing blue eyes.

“Miss?” you felt someone shaking you and you came to with a sharp gasp, making the elderly woman recoil and look at you weirdly. “Are you alright?”

“I’m fine…it’s just a dream,” you murmured as your hand went to rub your temples, the aftermath of these nightmares always accompanied by a splitting headache.

You looked out of the window and your eyes widened when you saw the big sign with the name of the town boldly inscribed on it – Welcome to Hawkins.

It felt like you just got onto the bus and left Indianapolis and you were already in Hawkins.

Time was weird.

“Have a good day, ma’am,” you bid goodbye to the woman as you exited the bus and went to grab your luggage.

Now there was one place you craved to go to and one person you craved to meet most above all.

“And then Vicky laughed. And it wasn’t like, a cheap, fake laughter either. It was like…it was a real, genuine laugh,” smiled Robin as she explained her encounter to Steve and he huffed out proudly while arranging a couple of VHS.

“Of course. It’s my Muppet joke. It’s hilarious,” he said offhandedly.

“My point is that Vicky laughed and everything was just like… It was perfect.”

“But?”

“But I’m having this problem where it’s like, I should stop talking. I have said everything I need to say,” she began. “But then I guess I get nervous, and the words keep spilling out, and it’s like my-my brain is moving faster than my mouth, or-or rather my…my mouth is moving faster than my brain,” she waved her hands in exasperation. “I‘m digging this hole for myself and I want to stop digging. I’m trying to stop, but I can’t. And I’m doing it right now, aren’t I?” she finished lamely as she turned to face Steve who was now leaning a bit, arm perched on a shelf, and looking at her knowingly.

“Yeah, you are,” he agreed and she let out a long exhale, backing up and hitting the wall.

“I’m hopeless,” she let out and he sighed, joining her.

“We both are.”

“What are you talking about? You have a great girlfriend,” she furrowed her eyebrows and he shook his head.

“I do…That’s the thing. She doesn’t deserve a boyfriend like me.”

“Steve, we talked about this-“ she began but he lifted a hand, interrupting her.

“Robin, just don’t. We both know I’m a fucking failure who didn’t follow his girlfriend to LA because, because why?” he threw his arms in the air before letting them fall down in hopelessness.

“Because, Steve, you were scared you’d fail at yet another job, especially in such a huge city where people’s expectations are up to the skies. You were afraid that she would have had to take care of you instead of the other way around. You just didn’t want to be a burden to her and that’s okay,” tried to reassure him the girl. “It’s okay to be hesitant about things. It’s okay to-to be afraid of ending up as a-a burden or a disappointment. Trust me, I feel like this on a daily basis,” she snorted and Steve sighed, rubbing his face.

“When you say it out loud it sounds like stupid excuses. Man, I don’t even know how I’m going to face her when she comes-“

“Hi guys!” you greeted as you entered the store.

“-here,” Steve finished his sentence, voice going more high-pitched than he liked, as he and Robin straightened up, looking at you with wide eyes.

You left your suitcase and quickly shortened the distance between you and Steve, who kicked himself off the wall and took a couple of steps forward, and threw yourself in his arms, burying your face in his shoulder.

“I missed you,” you muttered, voice muffled by his shirt, and he squeezed you tightly, nose nuzzling in your hair as he inhaled your scent.

“I missed you too,” he uttered, pulling away a bit, before crashing his lips against yours, hands sliding down from your back to your hips, roaming over your body, as if he was starved and craved to feel every inch of you…respectfully.

Until someone cleared their throat.

“Get a room,” called out Robin and you pulled away, the two of you letting out awkward chuckles, Steve rubbing the back of his neck bashfully.

“Sorry,” you apologized as you went to hug your friend and she laughed.

“I missed you, Byers. Welcome back!”

“Hey, I’m sorry that I’m asking this of you but can you cover for me?” asked Steve, slapping his hands together in a prayer and she snorted, lips stretching in a wide grin as she shook her head.

“Go on,” she motioned to the door and Steve instantly grabbed you by the hand, dragging you out of the store while shouting out a ‘Thank you, I owe you’ over his shoulder.

“Hold on,” you stopped him before he even approached his car and he halted in his steps, looking at your suddenly serious expression with confusion.

“What is it?”

“I wanna go somewhere.”

“We’re not going to your house?”

“No…not yet…I want to see someone first.”

Roane Hill Cemetery

“It’s been so long hasn’t it?” muttered your boyfriend as he stood in front of the graves with hands in his pockets and you hummed in agreement while busying yourself with removing some weeds and dead flowers, placing fresh ones instead.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t come sooner,” you apologized, your eyes tracing the engraved names of Billy and Hopper as you adjusted your crouched position. “I’m sorry I didn’t come visit again after that one stormy day…I hope you’re not angry with me. I just…couldn’t find the strength,” you admitted, looking at the ground, and Steve’s face scrunched up in sympathy.

You didn’t know how long you stood there, trying to reflect and gather some courage to take this much-needed step. But once the first words slipped past your lips, they couldn’t stop. They kept pouring like the heavy rain that had drenched you from head to toe on that day.

Sometimes, people didn’t need a church, a priest, or a therapist, to confess the plaguing thoughts festering inside. Sometimes they just needed to face their loved ones – alive or deceased.

“You know…I feel like I got swallowed by the ocean for the longest time... I feel like I got carried away by the currents for far too long than I like to admit... And a part of me never did heal,” you confessed with a heavy heart and watery eyes. “Maybe it did get buried with you, and it’s now rotting… but…despite it all, it’s time I get my shit back together... And I know I said the same back on that day. I said that I wanted to get better. I meant it, and I tried, so hard,” your voice broke, hand flying to your cheek to capture the falling tears and wipe them out of existence. “But as I said, the currents swept me off my feet and I couldn’t do it all the way through,” you gulped the lump that had formed in your throat and sniffed. “And sometimes I feel like a total failure for-for dragging out this journey and forcing my family to live in constant fear and worry for my wellbeing…But this time, I’ve decided that I won’t fail again, no matter what…I promise that I’m gonna soldier up, and become the strong person I used to be before. My family needs that…I need that…And I feel like you would’ve knocked my head for taking so long to allow myself to…glue the pieces back together. I won’t disappoint you again...”

“…A storm is coming,” muttered Steve after a minute spent in silence and you sighed, standing up. The needles that shot all over your legs didn’t even bother you as you approached the gravestones even more than you previously had and placed a kiss on your two fingers before running them over the cold surface of the stones. Steve could only watch with a pained expression. He understood that you needed to get some closure after spending such a long time away from Hopper and Billy. He was glad you poured out your soul and he prayed for you to finally release the ghosts of the past and move forward like everyone else did.

Everyone else except Max.

That was another can of worms he wasn’t sure you were ready to unpack and witness. It seemed like you and her were the only ones stuck on the same page of a history book.

“Let’s go,” you spoke out quietly as you finally turned away from the gravestones and took Steve’s hand in yours, the two of you walking to his car slowly.

You lifted your head slightly to observe the darkening skies and the gathering clouds, trusting Steve to guide the way you were going and stepping. There was something so captivating and enchanting about the sky, never mind if it was clear blue or dark navy. It reminded you of how small and insignificant you were – a speck of dust in the dimple of the Universe. All your worries, suffering, and trauma seemed so insignificant in the grand scheme of things.

Maybe if you kept thinking like that you were bound to move on faster. You couldn’t change fate. She rolled the dice. You just had to get through whatever outcome she hurled at the game board that was your life.

“It already smells nice,” you commented and Steve hummed.

“It’s gonna smell better after it rains. I suggest we get some burgers from your diner and eat them on your porch while it rains,” offered the boy and you smiled softly.

“That sounds great.”

“Whew, just on time,” exclaimed the boy as the two of you ceased your jogging and set foot on your porch just when the drizzle turned into a downpour. You didn’t hesitate to plop down on the comfy couch near the window, at first surprised to see it hadn’t gathered dust but then you remembered that Steve and the rest came to clean the house every week or so, and warmth spread through your heart.

You truly felt blessed to have them all.

“Let’s eat,” you urged as you began taking out the food and he chuckled at your eagerness. “Don’t judge me, I haven’t eaten all day,” you groaned as you took out the burger and quickly unwrapped it, taking a large bite and letting out a content moan.

“Oh, no, I totally get you. I’m starving too,” he bit down as well and the two of you ate in silence while enjoying the sound of thunder and falling rain. “A fry?” he fished out a couple of fries with his fingers and dangled them in front of your mouth temptingly.

You chuckled as you caught them with your teeth and chewed before licking his fingers off the salt, making him gulp as his cheeks heated. He cleared his throat, retracting his hand to grab more fries, and you smirked teasingly.

Not long after, the rain stopped, the clouds dispersed, and the sun shone again.

You and Steve finished your food and you were now happily slurping on your cokes as you rummaged through your bag for the keys. But the moment you approached the door and looked closely at the doorknob, you realized it was already unlocked.

“Steve,” you drew his attention and he hummed, coming to stand by your side. “Someone was here,” you pointed at the keyhole and his eyes narrowed.

He grabbed you by the upper arm gently and pushed you behind him as he grasped the doorknob and pressed, both of you gulping when the door opened. You slowly entered the house, with Steve still holding his arm up and in front of you protectively, but at first, you noticed nothing out of the ordinary which surprised you. If someone had entered your house with the intention of stealing, why did everything seem to be intact?

What you did not expect to see even in your wildest dreams was to find a terrified boy curled on the sofa in your living room.

“Eddie?”

“Hey, Ste-“ began Dustin after he and Max stormed into Family Video and Robin lifted her head, abandoning what she was doing, to look at the two. “Uh, where is Steve?” asked the boy in confusion and she furrowed her eyebrows.

“What, is my company not good enough?” she asked teasingly and Dustin tilted his head in a ‘Seriously?’ manner. “The king is gone. Got swept off his feet by his queen,” she waved her hand, and Dustin and Max looked at each other with bewilderment before realization dawned upon them and they gasped.

“Oh my God! Is Y/N back!?” asked the boy with wide eyes and a growing grin and Robin nodded.

“Yepp. She came an hour ago and dragged Steve off to somewhere. Guess the lovebirds wanted to spend some time alone,” she smirked, bobbing her eyebrows, and the two teens’ faces scrunched up in disgust.

“Ew,” let out Max.

“Don’t make it weird, dude,” groaned Dustin and Robin let out a laugh.

“What is it, though? Where’s the fire?” she asked and Dustin’s face distorted back into the urgent expression he wore when he stormed into the store.

“It’s a long story a-and we’re not gonna waste time telling it to each person individually. Let’s just find Steve and Y/N, call them back here, and have a gathering,” offered the boy. “I’ll disclose everything then,” he began rummaging through his bag and Robin rolled her eyes.

“Gathering? What, are we the knights of the round table or something?” she joked.

“Keep making fun, Robin. Go on.”

“Don’t mind me if I do.”

“How are you even going to contact them?” asked Max.

“With this,” he let out triumphantly as he pulled out his walkie-talkie and she let out a small ‘oh’.

“Eddie,” you called out again as you slowly neared the frightened boy and he straightened up a bit after he processed the familiar voice, and stood up on shaky legs. “Eddie, are you-a-are you okay? What happened?” you asked incredulously while he shortened the distance between you, and pretty much threw himself in your arms which you instantly wrapped around his trembling form. “Wha-“

“You’ve no idea how happy I am to see you, guys,” he stuttered out and you looked at Steve, both of you sharing worried expressions, before rubbing Eddie’s back soothingly.

“Hey, hey, it’s okay. I got you. It’s all good now,” you hushed him and you could feel his body relaxing a little bit.

“Y/N!” you then heard a familiar voice call out for you and the three of you turned to the source it was coming from – your bag. “Y/N, are you in there? Can you hear me? This is code red. I repeat this is code red!”

You approached the bag and quickly took your walkie-talkie out, not having forgotten to take it to California with you and not having forgotten to take it back to Hawkins with you. It was a part of you for so long that you never wanted to be separated from it.

“Dustin? What’s going on? Over.”

“It’s an emergency! It’s related to Eddie so can you and Steve please come back to Family Video as fast as you can? Over.”

“Uh,” you drawled, eyebrows furrowing. “Dustin… Eddie is with me. We’re at my house...”

“What!?”

Dustin, Robin, and Max had not wasted time. They had gotten to your house in record time and while you had waited for them to arrive, you had made Steve drive to the nearest fast-food restaurant and grab some food for Eddie because you assumed he hadn’t eaten in some time.

“Are you feeling a bit better now?” you asked and he nodded, chewing up the last bite of his burger and gulping it down.

“Thanks, guys,” muttered the boy while wiping his mouth with a napkin and slurping some cola thirstily.

Just then, the front door got thrown open and in stormed Dustin, Robin, and Max, the boy’s face contorting into one of relief the moment he saw his friend.

“Man, I’m so glad you’re okay,” he let out breathlessly and Steve and Robin arched quizzical brows.

“Y/N,” uttered Max as she rushed to come to you, dropping her bag onto one of the armchairs, and you gladly opened your arms to let her fall into your embrace.

“Hi, honey,” you greeted. “Missed you.”

“Me too,” she whispered, shutting her eyes and tightening her hold on you.

Of all people, you were probably the only one who knew how Max was feeling without her needing to actually talk about it, which is something she avoided doing, not having the strength to confront her friends and talk to them openly about her trauma. But you understood. You were the only person beside her who was close to Billy. The only other person besides her who tried so hard to save him and failed. And while the two of you had exchanged a couple of letters over the course of the last almost a year, nothing beat seeing you in person, especially now that another threat seemed to have arisen on the horizon. She was glad that you had returned because she wasn’t sure she’d be able to face what was to come alone. Technically, she wasn’t alone. She had Lucas, Dustin, Mike, Steve, Nancy, and Robin. But they weren’t you. They just…didn’t understand.

“Okay,” Steve waved his hand sharply. “Can someone explain what is going on and what’s the emergency?”

“Eddie, you can tell us now. We need to know… What happened?” you asked the boy who was still sitting on the couch with his head buried in his hands, putting a comforting hand on his shoulder after Max let go of you, and he let out a sigh before slowly straightening up while everyone took seats around him.

“I,” he began, eyes not being able to meet yours because how was he supposed to tell you that one of your best friends was dead? “I took this one girl home. She-she met me before, said she wanted to buy something…strong,” he revealed cautiously, sparing you a short glance, and you gulped, looking at your feet before back at him, ignoring everyone’s brief, knowing looks. “So I invited her to come with me because I kept the Special K at the trailer-“

“Eddie,” whispered Steve and Eddie looked at the boy only to see him shaking his head and waving his hand in front of his throat, signaling him to not mention that, to cut it out.

“Steve,” you frowned as you grabbed his hand and put it down. “I’m not going to have a relapse at the mere mention of Ketamine, okay? You don’t need to walk on eggshells around me,” your gaze swept through everyone, making sure they got the message loud and clear before you moved it onto Eddie. “Keep going, Eds.”

“Right…Uhm,” he cleared his throat, hands wringing anxiously as he tried to suppress the tremors. “I don’t k-know what happened. One moment I was in my room, getting my stash. Then I’m-I’m going to the living room a-and she’s just…standing there, unblinking. A-and her eyes were…blank,” he revealed. “I tried snapping her out of it, I really did, but she wouldn’t budge. Until she began to float.”

“What?” whispered Dustin and Steve simultaneously.

