#ghostjo x reader

utahime was in another room, with another officer. you wondered what she was saying. the administrative staff would sometimes enter the rooms, only lasting what felt like a few minutes at a time, before they moved back into the hall. you wondered what sense the mix of your stories made, what they were thinking. the windows were covered, you couldn't see if they pulled anyone else.

the cop lifted your phone to his ear, and you could hear ringing on the other side. it didn't last more than three seconds before the distant robotic voice came through, telling him that the line was no longer in service. he sighed.

"he knew you were staying with your friend?"

you blinked. "i don't know, but i assume so, yeah."

"but he never said it out loud?"

"no…" you fought the urge to look at him like he was stupid. "he implicates a lot of things, he doesn't… just say things out loud like that. hardly."

"like, plausible deniability."

"like, mind games."

he nodded, his eyes squinted in thought. you had a feeling he didn't believe you. you wondered if utahime's story corroborated yours, if her perception had shifted at all.

the whole ordeal took five hours. they finally let you go, the water on the table remaining untouched. your stomach was devastatingly empty to the point where it spoke more than you did.

leaving the room, you saw utahime sitting in one of the office chairs. her jacket was bunched in her hands, her posture unkind as she stared off into space. still, hearing the door click open, her attention jumped to you with hollow eyes and desperation. she stood abruptly, dropping the jacket, which shoko caught before it could hit the floor. you didn't notice her standing behind utahime.

utahime lunged at you, wrapping her arms around your neck. she didn't say anything, just held you like you were going to disappear forever. you held her tight, burying your face into her shoulder to hide the hot tears finally erupting.

"i told them, i'm sorry," she whispered. "i told them about the calls, and everything."

"i told them, too," you sniffled.

she nodded with a heavy sigh, shaking with the sobs she was holding back. she pulled away with glossy eyes, keeping a tight grip on your forearm. she glanced over her shoulder where satoru had been waiting. he was standing now in front of his chair, with a clueless expression on his face, waiting his turn.

"i don't know what he's doing here," utahime muttered. "doesn't he have classes?"

shoko cleared her throat behind her. utahime winced with a weak apology, soon tugged away by her girlfriend to give you some space.

satoru approached you with desperate quickness, standing in front of you close enough to where you thought he might hug you. he seemed conflicted himself, his hands shoved in his pockets with uncertainty. his eyebrows were pinched upward while his wide eyes searched you, dragging over your silhouette to see if anything had changed.

he breathed, "hey."

"hey," you said too casually, a hint of humor in your tone. you wiped your cheeks. his lips twitched.

"i heard the news, i heard your name, and i…" he closed his mouth for a moment. "i'm glad you're okay, i'm glad…" it wasn't you.

"yeah, uh, me too," you sniffled. "i don't really know what to do with myself, right now, i just need…"

you weren't sure what it was, if there was anything in the world that could really satisfy you right now. your mind was fuzzy, you couldn't comprehend the next steps for you now that you were involved in a police investigation, linked to multiple murders.

"a distraction?" satoru smirked hopefully.

you looked over your shoulder, where utahime and shoko stood in the corner of the room. utahime was tucked into shoko's shoulder, her arms wrapped around herself.

you looked back at satoru. "another time, maybe."

he nodded. "i can wait."

a smile hinted at the corners of your mouth. adoration warmed up your cheeks at the tone of his voice, like he was convincing himself. "i'll see you tomorrow, okay?"

satoru smiled slightly, taking a step back. he looked to your friends and waved them goodbye, before turning around and leaving the office.

your shoulders deflates as a heavy sigh left you, and you let your weight fall against the wall behind you.

★✰

you decided on staying at shoko's that night as well, you could imagine utahime's apartment building crawling with police and crime scene investigators. it wouldn't last very long. it was just another crime scene, more pointless evidence piled together in the very thick stack papers of their file on ghostface, that would lead to a dead end.

your professor gave you the option to take a rain check on your test, but you declined. you weren't sure it would really end up benefiting you, and with time you might end up forgetting all the things satoru had been spending his time helping you with.

it's not like postponing it would make your life any easier, or the phone calls and murders would stop.

utahime dropped you off at your class that morning, the two of you didn't bother to meet up with mei or naoya. they still texted you incessantly, checking in like concerned parents during that first week of moving out. mei called you a few times after you let her know you were okay, but went back to texting after realizing you wouldn't answer.

you were one of the first ones in your class, it was strange to realize how much time was freed up by not sitting on the quad with your friends.

after some time alone, you heard some shuffling behind you. you turned slightly, to see satoru in his seat.

his expression brightened. "hey, you're here."

"i couldn't let all your efforts go to waste," you said.

"i'd do it again," he said with shrug, smirking.

you grinned, the expression lazier than you intended it to be. your exhaustion weighed down your face. "don't say that, you might have to."

satoru looked at you pointedly, his voice smooth, "don't get my hopes up."

you shook your head and looked back to your table, flustered. even in the barren cove of your stomach, you felt a small flutter.

it was hard to decipher if it was the detachment from your surroundings or the fact that you'd spent all week with satoru, but you breezed through the test. there was hardly a moment where you second-guessed yourself as you worked through the equations.

at the end of class, you looked over your shoulder, and satoru was already looking at you. his face split into a smile, like he was proud to get caught. you smiled back, then collected your things and stood.

he was quick to stand next to you. "how you feeling?"

you laughed slightly. "i think i fried my brain."

satoru lead you to the door, looking down at you as he chattered about one of the questions on the test. his eyes sparkled with passion, his eyelashes fluttering as he made a joke about vademon emerging from the depths of the cosmos.

you weren't quite listening, too caught up in the way he kept himself positioned behind you, his torso curling around the side of your body with a slight lean. your eyes traced the muscles of his neck to the sharpness of his jawline. it was hard to look at anything else.

he met your eyes with a teasing raise of his eyebrows. "what are you looking at?"

"i'm just... looking," you said with a slight shrug.

someone cleared their throat, splitting apart the staring contest. you and satoru looked ahead, to see naoya standing up against the wall opposite the classroom door.

you could tell he was uncomfortable, like he knew he was interrupting something. his shoulders were weighed with insurmountable guilt, the football player tucked into himself, making himself small.

satoru's expression flickered with annoyance, and he straightened up. he took a step forward, pushing up his glasses with the knuckle of his pointer finger.

"naoya," you greeted gently.

"hey," he said stiffly. "can i talk to you?"

you didn't miss the way naoya's eyes flickered to satoru, an irritated frown digging itself into the crevices of his face. satoru stared back, equally as irritated. nerves flared in your chest.

you sighed. "uh, yeah, sure." you looked up at satoru, catching his attention. his face softened. "i'll see you later?"

his lips quirked into a smirk., nodding his head "yeah, i'll text you."

satoru glanced at naoya, raising his eyebrows in a fleeting display of victory before he walked away.

naoya's eyes followed him with revulsion, turning in the opposite direction with you. there was a noticeable distance between your shoulders, and you kept your hand clasped around the strap of your bag.

the hallway was empty, students disappearing around corners and into classrooms with a thick cloud of terror following them. it slithered the building like a snake, curling around the ankles to the back of people's necks, inciting a petrifying feeling that urged them to tuck themselves away.

"so…" he cleared his throat again. "how are you holding up?"

"is that a serious question?"

he scratched his head. "it's a dumb one, but yeah. i'm just… sorry."

you stayed silent, staring at him.

"i'm sorry about the prank, the costume, and everything." naoya swallowed. "i was stupid, and i took it too far. i really am sorry."

a sigh escaped you as you looked him, he could hardly meet your eyes. his nervous energy translated into the way his fingers twitched at his sides, or messed with the zipper to his jacket. it was uncharacteristic of him to be this vulnerable, or to give an apology at all.

"i meant it, you know, when i said i wouldn't let anything happen to you…" he said, surprisingly earnest, and soft. "seriously, this guy…" he scoffed, shaking his head. "whoever this douchebag is, i don't care, he's not laying a finger on you."

you hummed, your lips twitched as they fought a smile. "i think utahime said she's getting a gun. she said shoko knows someone, or something."

naoya grinned. "you think she's for real?"

"i know she is."

he chuckled, shaking his head. silence fell over you as you reached the doors leading outside.

naoya stopped, placing his hand on the door. "my party is still on tomorrow, by the way."

you blinked at him, and he continued talking.

"i was hoping you'd still go, it's supposed to be fun, you know?" he explained. "it'll be a nice distraction for everyone."

you opened your mouth, but he interrupted.

"nothing's going to happen at a party, he can't just break in and start killing people. and you won't be alone," naoya reasoned.

"i don't know, naoya…" you shrugged, and watched as he deflated. "i'll think about it."

"you can't just live your life in fear, y/n. you have to live."

★✰

the setting sun slowly lowered in the sky, the once-white blinds were now illuminated with a bright orange. the sun seller through the cracks and dotted along the walls of your bedroom.

the utahime's voice rang in your head from earlier that afternoon. the way she asked you over and over and over again, if you would come with her. if you were sure you would be okay.

"you say the word and we'll be there, okay?"

she would be at shoko's again, but you had to head back to your apartment for clothes. you couldn't find it in yourself to see it as worth it to take a bus back to her place, to be just as alone as you are now.

you were curled up under your blankets, fingers tapping anxiously against the bedsheets while you waited for some higher being to suddenly will you to sleep.

you tried watching tv, but it was putting on an act in your own home. the dialogue droned on and eventually all the noises muddled together while you spaced out, a desire for normalcy that you couldn't fulfill. you thought about texting utahime to distract yourself, but you wouldn't be doing anything other than disrupting the distraction she needed from your life, even if she didn't say that part out loud.

noaya and mei were off the table.

the air conditioner thrummed, and the window whistled with the wind.

when you had come back, everything was how you left it. there wasn't a book or piece of clothing out of taste, like any of his interest in the apartment had dissipated without you in it.

you checked the time on your phone, and then groaned. 7pm.

you turned on your side, chewing on the inside of your cheek as you unlocked your phone. your fingers moved on their own and before you realized it you were sitting up in your bed, your phone pressed to your ear while your other hand white-knuckled the blankets.

"… hello?" satoru said, with clear confusion.

"hey," you started. "are you doing anything tonight?"

there was a rustling on the other end, papers sweeping through the air and a book closing.

"nothing important… nothing really, at all," he conceded. "are you doing okay?"

"yeah, i just… can't sleep."

"it's 7pm." he paused. "is this a booty call?"

"what?" you squeaked, jaw dropping open in shock.

his laughter echoed through the phone, becoming distant as he threw his head back, before he brought the phone close to him again.

"absolutely not." you shook your head, as if he could see.

"so, what, you just wanted to call me?" satoru asked, his voice dropping slightly. it sent a familiar chill down your spine.

you sighed, "i don't know, utahime's gone and i'm at home. i– i don't really know why i called. i think i'm just looking for a distraction."

"yeah, this sounds like a booty call."

"it is not—"

"but if you want, i can come over," he offered, a smirk playing at his lips. "if you don't want to be alone right now."

"that's nice, but… i don't want to be here, either."

"… you could come to mine," he said. "i'll come pick you up, you know, buddy system."

"really? are you sure?"

"yeah." you heard the squeak of a chair as he stood. "i can be there, and we can do something once we're here, but, text me your address."

it took satoru twenty minutes until he was standing outside the complex building, leaning against the banister of the stairs on his phone.

you gently pushed open the door behind him and watched as he straightened up, dropping his phone in his pocket to look at you. he had a bright grin on his face as he looked over you, from the fuzzy socks to the uneven strings of your sweatshirt.

"hey," he stepped down to the sidewalk and you followed. "how are you holding up?"

"i'm getting tired of that question," you said, a slight frown on your face. "every iteration of it."

satoru chuckled, finding his place next to you like he belonged there, his arm against the back of yours, towering over you so you could still get a good look at him without craning too much. you leaned in to the warmth that seeped through his closes, drawing you in.

"okay," he hummed. "you still up for some digimon? please say yes."

you grinned. "yeah, that'll work."

your shoes clicked against the sidewalk, avoiding all the cracks and crannies that bled weeds and roots. satoru stayed glued to your side, pressing into you more as you passed groups of people. he'd look from them, to you, grinning like there was a inside joke you weren't part of. still, you smiled back, unease whispering over the back of your neck.

ten minutes of chatter passed before satoru pounced the steps to his apartment complex in front of you, he opened the door, guiding you in before him just to speed ahead of you again to press the button to the elevator. the gesture made your stomach flutter, dissolving the fear that had grown to make a home inside you.

the lift was empty, and as the doors shut behind you he pressed his arm against your shoulder casually, the grin never leaving his face.

"i should warn you, my roommate is still home," he said. "i think he's heading out soon, though."

he lead you into his apartment, tossing his keys in the bowl next to the door. you kicked your shoes off, looking around. it was spacious, with tall ceilings and a wide hallway. there was a long rug spread out in the entryway, and an arched doorway to the living room.

satoru took you through the walkway, and you admired the glory of their living space. their couch was a large, creme l-shape. on the opposite wall they had a mounted tv that was bigger than you think any other student on campus had, the walls were decorated with in shades of blues and purples.

it was squeaky clean, and you imagined satoru scurrying around with his arms full of laundry to prepare.

"suguru!" satoru called out. "hey, we're back."

there was a rustling behind one of the closed doors. his voice was muffled, "yeah, alright."

satoru looked back at you, resting his hand on the doorknob to his room. "he's off to see his lady friend soon."

he winked.

he opened the door and flicked on the light, which led to a dim lamp in the corner of his room.

satoru's bedroom was big, but there wasn't much room to walk. he had a large bed in the center of the room, with a light blue comforter haphazard across white sheets. there was an ottoman in front of it, only leaving a few feet of carpet before his media console that supported his tv. his desk took over one corner of the room, on one side had his computer and the other was scattered with papers and open textbooks. he had a tall dresser next to his closet, familiar notebooks set on top.

there were posters above his bed, related to digimon with scattered references to other anime. one of them was a poster for kfc, the outlier making your eyebrows twitch.

a pile of clothes peeked out from under his bed, dark sleeves laid out against the carpet like they were crawling away.

"we'll be in here, if you don't mind," he said, crouching down to the console. "i've got the dvd player hooked up, and honestly i did it so long ago i don't know if i could figure it out again."

you perched yourself on the side of his bed, leaning back on your hands as you watched him open up the cabinets. he pulled a stack of dvds out, asking if you had a preference, to which you shook your head.

there was a distant creak in the hallway, followed by heavy footsteps drawing closer.

satoru's roommate leaned against the doorframe to his room, his arms crossed across against his chest, his dress shirt rolled up to his forearms, and his legs crossed at the ankles. he had long black hair, half of it pinned up into a bun while the other half splayed across his shoulders and back. it swooped at the ends, shiny and taken care of.

suguru's eyes flickered from satoru, to you, then back to satoru. "i'm heading out."

"yeah?" satoru looked up, his hands feeding the dvd player. "you coming back tonight?"

he chuckled. "probably. doubt she'll let me stay."

"even in these trying times?"

suguru gave him a skeptical look, that only made satoru snicker. suguru then looked at you, his eyes boring into you like an all-knowing being.

there was a teasing tilt to his voice, "it's not too late to get out, you know. there's a police station around the corner."

satoru threw the empty dvd box at him. "what kind of advice is that? you live with me."

"exactly, i have authority on this."

"you have bias."

suguru laughed breathily, his smile splitting his face in half. "whatever, man. i'm heading out," he looked to you. "it's nice meeting you, y/n."

you waved as he walked out the door, his footsteps descending until they hit the entryway rug. the front door unlocked and opened.

"tell her i said hi!" satoru called out in a sing-song tone, his head thrown back in a shit-eating grin as he looked down the hallway. the joyful gleam of his teeth made you smile, too.

"she'll never speak to me again," suguru replied, deadpan. the door slammed behind him.

you tilted your head. your eyes trailed across satoru's back, to the sway of his hair revealing his undercut, then the jacket that concealed his arms. his fingers smoothed over the plastic of the dvd box as he picked it up.

"his lady friend not fond of you, or something?"

satoru laughed dryly, then looked over his shoulder as his tv flickered on. "she's not fond of anyone, actually."

"even him?"

he tsked, shaking his head, as if he was cursed with a burden of knowledge that wasn't his to share. "y'know, sometimes i'm not convinced."

satoru straightened, unzipping his jacket. he tossed it over the back of his desk chair, before turning to face you.

he had changed into a digimon shirt (you imagined sometime after you called him), a trading card displayed across his chest. it was tight around the muscles of his biceps, fitting snugly around his abdomen just above where the waistband of his joggers was tied in a neat bow.

"you dressed up?" you couldn't stifle your laugh or the adoration sparkling in your eyes.

"well, of course," he said like it was necessary to his cause. his motioned to his body. "it's a special occasion."

"and if i had said no to digimon?"

"i'd change your mind."

he shut his bedroom door and crawled into bed, leaning back against his headboard with his hand behind his head. he looked at you expectantly, his lips curling into a smirk.

you settled in next to him, leaving a space between you. afraid to cross the line– being in his bed, in your pajamas, the lights dim. your body remained tense, your knees pulled up slightly and facing away from satoru like he carried some sort of disease.

his teeth tugged at his bottom lip, a poor attempt to bite back his amusement. he licked his lips and shifted closer, his arm moving from behind his head to around your shoulder, his body pressing up against yours.

you relaxed only slightly as he pressed play on the remote, and the theme song filled the room.

you had come to learn just how full of words satoru was, it seemed like he could talk forever about anything. especially digimon. he shifted in excitement when they mentioned one of his favorites, or a concept he found interesting, his body leaning into yours as he pointed to the screen and rambled on about it.

somewhere along the line, you had settled into his chest, the sound of his heartbeat luring you further to sleep. his hand ran up and down your arm soothingly, the pads of his fingers occasionally dancing down your skin to draw delicate patterns.

you'd made it through three episodes before your phone started ringing, and you slapped your hand over it like it was an incessant fly.

you flipped it over. you hovered your finger over the button, watching it shake, and then declined the call. no caller id.

"you okay?"

"hm?" you looked at satoru, nodding. "yeah, fine."

he cocked his head. he let you sit in the silence, wordlessly letting you know you how much he thought that was a stupid answer. "you get a lot of phone calls."

"it's– spam," you said, shrugging weakly. "happens all the time."

satoru straightened up, with a bewildered smile. his bright eyes bored into you like crisp ocean water that nipped at your neck as you slowly descended deeper and deeper, you could feel the pressure splash against your jawline, desperate to stay above water. your fingers dug into the comforter like it was a life raft.

"you sure? you look like you've seen a ghost," he chuckled, his gaze trailing up and down. it hovered over the way your fingers dipped underneath your thighs and trailed back up to where your neck bobbed.

you paused. "its, honestly, satoru–" you shook your head. "i don't even know how to tell you, it's a lot."

"so, what? i can take it."

your phone rang again, and you snapped your head in its direction. it was face up now, displaying the same contact.

"what, is it a prank call?" satoru's gaze flickered between you and your phone.

you reached over and declined it again. "no, it's a call. it's just, um…"

your stomach felt empty as it slowly churned nothing, folding in on itself.

"i've been getting these calls, from, uh, this guy..."

"a weird guy?"

"well, it's, uh, ghostface."

"… ghostface.," he repeated. "like…?"

"like the guy on the news, yeah."

"like the serial killer— he's calling you?" he braced his palm against the air. "you sure this isn't a prank call? is this a joke?"

you ran a hand down your face, fighting the urge to channel all your anxiety into irritation at the fact that you were repeating all this again. "i'm not joking, and it's him. he's shown up before, at my apartment. and there was that attack– it's him, okay?"

you breathed heavily, the only sounds of his apartment being you and the digimon on his tv.

"okay," he said slowly. "what does he want?"

your mouth was dry. you cleared your throat, the action filling your throat with rocks and needles.

you shook your head, looking at his closed bedroom door, "just… attention. power."

satoru licked his lips, his eyes a deep blue in the shadow of his own bangs drifting down his forehead. "did you tell the police?"

you paused, looking down at your hands. your face twitched. "yeah, i… i had to. utahime, it was… it was in her building. he was right there." you looked up at him. "we didn't even hear it."

he nodded, like he could understand. but, even through the glossiness of your eyes, you could see the distance. uncertainty that almost mirrored the same everyone else had– helplessness and confusion— but there was something missing.

"what'd they say?"

you laughed at that, the sound wet and groggy. "nothing. absolutely nothing, if anything, they think i'm in on it. i'm the only lead they have… but, you know, if he kills me, they'll be right back at the drawing board. so…"

"he won't kill you," satoru said with sudden conviction. as if there was one thing he could be certain of in life, it was that. "you're not dying."

you looked at him, and he reached forward to wipe his thumb across your cheeks. his touch was gentle, his thumb pad soft and deliberate as he brushed away your tears. after they were gone, he cupped the side of your face with his palm.

"satoru, how do you think this ends?"

"not like that," he shook his head. "it's not happening."

he stopped to think. "what about naoya?"

"what about him?" you blinked, stray tears running down and melting into his skin.

"what about what he did?" satoru asked, eyes narrowed. "the costume, the knife, that was insane. if he can joke like that… wasn't that one guy on the basketball team?"

"football."

he rolled his eyes. "football. don’t you think it's something he's capable of?"

the idea was so far fetched it made you laugh again, shaking your head. "i don't think so. naoya's not exactly smart enough to be a serial killer. i think the police talked to him, anyway."

satoru's lips twitched. "how'd your talk with naoya go?"

"fine," you sighed, "i think i'm going to his party tomorrow."

"still? must have been one hell of an apology."

"well, he didn't. and i didn't forgive him… but, he said i can't just not live my life. i think he's right." you shrugged. "i think utahime would go with me, if i told her."

"i'll go with you."

you shook your head. "satoru—"

"i'm serious." he nodded. "if you're going, i'm going."

"you don't have to do that."

"what can utahime do that i can't?" he raised his eyebrows. there was a moment of silence. "exactly."

you started to smile, biting your lip. "naoya might actually kill you."

satoru smirked. "he can try."

you paused. "what's his problem with you, anyway?"

"some people just didn't get enough love from their parents," he sighed, brightening at the sound of your laugh. "i don't know, we shared one class freshman year, and he's had it out for me since. i think he's got some sort of complex."

"sounds like him."

the tension dissipated from the air, and satoru leaned against his bed frame again with his palm supporting the back of his head. you fixed your posture, not realizing how hunched over you'd been in wallowing in the details of your life. you cleared your throat, and satoru tugged you closer to him.

he urged your body to press up against his, and you turned to face him. your chin rested on his chest, one of your arms thrown across his torso as you blinked up at him. his face was inches away from yours, the sweetness of his breath floating across your face and teasing the back of your throat.

"thanks for letting me come over," you said softly.

satoru's face broke into a grin. "i should be thanking you. i've never been a booty call before."

you groaned, trying to turn away from him. he barked out a laugh, wrapping his arms around you. his legs tangled with yours, locking you in place while he swarmed you with the warmth of his body. his fingers found purchase in the softness of the skin on your sides, hiking you closer to him.

"you can't get away from me that easily."

you laughed, faking a struggle against the tightness of his grip. the two of you rolled over, you pathetically swatting against him as you were pushed on to your back, his overbearing frame hovering over you.

he caught your wrists with one hand, pinning it above your head. his other hand slithered from your waist to support your lower back, raising your hips against him.

the giggles died in your throat as you looked at him, catching the shift in his gaze changing from softness to hunger. he chewed on his bottom lip, eyeing the way your chest rose and fell. your cheeks burned under his stare, his head slowly lowering until his nose brushed up against yours.

you waited, a smile tugging at your lips at his uncertainty. you caught the way his eyebrows crinkled in desperation, like he was fighting his own instincts.

"satoru…"

the bed buzzed rhythmically, shocking the both of you. he jumped slightly, pulling himself back ever-so-slightly to glance at your phone. his hold loosened on your wrists, and he lowered your body against the bed again, skill keeping his hand flush against your back. the pads of his fingers curled pathetically, fighting the temptation to squeeze.

you slithered your hand from his grasp, reaching your phone. you turned it over to see utahime's contact flashing on the screen.

"decline it."

you glanced at satoru, rolling your eyes. "i'm not doing that."

his forehead dropped against your collarbone and he shook his head, letting out a whine. he rested his body against yours, the only thing stopping him from dropping his body weight against yours was the way he kept himself propped up on his elbows.

your free hand ran through his hair absentmindedly as you answered the call, you felt a purr rumble through his body. you opened your mouth to speak, but were interrupted.

"where are you?" utahime demanded.

you winced at her volume, hastily trying to turn it down, and satoru chuckled against your chest. "i'm at satoru's."

"are you out of your mind?"

turning down the volume didn't help.

"no—"

"you know it could be him, right?"

satoru's head perked up, and he met your eyes. his lips split into a loose smirk, amused by the accusation.

you rolled your eyes again, feeling the butterflies in your stomach clip in your throat. "you think he's going to kill me in his own apartment?"

"not the point i'm making," she drawled. "it's way too late to be out of the house."

you glanced at the clock on your phone, 10pm. "i didn't know i had a curfew."

"you do, and you should be at home. do you want us to come pick you up?"

satoru huffed, his warm breath seeping through your clothes and clinging to your skin. you could have sworn his teeth grazed against you, but the feeling was fleeting.

"no, and i'll be fine, okay? i'll text you when i get home."

"i'll be watching your location," she warned. "i love you!"

you grinned. "i love you, too, 'hime."

the call ended, and you tossed your phone against the sheets. satoru tucked his arms underneath you, pulling you beneath him.

"so, you have a curfew?"

"i guess so," you said sheepishly, embarrassment warming your cheeks. "she might kill me."

"i like her," he smirked. "she's looking out for you."

"yeah," you breathed. "i should get going though, before she sends a wellness check."

"i'll walk you," he brought himself on his knees, allowing you the space to prop yourself up on your elbows. "it's the least i can do, before you get grounded."

you reached for the pillow behind you, shoving it in his face.

★✰

you sat in the backseat of shoko's car, looking at the house with weary eyes. it was a large, dated house on the outskirts of town, away from the hustle of college life and apart from where anyone under the age of 50 would want to live the rest of their days. you wouldn't have guessed the home existed out here, surrounded by woods in every direction. the road up to it was made of gravel and dirt, you had been table to tell you were getting close by the raising number of solo cups littered on the ground.