“Her body just, like, lifted up into the air and, uh…and she just, like, hung there. In the air…And her bones, uh,” his voice cracked as he shut his eyes and gulped the lump in his throat. “Her bones started to snap,” he described with shuddering breath and you shared a look with the others, all of you equally terrified. “Her eyes, man…It…It was like there was something, like, inside her head, pulling,” he gesticulated with trembling hands and you shifted in your seat, placing a comforting hand on his knee. “I…I didn’t know what to do, so I…I ran away,” he admitted. “I-I didn’t know where else to go so I came here because I knew you’d be coming home soon a-and I hoped we would all come together so I could tell you all about it so we could all figure out what to do because I…I can’t do this alone,” he shook his head, hands dropping down in defeat, and you grasped one, squeezing it reassuringly.

“You are not alone,” you spoke out firmly and his lips twitched a couple of times as if he wanted to smile but couldn’t. “Of course, you would come here. You know you can come here as many times as you want, even if I’m not home. Heck, I gave you a spare set of keys for that. And of course, we’re going to figure something out. Don’t you worry about it for a second,�� you smiled and he gulped, looking at his feet again.

“Was it…was it a monster? Was it… the Mind Flayer?” asked Max, sullen, and Eddie shook his head.

“Did you see anything?”

“Dark particles, maybe?”

“No, no, it wasn’t anything like the Flayer or the monster. There was nothing you could see or, uh…or touch. I told you, man, I tried to wake her, but she couldn’t move. It was like she…she was in a trance or something.”

“Or under a spell,” muttered Dustin, and Eddie’s gaze lifted from the ground to meet the boy’s.

“A curse.”

“Vecna’s curse.”

“Who’s Vecna?” asked Steve with crossed arms. “Is that what we’re calling it this time around?”

“It’s an undead creature of great power,” explained Dustin.

“A spell caster,” added Eddie, and Robin rolled her eyes.

“A dark wizard-”

“Do you guys name everything after D&D characters?” she sighed.

“I mean, it’s fitting isn’t it?” asked Dustin. “If you have a better idea, I’d like to hear it. I really do,” he challenged her with raised eyebrows and she lifted her hands in surrender. “Thank you.”

“Hold on, hold on…Who was the girl again?” asked Steve with furrowed eyebrows and Eddie tensed, body recoiling and hand leaving yours, making you scrunch up your face in confusion. “I mean, we need to know, right? It might help explain some things along the road.”

“Uhm, just…just someone from school,” he let out before standing up, and suddenly, a horrible feeling nestled in the pit of your stomach as you shot up as well.

“Eddie,” you called after him and he halted in his steps. “Who was the girl?”

You could see him visibly hesitating and fidgeting on his spot before he slowly turned around to finally face you properly. And for a moment there, you experienced a De Ja Vu. You remembered your mother bearing the same look in her eyes when she silently confirmed your fears about the death of Hopper.

And then you knew.

“I’m…I’m s-so, sorry, Y/N/N…It was Chrissy,” he revealed and you felt like someone punched you in the gut.

“What?” you whispered as you stared at the boy with wide eyes and Steve slowly stood up as well, seeing the way you staggered on your feet. You felt your kneels buckle and dropped down onto the couch, Steve’s body jerking alarmingly, hands hovering over your seated form.

Sweet Chrissy – one of the kindest people you have ever had the luck of knowing – was dead. One of your best friends who you have tried so hard to keep away from the supernatural world only for her to be claimed exactly by it in the end. But why? Why her of all people?

“Here,” muttered Max as she handed you a glass of water and you took it with a shaky hand.

You stood there for a moment, unmoving, as you tried to process the information before you excused yourself quietly and stood up as if in a trance, heading for the bathroom.

Only when you closed the door did a strangled sob tear out of your throat which you immediately tried to suppress as you hobbled over to the sink, wanting to leave the glass on it and splash your face with some cool water.

But the moment you went to stand in front of the sink and faced the mirror, everything began swirling and distorting. It’s like the world around you began glitching and you were seeing flashes of your bathroom in the Upside Down, then in your world, then in the Upside Down again, and the cycle went on until everything steadied and the world returned to normal. Your eyes darted wildly around the room, thinking you had imagined everything due to the shock you were going through, hand gripping the glass tightly. Then you felt water lick at your ankles and you looked down only to see that the floor was covered in it and the bathroom was slowly flooding. Your ears filled with the familiar sound of a mechanical clock, this time louder than the last. It’s like the ticking of the moving hands and wheels fell in rhythm with your heartbeat.

And when you turned to face the mirror again, you let out a startled gasp when you saw the same little boy’s image in it, staring at you, or rather, staring through you, as if he could see your very soul and the deepest, darkest nooks and crannies of your mind. Your body tensed and the grip on the glass became unimaginably hard.

Then, cracks began forming in the mirror and spiders slithered through them, falling onto the floor, onto the sink, before crawling on top of you, the ticking sound of now multiple clocks increasing and falling in rhythm with the rapidly crawling spiders. You let out a scream, shattering the glass with how tight you were holding it and the way you rammed it against the porcelain sink when you waved your hands in an attempt to swat away the insects.

Was this real? Or was it all just happening inside your head?

“Y/N!” yelled Steve as he and the others burst into the room, having been alerted by the noise, eyes widening when they saw you flailing around, and he immediately rushed to your side, grabbing you by the arms. “Y/N-“

“They’re all over me! Take them off! Take them off! Take them off!” you whimpered and everyone looked at you weirdly.

“Take what off!?” asked Dustin panicked.

“The spiders!”

“Hey, hey, listen to my voice. Baby, listen to me! There are no spiders!” Steve shook you a little and you slowly ceased in your frantic movements. “Look at me. Y/N, look at me,” he coaxed you softly as his hand grasped your chin gently and tilted your head up. Your tightly squeezed eyes fluttered open, now staring right into his warm, deep brown irises. “There are no spiders. You’re okay.”

“B-but, I saw them. I felt them,” your head snapped to look left and right, seeking for the insects in question but you soon found out that he was right. There were no spiders anywhere around. You looked at the mirror only to see it was intact, cracks gone, and the little boy’s reflection was nowhere to be seen. “What?” you breathed out, chest heaving, eyebrows furrowing in confusion, and Eddie marched over to you, grabbed your chin much like Steve had done, and tilted your head so he could look you over.

“Have you taken anything?” he asked seriously as he inspected your pupils, your sclera, your teeth, your gums, anything that could give away whether you had taken some sort of substance or not.

“What? I haven’t taken anything,” you snapped as you wriggled yourself out of the two boys’ grasps. “Let me go.”

“Y/N, you know it’s for your own good. Just tell us. No one is going to be mad at you if you have,” began Steve but you cut him off.

“I haven’t taken anything! I swear,” you spoke out firmly but they still shared unconvinced looks. “I swear! I swear on…on Will,” you grit out and they looked at you for a second, as if contemplating it, before relenting.

“Alright…alright, I believe you. I’m sorry,” Steve sent you an apologetic look as he took a step closer and put his hand on your lower waist, nudging you to move so you could all get out of the bathroom. “C’mon, your hand’s bleeding. We need to check it out.”

Everyone began leaving one by one, going back into the living room while their racing hearts were beginning to calm down, and Steve guided you to the couch, crouching in front of you once you sat down, and took your hand in his. He hissed when he saw the blood and a couple of shards piercing your flesh and was glad that Eddie had reacted quickly and had gone to take some alcohol, bandages, and a bottle of water.

“I don’t think it’s gonna need stitches but…those are nasty,” commented Max with a scrunched-up face and Steve sighed.

“Well, let’s get this cleaned first,” said the boy as he rolled up your sleeve and just then you snapped out of your dazed state, realizing what he was doing. But before you had the chance to stop him or pull away, he and the others were already staring at your left arm with wide eyes.

“What’s that!?”

Tags: @anxiousbeech @ashstorm24 @leireggsworld @ooenjoythesilenceoo

#stranger things x reader #stranger things reader insert #stranger things fanfiction #steve x reader #steve harrington x reader #steve harrington fanfic #eddie x reader #eddie munson x reader #eddie munson fanfic #will byers x reader #max mayfeild x reader #reader #reader insert

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sxnshinebag · 2 years ago

Text

𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝙲𝚛𝚘𝚘𝚔𝚎𝚍 𝙼𝚊𝚗 | 𝙲𝚑𝚊𝚙𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝙾𝚗𝚎

| 𝘈, (𝘴𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵) 𝘍 | 𝘛𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘳, 𝘏𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘰𝘳, 𝘚𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘎𝘰𝘳𝘦

| 𝘔𝘪𝘯𝘪 𝘚𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 |

↳ 𝘗𝘢𝘪𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 - 𝘑𝘦𝘰𝘯 𝘑𝘶𝘯𝘨𝘬𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘹 𝘙𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳, 𝘚𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘒𝘪𝘮 𝘛𝘢𝘦𝘩𝘺𝘶𝘯𝘨 𝘹 𝘙𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳

↳ 𝘚𝘶𝘮𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘺 - 𝘠/𝘕 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘭𝘺 𝘮𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘢 𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘢𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘥𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢 𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦. 𝘐𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘪𝘥𝘴𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘨𝘨𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘭 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘶𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘠/𝘕 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘰𝘥𝘥 𝘰��𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘥𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘴𝘬 𝘢 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘢𝘯𝘵.

𝘏𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳, 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘯𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦.

𝘚𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘯 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘮𝘢𝘯, 𝘠/𝘕 𝘴𝘦𝘵𝘴 𝘰𝘧𝘧 𝘪𝘯 𝘴𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘤𝘩 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘪𝘮, 𝘩𝘰𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴.

(𝘗𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘰𝘧 "𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘔𝘢𝘯" 𝘚𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴)

𝘛𝘢𝘨𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘵 - 𝘖𝘱𝘦𝘯 (𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘴𝘬)

𝘞𝘒 - 10.8k

𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘷 | 𝘯𝘦𝘹𝘵

𝘚𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘔𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘵 | 𝘔𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘔𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘵

He bought a Crooked Cat

Which caught a Crooked Mouse

And they all lived Happily

In a Crooked House

The drive to the place was way too long when going through with it. Y/N had to make many stops so she wouldn't fall asleep. Well, she wouldn't sleep even if she wanted to. She took a deep breath to prepare for whatever she was going to go through and exited her truck. "Wow, it's so dark out," Y/N huffed out a chuckle. It felt as if the sky was way darker than when she moved into her apartment. the piece of paper and back up at the hotel, Y/N nodded to herself. "This is the place. . .no doubt." she placed the paper back into her bag and looked at the large doors of the place. "Huge place. . .looks like a hotel. Would he be here?" There was a board next to the door, and she leaned back to read it.

Hotel Ruhenheim

Giving you a serene stay.

Y/N pushed the large doors, and the first thing she saw was a reception area. It was abandoned, but it didn't look abandoned. Though when she went around the reception desk to open the door, it was locked. Y/N tried to open the other door on the right, there was wiring that she couldn't get rid of. She blew a slight raspberry, looking at the "Staff Room" sign next to the door. ," she muttered, moving away from the reception desk.

Y/N walked into the left hallway with a line of doors, lightly shaking the handles to see if any of them would open. The fourth door was the first door to open, and she looked around when slowly walking in. Her eyes caught a piece of paper on a dresser, having her automatically move toward it. Y/N chuckled to see a childish drawing of nine tables with a crown over the top right desk.

"* Treasure hunt *

Dear Mom Dad"

A drawing in the bottom right of a little girl that was labeled "Me" above with an arrow pointing at the little girl. "Treasure hunt, huh," Y/N licked her lips. "I guess some kid staying here drew this. " she let out another chuckle with a shrug. "Sure, I'll look for your treasure." Y/N folded the paper and placed it in her bag before looking around the room for anything. But there was nothing. She exited the room, closing it behind her, and tried to open the remaining doors. The last door at the end was a metal blue door that was locked with a passcode, making her hum in confusion why a door was locked with a passcode. It was labeled "STAFF ONLY," so maybe that was why. But a passcode?

Y/N walked up the stairs after leaving the hallway. Two main doors. The one on the left had the label "Rec Room," and the one on the right was labeled "Cafeteria". this room looked like the drawing. And if the top right table in the drawing had a crown. . .then. . . "The far right," Y/N guessed, walking fast to the far right table at the end of the room and looking around. She got on her knees, raised the cloth, and noticed a key. Not just a regular key, but a gold key. And a piece of paper lay beside it.

"You found the treasure! Congrats!"

She smiled and placed the paper in her bag. Maybe it wasn't something she needed to ensure her that she wasn't crazy when she told Jane about this trip.

Y/N left the cafeteria while looking at the key. She went into the nearest hallway, seeing a bigger pair of doors than the other doors. Walking down, she saw the "bar" label beside the door. Y/N attempted to unlock the door. "Wait. . .how did a kid get a key to one of the locked rooms?" She couldn't help, but question when pausing at the point of removing the key when understanding this key wasn't going to fit . "Maybe I am crazy."

A quick attempt to unlock all the doors, but nothing. Y/N went across the building to the hallway further down. No doors would open until the third showed movements. It was way different than the first hotel room. far right corner, a table the same size as the ones in the cafeteria in the middle with six seats surrounding, and a candlelight. A desk against the left wall. There is a cabinet in the far left corner with a big mirror dresser beside it And there was a scrap of paper on top.

"It was our special place. She loved the pretty room with its big mirror. She would wonder what to wear for dinner.

But now it's just me. I thought it might help to come here, but it didn't. There's only emptiness."

Y/N frowned, feeling as if this was talking about her. As if it talked about the memories of her and Jeongguk. They didn't have a special place. But her special place was him , cliché or not. to get out of her head, looking back down at the paper. Something caught her eye. The rule on this page. . .it matches the one from my room. Y/N dug into her bag for the paper from her apartment. I wonder if he's still here . She chuckled with no humor. So he got dumped. . .the note at home also mentioned that. And "our special place. . ." he came here with her. , wondering where he could be.

She placed both pieces of paper back in her bag and made her way to the door. Y/N jumped at the sound of glass cracking, turning quickly to see the mirror broken. And she isn't going to deal with that.

So she walked out of the room, not looking back. There is no way she is going to investigate that. She isn't that much of an idiot. . .kind of. Ignoring the fact that she is going out on a whim for a person she only was around her age.

Y/N closed the door behind her and continued down the row of doors, none of them open. Many of them were painted over, so she couldn't use the key. The last door was the same design as the pair of doors of the "bar," and it was labeled "Library." An attempt with the key and the doors were successfully unlocked.

A tiny fist bumped into the air, and Y/N entered the library, briefly looking at the note to pass by.

"Due to employee incompetence and lost keys, the library is temporarily closed. We apologize for the inconvenience."

"Well, a somewhat reason for these locked doors," Y/N spoke with her lips barely separating. Then again, she still needs an explanation for these painted doorknobs. When she entered, a table to her left already had a key lying on. top. It was attached to a label to show it went to room 108.

Well, at least she knows where to go.

The only hallway she hasn't gone as the hallway to the left was rooms 101 to 106. But she didn't leave just yet. A book on another table lay lonely as if it wanted to be read. her to walk to the table and then leave for room 108. Her fingers stroke the hardcover of the book, reading the title. "Cry of the Unseen."

"Do you consider yourself kind? You don't get to decide that. It's decided in the unconscious.

Even if you believe you are cold-hearted, you may be warm and emotional inside. . . .And they will sniff it out.

They will be lured by your unconscious kindness, and they will drag you away."

Maybe being called to it was not worth it. It was some kind of occult book. Y/N blew a raspberry, "I bet Jane would love this. She's way into this stuff for her age." She looked around the library for more . No other books have caught her attention. But that seemed to be enough for when she heard footsteps running down the hallway on the other side of the door. Her eyes jerked in the direction of the doors, questioning her sanity if she had heard that. or not. Could it be the previous tenant?

Y/N ran out of the library but saw nothing down the hallway.