"leave it to a trust fund baby to cheap out on a fucking rental," utahime muttered, her arms crossed. she scoffed, and then looked at you, her expression changing to something much softer. "are you sure you want to be here? we can go."

shoko nodded approvingly in the front seat, looking at you through the rear view mirror.

"no, i want to," you sighed. "and i think satoru is on his way. i can't just feed him to the wolves."

utahime shook her head. "he's a grown man, you know. he's fine."

shoko parked far from the house near the trees, wanting her exit later to be something quick and easy, and not having to wait for a line of people to file out before her. you slammed the car door behind you and trudged through the steep dirt to get to the house, the music becoming louder and vibrating your bones. there were beer cans scattered on the ground, as well as some shoes and chip bags.

it was just after 10, and naoya sent out a text at 7.

the floorboards of the porch creaked beneath your shoes, and you pushed open the front door.

the house was filled with people, they flung themselves over the couches and the stairwell, some of them laid out on the floor in conversation. the inside of the property wasn't much better when it came to garbage, though the coolers around were starting to turn into makeshift trashcans.

shoko lead the way to the kitchen, casually ducking under a game of darts in the hallway. you followed quickly, wincing as you heard the needle puncture drywall behind you.

"hey, you guys made it!"

naoya grinned, opening his arms wide upon seeing you enter the kitchen. he had mei tucked beside him, looking unamused. when her eyes landed on yours, she looked away quickly, and then disappeared behind him.

shoko didn't look in his direction, instead skirting around the kitchen island to open up the cooler on the floor. noaya didn't seem to care, he approached your side and clasped his hand down on your shoulder.

"what do you think, huh?"

"pretty big turn out," you glanced around the kitchen. "i thought you said people were too freaked out to come?"

"nothing a little bribery can't fix," utahime drawled, opening the fridge. she frowned. "naoya, did you get any fucking food?"

"dining room," he said, tilting his head. "and no bribery, just a promise of price, adultered fun."

she looked over her shoulder, shutting the fridge. "it's unadulterated. unless you ordered a hooker."

he looked up in thought, and utahime disappeared into the dining room, her girlfriend quickly following.

you turned to naoya, irritation bubbling in your gut. "what, she can't even look at me now? after what she did?"

naoya blinked, whipping himself around for a second. "what? who, mei? i mean…"

"she can talk behind my back but can't say anything to my face?"

"hey, listen…" naoya said, putting his palm out. "it's just awkward, alright? and, you haven't even texted her back yet. so, how is she supposed to talk to you?"

"don't defend—"

"i'm not defending," he said, shrugging. "but i didn't invite you both for a cat fight in my kitchen. you need to relax."

he smiled brighter at your frown. "come on, drink something. drop all the ghostface shit for one night."

you rolled your eyes, brushing his hand off your shoulder. he snickered, taking a step back to lean against the wall. "god, you're fucking unbelievable."

"i gotta check on mei, okay? have fun!"

the fridge was full of mixers and unlabeled cocktails, you lifted one of the jugs and inhaled, the smell of vodka and citrus burning your nose. you winced, setting it down immediately and reaching for a canned margarita instead. the sweet strawberry flavor bubbled over your tongue, the fizzle sticking to the sides of your cheeks and in your throat. you forced a harsh swallow, hoping it would bring down the lump in your throat.

the air in the dining room was thick, various smells wafting together and creating an ungodly stench that made your skin itch. groups hung around the long table that stacked with cheap snacks and party favors. you reached between two people who couldn't care for your presence, your arm extending over the center for a small bag of chips.

the house was beautiful, a wild contrast compared to the rotting wooden shutters and missing bricks from the walls just outside. the interior had fine detailing that could only be found in older homes, across the deep cherry windowsills and archways. the ends curled, once smooth wood now chipped with time and reckless parties. the walls were a floral, sage wallpaper that peeled at the edges. you played with one of the corners, smoothing it down just to watch it roll back up.

you passed through the open entryway, craning your neck up to those who leaned against the banister on the second floor. the stairs were against the wall, climbing up and turning into an open catwalk that overlooked the entrance of the home. you felt your stomach dip into itself as the fencing wobbled against the weight of someone leaning. they must have felt it, too, quickly taking a step back and tucking their palm into their pocket instead.

decorative tables lined the walls of the long hallway leading to the back of the house, fake flowers tucked into tall vases that still had water. you observed the pictures hanging on the wall, the images of a family dated by the fuzzy quality of the camera and the filter that made the world look so much brighter.

you pulled your phone from your pocket, unlocking it to open your messages with satoru. your thumb hovered over the keyboard until your eyes flickered to the corner of the screen, absent of a wifi symbol. no service.

"you have got to be—"

"hey."

you turned, breath stuttering at the closeness of the voice behind you. the breath swirled over the back of your neck in a minty fog.

satoru stood with an amused grin, his long fingers caging in a soda can that still bubbled.

"hey, you're here," you grinned, relaxing.

"of course i am," he tilted his head, "can't leave a pretty girl like you all alone at a party like this."

the inside of your cheeks bruised with the pressure of your teeth grinding the tissue, desperate to fight the too-bright smile threatening to take over. heat closed in on the sides of your neck as you cleared your throat, your eyes drifting along his body. a tight black t-shirt that complimented his torso, and dark pants. your gaze flitted back up to see the knowing smirk on his face.

"did you leave your glasses at home?" it was more of a comment then a question.

the absence of the black frames only drew more attention to his eyes, bright and undisturbed. they tracked you with ease, each twitch of your fingers and the nervous bob of your throat, like you were something for him to study. no action of yours went unnoticed.

"oh, yeah. i didn't want to risk breaking them," he itched the side of his head, just above his ear where his glasses would normally sit. "why? you think i look bad?"

"what? no, i—" you shook your head. "i just noticed. i like them. but i like you without them, too."

"really?" his tone was far too hopeful for someone who looked at you like he was hungry.

"yeah," you shrugged. "i like your eyes. they're pretty."

he was blushing now, too, not expecting such a declaration from you. his hand tightened around the can, the aluminum jolting and spurting soda that spilled over the webs of his fingers.

"oh! sorry," he mumbled. he swapped the soda into his other hand, observing his hand helplessly. he mumbled under his breath, something along the lines of stupid and excited.

you giggled, sliding the sleeve of your shirt over your fingers and taking hold of his hand. you slid the fabric over his fingers, absorbing the sweet soda with gentle care. satoru's breath hitched as your thumb pressed into his palm tenderly, massaging the skin longer than necessary.

as you let go of his hand, his reach followed. he caught himself quickly, pulling his hand back and tucking it into the pocket of his pants as if to keep it contained.

he smiled sheepishly. "thanks."

"yeah," you nodded, grinning. you turned away from him, opting to explore the house instead of dwelling on how nice his warm hands felt against yours. he followed you as you lead him to the back of the house his chest knocking into your body as he trailed.

you passed the bathroom at the end of the hall, and found yourself at a crossroads of the dining room entrance on the left and the loft on your right. groups of people passed between the rooms with drinks and snacks cradled in their hands, bouncing up and down as they found their friends again.

"this house is huge."

satoru agreed, his eyes trailing the long line of windows to the backyard. they were old windows, the kind that would be pushed out to open instead of up. his long legs brought him to the loft, brushing past the groups of people that danced to the music was booming from the living room.

someone came stumbling towards you, and satoru was quick to pull you to the side before they could make contact. instead, they bumped into the person behind you, with a string of incoherent apologies and a wave in their direction as they kept trudging.

satoru looked down at you, his grip firm on your waist. "you okay?"

"fine," you breathed with a ghost of a smile. his fingers tingled against your skin. "i didn't expect so many people to show up, i thought it was going to be… smaller this year."

"me too," he nodded. "but i guess i didn't see myself showing up, either."

"not a fan of parties?"

"not a fan of—"

a crisp clap of hands sliced through the air, drawing your attention from satoru. his fingers tightened around your waist instinctively, digging into the skin like you'd be dragged away from him.

naoya stood in front of you with a taunting smile that elongated his face and gave you view of the back of his throat. he was astonished, his eyes flickering between the two of you with his hands clasped together at his chest.

"no way," he drawled, his face tight. "you invited this dipshit?"

you rolled your eyes, unable to contain the irritation that seeped from you. "fuck off, naoya."

"woah! i'm just asking. i'm impressed, actually," he widened his stance, extending his arms across the space with flat palms like he meant no harm. "i thought you were too much of a recluse to show up to a party like this, gojo."

satoru laughed to himself, shaking his head. his eyebrows raised and he looked in the opposite direction, like he knew something nobody else did. he didn't dignify naoya with a response, finding it more entertaining to leave him hanging instead.

"don't be a dick."

"i'm just saying the truth," he said simply, taking a step forward. he looked at satoru curiously, his chin jutting up to make up for the inches satoru had on him. "you must got a pretty big night planned, hanging out with, her, huh?"

satoru cocked his head, interest sparkling in his eyes. "maybe i do."

naoya laughed, the sound sharp and unnatural. "keep that up, gojo. i like the confidence, it'll make it better when she learns how much of a freak you are and runs."

"naoya—"

"so far, she's pretty into it." satoru chuckled, his fingers squeezing the skin of your waist.

you wrapped your hand around his forearm, tugging him away from the jock and closer to the living room with you. he followed happily, his hand gliding down your back and pulling away enough to melt into yours.

he glanced behind him, where naoya glowered.

"go find mei, yeah? maybe you can get half my luck tonight."

the two of you slipped through the living room, finding an empty spot next the couch. you leaned against the wall and he stood next to you, caging you in between him and the end table.

you shook your head, scoffing. "he's such an asshole, satoru. i'm sorry."

satoru shrugged with a hollow laugh. "not your fault, just don't know what you see in that guy, really."

"nothing," you said quickly, disgust digging in to the corners of your lips. "he just kind of sticks around. with mei, mostly."

he hummed. "a match made in heaven."

a smirk tugged at the corners of your lips, and you swallowed it down with a swig of your drink.

satoru massaged your free hand, watching the way you tilted your head back to gather the last drops of the cocktail. his gaze hovered over your throat, where a red droplet slipped from the corners of your lips and dipped into each curve along your skin. he reached over, pressing his thumb gently against the skin, gathering the stream.

you blinked at the contact, swallowing the last of your drink and looking at him in time to see the way he pressed his thumb against his lips and licked. he smirked, dropping his hand and resting against the wall.

satoru suddenly jolted, his hand instinctively digging in to his pocket. his expression was narrow and bothered as he pulled out his phone with a pout, judging the contact that flashed across the screen.

"sorry, it's my roommate." his gaze flickered to the door, then back to you. "i'll be right back, i just gotta take this."

"okay," you smiled sightly. "i'll be here."

satoru passed through the rooms, tossing his empty can in one of the trash bags bundled up on the floor. there was a pile of trash surrounding it, evidence of people too drunk and disrespectful to bother picking up after themselves.

your eyes followed satoru as he left the house, catching a glimpse of his body descend the front steps and stride across the lawn with his phone pressed to his ear.

the cushions on the couches were taken up by ground of people bunched together, the wooden frame surely cracking beneath the pressure of far too many throwing themselves on top of each other. people laid out on the floor as well, leaning on tables and desks in the corners of the rooms to take the stress off their dancing feet.

you ascended the stairs instead, opting to explore for a bit longer. they creaked beneath your feet, worn with years of use, the wood beginning to dip into the shape of shoes. you brushed past those who ran up and down the stairs, seemingly chasing each other.

the groups upstairs had dwindled down. as you crossed the catwalk you pressed your palm against the banister, watching it wobble. quickly, you reeled your hand back and continued across the hallway, the fencing replaced with a deep blue wallpaper. it lured you further into the home, lined with closed doors with various items on the handles that made you cringe.

one of the doors was cracked open, catching your attention. you hovered against the frame, waiting for any debaucherous noises. it was silent.

hesitantly, you pushed open the door to the grand bedroom. your eyes were drawn to the long arch over the middle of the room spread between two wooden pillars. it lined the high ceiling, lighting up the room with a chandelier hung in the center.

you crossed the carpet, plush and taken care of, and ran your hands along the mahogany dresser. it was topped with an empty vase, a jewelry box, some unlabeled books you sure had empty pages.

you dawdled towards the closet, curiosity pulling the strings of your brain.

peeling the door open, you cocked your head at the size. it was clearly meant to be a linen closet at one point, narrow but tall. a hang bar was installed inside, just below a shelf. there was only one item hanging, a long black gown that tugged a frown over your lips.

you looked up at the shelf and the black fabric that dipped over the edge, too tall for you to see. you reached up on your tip toes into the darkness, your fingers curling around cheap plastic. you pulled the item forward, a sharp gasp catching in your throat at the sight.

the ghostface mask stared back at you.

you yelped like it burned, dropping it immediately. it clattered on the floor, next to a pair of dark boots. "fuck!"

panic swelled in your chest with your heavy breaths, and you walked backwards until you felt the back of your legs collide with the bed. you closed your eyes, allowing yourself to sit as the fear washed over you.

you braced your hands against your knees, hunching over to find comfort in balling yourself up. you slowed your breathing, trying to flush out the dread that stuck to your skin and made your bones stiff.

your mind drifted to naoya, and his shit eating grin when you tore the mask from his face. you scoffed to yourself, betrayal twisting in your gut and forcing a tight snicker from you. of fucking course it's naoya.

laughter ghosted from your lips as you left the room, shutting the door behind you. your stomach sewed together with anger, then ripped itself apart. you imagined all the ways you would yell at him, you imagined bringing utahime into it as well. she wouldn't let him live another day.

your legs drifted along the floorboards of the house, bringing you to the kitchen where you grabbed another drink and cracked it open. this one was peach mango.

you took a seat on the stairwell, bunching up your knees slightly to balance the can on your jeans. it left a ring of condensation as you spun it around, letting the cool water seep into the fabric.

the minutes alone stretched on, burning your skin with irritation and anxiety as you wondered how long satoru would be. you pulled out your phone briefly, double checking the signal in the corner that still read no service.

you drummed your free hand against your jeans in silence as you observed the people around you.

there was a commotion by naoya's music setup, a group of people raising their voices at each other in excitement. you peeked your head forward to see into the living room, keeping yourself perched on the steps. they spoke over each other, eyes wide and shoving their phones around the circle.

suddenly, the music was unplugged.

"yo, they found a fucking body!"

the can crinkled in your hands.

"who is it?"

"it's off the west building's balcony!"

"we gotta see it!"

a stampede descended the stairs behind you, pushing past you to jump down the last few steps and stomp their feet on the ground. you leaned into the railing with a wince, trying to make yourself as small as possible as they stumbled past.

numerous drunk bodies slammed to the floor before they scrambled back up and out the front door, letting it swing open and hit the people behind them. through glimpses between their springing bodies, you saw car lights flicker on an quickly peel out of the grass. some of them caught air as they descended the gravel, the screeching of metal echoing in the night.

the house was suddenly quiet, the distant hum of the fridge and mumblings of the tv being the only sounds left. the front door continued to swing against the wind, and you carefully stood up and latched it close.

a body on campus, your mind was reeling with the possibilities of who it could be. any of your professors, the security guards or the admin working late. but, it meant that he wasn't here.

you thought back to naoya's fucking costume in the closet.

still, your stomach throbbed with anxiety, alcohol sloshing wildly, climbing higher and higher.

you walked to the dining room, grabbing another bag of chips off the table. you peeled it open, leaning against the wooden frame as you glanced around the empty house. you hadn't spotted naoya or mei run out in the haze, and you were certain shoko and utahime were locked in a bedroom. satoru was outside somewhere.

you strolled to the tv, which was now playing psycho. a lump formed in your throat, and you pressed your fingers against the skin as you tried to swallow it back down. reaching for the remote, you shut the tv off and tossed it back on the couch.

"hey, naoya?" you called out. you peeked into the loft, and then the kitchen. "naoya?"

silence remained in the house, only to be broken by the creak of your footsteps in the hallway.

"are you looking for naoya?"

you jumped, turning around. mei was standing there, a hand on her hip with pout dragging down her lips.

she looked to the side, "yeah, me too."

your shoulders relaxed, and steadied your breath. you picked up the trash scattered across the floor. "well, if you don't know where he is, he must really be lost."

she sighed behind you, pulling her lips into her mouth without comment. she followed you as you walked back to the kitchen and opened a garbage bag, throwing the trash inside. she observed from the entryway, standing against the door frame and letting her eyes linger over you.

"last i saw him, he said he was taking care of the router," mei said, tilting her head. "he was freaking out because there's no service."

"i'm not looking for him," you said definitively. you shook your head, "not when he brought that stupid costume. i can't believe i thought—"

"what costume?"

you rolled your eyes, looking back at her. your jaw clicked at her feigned innocence. "what do you mean 'what costume'? the costume, mei. he thinks that shit is funny."

"he doesn't have the costume."

"yes, he does."

"no, he doesn't," she straightened. "y/n, i watched him throw it away."

you froze, looking at her. the irritation on your face flickered, pinching with confusion as you settled into the silence. your eyes became unfocused, drifting off to the wall while you thought back to the closet, the dark cloak and face mask that haunted you.

"y/n, why—"

"i saw it. in the closet upstairs," you said softly, your voice cracking with fear. you could feel your hand shaking, holding a smashed beer can. your grip became lax, letting it clatter into the trash bag with the rest of them.

she stared at you, then uncrossed her arms, "show me."

kicking past the bag, you brushed past her with panic brewing in your stomach, pinching it together and splitting it apart. it threatened to buckle your knees as you swiftly ascended the stairs, mei nipping at your heels. you lead her through the hallway that peered over the entryway and loft, until you were met again with the far corner of the house.

you could feel the heat of her gaze burn into your back, and you resisted the urge to frown.

you nudged the door open with a long creak, and flicked on the light next to you. carefully, you approached they closet door, turning the knob with a shaking hand.

empty.

the darkness stared back at you, and you were quick to look around the bottom of the small space. the shoes were gone, the mask was no longer on the shelf. you peered into the small space like there was any more room to hide than what you could see yourself.

"i swear, mei, i saw it. it was right here."

"in here? in this closet?" she drawled.

"yes, mei, i—"

there was a crash downstairs. something kicked, that skittered across the floor.

your gut was screaming at you, turning on itself and spurring up bile that trapped in your throat. you looked over your shoulder at her, meeting her brown eyes that were blown wide in fear. her eyebrows tilted upward with panic and worry, the dread sinking into her face.

you were wrong. he was here.

the blood drained from your face, circulating most where your fingernails dug into your palms. you could feel your body itching to become dead weight, to collapse into the floor and remain until it would all be over.

she opened her mouth, and you shook your head frantically.

slow steps slammed against the stairs, making their way closer. you could hear the heavy weight drag against each step before grinding into the next one, driving a chill up your spine and hiking your shoulders against your neck. you squeezed your fists to fight off the dread that prickled your skin like a cold whip lashing against goosebumps, the icy hot feeling bringing cold sweats with it.

mei's hand shoved you in to the closet, beckoning you to shut the door behind you. you reached out for her to bring her with, breathing out a 'what?' in panicked confusion, but she brushed you off. anxiety nipped at your fingers as you watched her crouch beside the bed on the opposite side of the entryway, laying herself against the carpet on her forearms.

you leaned back in the closet, pulling the door close enough to leave a sliver of space to keep an eye on mei. shakily, you checked your phone again. no service.

the footsteps dragged through the hallway, labored, looming closer and closer to the door. there was a slam against the wall, a grunt following. you bit back the bile rising in your throat as you waited in the closet, keeping your eyes on mei, who kept her eyes on you.

the bedroom door creaked. "guys...?"

recognition flickered in mei's expression, her eyes becoming squinted in your direction.

he groaned. "where did you...?"

you watched mei jump up to stand, and you found the confidence to open the closet door. you stepped out cautiously.

"naoya?"

your stomach dropped to your ankles.

naoya was hunched over himself, looking forward with a weary gaze. he wobbled against the doorframe, his arms wrapped around his stomach and digging into his sides, trying to soothe a stomach ache beyond salvation. blood bloomed in pools across his shirt, which was stretched wide with the lashings of a knife and displayed the deep wounds. the blood seeped through his shirt, saturating the fabric and pooling over the creases in his arms and dripping on to the floor.

his knees buckled but he persisted in keeping himself upright. his face was soaked with a mix of tears and blood, smeared around his cheeks and in his hair. it stuck up where it had been pulled at, and blood coated his ear just below. there was skin split open on the side of his neck, gushing into the neckline of his shirt.

mei screamed, covering her mouth. "naoya?!"

"mei, i can't, i'm so… tired…" he mumbled, looking up with teary eyes.

you stepped closer to mei, your wide eyes trained on naoya. mei was stiff, and you gripped her hand tightly in hopes to wake her up. your palm was clammy and raw, grating against her skin.

naoya fell forward, and you pulled mei to take a step back. he groaned as he hit the floor.

behind him, a figure stepped into the doorway. you stared down the lifeless eyes of the plastic mask you had seen earlier.

ghostface tilted his head as he looked back at you, mocking. he looked from you, to mei. she whimpered beside you, squeezing your hand back.

he looked down at his hand, and you followed his gaze to the knife coated in blood. he showed it off in the light, watching it gleam as blood dropped down the blade. he carefully dragged his gloved hand over the metal and wiped it clean.

"oh, fuck," you whispered.

he lunged at mei first, and you tugged her sharply in your direction as you stepped to the side. she crashed into your chest and your back hit the dresser behind you, the wooden furniture rocking back and slamming against the wall. the knobs of the drawers pushed into your sides, digging into your muscles. you turned around briefly with tears prickling your lashes, and your eyes catching the blue vase that teetered on top of the dresser.

you reached for it, and as ghostface looked back, you slammed it against his chest and watched the glass shatter, soaking his cloak in water. you reeled back as he stumbled, and dragged mei with you as you carefully stepped over naoya's body to run through the hallway. you heard her gasp behind you, clamping her hand over her mouth as she willed herself to leave him behind.

the two of you descended the stairs in a flurry, knocking into each other haphazardly. you braced your hand against the rail, only to reel it back to your chest as pain sizzled up your arm. you winced, watching the blood flow down your palm, cut open by a piece of glass.

you reached the bottom, your ankles burned as you slammed your feet against the floorboards, digging your heels into the wood to propel yourself forward.

your body acted faster than your mind, slamming into the door while your hands fumbled with the doorknob. you tried jerking it open, just to be met with resistance. you looked up to the locks, wiping your eyes to see clearly. your hands jiggled the deadbolt, and then the chain, trying to get them to unlock.

the desperation shook your hands around the cool metal, the locks slipping from your hand with the sweat and blood of your grip.

mei's neck craned up at sudden movement. her face was struck with fear. "y/n."

you fumbled with the lock that refused to become undone. "it won't unlock," you whimpered.

"y/n," she said again, her voice stronger. you didn't get a chance to look up before she grabbed your forearm and pulled you into the living room with you.

wood crackled above you, the sound of the railing splintering shattered the air. you looked up in horror to see naoya's body dropping off of the balcony, his arms swinging up helplessly as he plunged through the air.

his body slammed against the floor with a loud crack, eliciting a sharp scream from you and mei. the air cracked your throat and your hands cupped over your mouth in reflex, your hot breath heaving against the skin. beside you, mei shook, rocking back on her heels.

staring at naoya's body, your hands shoved against mei's arm. blood pooled underneath him. footsteps stomped down the stairs. "go, go."

mei found her footing, bolting through the archway into the loft. she stopped for a moment to peer out the windows, her eyes catching the old, wooden furniture that was piled up against them as a barricade. you grabbed her arm to follow you, bringing her in the dining room. your head was spinning as you tried to put together a plan, all exits being boarded up or sabotaged, all you could do was run in circles.

you skittered to a stop half-way through the kitchen, and she crashed into your back, her hands curling around your arm and digging into your flesh to steady herself. ghostface stepped through the doorway and stood at the end of the kitchen, and you couldn't shake the image of naoya's body a few feet off to the side. collapsed in front of the front door.

ghostface took a step forward, and you scrambled backward, your hands bracing against the kitchen counter. your stomach fell further, helplessly trying to scoop itself up and give you a semblance of structure to spur yourself onward.

you turned around to run the opposite direction, only to be stopped by mei stuck in place, struck in horror. in front of her, another ghostface.

you glanced back, watching the one behind you tilt his head. the one in front of you shrugged, and then snatched mei to his chest. she cried out, and he turned her around so her back was against him, his knife pressed against her throat.

mei's eyes were blown wide with helplessness, but she shook your head. her voice was hoarse, quivering, "y/n, run—"

you reached forward anyway, but before you could grasp his arm you were jerked backward to the floor. your back slammed against the tile and you were quick to pull up your knees and prop yourself up on your elbows, looking above you. the second ghostface stood beside you, his boots nudging against your waist. he leaned over you, almost inquisitive.

he raised his boot and hovered it over your stomach, you heard mei cry as a blade slashed over her skin.

you grabbed his ankle and pulled, dragging his foot over your head. he floundered in the air, his arms flying out to brace for impact, his body hitting the floor with a rough groan. you took the chance to pull yourself up and run towards the entryway, kicking away the beer cans across the floor.

there was an exasperated sigh from the other ghostface behind you, followed by a body hitting the floor and mei's moan of pain.

hallway, back of the dining room, grab mei and run upstairs. figure it out.

you held back an audible groan as you saw naoya's body, willing yourself to step over him once more and run down the hallway to the back of the house. you could hear clamoring behind you, and you glanced over your shoulder to see the two ghostface's by the front door, one of them disappeared into the living room while the other followed.

you circled back to the dining room, finding mei limp in the corner, thrown against some chairs. she had a cut on her stomach, slowly seeping through her shirt.

"come on, mei, up," you groaned, grabbing her arm and hoisting her up to her feet. "can you walk?"

"yeah, s'not deep," she winced, leaning against you. her eyes fluttered shut.

"come on, upstairs," you breathed, turning around.

ghostface stomped into the kitchen, and your breath hitched. you picked up one of the wooden chairs, fueled by the adrenaline in your veins, and swung it at him. a leg of the chair splintered against his arm, half of it falling to the floor. he huffed, grabbing another leg and pulling the chair out of your grip to slam it against the wall. it shattered completely.

you turned into the kitchen and grabbed the knife block, running your hands over the slots. empty.

instead, you picked up the block and turned around, slamming it against his head. that sent him backward, stumbling against a side table and squeezing his head soothingly through the cloak.

you ran past him, and mei followed. you made it through the hallway and rounded the banister to ascend the stairs. you turned to look at her, and watched as she stumbled against the wall, the blood loss rapidly devolving her ability to see straight. the cut was deeper than you thought.

a hand clamped around your throat from behind, his fingers digging up into your jaw as he jerked your body backward. your feet lifted into the air for a moment and you scrambled, trying to reach around to land any sort of hit.

he pulled you into the living room and threw you against the floor. your head hit the ground, your eyes widening in desperation as white flickered over your vision. sharp pain throbbed from the back of your head and spread over your skull, slowly trickling down your spine. you landed between the couch and the coffee table, cups crunching against your sides as you attempted to hoist yourself up with your hands braced against the cushions.

ghostface was quick to crouch in front of you, hovering his knife in front of your face in a wordless threat. his face was inches in front of yours.

you glared, boring into the soulless eyes of his mask. your jaw locked in place as you breathed heavily through your nose.