She frowned but continued her way through the hallway in hopes of seeing a male around her age. And another set of running feet made her slightly pause in her steps. "Is someone there?" her voice echoed through the building, but no response.

She hoped she wasn't going insane. Her adventure had just started.

Y/N exhaled deeply through her nose and continued her way to go back downstairs and into the hallway to the right, going straight to the second door to unlock it. The room was small, like the first room, and she looked around the room . But there was nothing. Y/N's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. She looked through the cabinets and the closet, but nothing—went as far as looking at the tables and under the beds and deeply looked through the bathroom, but nothing. Could there be something on top? That's a smart move. Good thing she thought about that. Her mind went straight to the chair and dragged it to the cabinet. There was nothing on top, but she saw a wire cutter on top of the closet. /N had to drag the chair in front of the closet to grab it, but she had it.

A wire cutter. . .

Oh! There was wire around the staff room behind the reception desk.

Y/N walked out of the room with the wire cutter in her hands. It wasn't a key, but she was still able to get into a room that might get her closer to the former tenant.

Entering the main room of the hotel, notes from a piano were echoing out. Was it the former tenant? Y/N smiled big and ran up the stairs. Okay, there wasn't a piano in the library or the cafeteria. bar is locked along with that staff-only metal door. That would only mean the Recording Room. Y/N opened the door and ran in. "Who's there!"

Her yell may have been a little too much, as a male yelped and turned around at her voice. "I'm sorry," he quickly apologized, his deep voice bouncing off the walls. "II just came in and. . .and the piano looked nice."

Y/N realized her mistake, seeing that her yelling may have seemed like she was a staff. "Wait, wait," she held her hands out to the man, walking up to him. "I'm not a staff for the hotel or anything—sorry I yelled at you."

The man kept a distance from Y/N. A suspicious stare stayed in his eyes. "Who are you, then?" he asked.

"I'm Y/N," she introduced herself with a hand on her chest. "I'm sort of. . .looking for a guy. What about you?"

He didn't answer for a few seconds. "I'm Taehyung," he finally introduced himself. Y/N will not lie. This Taehyung guy looked very handsome. Very tall, brown eyes, very fluffy black hair. a cream sweatshirt tucked into black pants and a long brown coat. Taehyung looked. . .soft.

And she wondered why someone beside her would be here. The hotel is abandoned, no? "Taehyung, then," Y/N bowed her head lightly. "What brings you here? It could be dangerous, you know." It may seem a bit strange for a girl to say that to a guy, but anything could be dangerous for anyone.

"I stayed at this hotel once," Taehyung stated to her. "But I forgot something important, so I came back to get it."

"I see," Y/N hummed, fiddling with her fingers. "Did you find it?"

A sad look on Taehyung's face when he shook his head. "No, I'm still looking," he answered. "It's just this little box decorated with rubies. . .but I'm not leaving until I find it."

"Right," Y/N removed one hand from the other to cover her mouth as she coughed lightly. "Well, again, sorry shouting. I'll probably be here for a while longer, so I could help you find it."

"Oh, that'd be great," Taehyung showed a small smile that looked a bit like a box. "Please help."

What if his smile was the box? Y/N almost spoke that out loud but reminded herself not to creep the guy. "Just do me a favor, too, though," she requested. "If you see a man. . .about my age, would you tell me?"

Taehyung gave her a weird look but nodded nonetheless. "I'll be going, then," he moved his body from the piano. "Uh. . .Y/N, you be careful too."

He walked around her and left the room. Y/N breathed out, which turned into a light chuckle of disbelief. "What am I doing yelling at people," she scolded herself lightly, placing her hand on her forehead. "I feel like the shady one here." she shook her head and tried to prep herself up.

She walked out of the room and looked around to see where Taehyung might be. But he was nowhere to be seen. Did he get to a room so quickly? Either way, it wasn't her business.

Y/N quickly went down the stairs to head to the door with the wire. After a few tries of messing up, the wire was fortunately cut to let her in. And, well, it looked like a standard staff room. thing is the door next to a bookcase had a missing doorknob.

A small red book was laid on the table in the middle of the room, so that could be another odd thing. But there was a key on top. it was information on how the bathroom door in room 106 needed fixing. Y/N looked back at the door with no knob, and that concluded that her next place to go was the room.

Before she left, she looked at the board hanging next to the door. She wanted to explore more of the room before she went to 106. It wasn't much information for her to know. The only thing that stayed in her head was the main note pinned at the front.

"Four chapters of the book have mysteriously gone missing. Should you find the pages, please report to the owner."

Y/N nodded to herself to keep the information in her head, but she flinched with a light jump at the sound of crying on the other side of the door. "Is someone in there?!" Her eyes widened, and she placed her ear against it to make sure she heard it right. And she was. She looked to see the label "Owner's Room," which made her wonder if this was the owner. "Uh. . .don't worry! I'll find some way to open the door and get you out!"

She ran out of the staff with the key to 106 in hand. Running down the left hallway, she unlocked the door to room 106. If it were mentioned as a door repair, hopefully, it would be useful. Fortunately, it was when she opened the door to the bathroom that she saw a doorknob on the ground in front of a door to, most likely, the bath. What luck this is, as it looked like the same kind as the other door without a knob. Y/N ran back to the staff room and didn't take her time to enter the knob into the door.

Entering, the crying had stopped. And it looked like a normal office. Y/N wanted to call out, but there was no one. And she could see about everything. Investigating everything, she saw another board.

"Book of the Month: The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde"

"Congratulations, but what about the—" In the corner of her eye, she noticed a loose tile on the floor next to the trash can. "Owner." she stalked up to it and placed one foot on top. Nothing happened when she placed her weight on the tile. Y/N stomped on the tile, and she let out a small scream when hearing metal flying. Holding herself as a reaction, she took a deep breath of relief to discover that the metal door against the far wall had opened. "Just some mechanism in the floor."

Speaking the statement out loud, she felt calm again and went down the ladder. So dark. She complained her head and felt for the lighter in her bag. Lighting it up, she saw as much as she could and moved it around for her surrounding. Boxes, cabinets of unused items, drums of gasoline, random chairs. Definitely a storage room Going around, she heard a groan. Turning, she saw a figure of a man against the wall. Was this the owner? "Hey, are you okay?!" she asked, tilting her head. " but the figure only ground. "Wh. . .what? Are you. . .okay?" she brought her lighter towards the figure, and she felt the color in her cheeks leave. Bones were cracking at movement, and Y/N realized there was blood covering this man. But that wasn't what made her feel sick. This man had a long neck that was crooked, his head was hanging, his black hair was falling, and his eyes were cut out and blacked out. It was as if he hung himself and came back to life.

He was like. . .a Crooked Man.

Y/N gulped down the vomit that was trying to come up. She let out a yell when Crooked Man took a step toward her. "S-Stay back!" she warned. "Don't come near me." 't listen. He took another step and blasted into a full run. Y/N ran off, becoming the chase. She climbed up the ladder, but her right ankle was grabbed. "Let go!" she pleaded, tears forming, shaking him off. "Let go!" she kept shaking her leg and trying to get Crooked Man away, kicking his limp and bumpy neck. Y/N was shaking and kicking wildly, and the monster cried out when she finally kicked him away. didn't look back and kept climbing up.

Finally out, Y/N closed the door and leaned on it. A few seconds later, there was a pounding that made Y/N's body bounce from the impact, but it slowly died down. She panted and shook in fear . . . .all crooked. Was he even a human? She immediately registered the figure as a male, but from what she saw, this figure was most likely an "it" after the incident. Everything is proving that I'm going crazy. . .that thing. . .it couldn't've been real. She groaned and rubbed the temple of her head .

Taehyung.

At the thought of the new acquaintance she had made, Y/N stood up and walked out of the room. "I. . .should at least check what he's up to," she muttered to herself. know that he's okay. "Hopefully, he found what he came for." Even if this were just her imagination. . .it'd be best if he left soon.

Y/N kept telling herself it was in her head, but she couldn't get rid of the filling of its rough skin on her ankle despite it being covered by her jeans. It was as if its touch melted through her jeans and came in contact with her skin.

She looked around the first floor, but there was no sign of Taehyung. It was clawing at her stomach that the monster had found Taehyung. No , no, no .

Going up the stairs, Taehyung wasn't in the recording room or the cafeteria. So that left it with the two upstairs hallways. Y/N ruffled her hair to keep herself sane, but she stumbled with the hotel shaking and a screech following after Y/N ran into the left hallway and went into the hotel room she was in near the beginning, pausing at sight . Taehyung was at the large window, and the ground caved around him, and the floor left out was about to break with his weight. "Taehyung!" she called out, running around the table in the middle to him. "What happened?!"

"II went to the window, and the floor gave away," Taehyung stuttered out, trying to stay still as stone. "What. . .what should I do?"

Y/N gulped, knowing the possibility of the risk. But it was the only option. "Taehyung, jump over," she tried to speak calmly, opening her arms out. "It's dangerous over there."

Taehyung shook his head, trying to keep his feet from slipping off. "N-No, I can't," he was too scared to jump. "I'm slipping!" he was moving too much despite trying to stay still as a stone. "And I can't possibly jump that far! A gap this big—"

"This is no time for pessimism!" Y/N cuts him off in urgency, shaking her hands. "It's going to crumble soon! Hurry, I'll catch you." Her arms were out, and Taehyung didn't have to be told for a third time. He jumped into Y/N's arms, having the two fall back. Y/N cushioned Taehyung's impact as her head and upper back hit the table behind her. She moaned slightly in pain after grunting. "Way too close. . .that was—are you okay, Taehyung? Hurt?" she had to cut herself off when reminding herself that it wasn't just her. But he didn't say anything. "Taehyung?"

"Scared," his deep voice came out, slightly breaking. "I was. . .scared." he held onto Y/N, slowly cuddling into her. "No more. . .I don't like the dark." he was slowly going into stutters, not able to create words with his shoulders shaking and warm tears forming and dropping onto Y/N's turtleneck when he brought his face into the crook of her neck.

Y/N hesitated but raised a hand to lay across Taehyung's fluffy locks. "It's okay, Taehyung," she murmured. "I'm sorry, I know you were scared. . .but it's fine now. Please don't cry. "

That must've gotten Taehyung to realize their position, and he removed himself from her. The two were now sitting across from each other on the floor. "Sorry," he apologized.

"It's alright," Y/N assured with a light chuckle. "I'm glad you're not hurt." she rolled her shoulders back to get the pain away. But while doing so, she remembered something. "Did you find what you were looking for?"

"No, not yet," Taehyung answered. "It wasn't in the room we stayed in." her brought his hands up to his face and let out a slight groan. "I wonder where it could be. . ."

Her eyes lingered on him a little bit. "It must be important if you came all by yourself," she commented. "You could always just give up on it. It's not entirely safe here."

"I can't give up on it!" Taehyung yelled, making Y/N flinch slightly. "I have to find it."

Maybe it wasn't the best thing to say. And Y/N didn't know if she should mention what had happened earlier. "What exactly is it?" But if what she saw wasn't her imagination, still trying to tell herself it was, then maybe Taehyung shouldn't be here. "Sorry to ask, but I've been wondering. . .was it a present, or?"

Taehyung stared at Y/N for a little longer but looked away. "It's a present from my girlfriend," he muttered. "It's the most important thing to me, after my own life. . ."

"I see," Y/N gave Taehyung a look of sympathy. "Sorry if I was rude. I'll keep looking for it too."

He didn't say anything in response, but he did look back at her. "You're looking for someone, right?" he asked. "I haven't met anyone yet, but. . . can you tell me more about them?"

"Er, well. . ," Y/N grimaced lightly when he mentioned it. "I don't know that much either. Just that he's a man about my age."

"Huh?" Taehyung blinked a few times. "You know that little about the person you're looking for?" Y/N gave him a crooked smile, not knowing what to do as he now knew the only details. "You' re a strange girl, Y/N."

"I'm not," Y/N weakly defended herself, but he had a point. "There are just some things I want to ask, and I don't know how he looks because, um—"

"Strange, but very kind," Taehyung cut her off with a warm smile. "I would've been hurt badly if you weren't here. I'm grateful to you for saving me." he stood up from his spot, holding his hand out to Y/N. It took her a moment to realize what he was doing, and she grabbed it. The two stayed in their spots until Taehyung let go of her. "I should get going. Take care, Y/ N." he nodded at her and walked off. "I'll see you!"

And he was gone.

Y/N didn't like how this had happened a bit after what she had gone through in the basement. And that's where she had gone first. Opening the door and into the owner's room. And like that, she felt fear. "The basement door's open," she whispered to herself, slowly walking around. Y/N looked down, but it was dark. Every fiber in her body was telling her not to go down. But she still went down. Her curiosity was too much to ignore. Her lighter was quickly fished out so she could look around for the monster.

There was no monster.

Only a key was in its place.

She left after there was nothing, and she closed the door. Hopefully, there will be nothing else for her to go back to. Looking down at the item in her hand. It was a bronze key labeled "bar." Y/N calmed herself down before leaving and heading up to the bar.

The key fit the lock, and she entered the room. Not much to expect from a bar. Tables with abandoned drinks of beer. And one table had a book. The closer she got to it, it looked to be more of a journal. The handwriting was sloppy, and it looked as if whoever wrote this was rambling on.

And Y/N read the last page.

"A toast to our owner, who left his employees and fled into the night! We'll drink all the beer we've got— hell, it's the only good thing here!

Being out of a job's no good, but at least we don't have to see his mug anymore! We were SO sick of that egghead always trying to flaunt his intelligence!

Installing weird stuff for the basement door, having a number lock on the food storage. . . All his silly crap made the place impossible to run!

Plus, the passcode was this thing with a book which he changed up every month! What the hell do you do if you forget?! Maybe it 's good for him, but sure as hell, not us!

Ah, whatever! Once we're done with the booze, we're out of here! A toast to our bright futures!"

Y/N leaned on the table with a bite of her lip. "Passcode," she was beginning to think of the doors. "The door is at the far end of the first floor, right? A passcode on food is pretty absurd. " she pushed herself off the table and looked around more. Still, there was nothing off. Every bottle was empty besides these two giant wine bottles that were full but opened up. Very. . .Brandy. It has a lot of alcohol in it "I might catch on fire if I drank both." She did have her lighter, after all.

But that made her think.

There was a thought in her head. The passcode was related to a book the owner changes every month. And that made her think of the books she had thought of when in the staff room and owner's room before going down to the basement. The Strange Case, wasn't it? Y/N made her way to the other side and went into the library. Her fingers gleamed across the spines of the books in a hurry to find that one book. She slowed down when in the "S" titles. And she found it. Pulling the book out, she had to think about what would be the passcode. The chapters? Y/N remembered reading how four chapters were ripped out of a book and reporting it to the owner. this book? Skipping through, she noticed missing chapters, as the board had mentioned it.

3, 6, 7, 9

Okay, that has to be the code. If this is the same book both journal and board had mentioned, then this has to be the passcode. Y/N nodded to herself and put the book back. hallway. But she froze at the sound of a growl. Her eyes stayed staring ahead, and she gulped in fear. No, no, no. It can't be. It was her imagination. It had to be her imagination. 't real.

But it was.

The same figure walked into her vision, showing itself at the door of the hallway. "The monster. . .did it really—" Y/N cut herself off as it had its upside-down smile widen at the sight of her. She gulped and took a step back. As far into the hallway, she was next to the room she had saved Taehyung and the library behind her. It slowly stalked up to her. It 's coming this way. ran into the room, and the first thing in sight was the candle, and she grabbed it. Even if she closed the door behind her, it was opened up seconds after. Running around the table, she tripped on the leg of a chair, almost falling into the hole.