"fucker! get off of me!"

your attention was splintered when you heard mei scream, a scuffle behind him happening in the entryway. you leaned to the side to get a glimpse, and he only followed your gaze and blocked it with his silhouette. he tilted his head forward, his knife bouncing in the air in front of your nose to make a point.

he gestured to your hands still braced on the couch, and you pulled them off. you leaned back on your elbows, and he nodded.

ghostface stood up straight, and stepped to the side as his partner entered the room, who had his bicep locked around mei's neck. her face was red, her fingers clawing at his sleeve. blood stained her hair, following the long pattern of her braid. his partner dropped her to the floor, where she coughed helplessly against the carpet.

with her hunched over, you could see a gash stretched along her back. there was one in the side of her leg as well.

the two masked figures looked at each other, nodding and gesturing vaguely in a secret conversation. the one in front of you looked back at you.

the other one walked over to mei again, his boot knocking against her side to catch her attention. she refused, and he kicked harder, eliciting a groan.

she looked up, and he leaned just enough to grab a fistful of her hair. she whined again, her hands shooting to the top of her head as he pulled her higher and higher until she was balancing on her knees, her back stretched the straightest it could be.

your body surged forward, stopping only when the man in front of you pointed his knife at you warningly. he then crouched down, balancing on his toes with his arms resting against his knees.

the ghostface on the other side sighed heavily, the sound weighed with disappointment. he used his free hand to fumble with the hood of his cloak, pulling it down, and then reached in front of him to drag the halloween mask from his face.

his hair pooled at his shoulders, the shiny strands curling like inky tentacles. he ran a hand through his hair, sweeping them over his back and giving you a clear view of the wide grin that split his face in two. he showed off all his teeth as they gleamed in the light, pure joy pinching at the apples of his cheeks and drawing his eyebrows upward as he chuckled.

his bangs fell back into his face and he shook his head to swipe them away, calming his laughter.

your jaw dropped slightly, the horrifying shock sharpening the curves of your face. your eyes were wide, despite the way the rest of your face was pinched together with a degree of tension that was about to snap. you stared as your mind ran in circles.

suguru looked at mei, who became limp with the reveal. his grin remained, "what? speechless?"

you looked to the masked figure in front of you, as the pieces slowly clicked together. your body leaned forward on its own, your head tilting. "no…"

he fumbled with his mask, grabbing the chin and lifting upwards off his face. it tilted back with the hood of his cloak, the white tufts of his hair bouncing back over his forehead. he cocked his head to the side, his wild eyes wide and swimming with excitement as he observed you, taking in your presence and your reactions without the sheer, black curtain in his way.

satoru's smirk was full of pride. "hey, sweets."

"no, no, no, satoru…" you shook your head with a whimper, looking down. you closed your eyes and felt the tears fall again, soaking into your cheeks. disbelief clouded your mind, and you silently wished for this to all be some nightmare your mind conceived in the sickness of your life. "satoru?"

satoru, who you'd been sharing classes for years. he was so quiet, so alone. he had thick glasses and dorky digimon shirts, and he orders the sweetest stuff on the menu because it's the only thing that tastes good.

satoru's excitement was dulled with gentle concern. "come on, pretty. don't be like that."

cool metal nipped at the skin under your chin, and you tilted your head up to meet his gaze.

"you're so pretty when you cry."

"you're sick."

"'sick'," he repeated with a scoff, shaking his head. he dropped his knife from your chin, and stood. he looked back at his roommate. "you hear that, suguru? she said we're sick."

"she said you're sick, not me."

satoru pouted, rolling his eyes. he looked at mei. "what do you think, mei, huh? is he sick?"

she whimpered, looking up at him. you gauged the recognition in her eyes, the desperation that could only be derived from something personal.

suguru looked at you, letting go of mei's hair. she collapsed to the floor. "you know who i am, y/n?"

you narrowed your eyes, and he stepped closer.

he lunged forward in a quick motion, grabbing the edge of the coffee table and throwing it easily to the other side of the room. it clattered against a chair, both pieces of furniture breaking each other and crashing into the wall.

you flinched back, and he grabbed you by your forearm and lifted you into the air before pulling you into a headlock. he braced his knife against your collarbone, the blade slowly splitting the fabric of your shirt and dipping into your skin. you groaned through gritted teeth as he dragged it and the pain bloomed across your chest. he tucked you tighter against him as you dug your nails into his arm, a snicker leaving his lips as he watched the blood spread over your skin.

satoru's nostrils flared, and he directed his attention to where mei laid on the floor.

"now you girls match. you're best friends, right?" suguru grinned. "you have to match."

he slammed the knife into your waist, and the air was sucked from your lungs. the pain seared across your flesh, pulling a weak scream barely contained by gritted teeth. you then groaned, bending over to the best of your ability in a pitiful attempt to soothe yourself. he whipped the knife back out and you instinctively pressed at your wound, whimpering at the pain that sizzled on your skin.

your blood poured over the back of your shaking hand, dripping off your wrist and staining your clothes.

suguru shoved you, and you stumbled into satoru, your back flush against his chest. he wrapped his arms around you, one securing your waist tightly. his glove wrapped around your wound and pinched the skin together, eliciting a sharp scream from you as your body writhed in protest. the pain was unthinkable, shooting through your veins like hot fire.

quickly, satoru covered your chest with his other arm, pressing against the sliced skin from suguru's blade. you breathed harshly through your nose, biting back a moan. his hand hovered over your shoulder, held tight in a fist as he gripped his knife, the tip of the blade tapping against your cheek. in the distance of your hazy mind, you heard him shushing you.

satoru leaned, pulling you closer against him. his warmth was suffocating, overwhelming you from all angles as it seeped into your sweat-soaked skin. his breath tickled your ear as he lowered his head next to yours, grazing his teeth against the shell of your ear for a moment.

"no, suguru," he murmured, his minty breath wafted against your face. he squeezed your waist, earning a raw groan from you. "best friends are loyal, aren't they? best friends are supposed to trust each other, right?"

he giggled, the sound sending a chill down your spine. "tell me, sweets, do you think your friends are loyal?"

"the fuck are you talking about?" you seethed, looking at suguru. satoru's arm tightened around your stomach, you could feel the steady rise and fall of his chest behind you.

your chest was tight, your body was too small for the way your heartbeat was slamming against the confines of your ribcage. blood was rushing in your ears, crashing waves against the curves of your canal and digging into your brain.

suguru's face dropped. "answer the question."

you glared.

"come on, now," satoru purred. he angled his knife away from your face, instead using thumb to tilt your head in his direction. you met his stare, your face pinching in confusion. his eyes were hooded, his gaze flickering over the corners of your face with a growing smirk on his lips. his pupils were dilated, what were once soft blues full of adoration and wonder, were now gaping holes boring into you with excitement and dark promise.

"talk to me, sweets. are your friends loyal?"

you held eye contact, ignoring the way your stomach was spiraling. your eyes fluttered as he adjusted his grip on your body, possessive. "yes, they're loyal."

he threw his head back with a playful groan, rolling his eyes. "oh, no. that's the wrong answer, sweets."

you narrowed your eyebrows at him, bile pulled taut in your throat. "what?"

"what, you don't believe me?" satoru tsked. "i learned that first night i called you. you need proof, hm?"

his arm around your core dropped for a moment as he dug through his pocket, pulling out his phone. he tossed it to suguru, and then wrapped his arms around you again. as you winced, he rubbed his thumb in slow circles against the burning skin, coaxing your body to relax against him.

your glare moved back to suguru who caught his phone, and then flickered down to mei.

she shared a look with suguru, utter hopelessness escaping her cries as the tears flowed down her face. "suguru, don't do this. don't, please."

he tsked. "mei, now's not the time to beg."

suguru found what he was looking for in the phone, his face lighting up with delight. he turned up the volume for everyone to hear, the corners of his mouth twitching in excitement as he pressed play.

there was a rustling in the audio, the phone had been hidden somewhere.

"yeah, she's hardly even a person," mei's voice cut through the rummaging, slightly muffled, but still hers.

you looked to mei, but she kept her head down.

"it's kind of sad, she and utahime are so co-dependent. like those freaky conjoined twins."

utahime. utahime was still here, somewhere.

"you think so?" suguru drawled.

"it's fucking pathetic, losers. both of them."

suguru tsked as the video ended, shaking his head. he swiped a few times. "oh, here's my favorite. satoru likes it, too."

satoru scoffed, his elbows tightening around the curves of your body. "fuck off."

"— so, what? what'd you say?" the recording played.

"i told them the truth. by the end of the year, naoya and y/n are hooking up. everybody knows it."

"you think so?"

"yeah, y/n practically flutters her lashes every time he's around. she wouldn't put up with her shit how she does if she wasn't into him."

"i thought they were just friends."

"no woman is 'just friends' with naoya zenin."

"what about you?"

"… well—"

your face dropped in disgust, your eyebrows scrunching together in disbelief as you stared at mei. she refused, but still, you stared. you wanted her to feel the fire in your eyes, and let it burn her skin. blood was rushing to your face, pooling against your brain as you thought back to the close nights you spend with one of your best friends. talking about life, your friends, the things you wanted to be.

your gut was turning, a blade of betrayal slicing through you, swirling your intestines and knotting them together. the skin around your wounds seared with anger, quickly spreading all over your body in a silent rage as blood poured down your torso. the pain was dissipating as our mind settled on the anger. you found yourself questioning how many things she must have said about you before, if these were the only ones caught on recording with her homicidal fuck-buddy.

your jaw dropped. "are you fucking kidding me, mei?"

"i'm… sorry." she sighed.

"you told people i wanted to fuck naoya?" you tried to step forward, but satoru pulled you tight against him. "are you fucking serious?"

her bloody hand clutched her stomach, the blood flowing over her fingers and dripping on to the rug beneath her.

"talk about projection, right?" suguru joked, tossing satoru's phone on the couch. "is that loyalty? spreading rumors like that?"

he strolled closer to mei, standing beside her like she was a dog at his feet. he leaned slightly. "everyone knows mei will do anything you ask her. tell you anything you want, for a price, whether it's money, favors, sex."

"fuck you," she said groggily, looking up at him.

he straightened. "been there, done that. i'll say, i had a good time."

satoru snickered beside you, sighing dreamily as he inhaled. you felt the whiff breeze over your neck, tickling your skin. he nudged his nose against your skin, sending a shiver down your spine as he played with the sensitive skin. "loyalty isn't a one way street." he murmured. "even dogs know that, don't they?"

satoru purred, "oh, pretty. what to do, what to do?" he paused. "should we put her down?"

"what?" you croaked, looking at him. mei looked up, having lost the energy to speak.

he grinned, batting his lashes. "after all she's done? she was worse than naoya, look where it got him." he gestured behind him. "he was a fucking idiot, but he was loyal, wasn't he? a good dog."

"you're out of your fucking mind."

"am i?" he questioned through gritted teeth. "i'm looking out for you."

his hold across your chest tightened, his hand pressing against your cheek to hold you in place. you could feel the coldness of his knife radiating next to your ear. "i've always looked out for you."

his tone vulnerable with the kind of sympathy you wouldn't expect to be holding you at knife point.

satoru looked up at suguru, anger burning a hole through the charming veil he'd presented. he nodded towards mei in command, and suguru followed by grabbing her arm and lifting her up against his chest. her knees were weak, she was barely able to stand.

"she's been spreading shit for years," satoru accused, outstretching his arm and jabbing his knife in her direction. "you remember freshman year, when you were taking that advanced calculus class? you struggled so much the first semester, and got a good footing just time for finals?" his eyebrows were pinched as he looked at you, all but begging you to understand. "and you did so good, too. you were so proud, i was so proud."

you stared at him, the disgust sharpening the angles of his features, the definition thick in the shadows dipping beneath his cheekbones. your eyebrows squinted in bewilderment, incapable of pulling yourself away, stuck floating in the darkness of his eyes. you remembered what he was talking about, the horrific struggle you had your first year with calculus that your classes in high school did a pisspoor job of preparing you for. you remembered pulling all-nighters one after the other, and being in such a deep state of delusion you were begging your own brain to understand the material.

and then, one night, it clicked. after enough studying and talking you off the ledge from your advisor, the class started to make sense. you worked on old assignments you misunderstood, talked to your professor, and the fog lifted and you passed your final with flying colors.

satoru recalling your life with so much accuracy sent a cold chill over your body, tingling the back of your neck and shooting down your spine. your stomach fluttered. he was watching. he was so proud.

"… and then someone said you slept with you professor," he reminded you, his face scrunching in disbelief. "and the idea got passed around until the admin brought you in, right? asking you all those questions, like you'd done something wrong."

he was watching.

"who do you think did that, pretty?"

your gaze drifted to mei, who leaned on suguru for support. his face was disgusting, like he couldn't be bothered with the mess or the blood that dripped on to his clothes.

"no…"

"she did," suguru confirmed, shaking her. "didn't you, baby?"

she didn't respond, and suguru scoffed. he adjusted the grip on his blade before leaning forward slightly, and plunging it into her stomach. she wailed, and you lurched forward, only to be pulled back again by satoru.

"spread that shit around with yuki," satoru snarled.

"you weren't the only one, there were others," suguru said, twisting the blade. his face remained unchanged with her cries as she bent over, clawing at her skin. "that rumor about utahime being admitted because she was out for a week? the ones about naoya, too, but, well…" he shrugged. "it was naoya, so..."

he pulled out the knife, followed by her whisper of a groan. she collapsed to her knees, her body sinking lower and lower as her will to live escapes her in weak breaths. the blood gushed out of her, staining the rug and the floor beneath. you watched with wide, teary eyes as her body wavered, unable to hold herself up straight.

satoru snickered at that, shaking his head. "what a fucking tool, that bastard had it coming in life. someone would get to him sooner or later. we were just lucky to get him first."

he tucked you into his side, his arm wrapping around your back and fingers played across your stomach. he held you like you were his, like this was a comfortable interaction and he was showing off to his friends and there wasn't a body rotting next to the stairs.

satoru tutted. "don't feel bad, sweets. y'know how often he picked on me? first week of freshman year, he spit on me and said he was aiming for the trash can." he looked over, narrowing his eyes at mei. "was there a trash can, mei? you were there."

she swayed in response, and he shrugged.

"ah, well. guess you'll have to take my word for it." satoru smirked, amused. he looked at you, tilting his head and dragging his eyes over your frame. "you lookin' a little pale, pretty."

"those rose-tinted glasses finally coming off, huh?" suguru questioned, raising an eyebrow. he tsked, his knife bouncing in the air like a wagging finger.

"fuck you," you narrowed your eyes at him.

suguru laughed, his eyes sparkling. the sound was like a gut punch, and you fought every instinct to step back and cower down. it was the laughter of someone crazed, the sound hardly contained in the walls of the home.

he held his jaw in his hand, looking to the windows in faux reflection. you followed his gaze, squinting through the darkness outside to the woods surrounding the house. among the distant trees, you spotted a familiar tattered SUV left behind.

your jaw was tight with tension, the muscles snapping together and gritting your teeth.

"where's utahime?"

suguru looked to satoru, his face falling for a fraction of a second. his lips parted ever so slightly as he drew in a sharp breath, recognizing his misstep. confusion flickered over his eyes, which he blinked away and replaced with a wall of anger.

"utahime."

the stench of blood was thick in the air, copper mingling with the waft of satoru's cologne that clouded your body. you leaned against him in anticipation, attempting to put distance between yourself and the man who's mind was breaking down in front of you.

"satoru, find her."

satoru's hands squeezed your body, drawing the breath out of your lungs.

"suguru—"

"we're finishing this. find them."

his grip slowly loosened as he took a step back, leaving your skin to feel bare. the draft in the air hit your skin, wet with blood and eliciting goosebumps to dance across your skin. his sleeve pulled away from your skin, the squelch of the fabric peeling apart digging into the depths of your ears.

suguru looked to you. "i'll keep her here. utahime can't be far."

satoru's face pinched with skepticism, seconds of dawdling as he stared down suguru. he was waiting for something, a crack in the facade, a twitch of his fingers. the gears were slowly turning as he weighed his options, before nodding slowly.

he tapped his hand against your hip. "stay here."

the command cemented your feet to the ground, though you knew you didn't have a real choice. you could run now, take a few steps back into naoya's corpse ripped apart behind you. the locks on the door were broken, cemented to keep you stuck inside. satoru's cloak whished against your legs as he backed up, his heavy boots stomping against the stairs as he made his way to the second floor.

suguru stepped forward, and you mirrored his actions as you walked backward. his smiled tauntingly, wordlessly pointing out how you disobeyed satoru's order. you backed yourself against the archway, wrapping your arms around both sides of the wall and digging your nails into the wooden detailing.

he stepped over mei's body, kicking her to the side. she was unresponsive. dead.

"why are you doing this?" your voice cracked. "why do you care about these people, my friends?"

his eyes rolled back in thought. "the world is better off without scum, don't you agree? naoya and mei, they've spent their lives stomping on other people for fun, but you think we're the sick ones. i have nothing to gain, don't you realize that? truly, i'm here to cleanse the world of people like them."

he grinned, showing off picket fence teeth all the way to his molars. "is it sick to provide a service, to take initiative on such a task? in the name of making the world a better place?"

your eyelids felt heavy, each blink weighed with blood loss. in the distance, you heard satoru whip the old, wooden doors open and slam them against the wall. items clashed as he threw furniture around to check every nook and cranny, tearing through each room in desperation. your face was hot with anticipation, hoping he'd never find her, wherever she was.

"why am i still here?"

"don't act stupid, it doesn't suit you." suguru's voice dropped to a whisper. he was toe-to-toe with you now, leaning forward, "satoru's got a soft spot for you, his head's all twisted with a fantasy he made up. isn't that sweet?"

he raised his blade, lining it up with your jaw. he pressed the cool metal into your skin. "as for me, well… you know what they say about the company you keep, right?"

you sucked in a sharp breath, squeezing your eyes as the blood dripped down your neck. behind the wall you clung to, you reached your arm across the drywall, dragging it lower until you felt the surface of a table.

"you think you're different, don't you? but, i know how filthy you are, you don't get mixed up with people like them without being fucked up yourself." he tilted his head, lifting his knife and bringing it to your shoulder. he dragged it across your skin that tightened with fear. "you knew naoya and mei were bullies. you knew the kind of power they had, picking on people until they would break. fucking sadists, right?"

his expression darkened. "you can play innocent all you want, but you've always been complicit. an echo chamber for shit like this. maybe you don't encourage it, but you certainly let it slide, and hope they won't turn on you next." he tilted his head. "but they did, eventually, didn't they?"

the knife pressed against your stomach teasingly, breaking the skin.

"if you ask me, satoru's got it all wrong. some people can't be saved."

your fingers grasped the corner of something, and you pulled it into your palm. it was big, and heavy, as you heaved it upwards.

stepping away from the wall, you raised the item into the air and slammed it against the side of suguru's face. it was the old music box, the wood splintering against his cheekbones and knocking him to the ground. the metal machinery dislodged at the impact, clattering inside the lid and scattering across the floor as it fell.

he caught himself on the armchair, leaning on it as his hands cradled the blood pouring from his face. the metal handle had broke skin and wedged into his cheek.

he groaned loudly, slowly pulling himself up. "you fucking bitch!"

adrenaline gushed through your veins, your vision focusing again. you turned to run, rounding the archway to the entrance of the home, you tripped over naoya's arm laid out against the floorboard, breath hitching as you caught yourself against the windowsill, just to slip on the pool of blood beneath you and lose balance. your body slammed against the door, hugging any surface to avoid hitting the ground around naoya's body.

the door was a bust, you knew that. you glanced to the stairs, only to immediately be redirected to the banister that overlooked the home. satoru stood, his hands braced against the railing. he called out your name, his voice drowned out by the sound of your heartbeat.

the stairs were also a bust.

you skittered into the kitchen, finding purchase in every surface you cloud to fling yourself forward. your shoes were slick with blood that seeped into the soles and softened the fabric, a disgusting squelch following with every step you took. you flung the kitchen stools behind you, letting them clatter against the ground to block off suguru. you heard him yell at satoru from the living room. his booming voice vibrated the kitchen walls.

"find utahime!"

his boots were rapid against the floor, but sloppy. he crashed into the wall behind you, his body not keeping up with his bleeding brain. he hit the island, and groaned in frustration.

once you made it into the dining room, the empty knife block whizzed past your head. it clashed against the china cabinet, the glass shattering all over the floor. you flinched, covering your face with one hand while your other balanced against the wall.

you threw two dining chairs behind you in the walkway.

"will you fucking stop?!"

you ignored suguru, running into the loft. another right turn and you'd be in the living room again, making a full circle. you looked to the barricaded windows, patio furniture blocking the view of the backyard. a pathetic whimper escaped you as you fiddled with the lock anyway, your slick hands failing to pull the window open.

another item whizzed pas your head, shattering against the picture frame on the wall. it was a plate against the china cabinet.

you looked to your left, seeing suguru. he threw another one, and you clutched your head as you ducked, hearing it clash against the lamp behind your head. the light bulb sizzled as it shattered, the glass exploding in the air and engulfing the room into darkness.

standing again, you took a step to run, only for suguru to lunge in your direction. his hands pulled at your leg, and your body floundered in the air for a moment, before hitting the ground with a rough the thud. your chin hit the floor and you bit your tongue with a sharp cry. the blood pooled against your gums and you spit it out, watching the red crown splatter against the floorboard.

you kicked behind you, hoping to make contact with something. he held your legs down before flipping you over on your back, and you gasped at the sight of him looming over your legs. blood was pouring down the side of his face, the crimson color greasing against his teeth that were pulled into a tight smile that rocked your stomach.

"oh, satoru said you were feisty. i shoulda believed him," he laughed to himself. "would have saved myself a lot of trouble."

you kicked again, and suguru growled. he stabbed the knife into your calf, eliciting a sharp scream from you. the sound was hoarse, fragments of your body slowly shutting off as the adrenaline fizzled.

he pulled it out roughly, then stabbed it higher into your thigh. you screamed again, your hands flying to soothe the pain, just to be slapped away by him. his sick snicker rang loudly in your ears.

you groaned through gritted teeth, reaching above you to grab on to the ottoman. you pulled yourself away from him, and he laughed harder, the sound gurgling in his throat. he watched you like the struggle was for his entertainment, lighting up the darkness of his eyes.

"oh, i've been waiting for this. the chase is the best part, but, this never gets old."

you propped yourself on one elbow while the other pulled you closer to the fireplace. you locked eyes with the fire poker clattered against the ground, still sitting in its holster. you dragged your body across the floor, the fabric against your jeans soaking up the blood pooled beneath your body. you heaved yourself in to your knees, the knife still lodged in your thigh scraped against the floor in the process, and you closed your mouth to scream.

your head dropped as you leaned against the brick, your hand crawling away to grasp the fire poker.

suguru tutted, walking over to you. he kicked the holster away into the living room, immediately grinding the cleats of his boot into your hand.

you screamed, the wetness of your throat making it nothing more than a gurgle as tears slipped into your mouth. your body froze up at the pain, your jaw stuck open in pure shock.

he removed his boot and stepped back, pulling the knife from your thigh. he crouched down in front of you, taking up your blurry vision. you looked up at him with glossy eyes, thinking of satoru. if he was still upstairs, still looking for utahime. you wondered if he heard your screams and tuned them out like it was background noise, if he knew any of this was happening.

"i see it now. you really are quite pretty." suguru tilted his head.

suddenly, suguru's body stuttered, leaning forward slightly. you flinched at the impeding impact, the sound of knife against flesh slicing through the air. you waited for the sizzle of pain against your skin, the blade to be driven through your heart and finally end all of this. but it didn't come.

you blinked, looking at suguru. his eyes bored into you, drifting between bewilderment and shock. his knife slipped from his grasp, the butt of it landing between your legs as his hands shook, slowly rising against to clutch at chest.

he toppled to the side with a gasp, his throat gurgling with incoherent words as he stared down the man above him. blood poured from his back, seeping into the long locks of hair splayed out like a halo.

satoru stood in front of you, staring at you, the length of his blade soaked in blood that dripped on to your jeans. he was crazed, chest heaving with panic as his eyes raked over you and each stab that had ripped apart your skin. his pupils were shrunk, his face tight with horror and fear.

he tossed his knife to the side as he dropped to his knees, crawling closer to you. he lodged one knee between your thighs and the other on the outside, locking you in. his gloved hands inspected your legs and the wounds that hadn't existed the last time he saw you.

he held your face in his hands, blood smearing against your cheeks and mixing with your tears. "come on, pretty. stay with me. i'm here."

you sniffled, shaking your head. your crushed hand seared with pain, and you cradled it in your lap. your mind was a haze of fear and horror. "satoru, please. what are you doing?"

"i meant it. i told you you weren't gonna die. i can't let you die," he breathed, his voice whiny with desperation. still, he had a manic grin. "i'm here, no one's taking you from me, i told you, in the library, remember? they can't split us apart, i promise."

you couldn't remember, you could hardly think as he held you and stared into you. his eyes were hypnotizing, luring you to relax in his arms.

"stay with me, pretty. focus on me."

"satoru, why?" a broken sound erupted from your throat.

"why?" he repeated, his grip on your cheeks tightened for a moment. his mouth was over-saturated with spit that garbled his words, salivating as he looked at you like you were his last meal. "i care about you, sweets. i've always cared. m'not gonna let you go. i did all this, for you. you get it, sweets, right? they've done nothing but bring you down, you deserve so much better than that. i can give you better than that."

his soothing voice softened your disposition at the edges. you felt yourself nod at his words as they slipped through your ears and molded the spongy walls of your brain.

he smiled, tears pricking his eyes as he looked at you. one hand smoothed down your hair, leaving a trail of blood behind. "you're so pretty, you know that? always so, so pretty."

your stomach fluttered at his words, and he pressed his forehead against yours.