Y/N looked at the hole, wondering what would've happened if she had fallen. What would've happened if it fell through? The monster was coming up to her. It reached out for her, and Y/N slammed the candle into the monster's side. Not much impact, but it did stumble to give her time to raise her arms, slam them both into its side, and push it into the hole.

The yell echoed in the hole, and Y/N dropped the candle for her fingers to rake through her locks. "What is that monster?" her breath was staggering when everything was pouring into her mind. "What. . .what I saw earlier." she brought herself up to her feet, telling herself to calm down. "To think that thing actually exists." Y/N turned to look at the hole. "But still. . .there's no way it's coming back from that fall. And the room under here's locked tight." she realized the best opportunity she had with Taehyung. She groaned to herself. "I should warn Taehyung when I see him. I knew it would be dangerous for him."

It wasn't time to scold herself and hit her forehead. She had to get to the food storage. Y/N walked out of the room and down the hallway. It was hard to get the image of the monster out of her head in the light. Somehow, it was more creepy in light than in the dark. Push it to the side. . .push it to the side. After another deep breath, Y/N was already in front of the metal door. Her eyes blinked a few times to realize where she was.

3, 6, 7, 9

The door unlocked, and Y/N entered. Well, it looked like a food pantry—nothing interesting in this room besides a knife on the countertop in the corner with a sink. Something shunned in her eyes, and she looked in the area to notice something was on top of the boxes. Y/N turned to see a ladder next to the door. She probably wouldn't've been noticed if she didn't swoop around. She brought the ladder to the stack of boxes and climbed up. It was a key, and it was for room 209.

Another room to unlock.

"How many rooms do I have to unlock?" Y/N asked herself with no humor, going down the ladder. Her way to the room was normal. No growls or yells. And the room was normal when entering it. paper near the two beds. No, it wasn't paper when Y/N walked up to it and kneeled down. "Was this a photo?" she picked up the burnt pieces but couldn't figure out what the photo was. But there was something under the pieces—a scrap from a notebook.

"I don't need her memory anymore. Because I know she won't come back.

I have to erase everything, good and bad. And all the memories inside of me, too."

A ringing in her head began to play, and Y/N dropped the scrap and burnt pieces of the photo to bring them up to the temples of her head. She was shaking in pain, trying to get rid of it. A few seconds and it began to ease up. But tiredness was taking over. "Sheesh, I'm exhausted," Y/N spoke, getting to her feet after picking up the scrap and burnt pieces. "So he burnt this photo to mend his broken heart , huh." she chuckled at the fact that this previous tenant could do this. "I know I couldn't do that. I'll never forget. . .never." the memories of her and Jungkook taking so many pictures played through her mind. "According to Jane. . .that makes me a pansy."

The sound of a door creaking made Y/N turn around and see Taehyung at the door. "Oh, there you are, Y/N!" he smiled with a greeting, walking up to her.

Y/N smiled back lightly. "Did you find the box?" she asked.

"No, I can't find it," Taehyung's smile lightly turned sad. "There are a lot of rooms I can't get into, so it might be in one of those." he stayed silent, taking in the details of Y/N's face. And his smile fell with concern. "What's wrong, Y/N? You look kind of pale."

"Oh, it's nothing," Y/N tilted the pieces of photo and scrap of paper, so Taehyung didn't notice. "But Taehyung, you should really leave soon." she took a deep breath. "You may not believe me , but. . .there's some kind of bizarre monster around. I found it in the basement." it was a reminder to herself, and the feeling of the monster's hand on her ankle came back. "I was attacked by it earlier. You 'd definitely be in danger too. . .so I think you should go."

Silence endures them both. It was hard to figure out what expression was on Taehyung's face. "Look, I don't like the dark, scary places either," he spoke, making Y/N flinch. "But there's no need to tease me like that. I'm not a kid afraid of the Boogie Man, okay?"

He didn't believe her.

"Sorry," she apologized. "But I'm not trying to tease you! I'm telling the truth!"

Taehyung let out a laugh before Y/N could ramble on about how she was not lying. "Don't worry, I'm not mad," he assured. "You don't seem like a dishonest guy, so I'd like to believe you, but. . . .a monster?" he placed a hand on her shoulder. "Maybe you mistook something in the dark? You could be susceptible to seeing things when you wander around in the dark like this."

"I'd like to think you're right," she admits. "All right, if you insist." Even if she admitted it, she pushed his hand off her shoulder. "But be careful, okay?"

"I know," Taehyung smiled at her. "Well, I'll go looking elsewhere." he waved her goodbye.

Y/N waited a little longer to follow Taehyung out. She put the pieces of the photo and scrap of paper into her cross-body bag. While she went down the hallway, a crash made her stop in her mid-step and look at the doors of the bar. Did Taehyung stop by the bar and drop something off? Y/N walked into the bar, but Taehyung wasn't there. There was writing on the far end when she looked around for what caused the crash. went down on her knees to lean down to read the smears.

Was this here before? Y/N didn't even want to know if this was written in blood from how red this was.

Leave me alone Please leave me alone Come to me I'm waiting for you

Sounds pretty inconsistent. Y/N commented in her head. Taehyung couldn't have written that. . .so who could've? As if her thoughts were a cue, a growl made Y/N jump to her feet and turn around at the sight of the monster opening the doors with its arms widened out. "W-Why?" She stuttered out with a whine. "I dropped you down a pit!"

Y/N slowly walked to the table on her left, grabbing the wine bottle for protection. It walked up to her. They stared at each other, wondering what would be the first action. moved to the side for it to run forward. It almost ran into a chair, but it turned again for her. The hand reached out for her and grabbed her arm. Y/N slammed the bottle on the monster's arm to bring it to the ground.

But its grasp on her brought her down with it. The monster was on the bottom, and her on top. Y/N was trying her best to get off the monster, but it kept its grasp. An attempt to bring her down as its mouth was wide open. Sharp teeth were shown, blood staining nipping into its mouth. She had attempted to dragged her arms away, but it was dragging her close to its face. It was covered with the wine, drenching her as well in the process . Y/N got a bit on her, but with her straddling the monster and being pulled with her body against it, she might as well of be the one to have gotten hit.

Her right arm was favored for being closer to its mouth. Which meant it let go of her left arm so it could have both hands on her right arm. Y/N grunted, trying to pull her arm back and her free, holding his to let go. Come on, think! She was telling herself, but it was hard to think. Covered in wine with flammable alcohol—

The wine.

She did have a lighter in her bag. But it was a possibility that the fire could trail onto her as she was drenched in the wine. What choice did she have? Y/N licked her lips and let go of the arm. The struggle became harder when she let go and dug her free hand into her bag. Her arm was brought closer and close to the mouth of the monster. With the advantage, the monster brought its sharp teeth into her arm. Y/N yelled in pain but tried to focus on fishing for the lighter. It was like the monster was chewing on her arm as if it was food. She had to turn down all her instincts to remove her arm right at the point of feeling the lighter in her hand.

Y/N grabbed the lighter and ignited the light. It was breathed onto the monster, and the fire began to roar loudly. Roaming to every bit of the monster. And her arm was let go for the monster to yell in pain. It pushed Y/N off of it before getting to its feet and running out with cries of pain. The fire had extended to Y/N, but she was able to pat it down. A breath of relief left her, but the pain in her arm wasn't being nice. She looked at her arm to see holes in the sleeve of the hoodie. Well, that's unfortunate. "I should be glad that he ran away," she told herself as a reminder, getting up from the ground. "What the hell is that thing. . .why is it changing me?" so many questions were going through her head that she didn't know what was real. "How did it survive before?" that was a good question. She locked it in the basement. It somehow got out. She pushed it down a hole into the first floor of locks, and it still somehow got out. "I might need something to defend myself. . .even just a knife could help. Was there one of those around?" thinking deeply, she now remembered. There was a fruit knife in the kitchen.

Her mind wasn't around the bite as she went straight to the kitchen. And there it was. She told herself to take it and that it was just for self-defense. Her life felt a bit safer now that she had a weapon. Y/N placed the fruit knife in her hoodie pocket and left the kitchen. A smell of something iron hit her nose, and she looked to her left. "Blood?" there was a trail of blood ahead, a path out of the hallway . "This. . .wasn't here earlier."

Did something happen to Taehyung?

With that thought in mind, Y/N began to worry about the other person in this hotel. She followed the trail of blood to the right hallway of the hotel and saw it leading into a room. Wasn't it locked before? it unlocked now? Y/N opened the door to see Taehyung's back facing her. He was sitting on a bed and looking at his arm. Was he hurt? Did he get hurt when the monster ran away? She jogged up to Taehyung, and with the sound of her feet, she got Taehyung's attention. "Taehyung, what are you doing here?" she looked right at the arm he was looking at before she came in. "Your arm's bleeding. . .so it was your blood. Were you hurt?"

Taehyung was quiet. He was looking as if he was piecing together what to say in his mind. "My arm caught on something," he finally said. "It's not that big of a deal. Don't worry about it."

"It's bleeding a lot, though," Y/N commented, trying to push more into it. "And you've been resting here, right? What if you get anemia?"

"I'm just a little tired," Taehyung avoided the questions. Y/N easily caught it, but he probably didn't want to talk about it. "I've been walking around a lot. Really, don't worry .” and she’ll respect that.

Still, he was bleeding. Y/N did have something in her bag. "Give me your hand, Taehyung," she gently instructed. Getting down on one knee, Y/N took off her bag and backpack. She dug through her backpack for the first-aid kit she had stored at home. It was unfortunate she had to use it. There was no plan for her to get hurt and chased by a strange monster covered in blood and inhumanly sharp teeth that used to bite on her arm . But here she is, in that scenario.

Y/N looked through her kit to see the low supply of bandages—and her lucky handkerchief. Well, it could be used for her arm. If she were to use the bandage, there wouldn't be any left for her wound. handkerchief wouldn't be much useful. . .but she didn't want to be selfish. "Here, I have a bit of bandage left—"

"That's okay. You can use the handkerchief," Taehyung spoke over her, looking at the first-aid kit.

Y/N wanted to argue lightly that he may need it more, but he did insist. Also. . .why was her handkerchief there? Maybe it really was a lucky handkerchief. but loud for Taehyung to hear. Y/N grabbed Taehyung's hand and cleaned his wrist before wrapping the handkerchief around. An easy fix as he had already taken off his coat, and his sleeve was rolled up. "Doesn't hurt?"

"It's fine," Taehyung attempted a smile. "Thank you. You're so kind, Y/N."

Again, Y/N had noticed it. Maybe she should comment on it. "You. . .don't seem so well," she let out after thinking. "Did something happen?"

"It's nothing," Taehyung tried another attempt at a smile. "I've just been so silly."

"Silly?"

"It's silly that I'm wandering this dark place all alone, falling in holes, cutting my arm, all to find some measly box," he let out. Y/N widened her eyes for a second before letting go of his hand.

"Measly?" Y/N repeated again. "But it's important, right? A memento from your girlfriend?"

He looked at his wrapped arm before looking into Y/N's eyes. "Well, she's my ex, to be exact," he corrected. Y/N let out a sound of slight shock. "She left me quite a while ago. . .but while we were dating, this hotel was our special place. That was when I lost the box. . .I've been worried abotu it ever since, but I only just worked up the courage to come look. forget everything about her. . .but it was no good. Coming here just brought back all these memories."

"Why did you break up?" Y/N asked. It may've been a sensitive question. . .but she was curious.

"I don't know," Taehyung shrugged. "Maybe that's why I won't give up. She said she appreciated my kindness, but when we broke up, she said it was 'all I had.' And she was exactly right , so I couldn't reply. . ." his arm dropped to the bed, eyes turning into a sad emotion. So melancholy. "I really am a wimp. No wonder she'd break up with me. Even I'd hate a guy like me." he looked back up at Y/N and cleared his throat at the realization of her being there. "Sorry, I know I'm just annoying you. I'll rest her a while longer. I'm a little dizzy." he made a third attempt at a smile, and, fortunately, the ends of his lips twitched up the slightest bit. "Thanks for your help, Y/N. Oh, and here. "he reached his good hand into his coat and brought something in front of Y/N. "I found this. I'm not sure where it goes, though."

"Thanks," Y/N wasn't able to say anything. She felt like she was in Taehyung's shoes when he spoke the short story of how he and his girlfriend broke up. "Uh, don't strain yourself, okay?"

"Be careful," Taehyung called out, watching her clean up the first aid kit. "It's dark. And make sure to wrap up your arm."

Y/N looked at Taehyung and at her arm. She guessed it was noticeable that she was hurt with these bite marks on her hoodie. "Thanks, I will," she nodded at him. "I'll look for your treasure, too "

She stood up and paused when hearing Taehyung let out a slight chuckle. "You sure are nice, Y/N," he complimented again. "You might be growing on me." Y/N's cheeks had a light red brushing against it.

A forced chuckle came out of her, not knowing how to react. "I. . .don't know if such a wonderful guy would suit a loser like me, sorry," she denied the compliment. Taehyung wasn't able to say anything as Y/N ran out of the room. Her heart was racing, and she leaned against the door. But it didn't last for long as the memories were flooding in.

"Why are you always like this?"

Kuu looked up from the table and at her fiancé. "Like. . .like what?"

"You're always such a yes-woman. Just go with the flow," he continued on. "Do you even have a personality." he let out a sigh and sat across from Y/N, leaning into his hand.

"I. . .don't mean to," she spoke quietly, trying to read his facial features. "I mean, I try to think for myself. "

"I don't see it that way," he spoke honestly, still not looking into Y/N's eyes. As if he was hiding from her. "You're not kind. You're just indecisive. You'd treat anyone else the same way, right? That's why I can't trust you."

Her heart was breaking more and more at every word he spoke. "Look, please, just listen," she was ready to get down on her knees and beg. "I'm always thinking of you, I promise. Please. If I 'm a pain, then I'm sorry." her hands went together and intertwined.

His head jerked up, finally looking into Y/N's eyes. Hand towards her as if motioning to her body. "There you go again," he almost raised his voice but kept it balanced. "Thinking you can just apologize and everything will be fine. You don't understand a word I'm saying."

"Then what should I do?" Y/N asked. "You just don't trust me, is that it?!"

They kept eye contact, but he let go first by hanging his head. "Maybe it's hopeless for us," he whispered. "I hate for it to end this way. . .but I think we would both be worse off staying together any longer." he stood up and went for the front door. Why did the front door have to be right there? "Thanks for everything, Y/N." his hand was on the doorknob, and he opened it without hesitation. "Goodbye "

Y/N got up from her seat and ran for him. "W-Wait! We can talk this out!" she begged, but he closed the door before she could chase after him. A sob left her, and she fell to her knees. "Jeongguk!"

"Kindness is all you have," Y/N repeated Taehyung's words, staying leaning against the door. "Taehyung and I are the same like that. Timidly refusing to forget. The moment I realized he didn't love me, I felt like I was nothing but worthless. . .I wonder if Taehyung felt that way, too?" she let out a sigh and looked at the key in her hand. "I think this key goes to the door by the receptionist desk. . .the only locked door I can remember."

Y/N walked out of the hallway and placed the first aid kit on the desk. She rolled up her two sleeves to see the bite. It somehow didn't hurt anymore. It did when he ran away. the memory with Jeongguk made her forget about it. It just stung now. Y/N cleaned the bite marks and blood and wrapped the bandage around it. Note to self, get more supplies. she mentally noted, closing the kit and putting it in her backpack.

Once she had everything and her backpack on, Y/N walked around the desk and insert the key into the doorknob. It was to the back of the hotel. The night sky and gentle wind were something she needed. the fresh air and let out a light smile.