"come on, pretty. i'll be so much better. you believe me, right? i can be what you deserve. i just need you. i need you. just— just stay with me, tell me you'll stay with me." he spoke fast, like he counted on his words filling the space in your mind to prevent you from thinking for yourself. he would do all the thinking for you.

the stench of sweat and copper filled the room, but you could only focus on him, the way his hands gripped you like you were slipping away. the thick leather, rough against your skin grounded you to the earth. his devoted declarations dug into your broken and tired brain and settled there in place of your logic and self preservation, the only thing that mattered now was him, with you. you could only think of him.

"i'll stay with you," you breathed, nodding. "i'll stay with you, satoru."

he brightened with triumph, his features twisting together with desperation. "god, you're so fucking beautiful. i just need you, sweets. fucking forever, okay?"

there was a pounding against the front door. "hello?! naoya? y/n?!"

utahime's voice broke through the air, and she hit the door again. the noise was erratic, and she started kicking. "hello? we heard screaming! y/n, where are you?"

satoru didn't look away from you as he gently lifted your broken hand, his touch gentle. he pressed the bruising skin against his lips. "you're with me, right, pretty girl? forever?"

"forever," you agreed.

he leaned forward and kissed you, pulling you flush against his body. the blood from your bitten tongue spread between your mouths, mixing with saliva and snot that dripped from your nose with the tears. he didn't care, his tongue lapping up the sides of your mouth and cleaning the skin, his teeth clashing against yours.

you wrapped one arm around the back of his neck, keeping him close. his warmth was addicting, you concentrated on the feeling of his lips against yours, the softness of his skin and the devotion he poured in to you. you couldn't feel the pain radiating throughout your body anymore, the only parts of you that mattered were the ones that he touched. his hands braced against your cheeks, then your neck, your arms, all staking their claim and taking inventory of what was now his. forever.

"holy shit, is that mei? fuck, shoko, call the cops!"

satoru pulled away, his lips hovering over yours. you leaned forward again, and his face split into a grin as he kept you in place. "pretty girl, you gotta lie for me, okay? can you do that? you gotta lie, tell 'em it was suguru."

your head was spinning. utahime and shoko were here, and they were calling the cops. suguru, mei, and naoya were dead. "yeah, yeah… i can."

"you got me, pretty, right?"

you hummed, your breath weak.

"that's my girl." satoru murmured against your neck. he squeezed your sides. "all mine, so, so perfect. forever."

a bundle of nerves was heavy in your stomach as you stared yourself down in the mirror, your fingers carding through your hair and scrunching at your scalp. you smoothed it down quickly after, then focused on adjusted the hem of your shirt.

"why do you have to go to his place?"

utahime was laid across the couch of your apartment, her duffel back open on the floor next to her. her clean clothes were scattered over the accent chair, the dirty ones in a laundry basket she brought from home.

she'd taken it upon herself to stay with you since the party, not wanting to let you out of her sight ever again. shoko agreed, and made visits every other day.

"would you rather have him hang out here?"

"i don't like it. it's weird." she tsked. "he's not staying with anyone? after his roommate is found guilty for murder with memorabilia all over the place?"

"satoru said they cleared out his room a while ago with anything relating to ghostface, and his mom is coming this weekend to pick up his other things."

"ugh, that's gotta be hard."

"exactly," you agreed, grabbing your bag.

there were soft knocks against the door, and utahime perked up. she rose to her feet, following you closely as you slipped your shoes on and rested your hand on the doorknob.

you glanced back at her. "be nice."

she glowered.

satoru kept his hands tucked into his pockets, leaning against the doorway as you opened it for him. he was beaming, his eyes flittering over you before landing on the raincloud hovering your shoulder.

"hi," you said softly.

"hi."

utahime's arms were still crossed, her repulsion tight on her face as she looked him up and down.

he looked amused, raising his eyebrows as he greeted her as well.

she ignored him. "she needs to home by 9."

"9:30?" he asked, wincing with hope. you looked the other way to hide your amusement.

"9."

satoru nodded, pride blooming in his cheeks. "9. got it."

utahime gave you a long hug, opening her eyes briefly to give satoru a pointed glare that did nothing to deter the smirk on his face. she let go only to white-knuckle the doorknob behind you.

"i'll be back, 'hime."

"i have your location," she said warningly.

you stepped into the hallway, and she shut the door behind you. immediately, his hands wrapped around you and he pulled you in for a gentle kiss, his lips melting against yours.

"she's still not a fan?" he murmured against your mouth.

you giggled, shaking your head gently. "not yet. but she'll get there."

utahime groaned from the other side of the door.

you perked up at the sound of your name, seeing mei mei sitting on one of the benches in the hall with utahime at her side. leaned up against the wall, naoya waved you over with a wide grin.

“oh, hey,” you breathed, approaching them.

utahime scooted over to make room for you, eyeing you with concern. “you heard about last night, right?”

you raised your eyebrows. “yeah, couldn’t miss it, i’ve been watching the news for, like, three days now. i can’t believe they still have nothing on this guy.”

“don’t do that,” mei mei chimed in, not sparing you a glance. she was typing away on her phone, naoya nosily peeking over her shoulder. “you’re going to freak yourself out that way, they’re just giving out the same information and tips to keep yourself safe at night.”

“i’m not freaking out,” you claimed, voice raising a pitch. “it makes me feel better to know i’m updated.”

“right,” she said sarcastically.

“the news is just meant to scare you anyway,” naoya said, shrugging as he looked at you. “they want everyone to just hide in their houses all day and stream their channel and make all of this a bigger deal than it is.”

he patted your head, patronizing, and you swatted him away.

“a 'bigger' deal than it is?” utahime echoed, an incredulous look on her face. “two students have been murdered, naoya. i feel like it is a pretty big deal.” 

he rolled his eyes. “they probably got ripped apart for doing something to this guy, owed him money, or kicking his ass, or something. the police are just too stupid to figure it out, and the guy is gonna disappear forever after this.”

you hummed mockingly. “you’re right, naoya. they should put you on the case.”

he ignored your tone, gesticulating to the air like you'd made an excellent point. “they should!”

“i heard that they think it's a student,” utahime said in a hushed whisper, casting a glance around the halls to the many similar groups of friends all huddled together, talking about the night before. “can you imagine that, though? like, one of us running around just killing people at night, and then just coming back to school all casual? who does that?” "well, i know who it’s not,” mei drawled, looking at her.

“what is that supposed to mean?”

mei grinned. “you’re too flighty. look at you right now, literally on the edge of your seat.”

you all glanced at utahime’s posture, and surely enough, she was scooted to the edge of the bench like she was ready to sprint off at any given moment. her face began to redden and she huffed, forcing her to lie back against the seat. her arms remained tense, holding her books with a vice grip, and her feet planted flat to the ground. 

“mei, you could do it,” you said, with a growing smile. “who knows where you disappear off to at night. and if i didn’t know you, i’d say you’re way too calm about all of this. like, xanax calm.”

“i think i could,” she conceded, thoughtfully looking up. “what’s my motive?”

“money.” the three of you said in unison.

“... hm.”

the clock quickly moved closer to 9:00am, and the halls gradually thinned out as more students headed to their classes. you followed suit, departing from your friends and breezing through the hallways by yourself.

with each step, you felt the familiar anxiety settling in your stomach again. it was defeating, not even being able to relish in the feeling of it being gone while you spoke to your friends, and only realizing it as it came back to you full force. your hands were becoming clammy, gripping the straps of your back for some solace as your mind slowly indulged in all your terrifying thoughts and questions.

who could it be, if it was really a student?

you approached the entrance to the lecture, pausing slightly as you surveyed the back of your peers' heads. they sat quietly, typing on their laptops or pulling up notes. what if it was someone in your class?

you entered the classroom and descended the steps, finding your usual seat by the aisle. you observed the room with a sweeping glance, meeting eyes with a few students that quickly looked away. you tried to ignore them, knowing they held no weight and you were all guilty of the same anxiety.

a student on your right glanced back at you as he settled into his seat, sending a polite, awkward smile in your direction. you offered him the same smile, slightly lifting your fingers from the aggressive clutch of your bag in a sad attempt to wave. 

his name was satoru, and you’d shared classes with him throughout your time at jujutsu tech. it was kind of nice, having a familiar face hang around over the years as you pursued the same major. there were so many you’d seen come in and drop out, or switch over, or double major. he was consistent, though a bit more reserved.

there had only been a handful of conversations between you, exchanging pleasantries and chatting about homework. the conversations died quickly, an uncomfortable silence weighing in the air after a bland comment neither of you knew what to do with. you were sure the only reason he ever started acknowledging you was because it would have been much more awkward to pretend he didn’t notice you after sharing so many classes.  

you passed him and sat in your seat, a few rows ahead, on the opposite side of the aisle. soon after, the professor shut the doors and began his lesson.

for an hour, you were engrossed into the topics your professor presented and distracted from the fear that lived in you. eventually, the class ended and your peers quickly lined up at the doors and dispersed throughout the halls. 

you gathered your belongings, slipping your laptop in your bag with your notebook. 

“hey, y/n?” you turned around, a little surprised to hear your name. it was satoru, standing against the desk next to you on the opposite side of the aisle. he had his notebooks tucked underneath his arm tightly, as if they'd get slapped out of his grip.

you offered a smile. “oh, hey. what’s up?”

“this is yours, right?” he stepped forward and extended his hand to show off a blue pen. it was glittery and bright, the clip of it was broken and uneven. you had never really noticed it had gone missing.

“oh, yeah, thanks.” you carefully plucked it from his fingers and tucked it into the spiral of your notebook. “i didn’t even realize.”

satoru gave you a lopsided grin, his head tilting lazily as he watched your movements. you were suddenly reminded of how tall he really was compared to you, having to crane your neck to meet his gaze. he filled out the walkway space easily, an effective blockade between you and the stairs. it was easy to forget when he was so quiet, fleeting in and out of rooms without giving anyone time to see him sit still.

his eyebrows twitched and he sucked in a breath like he was going to speak. you looked up at him expectantly, waiting for him to fill the silence.

“yeah, i was wondering—“

“yo, y/n! let’s go!”

you and satoru turned toward the door, where naoya stood with his hand reaching above him clasping onto the door frame, chewing his gum with an obnoxious smirk. he shamelessly took up the entire space, his unzipped letterman jacket fanning out and widening his stance. 

satoru took a step back, turning his body towards the door. disappointment weighed on his face, pinching his eyebrows together and dropping his lips to an annoyed frown.

he tilted his glasses up with his knuckle. “i'll see you.”

you gave him an apologetic expression before he turned away. “see you, satoru.”

you watched as he quickly walked towards the exit. he had long legs that moved much faster than yours as you trailed behind him.

in the doorway naoya didn’t move. he kept his hands braced above him like it was the most casual and comfortable stance in the world, his clear amusement written on his face as he stared down satoru. his grin was wide and loud as he chewed a piece of gum, and adjusted his feet flat against the tile.

satoru returned the glare, raising his eyebrows expectantly without saying a word. his thumb tapped against his books impatiently, like he'd already been pushed to his last nerve. for a few moments he stared, waiting.

you'd caught up behind him by the time satoru persisted through naoya's blockade.

satoru knocked into his shoulder, wedging his way through into the open space and slipping into the hallway. fleeting, as always. naoya stumbled back with a scoff. you approach him after satoru skittered off. “that was shitty. you could’ve moved.” “he could’ve said please.”

you looked at him in bewilderment. “seriously?"

“relax, y/n!” naoya laughed as you ducked under his arm to walk past him, he dropped his arms and followed you. “i’m just kidding!”

★✰

white curtains flowed inside your apartment, dancing against the wooden floors with the wind breathing through them. it was uncomfortably warm in your apartment, living on a higher floor had everyone’s heat climbing to settle in your room. still, the outside air brushed gently against your skin to cool you off.

you laid on your couch, leaning on the armrest lazily with your feet crossed over the coffee table next to a bowl of popcorn. you idly clicked through movies to watch, trying to distract yourself from the recent events but there was nothing standing out to draw your interest.

after a few minutes, you landed on a classic horror movie, psycho. with a sigh, you pulled the popcorn bowl toward you and curled into the cushions. the fabric was scratchy against your skin, an old, cheap piece of furniture you’d bartered from some seniors who were moving out after their graduation. 

suddenly, your phone buzzed methodically against the table. the vibrations against the wood were harsh and made you flinch, and you quickly lurched forward to grab it. you furrowed your eyebrows as you were presented with no caller id.

you ran your tongue over your lips as you stared at your phone. hesitantly, you tapped the answer button and held it to your ear. “hello?

silence greeted you on the other end, sending a chill down your spine. you rolled your shoulders to combat the uncomfortable sensation, waiting for someone to speak. “hello?”

there was rustling on the other line, then a deep inhale. “hello, is this y/n?”

you narrowed your eyes at the question, the voice was unfamiliar. it was deep and gravelly, with some sort of static disrupting the way it carried through your phone. “yeah, who’s this?”

“a friend of a friend,” they answered. there was a hint of smugness in their tone, teasing you with the lack of an answer. you could almost hear the way their lips parted, the upwards curl carrying through the phone. “i was wondering what you were up to tonight.”

your curtains suddenly whooshed with a great gust of air, your gaze flickering to the window for a moment. your muscles felt stiff. “how’d you get this number?”