Such fresh air.

Y/N closed the door behind her and walked to the fountain in the middle with benches around it. Something shining caught her eye when walking around the fountain. Her eyes blinked a few times before realizing it was a brown box in the clear water. "A box?" she questioned. However, it didn't take long to put two to two together. "Maybe this is the one Taehyung lost." she shivered lightly when her hands entered the cold water. Inspecting it, Y/N noticed the details. "It has to be. It's decorated with rubies. Did someone throw it away or what?"

It didn't matter. She had Taehyung's box.

She ran into the hotel and ran fast to the hotel room, but Taehyung wasn't there. "Did Taehyung leave already? But he's wounded," she spoke her question out loud, putting the box into her backpack with a quick slide off one shoulder. And that's when she heard the same yell as before. "Taehyung?!" Running out, she looked through every door that was open, and she finally got into the recording room to see the monster stalking up to Taehyung. "

Taehyung was slowly walking backward till his body hit the wall. "No. . ," he was shaking in fear. "Stay away!"

Y/N ran around the monster and stayed in front of Taehyung. "Stop right there!" she held her arm out to the monster. "Back off, monster!"

"Y/N?" Taehyung looked at Y/N in surprise.

The monster only had its smile and grew in response. "Damnit," Y/N cursed under her breath, her hand moving slowly into her hoodie pocket. "Taehyung, get out of the hotel." Taehyung tried to call out to her, but Y/N talked over him. "I said run away—I'll take care of this." She brought out the fruit knife. "Hey, monster!" she pointed to the monster with the fruit knife. t know what the hell you are, but don't you lay a finger on Taehyung!"

Taehyung gulped and ran around the two with an easy exit from the room. It wasn't surprising that the monster didn't leave to chase Taehyung. It was after Y/N, for some odd reason. Y/N took a deep breath and tried to swing at the monster, but it dodged. She swung her bad arm behind her to hit it away with a kick. It hissed out at her, trying to grab her. Keep him away. told herself mentally, backing into the couch when the monster tried to swing at her. Y/N looked back at the table and grabbed a flowerpot with fake flowers, and threw it into the monster.

She watched the monster run into the piano, the pieces of the flowerpot sticking into its body. It went after her again, but she went towards it as well. The fruit knife stuck into the monster's shoulder, having it yell at her. She pushed her body against the monster, ripping the knife out of its shoulder. And she kicked it into the piano, ran after it, and raised the knife high. Slamming it down into the back of the monster, hearing the loud cries of pain.

Y/N didn't want to give it any chance of getting away from her.

It was swinging back to elbow her off. But she brought the blade with her to stab more into him. And again and again. She kept him from struggling and getting him down to the ground. Y/N straddled the monster's back, trying her best to stay on, and stabbed again. Going and going until the blade of the fruit knife broke apart. It wasn't as if she was doing it so many times. She really only thrust the fruit knife a few times.

That is probably what a psychopath would say.

But the monster wasn't moving. Y/N raised her arms lightly to make sure she wasn't moving them. She stayed still for a few minutes before getting off the monster. Y/N didn't want her eyes to leave the monster. If it escaped locked rooms, she was scared it would come back. So did the thought of her killing this thing. But she'd rather do that than have it come back and terrorize her and Taehyung.

Taehyung.

He was probably worried. Y/N walked backward till she hit the doorknob. It still wasn't moving. Maybe that was a sign. She got out of the room and ran down the stairs—bursting through the front doors. too rough as she stumbled down the steps. Luckily, she caught her balance. "Y/N!" Taehyung's voice called out. "Y/N, are you okay?!"

Y/N huffed out a breath, catching it from the run. "Yeah, I don't think it'll chase us anymore," she assured, turning around to look at Taehyung. He was on top of the staircase. N wondered if she hit him with the doors when passing through. "I'm fine. . .I'm not hurt." she gave him a tired smile. "But never mind me, are you okay?"

"I'm fine. I'm not hurt," Taehyung responded quietly. "But. . ."

After a few moments, Taehyung fell to the steps. His eyes were leaking out tears, raising one hand to try and wipe them away. "Taehyung! What's wrong—are you not feeling well?!"

"Why. . .why did this happen?" he whispered. "Why did I have to go through this? Why did that monster attack me?" he was digging himself into his arms. want to forget her. I just wanted to have my memory of her, at least!" Taehyung's body was shaking with the sobs passing through. "Is it because I'm such a wimp? Is that why this happened? Can I. . .can I not even love her?!" his head was shaking. "No, I hate it. Someone. . .somebody, help!"

"Taehyung," Y/N weakly called out to him. Memories flooding of them that had only happened tonight. She wanted to tell him not to cry, but was that something he needed to hear? "What's wrong with being a wimp?" this would have to be a start. That had caught Taehyung's attention, his head moving up from his hands. "You may feel like a sissy for not being able to forget him, but. . .is that such a bad thing?" her chest rose and fell deeply. "You know, I was dumped a few months ago, too. . .I was sure we were going to get married."

"You. . .too?"

Y/N gave him a crooked smile. "I was rejected," she told him before looking down at her hands. "Even now, it still pains me. I don't think I can truly forget it. I've. . .always hated how I was such a coward. I'm a terrible excuse for a woman, especially in romance." her fingers fiddled with each other. "I couldn't even be happy when my best friend got married. And it made me hate myself more and more." Y/N looked back at Taehyung. "But looking at you, I've come to think. . .maybe it's not bad to keep thinking of someone? In fact, maybe it's a wonderful thing. I decided. . .I wouldn't give up, either. And it's thanks to you, Taehyung. Thank you."

"Y/N. . ," Taehyung called out her name.

She walked up to him, grabbing the box out of her bag. "This is your treasure, right?" she asked, relieved to see that it was not damaged midst of her fight with the battle. 'd be a shame to throw it away." she placed it in Taehyung's hands when he held them out. "Take good care of it, okay? I'm sure the one you love will understand. And I know I'll always support you."

He brought the box close to his chest and hugged it dearly. "Thank you, Y/N," he bowed his head to her. "I. . .I'll try a little harder. I hope things go well with you too " Taehyung moved the box around, and his eyes turned to confusion. "Hey, Y/N. Did the box come with a key?"

"A key?" Y/N repeated in confusion with him. "No, I didn't see one."

"Strange. The box needs a key to open, so. . .though I didn't lock it,"

"A key. . ," she repeated to herself again. An idea hit her head. "Wait, hold on." she dug into her bag for the key she found in the crack in her room. "Maybe this brass key. . .” she then laughed at herself from the stupidity. “Nah, of course not—”

"Yes, that's the one!" Taehyung exclaimed with glee, grabbing the key from Y/N's hand. "Where did you find it?"

Y/N was shocked, not knowing how to form words. "Wha—r-really?" she looked at the key and the box and repeated before telling herself to answer Taehyung's question. "Er, I picked it up. . .around here." it was best to lie.

A key from my house opens Taehyung's box. . .so the former tenant's involved with the box? What does that mean?

"I wonder why it's locked," Taehyung hummed. "Let's open it!" he inserted the key into the lock, and he raised the lid. "Oh? There's a piece of paper."

That caught Y/N's attention really fast. "That's—Taehyung, can I look at that?" she asked quickly. Taehyung nodded and handed it to her. Y/N grabbed the other scraps of paper to compare. . .it matches with the notebook pages. . .which means he. . .”

"I don't get it, but I guess the guy you're looking for put this paper in here?" Taehyung guessed, making Y/N look up at Taehyung.

She looked back down at the papers. "Yeah," she agreed. "He wasn't here. . .so I'll check there next."

"Okay," Taehyung hesitated in his word. "Be careful."

Y/N nodded at him, placing the papers in her bag beside the one from the box while walking toward her car. She heard footsteps behind her. As if he was staying near her to be safe. "I'll escape you home, Taehyung," she turned around, seeing him flinch. "It's dark out, after all."

He stared at her for a few seconds before clearing his throat. "I'll be all right," he assured. Somehow his voice had gotten a bit deeper and more confident. "Thanks, though, Y/N." he looked behind her and took a breath. "Well. . ." Y/N chuckled lightly and moved out of the way for Taehyung. He walked down the path but stopped. N was about to call out to him, but he turned and walked up to her. Taehyung gently cupped Y/N's face and placed his lips on her cheek. "I'm really thankful, Y/N." he separated for their faces to be close. "Let's see each other again sometime!"

"Oh. . .uh, sure!" Y/N agreed, giving him another crooked smile. He waved her goodbye and walked away. "That. . .surprised me." Y/N let out a chuckle, blushing madly. " But he seems happier now. That's good. I feel a little more relaxed myself." she looked down at the paper to read it off. "Lingering Scent of Dreams. . .and is this an address? Maybe that's where he is now. " she licked her lips, deciding if it was worth it or not. . .but it was an obvious answer. "I'll go check it out. I've come this far. . ."

Until I find him. . .I'll go anywhere.

Scene 1

Hotel Ruhenheim - Taehyung -

end

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thxversatile · 4 months ago

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— Eu te beijei? Beijei. Mas você poderia ter recuado, pra início de conversa. Mas não! Você retribuiu e deixou que eu fizesse bem mais do que te beijar, então corta essa de que eu que iniciei qualquer coisa, porque você teve todas as oportunidades para cair fora, e caiu? Não, caiu dentro do papai aqui! — O tom de Harvey saiu da rispidez para o sarcasmo tão rapidamente quanto a ardência em seus olhos parou.

O que ele estava fazendo mesmo? Indo cobrar satisfação de um cara que, claramente, não dá uma foda por ele? Ele sabia, sempre soube, que o que quer que tivesse acontecido entre eles, não passou de uma diversão para Vincent, sair da dieta do cão bonzinho. Mas para Harvey, a situação foi bem diferente, foi como se tivesse sido visto pela primeira vez, agora ele assistia a vida de outros pela janela, de novo.

— Sinceramente, eu... — A voz tremulou tal qual as mãos que subiram até os próprios fios escuros, entrelaçando-os aos dedos e os puxando, um ato de puro nervosismo mas que o fez se sentir novamente com os pés no chão. O rosto ardia, não sabia dizer se era de raiva, vergonha ou pura vontade de chorar.

Naquela hora, desejou morrer e dar a vaga de viajante de vez para a Gwen. O que ele mudaria em sua vida? Se tudo voltava aos mesmos ciclos? Por um instante, Harvey se viu novamente com trinta e poucos anos, sem eira nem beira, e ninguém que pudesse o ajudar a sair do buraco em que sempre se meteu. Novamente, preso ao túmulo do cemitério.

— Não quero mais ter que olhar pra essa sua cara de vampiro. Tomara que você e o figurante de Cemitério Maldito sejam muito felizes até ele morrer, de novo.

O rosto se abriu no conhecido sorriso cínico e não esperou para ouvir nenhuma resposta. Com uma raiva nunca antes vista, de si, de Jacob, de Vincent, da vida e de todos que o colocaram naquela situação de merda, abriu a porta da sala em um solavanco e sumiu entre as paredes do corredor.

Recuou as costas conforme Harvey se aproximava e apontava um dedo contra seu rosto. Colocou uma palma contra a mão dele e a abaixou. ─ Quem disse que eu te usei de estepe? Você me beijou. ─ claramente aquela era a desculpa que Vincent usava dentro da própria cabeça para justificar o que tinha acontecido. Para ele, o assunto se dava encerrado ali. Wang, por outro lado, tinha outros planos. Planos terríveis, inclusive. ─ Você... Você preferia acreditar que eu tinha traído o Jacob? ─ a frase saiu da sua boca de forma tão incrédula que nem acreditava no que ele mesmo havia perguntado, e acompanhou um sorriso sarcástico pela graça absurda da situação. ─ Que situação que você está preso, e por que diabos isso seria culpa minha? Nós brigamos e depois nos beijamos. Aquele maldito chip nos forçava a falar a verdade, e ao que parece, eu e você achamos muito interessante nos ver com sangue e hematomas. Aproveitamos uma situação. Ponto final. Eu entendi algo de errado? ─

#𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦; threads #𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦; w/ vincent #𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦; closed

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starryparkrr · 4 years ago

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━ 𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘺 𝘮��𝘳𝘤𝘩 𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘤𝘩𝘶𝘱 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘵 !! 𝘴𝘰, 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘪'𝘮 𝘴𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘢 𝘴𝘮𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵 𝘪 𝘥𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘰 𝘢 𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘤𝘩 𝘶𝘱 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴 𝘪'𝘷𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘱𝘱 ! 𝘪 𝘩𝘰𝘱𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘮𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘱𝘱 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘪 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘸𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘺 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬 𝘴𝘰𝘰𝘯 ! 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴, 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘺𝘰𝘶'𝘭𝘭 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘶𝘭𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘦𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘢 𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘤𝘩 𝘶𝘱 !

━ 𝘺𝘰𝘶 ��𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘦𝘦 𝘰𝘱𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢 𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘤𝘩 𝘶𝘱 ! 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘴𝘬 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘮 𝘰𝘧𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘶 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘸 !

Strawberry Milk ! ˖⋆࿐໋₊ ✧ [HAIKYUU]

Strawberry Shortcake ! ˖⋆࿐໋₊ ✧ [MARVEL]

Strawberry Boba ! ˖⋆࿐໋₊ ✧ [MHA/BNHA]

━ 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘴𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦 ! 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘵 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘤𝘳𝘪𝘱𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧, 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘩𝘰𝘣𝘣𝘪𝘦𝘴, 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺, 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘧𝘢𝘷𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴, 𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘷𝘦 ! 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘪 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘱𝘢𝘪𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘶𝘱 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘧𝘪𝘵𝘴 ! 𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘰 𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘭𝘶𝘥𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶'𝘥 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 !

━ 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘯 𝘦𝘹𝘢𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦 ? 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘰𝘧𝘧 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩

"Hi ! i'd like to order a strawberry [fill in the blank] ! my preferred gender is [M/F] i'm [enter info about you] !"

━ 𝘪'𝘮 𝘧𝘢𝘪𝘳𝘭𝘺 𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘶𝘮𝘣𝘭𝘳 𝘴𝘰 𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘤𝘩𝘶𝘱𝘴 ! 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭 𝘧𝘳𝘦𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘺𝘴𝘮 !

!STATUS: CLOSED!

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sxnshinebag · 2 years ago

Text

𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝙲𝚛𝚘𝚘𝚔𝚎𝚍 𝙼𝚊𝚗 | 𝙿𝚛𝚘𝚕𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚎

| 𝘈, (𝘴𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵) 𝘍 | 𝘛𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘳, 𝘏𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘰𝘳, 𝘚𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘎𝘰𝘳𝘦

| 𝘔𝘪𝘯𝘪 𝘚𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 |

↳ 𝘗𝘢𝘪𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 - 𝘑𝘦𝘰𝘯 𝘑𝘶𝘯𝘨𝘬𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘹 𝘙𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳

↳ 𝘚𝘶𝘮𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘺 - 𝘠/𝘕 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘭𝘺 𝘮𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘢 𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘢𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘥𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢 𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦. 𝘐𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘪𝘥𝘴𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘨𝘨𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘭 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘶𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘠/𝘕 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘰𝘥𝘥 𝘰𝘤𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘥𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘴𝘬 𝘢 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘢𝘯𝘵.

𝘏𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳, 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘯𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦.

(𝘗𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘰𝘧 "𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘔𝘢𝘯" 𝘚𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴)

𝘛𝘢𝘨𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘵 - 𝘖𝘱𝘦𝘯 (𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘴𝘬)

𝘞𝘒 - 6.4k

𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘷 | 𝘯𝘦𝘹𝘵

𝘚𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘔𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘵 | 𝘔𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘔𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘵

There was a Crooked Man

And He walked a Crooked Mile

He found a Crooked Sixpence

Upon a Crooked Stile

Y/N groaned and threaded her fingers through the locks of her hair when getting the last stuff put away. It wasn't all much, especially with a girl like her, but she didn't move into this apartment empty-handed. She still had a few boxes to bring after selling the little furniture she had when moving out of her previous home. She couldn't keep up with rent, and the landlord was a bastard. Either she agreed with his deal of pleasure or to get out. And she chose the latter. Even if she was depicted as a "people-pleaser," she knew her place. She thinks. But that's why she was in the small apartment, on her knees and placing the last cleaning supply under the sink. A loud groan left her mouth when closing the door and leaning her head against it. Her best friend, Kim Jane, released an exaggerated moan and stretched her arms high up in the air. "Finally!" she yelled out, making her newlywed husband, Kim Namjoon, flinch at her loudness. "Things look tidy in here."

"Don't yell so loud," Y/N covered her ears jokingly and got up to her feet. She slightly stumbled back but caught her balance and walked up to the newlyweds to get so close to them.

But when she got close to them, Jane punched the tired girl's arm slightly. "That should be that," Namjoon brought himself in the middle before Jane could say anything to make the two childhood friends bicker that'll, possibly, last for ten minutes. A small ability the two shared for growing up together since diapers. Jane always ends it by saying she's older. A funny inside joke between them as they were both hours apart and being born across the hall from each other. And their mothers made sure they had millions of playdates to stay connected as excuses for wine and the little girls running around. "Is there anything else we can help with, Y/N?"

There were a few seconds of Y/N thinking if she did need something from them. It wouldn't hurt, as he did offer. But her mind drew to a blank. "Nah, I'm fine," she shook her head with a slightly crooked smile. "Sorry for making you guys help me move. . ." she rubbed the back of her neck. "And thanks for showing me the place, Jane. I'll have to pay you back sometime!"

Hearing the last sentence, Jane jumped on Y/N and tangled her arms with Y/N's. "We could go out drinking then!" she suggested in a heartbeat. "Go to a karaoke bar and sing our lungs off while Namjoon can show his rapping skills."

"I look forward to the drinking," Namjoon chuckled, ignoring the last part his wife had mentioned. Though he couldn't help but blush at the mention, it was something he loved to do and had only started making music from the push of the two girls telling him that he was amazing. When he blushed, he looked out of one of the two small vertical windows to see the moon coming up and the red and orange sky kissing the ground goodbye. "Would you look at that. . .it's getting late." the two girls looked out the window to see that it was getting late. "We'd better get going." he pinched his wife's top and pulled her away from her best friend.

"Yeah, you should probably get home," Y/N agreed when seeing the sky now fully dark. "Be careful, you two." after one last hug with the newlyweds. They left with goodbyes.

She was left with silence, having her look around at this new home. It was mainly a studio room with a tiny hallway that passed the door to a computer room and a bathroom across each other. Y/N can't lie but wished that the computer was brought into the big room and had a small bedroom where her full-sized bed would most definitely fill almost half of the room. But it was furnished by the past tenant, so she only messed with it a little. A sink in the far left corner connected to a countertop that extended out, allowing her small stove to lay with little surface to let her cook. Next to the countertop was her old minifridge and an old pantry cabinet that was already here with dishes. Same T.V. that was kept. A dresser in the opposite corner with her landline phone and small decorations. And her bed was in the right corner closest to the door, and two sofas faced each other with a table in between to take up some space in this lonely apartment. The only thing that bothered her was a large crack in the wall between the T.V. and dresser that could knock the clock off if it extended more.

Something caught her eye. "Huh?" Y/N had to do a double-take to realize there was an item on the table that wasn't hers. And it made her sigh. "Of course, Jane forgot her license." it was always a habit of Jane to do such a thing. Fortunately, it was always her forgetting stuff at Y/N's place, wherever she lived, Namjoon's workplace, or their apartments. So she hasn't gotten anything stolen. . .yet. "Let's hope they haven't left yet."

Y/N grabbed Jane's license and began to jog lightly to the door, opening it up and jogging again through the small hallway. Her hand cupped the doorknob. "What's with that place, seriously?" Jane's voice was heard clearly through the space under the door. "It's filthy! It's practically falling apart!" she could hear Jane moving her arms around and hands smacking her thighs. "What were you thinking?! She wanted to move for a change of pace, and that will not help her, you hear?"

"Look, what can I do?" Namjoon didn't raise his voice or show any tone of arguing. "She's not the richest person, y'know? And not many places come with furniture. . .besides, you told me to look for a place, right? Don't come complaining to me now."

The top rows of her teeth captured her bottom lip so she wouldn't make a sound. ". . .you're right," Jane spoke quietly. "I'm sorry. I just wanted to help Y/N out. . ."

A few sounds of movements, and it was known to Y/N clearly that Namjoon went in for an embrace. "I know," he also spoke quietly. Quietly, but softly. "Look, I should be sorry. We'll pay her a visit sometime."

The sounds of steps went away, and Y/N slowly let go of the doorknob. "The license can way, I guess," she told herself, placing it in her wallet once fishing it out. Her tired eyes showed presence. "Should sleep this off. .maybe I'll feel better in the morning." she let out a sigh, walked back into the room, changed into her pajamas, and placed her old outfit into a small basket she had placed next to the dresser. Before she could think of raising herself to her feet, the landline phone rang. Her eyes moved up to see the thin wire hanging off, giving her a moment to stand up, pick up the white phone, and place it against her ear. "Hello?" Nothing, but there was a breath. "Hello? Who is this?" she leaned closer to the green screen to show that similar number that made her heart almost stop beating and clench up. "Jeongguk?" but he was the one to hang up the phone, and she slowly placed it back in its spot. Stumbling back slightly, Y/N placed a hand on her forehead and tried to take a deep breath, but it failed. "Sleep. . .I need to sleep and call it a day. I should take it easy for my first day in the new place."

And that's what got her into bed after turning off the lights. Once her head hit the pillow, tiredness was now in control. So tired. . .in so many sorts of ways. She thought with a yawn coming out loudly. Her eyes closed, but it wasn't long that caused no entry to dreamland when a man's cry appeared loudly. As if it was in the apartment. . .but at the same time, in her head. Really. . .is that somebody crying? she let out a loud groan of annoyance, trying to cuddle into her blanket. But the crying wouldn't go away. Is it one of the neighbors? It wouldn't hurt to ask. . .

Getting out of bed, Y/N placed her feet through her slippers and left the apartment. Light knocks down the row of doors for her, only to get a response from the last door on the floor. "Yes?" A tired woman's voice called out through the door. "Who is it at this hour?"

"Pardon me," Y/N tried to speak politely without the annoyance tunneling through. "It's just. . .I can hear you from my room, even. It's making it hard to sleep. . .would you stop?" her face cringed lightly at the request. Maybe she could've worded it nicely.

"What're you saying?" The woman's voice was already irking in with her annoyance. "I was asleep until you woke me up! You trying to start something?" Y/N raised her hands in surrender, even if the woman couldn't see through. "You're the girl who moved into 204, right? There's no way you'd hear from there!"

One of Y/N's hands fell, and the other lay on her shoulder. "I guess so. . ," she agreed slowly, looking down at the ground with a blush of embarrassment. Y/N looked back up at the door. "S-Sorry for waking you! Bye now." she took steps back, trying to bring back to her head what had gone down since the crying. "She's right. . .the rooms are pretty far apart." she looked at her door at the far end before walking down toward it. "More importantly, it was a man's voice." She realized something. When she had left the apartment, the crying had stopped. "Was it just my imagination?" the hand on her shoulder raised to knock her temple lightly. "Think about it in the morning; I need to get some sleep."

Opening the door, she stopped at the sound of water running. Her brow rose in confusion. Walking into the apartment and closed it behind her. Locking the door without looking, Y/N made her way into the bathroom. There was nothing there. Her eyes went to the faucet, and she turned the handle back. Is the faucet busted? She asked herself when feeling the handle was already back. Y/N moved it closer to her to make the water run faster and back in default to stop the water running. Something pushed her chin up like a string, and she noticed how foggy the mirror was. And something was written messily. Under the bed? She read in confusion. Is. . .Is Jane trying to prank me? She was never one to prank.

Walking back out of the bathroom, Y/N went into the main room and walked up to her bed. But she stopped herself from going in. ". . .Under the bed. . .what's down there?" She spoke her thoughts into the air, the writing on the mirror getting the best of her. Y/N got on her hands and knees to look under the bed. And that's when she found something. A ripped piece of paper. Her hands held it delicately as she read.

"Ever since she went away, I've spent every night clutching my sweaty pillow and writhing. I can't say goodbye. What other choice do I have?"

"Did the former tenant leave this?" She couldn't help but wonder about the question. But that had to be something for the next day, and she needed sleep.

That's all she wanted.

Sleep.

So, she placed the paper on the table, crawled into bed, and tried to enter dreamland. But the crying back. That sound still? she complained with a slight whine. Where is that coming from? Give me a break, please. I only want sleep.

It was a rough night, and the morning had her being woken up by the ringing of the landline phone. "Why not my cellphone?" she complained, but the ringing of the landline seemed to have gotten louder. "Alright, I'm coming. . .I'm coming." she got up from her bed, went to the landline, and answered. "Hello?" Her tiredness went away, most of it from the doctor's sound. "Oh. . .yeah, thanks for all the—" the doctor cut her off and kept rambling, almost as if judging her for not stopping by in a while. "No, no, I didn't mean. . .just. . .I'm busy with work, so—" and she was cut off again, trying to stay with the doctor of what he was saying. "Yeah, I'll come to visit today." it was her turn to cut off the doctor. "Tell her that for me. Okay, bye."

Y/N changed into a white T-Shirt and worn-out blue jeans, sliding her feet into low converse shoes that were pre-tied, so she didn't have to bother. She grabbed her black jacket and her cross-body bag with her wallet, cell phone, and necessary needs. I really did sleep in till noon. She thought when looking at her phone to see the time. Yeah, I need to go. So much for taking it easy. Y/N jumped when seeing Jane walking down the hallways. Jane seemed to have also jumped at the sight of Y/N's apartment door opening and having her name called out. "I. . .forgot my license yesterday," Jane admitted after calming her racing heart. "Was it on the table?" Y/N nodded, grabbing Jane's license after fishing out her wallet.

"Sorry, I was going to bring it to you, but—"

"Thanks." Jane cuts off Y/N at the sight of the object in question. Y/N gulped lightly, deciding to stay quiet about what she had heard yesterday. The license was returned to its rightful owner, who sighed in relief before taking in Y/N's outfit of the day. "So, you going somewhere?"

"Yeah, to the hospital,"

They stayed silent. "I see," Jane mumbled. "Take care of yourself, love."

Jane patted Y/N's arm before leaving. Well, attempt to leave. "Hey, Jane," Y/N called out, making the said woman turn around with a hum. "Did you. . .did you write something on the bathroom mirror?"

That question made Jane almost take a step back from such a question. "Write on the mirror?" she repeated, wondering if she heard her best friend correctly. "What kind of prankster kid do you take me for, Y/N?" then she said goodbye when getting a text message from Namjoon. Y/N stayed in her stance a little longer, waiting till Jane was out of view before she moved.

At the hospital, Y/N checked herself in and asked who she was going to see. The doors in front of her made it hard for her to take another forward. But that's what she did, pushing them through to see her ill mother lying in bed in comfort. Y/N took a deep breath and walked to her mother. "Mother. . .it's been a while," she spoke softly, dragging a chair against the wall to sit next to her mother's bed. "Are you doing okay?"

Sound of Y/N's voice, her mother turned her head with a smile. "Oh my," her fragile voice cracked through. "If it isn't, little Miya. You've certainly grown." she had delight in her eyes, and Y/N gave a strained crooked smile the best she could.

"Good, you look healthy," Y/N commented, leaning back in her chair. Eyes never left her mother. "Sorry I can't see you very much. . .I've been busy with work. But I took a few days off. . .and I moved to this great room, with furniture and everything!" her hands moved around at her explanation. "It's near your favorite cake shop, too! So when you get better, we can live together."

"My. . .that's wonderful," Her mother hummed in delight. "Get along with Mihyun, will you? All that fighting you do worries me so much. Maybe I can come to visit you sometime? You like apple pie, don't you? I'll make the best I know how. . ." Y/N's smile faltered as her mother turned to look back up at the ceiling. "Oh yes, they opened a bakery the other day! It smells so wonderful! Maybe I should buy from there." Y/N called out to her mother. At the sound of Y/N's, her mother turned with a confused look. "Oh? Who would you be? Why are you here?" she rose into a sitting position, flinching when Y/N reached to try and lay her back down. "This is my room. . .do you have the wrong room?" Y/N couldn't find anything to say. "Who are you?! Say something, will you?!" she flew out of her bed, going toward Y/N. The daughter stood up and took steps back, almost falling with the chair against her knees. "Get out! I'll have you thrown out!" she began yelling for help. "There's a strange woman in my room! Get rid of her, now!"

"Mrs. L/N!" a female voice called out, and Y/N turned around to see the main nurse caring for her mother. The nurse came in with a male nurse following along, the two trying to get Y/N's mother back in bed. "Mrs. L/N, don't strain yourself. . .please, go to sleep, okay?"

"Who are you?!" Y/N's mother called out, dragging her arms out of the grasp both nurses tried to do. "Don't touch me! Away!"

The male nurse stayed calm. "Now, calm down, miss," he spoke calmly. "Let's get you into bed. . ."

"I'm sorry, Y/N," the female nurse turned around with a sympathetic gaze. "Leave your mother to us. . .you'll have to leave for today."

Y/N licked her lips and slowly nodded her head in understanding. "Understood," she mumbled, nudging her head toward her mother. "Take good care of her."

She made her way to the door. "Y/N? Is that my sunshine?" Y/N's mother called out, having Y/N turn around in shock. "Where are you going? Why are you leaving me?" Y/N had stuttered out to her mother, but it didn't seem to come out loudly as she thought. "Your flight school exams are coming up. You want to be a pilot, don't you? Your mother has your back." she was shaking in her stance, looking as if she'd fall to the ground. "Please, don't leave me alone. I don't want to be alone here. Sunshine, please. . ."

"Mommy. . ," Y/N teared up, a smile of hope and taking hopeful steps forward. "It's me! Remember? Mom!"

But the first nurse strides toward Y/N to interrupt whatever hope of Y/N's mother's remembrance. "Y/N, please leave for today!" she instructed, pointing at the door. "She's very confused right now."

"But she said my—"

"I said leave!" The nurse pushed Y/N out of the room.

The screams of Y/N's mother echoed through the crack of the doors and into the hallway. Y/N's hands balled into fists, and she relucent walked away. She kept going till she noticed her mother's doctor standing in the middle of the hallway. "Hello, Y/N," he greeted. "Did you see your mother?"

Y/N kept herself from yelling the obvious, as the doctor was there to witness her kidding and kicked her out of her mother's hospital room. "Yeah," she nodded instead. "Though I guess she still doesn't know me."

The doctor gave her a sympathetic smile. "She's forgotten many things, and she's having trouble controlling her emotions," he informed, and Y/N wanted to bitterly chuckle out. She didn't have to be informed about what she knew. Or she wanted to avoid being informed of what she knew to keep it untrue. "I ask you to be patient. She may get better, so you can live with her again."

"Thank you,"

The ride home was quiet; the music wasn't entering her ears as she was in too much thought. Y/N was too tired for any of this. And when she entered her apartment to hear a screech from her computer room; she took a deep breath. Trying to channel whatever she had to deal with, whatever it was right now. She walked into the computer room and saw the chair moved in front of the trash can, not in its spot in front of the computer. I know I didn't move the chair. She told herself to keep herself sane.

But the slight opening of the second drawer caught her attention.

Opening the drawer, she noticed a leaflet. Y/N picked it up and moved it around to get every detail she could find. It looks pretty old. . .these LL.M. courses are circled. Was somebody shooting to be a lawyer? she heard her tired brain go through ideas. I guess this must be the former tenant's. . .he sure forgot a bunch of stuff. Maybe no furniture is better after all, huh? It definitely would've given her the peace she needed without this happening.

Going into the room, the landline phone rang. Can the phone not ring once? Even if this was the second day in the apartment, she didn't want to answer the phone or hear the phone ring. Y/N answered it. "Hello?"

"Hey, Y/N," Namjoon's voice spoke through. "How are you doing?"

A voice that made her calm had her shoulders going down in relaxation. "You saw me just yesterday," she sighed with a chuckle. "I'm doing fine, thanks."

"Good, good," Namjoon joined her in the light chuckle. "Call if you're ever lonely, okay? I can come to visit with Jane."

"By the way," Y/N spoke up after a few seconds. "I got a call from Jeongguk yesterday. We didn't really talk, but. . ."

Namjoon was silent. "Sorry, I told him your number," he admits. "He said he was so worried about you."

Y/N's heart warmed up. "It's okay," she assured. But memories reminded her of being here alone. "Tell him I don't need her worry. He should just look out for himself."

"Alright," Namjoon huffed out. "Well, I'll hang up now."

The phone was placed back on its spot, and she changed into her pajamas. She spent her evening reading all the books she had brought and the book the previous tenant had left behind. Y/N even made herself some tea to relax to hopefully get herself to sleep. Luckily, it had gotten her to the point of being tired. Too tired to read anymore and not done with her third cup of tea. Y/N moved the blanket to let herself in, but she jumped at the sound of the statics of the bed. She looked over, walked up to the T.V., and tilted her head in confusion. "Why did it turn on by itself? Is it broken?" Her hand reached for the remote, but she yelled when red letters popped up one by one. "What the hell. . .what's going on."

Y/N walked to the sink and the word that was written on the T.V. screen. Looking around, she noticed something in the faucet. She swore she was able to use the sink when making her tea. Removing what looked like a scrap of paper, Y/N lifted it and flattened it to see if she could read it.

"There was a crooked man, and he walked a crooked mile.

He found a crooked sixpence upon a crooked stile.

He bought a crooked cat, which caught a crooked mouse,

and they all lived together in a crooked little house."

Y/N licked her lips when reading the mother goose. But she was confused about how it was there. She wanted to question if the previous tenant had placed it there, but she reminded herself that she had made tea three times. "So much strange stuff," she tossed the paper on the countertop. "I should just sleep and forget." she made her way to the bed and placed her head on the pillow. "Moving for a change of pace, huh. . .guess that's not working so well. I appreciate Jane and Namjoon's help, but. . ."

She closed her eyes, and a little later. . .she heard a kid crying. Is that a kid, I hear? she furrowed her brows, eyes still closed. This late at night? And what kid would live in these beat-up apartments? Her eyes opened up with a few blinks. Maybe they're lost. I should go check.

Y/N got up from her bed and exited her apartment. Looking around, there was no kid, and the crying had stopped. ". . .'Course there are no kids here," she grumbled under her breath, starting to think that she was going crazy. She was repeating in her head to go to bed.

Walking into the apartment, Y/N paused after hearing a broken glass. She entered the room and saw the tea on the ground, shattered with the liquid sprawled up. Kneeling, she chuckled lamely at herself. "Just a broken cup. . .that startled me a little too much." And her eyes wandered more to find details of the broken cup, but the blood drained out, feeling cold when her eyes caught a detail. "W-Wait, what?!" The liquid was dragged out, spelling "Help Me," making her shake lightly into the ground. Y/N stood up and took steps back in fear. "The tea's spelling out?! Y-You gotta be. . ." she looked around the room and wrapped her arms around herself. "This room is strange. With its voices. . .and T.V.s turning on. What is this?"

The morning after, Y/N dialed Jane's number on the landline. "Hello?" Jane's tired voice spoke through the phone.

"Hi, Jane," Y/N greeted, messing with the wire connected to the phone. "It's Y/N."

"Yeah, what's up?" Jane mumbled, the sound of the bed moving. "You sound sleepy. So why wake me up, too?"

Y/N grimaced. "Sorry," she apologized. "I was up all last night. I got to ask you something, is now okay?" she heard Jane hum in a rhythm to let Y/N continue. "Do you know who the previous tenant is?"

"Nah, I don't know," Jane slurred lightly. "You ask the landlady? You curious?"

"Well," Y/N teethed her bottom lip. "Seems like he forgot a lot of stuff. But I'll ask the landlady, sure. Later." she ended the call before Jane could say anything, reminding herself of where the landlady would be. Her outfit was presentable enough. A black oversized graphic-designed hoodie that was lightly falling off her shoulders, leggings, and sneakers. Y/N grabbed her cross-body bag with the needed stuff before leaving the apartment.

She took quick steps down the stairs and took long strides to the end of the first floor, knocking on the door. "Hello?" An elder woman, the landlady, opened the door quickly after the knock. "Oh, it's miss Y/N. What seems to be the matter?"

"Good morning," Y/N bowed her head lightly. "I just wanted to ask something, you see. . .about the room I'm in. . .can you tell me anything about the person who used to live there?"

Landlady hummed in thought. "Well, you know, these apartments always have people coming and going," she stated, trying to think of the years of tenants in the past. "Now, what was that boy's name. . .I believe he was a man about your age. . .he suddenly left a month ago. Said to leave the furniture and use it, however!"

"You wouldn't know where he went?" Y/N asked with a little hope.

"I never heard that, no," the landlady shook her head with a sad smile. "Just up and left out of the blue!" she was closing her eyes tightly to try and get deep in her thoughts. "I just can't remember that name! I could rummage through my documents to find the previous tenant if you'd like?"

Y/N raised her hands before the landlady could turn to enter her apartment. "N-No, there's no need," she assured. "I was just a little curious." she bowed her head at the landlady with a small smile. "Thanks, I'll see you around."

"Alrighty!" Landlady beamed brightly. "Sorry I wasn't useful!"

She couldn't reassure the landlady as the door was closed in front of her. "A man about my age," she hummed in thought, digging her hands into the hoodie pocket and making her way to the stairs. "I can only wonder what he was like." Y/N removed one hand from the pocket but stopped when noticing black markings under the door. Barely there but noticeable. "Already?" she tightened her eyes shut and took a deep breath to prep herself for whatever was going to happen in a few seconds.

Y/N opened the door and saw the black markings in a path to the main room. Steps followed into the room to see the markings going into the crack in the wall. At the crack of the wall, she noticed something shining inside. Reaching in, she felt the small item and dragged her arm out before feeling it getting stuck. A brass key. It seemed way too fancy for any locks in the complex. No offense to the landlady.

Nothing happened for a while as she sat at the table, trying to think of what had happened. "Voices of a man and a kid, the mirror writing, the T.V. turning on, the tea," she listed off one by one, letting out a hasty chuckle. "It's like a poltergeist or something." Y/N leaned back into the sofa and brought her head back to hit the top. "The landlady would've mentioned this kind of thing. . .I think. What's going on here?" her eyes closed, trying to think deeply. "Not that I'd much care if there were ghosts here. Nobody'd be too bothered if they haunted and killed me, either." her hands reached up and covered her eyes. "But I wonder about that scrap of paper—what was the man who lived here like? Did this stuff happen when he was here?" Nothing came to mind, and she swung forward and groaned. "Not much use thinking about it. I'll call it a day. . ."

Maybe if she took a nap, it would get her mind to function better. Changing into her pajamas, still with the hoodie, Y/N got into bed and snuggled her head into the hoodie. The scent never left, even after washing so many times, which lulled her to sleep. And it seemed to have helped her fall asleep.

However, it did a little more than needed, as she was woken up in the middle of the night by a strange noise. Y/N got out of bed, looking at the clock. She was confused about the sound, knowing it wasn't from the clock and why it sounded like it was in the house.

It took her a while to look around, but she could find it in the closet next to the computer desk in the computer room. Was there a radio there? Y/N didn't remember there being one when hanging her tops. But not only did the sound catch her attention but there was also a piece of paper underneath. Not only that. . .but it was an address. "Our Special Place" was titled at the top.

Y/N sighed, folding the paper and placing it in the hoodie pocket. She closed the closet and went through the door to the main room. But she froze on the spot. No movement in her bones. Finally, her right foot took a step forward, and she was shaking hard in fear. Y/N wanted to scream at the top of her lungs. She -couldn't talk anymore if she did, but she couldn't.

I M W A I T I N G F O R Y O U

Blood was written on the wall, and Y/N almost fell to her knees because she felt weak. She was stuttering out questions of what this meant and why it was there. But she wasn't able to complete sentences. Nothing was clear to her. The only clear thing was now that she got her voice back. And from that, she ran out with a scream.

The first place she thought of going was Jane's and Namjoon's apartment. And she did. They took her in without questioning. After calming her down, the newlywed couple had her sleep on the couch. Feeling safe with the scent of the hoodie, Y/N slept with ease. No voices, no glass breaking, no electricity turning itself on. . .peace.

Morning came around, and Jane woke Y/N up before she slept through the whole day. The two ended up starting a conversation when settling at the dining room table. "Did you sleep well?" Jane asked. "Sorry, you had to sleep on the couch."

"Nah, I should be sorry for coming over so late," Y/N apologized instead, trying to take the blame for waking them up so late.

Jane laughed. "Wasn't expecting it, but don't sweat it," she waved off her best friend. Jane looked at Y/N more. She was taking the detail of the bags under the eyes, paler and tiredness in Y/N's eyes despite having almost eight hours of sleep. "Did something happen? You don't look too hot."

"There's no particular reason," Y/N mumbled, trying to keep it away from Jane. They already saw her panicking, but she never explained what had happened. "Maybe I felt like intruding into the newlyweds' love nest."

"Why you!" Jane raised a hand, threatening to slap Y/N. But the girl only chuckled. She sighed and leaned into her chair. "Seriously, though. You can tell me if anything happens, okay? I'll do whatever I can for you!"

Y/N smiled warmly, even if it was crooked. "I'm glad to know a gal who looks out for her friends," she teased more.

"You making fun of me?!" Jane growled, controlling herself. She took a deep breath to calm down. "I heard from Namjoon. Sorry about the Jeongguk thing. I told him off for that." Y/N tried to ensure Jane that it wasn't Namjoon's fault and to not worry about it. "It's not about whose fault it is. . .I'm just not happy about it. Don't let it get you down, alright?" She had a look of annoyance, but not at Y/N. "I know you've got your mother to look after, but I think it's time you move on and look for new people!"

The last sentence made Y/N chuckle in pain. "As if a girl like me could find a date," she spoke melancholy. "I'm just some clerk with a mom in the hospital. . .and the guy I wanted to marry ran from me."

Jane rolled her eyes. "Don't be such a sissy," she lightly insulted. "You keep up that moping, and you'll have your own personal rain cloud!"

Y/N snorted at her best friend. "I'll be careful then," she promised playfully. Her thought went back to the piece of paper with the address. Reading that felt like it was tugging her to it. Something about this previous tenant wouldn't leave her. She wanted to know so much about this tenant. She wanted to find out about this guy, even if it was random. "I'm going to go on a little trip." her eyes went to Jane. "Don't want to waste my vacation, you know." that piqued Jane's attention, asking Y/N where she was going. "Just somewhere I was wondering about. I'll call you when I get there."

"Sweet, send a postcard!" Jane asked but quickly took it back. "Nah, but don't, actually."

The door opened to show Namjoon. "Breakfast's ready, Jane," he informed, looking a bit nervous. He wasn't one to cook. It was mainly Jane who cooked, but he offered so she could check up on Y/N. "Y/N, will you be eating too?"

"Nah, I'm not hungry," Y/N rejected. "I'll be going."

"Come by anytime,"

Even if she dreaded going back into the apartment, Y/N knew she had to. She had to find out about the address and where it was located. Looking through many books and maps, she finally spotted where the address would lead. It was supposedly a place in the mountains, and it would take her about five hours to get there by car.

Maybe the former tenant went to the place in the mountains. Y/N only wanted to ask him about the room; maybe he'll know something. "Hell, why not just go now," she mumbled her thoughts. "I can't stand this place, anyway."

Y/N changed her outfit to be more comfortable. White long-sleeve turtleneck that hugged her body and the oversized black hoodie. Ripped light blue sailor jeans that covered her black combat boots. Y/N grabbed her cross-body bag and her galaxy-themed small backpack with snacks and drinks.

After double checking she had everything, she left the damned apartment.

Prologue

"Y/N's Room"

End

#sanhadaze #sanhadaze work #sanhadaze writings #jungkook #jungkook x reader #bts #bts fanfic #jungkook fanfic #bts jungkook #bts jungkook x reader #the crooked man #Kim Taehyung #Min Yoongi #Kim Namjoon

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sxnshinebag · 2 years ago

Text

𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝙲𝚛𝚘𝚘𝚔𝚎𝚍 𝙼𝚊𝚗 | 𝙴𝚙𝚒𝚕𝚘𝚐𝚞𝚎

| 𝘈, (𝘴𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵) 𝘍 | 𝘛𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘳, 𝘏𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘰𝘳, 𝘚𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘎𝘰𝘳𝘦, 𝘔𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘚𝘶𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘥𝘦, 𝘚𝘶𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘈𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘮𝘱𝘵, 𝘔𝘢𝘫𝘰𝘳 𝘋𝘦𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘚𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘛𝘰𝘱𝘪𝘤𝘴

| 𝘔𝘪𝘯𝘪 𝘚𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 |

↳ 𝘗𝘢𝘪𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 - 𝘑𝘦𝘰𝘯 𝘑𝘶𝘯𝘨𝘬𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘹 𝘙𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳

↳ 𝘚𝘶𝘮𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘺 - 𝘠/𝘕 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘭𝘺 𝘮𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘢 𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘢𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘥𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢 𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦. 𝘐𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘪𝘥𝘴𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘦�� 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘨𝘨𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘭 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘶𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘠/𝘕 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘰𝘥𝘥 𝘰𝘤𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘥𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘴𝘬 𝘢 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘢𝘯𝘵.

𝘏𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳, 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘯𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦.

(𝘗𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘰𝘧 "𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘔𝘢𝘯" 𝘚𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴)

𝘛𝘢𝘨𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘵 - 𝘊𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘦𝘥 [𝘊𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘥]

𝘞𝘒 - 3.7k

𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘷 | 𝘯𝘦𝘹𝘵

𝘚𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘔𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘵 | 𝘔𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘔𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘵

He lives for your torment

Makes it full of strife

And he won't be content

Until you take your life

"This is the place. . .for sure," Y/N looked down at the paper and at the mailbox with the same number. "Could this be. . .his house?" she heard a humming of music and turned her head to see an older man in a red tracksuit. "Excuse me!" the man stopped and looked at Y/N, removing his earbuds. "Can I have a second?"

"What?" The man raised a brow. "Ain't seen you around here. Going for a stroll?"

"Ah, no, actually," Y/N rubbed the back of her head. "Who lives here? Do you know them?"

"Oh, you mean Mrs. Kim?" the older man looked at the quiet house.

"Kim?" Y/N walked up to the man. "Someone named Kim lives here?"

The man looked at her with sad eyes. "Not anymore," he shook his head. "Mrs. Kim passed away last year. The house's been neglected ever since. Waste of a fine house, it is!" oh looked to be in thought. "Oh, yeah, I think she had a son. I wish he'd just rent out or sell the house. . ."

"Do you know anything about her son?" Y/N pushed more.

"Nah," the man answered. "I only moved here a few years back. I heard he lives in an apartment a ways away." That only confirmed her thoughts more. The son was definitely the previous tenant of her room. "That all? I got to get home by daybreak, or my wife'll be livid. S'good to take a walk in the morning, but it's sure cold. Don't catch a cold or nothing."

He waved her goodbye, and she gave him a small one in return before going on his way. Y/N looked at the hose for a few seconds, taking in the worn white paint. This house truly was a beauty. Y/N walked to the door and tried to open the door. But it was locked. The only key she had was this bloody key.

And it fit.

Inside the house, it was a clean hallway. Y/N looked through the first door to the left and saw a bathroom. Shattered glass lay across the floor, and the tub tugged into the wall was filled with old water with cracks on the walls. She closed the door and opened the door across. There were many shattered plates on the ground that she couldn't step over, and it was piled up. The pieces would definitely stab through her shoes.

Y/N huffed and closed the door, going down the hallway to the door next to it and going through. She walked currently walked down and noticed a pathway. The two doors were connected to the same room, so it didn't matter. A scrap of the notebook was noticed on the ground, and she automatically picked it up.

"I recalled the rhyme of the crooked man. All he could do was live in a crooked house, with a cat and mouse just as crooked.

I was the same way. Everything I wished for ended up crooked. My dreams, my love, even my family. . .

How did the crooked man live? Was he sorrowful in the depths of despair?

. . .Such a life has no meaning.

She placed the paper in her bag and left the room to go to the one across. It was a small storage room with a few boxes and cabinets and cobwebs all over.

And another scrap of the notebook was lying next to the boxes.

"The hotel, the school, the hospital. . . It was the same at all of them. My saddest memories wouldn't go away.

Writing wouldn't calm down my heart. In the end, my festering heart just oozes more, and I tear up the paper.

Mine is an empty existence. I have nothing to leave behind. Not even words.

Y/N remembered the memories she had gone through and left the room. She saw the gash on the wall before heading upstairs. The door was right in front of her, so she went through and saw another scrap in the destroyed bedroom. There was nothing written but the word "why" all over. Some light writing and heavy writing. And she saw another piece of paper in front of the next door, only saying how he was out of cigarettes and needed a smoke.

"I'm going to need a smoke too after this," Y/N replied to the paper, putting it away, and entered the room. It was another destroyed bedroom with a black notebook on the bed. She walked to it and picked it up. "The rule on this notebook. . .matches the scraps I have." she had it opened and dug out the scraps, putting them together. "There's a name on this. . .Kim Taehyung."

Memories of the hotel went through her mind.

So she had already met the previous tenant. And yet, somehow, she still chased after him.

Y/N put on the notebook and had to take a double look when seeing something on a desk next to the shelves. Walking closer to the desk and leaned down to see three photos. One had Hoseok drinking with a man scribbled out. Another had a cute girl leaning into the same man that's scribbled out again. And the last photo was a little boy scribbled out. But even though the scribbled markings, the male looked like Taehyung.

Why is it I'm not surprised in the least? Y/N thought, picking up the one of him as a child. Her vision was blurred, and a teardrop hit the picture. Why is it. . .that I'm crying? a little sniffle from her nose and her free wrist rubbed under it. He must have wanted someone to help him. He really didn't. . .want to just let go. Let go of his girlfriend, or his dreams. . .or himself.

The sound of something crying made Y/N gasp and look at the door. She sniffled again before grabbing the other picture of Hoseok. Y/N looked down at the photos before placing them gently on her back. He was here. The gun was brought out of her bag, and she walked out the door, not minding the tears that kept falling.

She went through the door and saw the back of the monster on the other side of the circular table. He truly was crying. He turned around when hearing her step closer to the table. "Crooked Man," she greeted, breath shaky. "I. . .I can't go over to your side." she looked at the ladder to the attic in the corner. "He's. . .up there, isn't he?" the monster didn't say anything, only stared at her. "Then I'll be going there." she raised the gun, pointing it at him. "This will be. . .the end."

Bullets were sent to the Crooked Man, having it screech at the top of its lungs for who knows how many minutes it took. Y/N winced at the loudness, but she kept shooting at him.

It didn't take long because the Crooked Man gave up when he called down to his knees. Curling into itself and falling to the ground, only crying instead of screeching. She kept the gun pointed at the monster, walking around the red sofa to tower it. "I'm not going to be like you," she declared. "You won't catch me." the gun shook in her hand. "As painful and bloody as it might be. . .I'll keep living!" she dropped the gun next to the crying monster's head. "So, begone!"

At the echoes of her acceptance, the monster slowly faded away.

Her shoulders felt so light, a sigh of pleasure leaving her when she rolled her shoulders.

Y/N turned around at the ladders, raising her shoulders with a deep breath.

With the last attempt to warn herself what she'll see, Y/N climbed up the ladder and pushed the door with a small force. She climbed up and saw a man standing under a noose with a knocked chair not that far. "What. . .What are you doing there?" she asked.

"Can't you tell?" The man turned his head to show Y/N a little bit of his face. "I'm saying so long to this miserable life."

"Can you. . .really say that?" Y/N asked, taking another step toward him. "Do you really think your life was empty?"

He turned around and gave Y/N a sad smile. "Well, there must have been good things," he said. The sight of his face had answered it all. Kim Taehyung really was the previous tenant. "There had to be." his mouth was opened slightly. "But. . .when there's so much sadness and pain, it makes you forget there was anything good. So. . .I have no other choice." his eyes were wandering, but he looked back at Y/N. "Aren't you the same way?"

She couldn't deny it. "It's true," so she accepted it. "I thought that way until very recently, ever since I was detained for trying to kill my mom."

"But it's different now?" Taehyung asked. Y/N gave him a nod. "Why do you say that?"

"Because I met someone," Y/N answered, walking closer to Taehyung a little more. "It was hard suffering all on my own. . .I wanted someone to understand it. To sympathize with me. My best friend worried for me, sure. But I felt like she was just saying things that he couldn't really understand." she felt the gun against her temple from last night. "I just wanted to end it all. I tried not to think about it, but it kept coming back. It followed me everywhere. He suffered much like I had. He was rejected, his dreams were thwarted. . .and then his family. While trying to console him, I realized. The things I said to him were what I wanted someone to have said to me." she took another step. "By trying to save him. . .I was saving myself, as well. And that's not all. Maybe. . .he did despise me. But at the same time, he tried to help. So I was able to make it this far. And what had been chasing me is gone now."

Taehyung only looked at her blankly and lightly turned so she couldn't say his face. "Leave," he flicked a hand up. Did she say something wrong? She tried to speak to him another step closer, but he turned to look at her. "You're wrong. This. . .this isn't out of desperation. I. . .just wanted to see you." he was talking about the hotel. "I didn't want you here yet. I didn't think you should come. Aren't there people waiting for you? You should. . .just leave."

"That's true. . .well—"

She was cut off when Taehyung met her in the middle and leaned down to place a kiss on her forehead. "Thank you for coming," he spoke against her skin, separating from her and taking steps backward to be under the noose. "For me. . .that's enough."

"I wish I could have known you sooner," she spoke the truth, slowly walking backward and turning to walk to the top of the ladder.

But the light of the sunrise snuck into the room. Y/N stopped and turned around to see his skeleton hanging on the noose. The skull was hanging to the left. "Nothing will make you suffer anymore," she breathed out, placing a hand on her chest. "Where you're going. . .it's a good place. Now, you can rest in peace."

Her head bowed in respect. "Goodbye. . .Taehyung,"

But you know what I think?

"Wow, sounds like a real ordeal, Y/N," Namjoon still couldn't wrap his head around the story. "I mean, finding a corpse while you're on a trip? But it sounds like it ended up all right. I'll go get you some tea."

Y/N leaned on the dining room table, resting her head on her hands. "He was beaten by the crooked man," she spoke, catching Jane's attention, who was on her phone. "He was dragged to the other side. The crooked man. . .was always right behind me. I. . .realized he was there. Every time I was sad, I felt like he was whispering to me. I knew if I acknowledged it, I was done for. So I tried not to think about it. If all hadn't this happened. . . I think sooner or later, I'd take the same path."

"Always such an easy target, aren't you?" Jane teased. "That's why you got dragged into this!"

"It's fine," Y/N chuckled. "The crooked man is gone." the sound of her phone made her remove her head from her hands to look at the screen. She answered it and placed it against her ear. "Hello?" talking on the other end. "Oh, okay. I'll head right there."

She removed the phone from her ear and tapped on the end button. "Y/N?" Jane called out. "What's up? Who was it?"

"The hospital," Y/N answered, staring at the screen. "Mom's condition took a turn. They're preparing to do the operation."

Jane's eyes widened at the news. "T-Take my bike. It'll be faster!" she offered, stuttering and a bit worried. "You got to go! Don't sit there staring!"

"Doctor!" Y/N yelled, running to the doctor that was waiting for her in the hallway. "Mom. . .mom's condition—"

"To be honest, this is rather risky," the doctor didn't take long to talk, cutting Y/N off to let her catch her breath. "Removing the tumor isn't too difficult. But she might not have the strength to. . ."

He didn't have to finish, and Y/N fell to her knees and grasped the doctor's lab coat. "Doctor, please, my mom," she begged. "She's. . .she's the only family I have! Please!"

The doctor stared at Y/N and knelt down to reach her eyes. "Sign this," he held out the board with paperwork. "We're getting ready now. We'll do the best job we can."

The crooked man

had a crooked body

and only crooked things. . .

Hours later, the door opened to the waiting room. Y/N stood up and called out to the doctor. "The tumor was successfully removed," he announced, and Y/N felt her legs turn into noodles. But she had to be strong. "She's still sleeping now. We might have a chance if she wakes up."

Y/N nodded and ran into the room to see her mother sleeping as he said. She waited a long time, but she stayed by her mother's side. "Y/N?" A fragile voice called out.

"Mom!" Y/N turned her head fast at the hearing of the warm voice. "Oh, thank god." she walked to the side of the bed and grasped her mother's hand, bringing it up to her lips. "You woke up. . .you really. . ."

"I felt like I was in the darkness," her mother spoke. "I was scared. . .screaming. I must have worried you." she gave Y/N an apologetic smile. "And those things I did to you. I'm so sorry. . .it was hard, wasn't it?"

"It's okay," Y/N repeated over and over, shaking her head and kept kissing her mother's hand. "You helped me open my eyes." she fell down to her knees, crying against her mother's hand like a child. "Mom. . .I was so unhappy. I was always just struggling to be happy. But I didn't give my mother the happiness she needed. And after all the hardship I'd given her. . .I foolishly doubted—thought I wasn't loved, wasn't needed. That's why I—" she choked up with a sob. "Do you hate me for it?"

"Don't be silly, Y/N," her mother spoke, moving her other hand to place on her daughter's head. "Indeed, you and I both. . .it's hard to say we were always happy. But, even in sad times, you were always honest. You lived a straight and honest life. I was so proud of you. Having you as a daughter was my greatest happiness." she continued to pet her daughter, hearing the cries and hefty breathing. "Don't focus on the sad things, and I'm sure you'll notice all the happiness hiding around you." she stayed quiet, petting her crying daughter. "Sunshine. . .I'm. . .thirst. Can you bring me some water?"

Y/N sprung up to her feet. "S-Sure, just a second!" and she left the room. When she came back, she held the water out. "Here you go, mom!"

But her mother didn't respond. "Mom?"

And she wanted to ignore the sound of the long line on the screen. "Mommy?" she slowly walked up to the bed and saw her mother's eyes closed. So this is why she asked for water. Y/N placed the cup of water on the side table and sat at the edge of the bed. She leaned down and kissed her mother's cheek before resting her forehead against hers. "Rest well."

But I'm sure he was happy

Living in his crooked house

In Y/N's apartment, she sat on the green sofa with Jane next to her and a hand on her shoulder. "She got a good funeral," she rubbed her shoulder. "I'm sure your mother's happy now." she leaned forward to look at Y/N's tired eyes. "You got to be tired, huh, Y/N? You okay?"

"She told me she was happy in the end," Y/N whispered. "If I'm going to live without blaming myself, those words are going to help a lot. It's fine if I have to suffer if I can be smiling in the end." she looked over at her best friend. "So when were you going to tell me that you're two months pregnant?"

"It was going to be a surprise," Jane huffed. "Give you a present of a newborn onesie that said 'Hi auntie' after Namjoon, and I were ready to tell others."

"He had a right to be worried about you," Y/N pointed out. "Two months pregnant and going her way to an abandoned hospital. Pretty worrisome to me."

Jane tried to say something, but the door opened, and she looked over to see her husband. "Namjoon?" she called out in confusion. "Why're you. . ." Namjoon didn't say anything but stepped to the side for Jeongguk to step into Y/N's room. "Jeongguk?!" she quickly changed her emotions to anger. "Why are you—hey Jeongguk!" she stood up, pointing an angry finger at the guy. "I still ain't forgiving you! How dare you give Y/N the cold shoulder—"

Namjoon went between the two and pinched Jane's cheek. "We're going," he announced to the former lovers, pulling his wife out of the room and closing the door.

It was silent between the two, and Jeongguk looked at the door and at Y/N. Yet she didn't move, just stared blankly at the table. "Y/N," his voice entered her ears. It felt like a relief to hear him after a long time. "I. . .heard about your mother."

Y/N looked over at him, unable to smile. "So you brought flowers, Guk?" She noticed the bouquet of flowers in a vase in his hands. And he was wearing a white T-Shirt to show his tattoo sleeve and dark jeans. Still looked good. "Mom always liked you, so I bet she's glad. Thanks." her head hung again, hearing Jeongguk's footsteps to the countertop to place the vase down.

"Y/N," he called out her name again. "I was. . .uneasy." he looked over at Y/N. "I got unsure of where I was going. Worried that the road I was walking would be full of twists and turns. So I took it out on you and your kindness." his words were really getting to her, feeling the wall of tears building in her eyes. And he chuckled bitterly, looking at the flowers. "You never let me down, but how did I repay you? I'm really the worst of the worst." he let out a sigh. "I'm sorry. Maybe this is too late, but. . ." Jeongguk walked to the sofa and knelt down to try and see her eyes. "Y/N. If it's okay with you, would you like to—" but he cut himself off when he saw her tears. "Y-Y/N? I'm sorry. Please don't cry."

She shook her head and wiped one of her cheeks with a sniff. And her being in his hoodie. . .maybe she was more vulnerable to cry so easily from his words. "Even though my dreams were crushed, and I just lost my only family," Y/N turned her head to finally give Jeongguk a smile. "I'm just so happy you came back." she turned to fully face him and grabbed his hands that rested at the edge of the sofa. "It's okay, Jeongguk. However off-kilter things get, we can set them straight if that's what we want."

Jeongguk let go of one of her hands to cup her face. And they both leaned in for a tender kiss.

Unknowingly to them, Taehyung was leaning against the wall. A sad smile on his lips as he watched the lovers reunite. He pushed himself off the wall and walked out of the room after looking around to see what he had left behind.

I hope to see you again.

But he wasn't forgotten. Y/N had visited his grave.

And she left a pack of cigarettes next to the stone and walked off after a smoke.

Until then, rest in peace. . .

Good End - Bye Bye Blackbird

A/N: Hopefully I did okay—I really love this game series and I wanted to make a fanfiction. . .

So I thought why not.

The next game in the series is “The Sand Man.”

It’ll most likely be out tomorrow.

Also, I’m lonely—please gimme messages or an ask box if you wanna be an anon.

But I’d like to hear any reactions or comments!

Please be nice—

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