“oh, come on,” they drawled. “don’t you know everything’s online nowadays?”

you frowned, was this a stupid prank call? “who is this?”

“i already told you, a friend of a friend,” the voice said, like they were trying to soothe you. it was condescending, the way they acted as if you were ridiculous for asking their name. “come on, pretty. humor me. what movie are you watching?”

you froze, a sudden weight barreling down in your stomach, your mouth becoming dry. you looked at the tv, the suspenseful tune carrying on in the background. “how did you know i was watching a movie?”

“lucky guess,” they said simply. the calmness in their voice only spurred on your unease. “what kind of movies do you like, y/n?”

the echo of your name crawled over the skin of your neck. you stayed silent, slowly standing from your couch. you eyed your surroundings with caution, the dark hallway leading to your bedroom, the cracked closet door, and the two open windows lining your living room wall with access to the fire escape. 

the air was thick, sticking to your skin like a heavy blanket that squeezed tighter and tighter. your heartbeat was picking up, hammering in your chest as you turned helplessly in your apartment. your brain was buzzing at the idea of someone watching from outside.

“do you like scary movies?”

a realization hit you, a moment of clarity finally breaking through the fog of fear clouding your mind.

“naoya, if this is you, i swear to god i’ll kill you,” you said with sudden confidence, turning off the tv. approaching one of the windows, you brushed past the curtains and looked outside to the street, seeing nothing but a few passerby's on the sidewalk– paired up, looking ahead and rushing to get home, paying no attention to their surroundings, much less the apartment five floors up. “i’ll have mei do it, so they’ll never find your body.”

“woah, woah,” the voice chuckled, followed by an admiring sigh. “there’s no need to compare me to that meathead you call a friend.”

“... but would it make you feel better, sweets? if i killed him?”

“you’re not fucking funny.”

“do i sound like i’m joking?” they snapped. 

you swallowed, glancing around your apartment before pushing the window closed. you grit your teeth. “who are you?”

the voice tsked. “come on, y/n. you’re a smart girl, don’t try and play dumb with me.”

dread pooled in your stomach, and you stared at the dark alleyway across the street. it was taunting, the black void pulsating in the darkness, knowing your eyes couldn’t adjust so far away. hairs straightened on the back of your neck, telling you someone was looking back. you latched the lock on the window and shut the blinds, before moving to the other window and repeating the same actions.

every alarm in your brain was going off, telling you to leave. grab your shoes, the pepper spray you keep with your keys, and–

you pulled your phone away from your ear and abruptly ended the call. you leaned against the wall and breathed for a moment.

seconds passed of silence in the room, and you took slow, quiet breaths. the only thing you could hear was the sound of your blood rushing in your ears.

suddenly, your phone rang again. no caller id.

there was no way this was happening to you.

you frowned and angrily bit back at the caller. “how old are you, and doing a stupid prank call? i swear to god if you call back again–”

“do you want me to prove it to you, pretty?”

“prove what–”

“prove that it’s me, ghostface.” his tone was lighthearted and nearly giggly as he threw out the nickname the news stations had given him. it was a punch to your gut, the kind that buckled your knees and kept you hunched over pathetically.

“this is sick shit. what do you want?”

“i want you to notice me,” he purred. “what do i have to do?”

“wha- what?” you breathed, narrowing your eyebrows. you white knuckled the windowsill behind you. your mind was spinning, begging for you to sit and process the information flooding your brain. “i’m noticing, okay? leave me the fuck alone.”

ghostface chuckled quietly, then whined with desperation. “i can’t, y/n. and i really don’t think you believe me here.”

“i believe you’re a–”

“no, no, i get it,” ghostface sighed, melodramatic and teasing. “i wouldn’t believe me either, with these prank calls going around…” his voice dropped to a low mumble. “who’s to say what’s real or not these days?”

“i’m sorry for the confusion, pretty. i’ll make it up to you.”

the call ended.

immediately, you ripped the phone away from you with shaking hands, pushing your hair out of your face to try and examine it, as if it would give you any information. you checked the two call logs you had from the unknown caller, yielding nothing useful whatsoever. just how much time you had wasted on the phone with him.

“fuck,” you hissed.

the cracked closet door taunted you. you bolted to it, swinging the door open to survey the rack of coats and jackets hanging inside. adrenaline pumped through your veins as you waved your hand desperately through the layers to see if there was anyone inside, only to reveal nothing and no one.

your brain felt scattered, different directions running through your mind. frantically, you shut the closet, then double-checked your front door was locked. shakily, you scrambled over the key dish and collected your pepper spray and then cradled your sneakers in your hands. you tiptoed through your apartment, shutting off the lights as you went, casting a final glance around the space before ducking into your bedroom. all nooks and crannies cleared the potential points of entry secured.

your bedroom door opened with a slow creak. you kept the light off. there was a stream of moonlight from your window that hit the carpet and climbed the wall next to you. resting your heels against the carpet, you carefully locked the door behind you.

for a moment, you stood still. waiting to hear a rustle in the darkness.

your breaths were harsh, you forced them through your nose in an attempt to calm down as you sat on your bed. you set the shoes on the floor and your pepper spray on the nightstand. 

it took hours for you to find enough comfort to settle into your sheets, pulling the comforter up just below your eyes, trying your hardest to keep them peeled through the drowsiness that dragged them shut. even so, the anxiety running through your veins beckoned your mind to stay awake.

the sounds of your apartment were distant, the fridge thrumming down the hall and the ac clattering from the living room. every sound you had grown accustomed to over the years now felt like an indication someone was there, creeping through the darkness, gradually approaching the sanctity of your room.

the night stayed quiet, and you assured yourself over and over that it was just a prank call. someone with a sick mind trying to freak you out, make you think you were next.

if it were real, you would be dead, is what you reminded yourself as you fell asleep.

★✰

the weekend went by without any interruptions, and the tension from the phone call had all but completely dissolved as you told yourself it was some stupid prank. it had been days.

still, the thought managed to crawl over the back of your neck and nestle in the back of your head as you began your morning routine on monday, on the walk to campus, and throughout your first class. you repeated the mantra to keep one foot in front of the other, without spiraling completely.

the conviction in your reminders was lost when utahime shoved her phone in your face later that afternoon, showing off some skeezy big-time journalist that had skipped their way into town and gotten their hands on the ghostface case.

lazily censored pictures of a crime scene were plastered over the front page of their website, blood spattered over the walls and staining the cream colored carpet to what would come out as an ungodly brown. 

there were thick trails of blood drawn into the carpet, the coffee table thrown to the side and shattered glass that sparkled with the flash of the crime scene camera. scrawled into the floor was the word: SEE?

you could feel your stomach begin to turn on itself, becoming a swirl of intestines and food that was getting ready to crawl right back up your throat. the fear that slammed into you suddenly made you feel lightheaded as the events of friday replayed in your head. it was real. he was there.

“what do you think it means? it's so obscure, just one word?” utahime asked out loud, pointing at the pictures like her phone wasn’t currently in your hands. “i wonder what he’s trying to say."

mei hummed. she waved a hand through the air absentmindedly, glancing at her phone as it lit up. “he’s just taunting the police, you know, ‘see what i can do’? it’s ballsy.”

“who cares?” naoya said through the bites of hamburger that were shoved into his mouth. a chewed piece of bread shot out and landed on the center of the table, existing for just a moment before he scooped it back into his mouth. “this guy is ruining the fucking vibe. i’ve had a shit ton of people text me just to let me know they’re bailing out on my party this weekend. like, what the hell? this guy doesn’t attack in groups, but everyone’s worked up anyway.”

hesitantly, you scrolled down the article for any details, your fingers shaking against the screen. the voices of your friends quickly became background noise.

‘… the latest victim is yet another jujutsu tech student named mahito, 20 years old. the attack was launched in his campus apartment late last night and although there are clear signs of a struggle, none of his neighbors claimed to have heard anything…’

“holy shit, mahito?” you breathed, looking up from utahime’s phone. “naoya, didn’t you know that guy?”

he scoffed. “hardly.”

“he’s on the football team.”

“so? we’ve got a big team,” naoya loudly crushed his lunch trash into a tight ball. “guy’s been on bench since he started, he wasn’t anything special.”

you narrowed your eyebrows. “jesus, have some respect, would you?”

“woah-ho!” naoya raised his hands in defense. “i’m just saying. no, i didn’t know the guy, he didn’t bring a lot to the team!”

“oh, my god,” you muttered, dropping utahime’s phone on the table with a clatter.

you could feel your face grow hot from the sudden nerves that sparked a fire on every inch of your skin, and naoya's tone deaf ramblings were only making it worse. moisture licked at your palms as you clenched your fists under the table, digging your nails into your skin in a desperate attempt to ground yourself.

your thoughts were swimming, lulling you further into panic at the idea that that night you were speaking to the real ghostface. he wanted you to notice, to see him.

utahime laughed lamely, an offering to ease the tension. “i mean, come on, naoya. you don’t think it’s a little close to home, him being on the team and all?”

“i think if he weren’t on the bench, he’d be alive right now.”

suddenly, you stood from the table, your palms slapping against the wood to steady yourself. you surprised yourself by the action, taking a step back and digging your heel into the grass to combat the dizzy spell threatening to knock you down.

“y/n?” mei’s calm voice broke through the thickness of the air. she looked up from her phone, setting it down gently.

“i can’t listen to this,” you said, shaking your head with a scoff. your face was uncomfortably warm.

you slipped your bag over your shoulder as you stepped away from the table, tension coiling in your chest. you sigh as you walk quickly towards the sidewalk, approaching the closest building, desperate to escape their stares. they looked to each other and spoke softly.

for just a moment, after stepping through the school doors, you cast a side glance to take in your surroundings. immediately, there was a brute force slamming against your shoulder and sent you stumbling. you hear objects smack against the floor and you turn, one hand clutching your bag.

satoru looked equally as surprised, wide eyes pointed to two of his notebooks scattered on the floor, the pages splayed out against the tile.

“oh, my god, satoru, i’m so sorry,” you blurted, your jaw dropping in shock. 

you bent down to pick up his stuff, your knees pressing into the cold floor. he mirrored your actions with quickness, frantically grabbing his notebooks and slapping them shut before you could touch them, and sliding them back toward himself to tuck them in his arms.

raising your eyebrows, you reeled your hands back in surrender.

satoru looked up at you with wide, blue eyes. he blinked them to normal size, shaking his head with a sheepish chuckle. “sorry– my notes are, um, messy. seriously, it's like chicken scratch.”

“don’t worry, i get it,” you smiled to the best of your ability, hoping to ease the tension, despite that your frustrations from moments ago still clinging to you. “are you getting out of class?”

his eyes seemed to light up behind his black frames, the pretty blues swirling with delight. his lips raised into a grin he was clearly trying to hold back. even so, you could see his pristine white canines lined perfectly behind his lips. you didn't see him smile much, nor did you ever end up this close to him, his breath fanning against your cheek. his closeness made your stomach turn.

“yeah, you’ve got cosmology next, right?”

you pause, your eyebrows pinching together for just a moment as you tilted your head. “uh, how did you…?”

satoru nods his head to your bag. your cosmology textbook had slowly begun to slip, peaking out and dipping closer to the floor as you crouched down. you gave a pitiful laugh, embarrassment flushing your face as you tucked it back in. 

“oh, right…”

he smirked, a breathless laugh leaving him as the two of you stood. his eyes stayed on you, flickering over your frame curiously. “you feeling alright?”

“what?” you blinked, looking up at him. 

“you seem a little out of it."

you blinked, suddenly realizing how skittish you were acting. you nodded, a little too enthusiastically. "oh, i'm fine, just tired."

satoru tilted his head with a slight nod, the skepticism written all over his face. he adjusted his hold on his notebooks and tucked them to his side. "yeah, i think everyone is right now. with midterms coming up, and… you know, everything."

you swallowed. "yeah, but i'm sure it'll be fine. eventually, you know?"

satoru's lips twitched with a smirk, a glint of amusement sparkling in his eyes. "yeah, it'll work out."

the hallways dwindled down in people, and you glanced at the clock. "i gotta go, but i'll see you in class, yeah?"

he beamed, pleased. "yeah, i'll see you later."

you watched as he walked away, disappearing through the doors leading outside. from the window, you could see the table your friends still sat at, and naoya's gaze that seemed to follow satoru with disgust. you scoffed to yourself, trying to shake off the irritation as you walked to your class. ★✰

you closed the door to your apartment behind you, locking it and jiggling the handle to make sure. sighing, you switched the lights on to the living room and kitchen, surveying the space for a few moments in silence. the heater wasn't running, no cars driving, just silence.

you stretched your legs as you took your shoes off, muscles burning with atrophy. after tossing your keys on the table, your phone buzzed from your pocket. a text from utahime lit up the screen.

utahime: haven't seen you since this morning, are you okay?

guilt crept into your gut. you'd skipped out on seeing your friends for lunch, keeping your head down as you focused on your classes today. naoya's comments still burned irritation in you. but, maybe you overreacted a bit.

yeah, i think i'm just really tired.

she responded quickly.

utahime: me too

utahime: girls night tmrw?

you smiled to yourself, walking through your apartment.

yes, please <3

you lifted your head as you made it closer to your bedroom, coming to an immediate stop at the sight of your door cracked. a couple inches revealing the impending darkness. your stomach dropped and unease crept over your shoulders, ghostly fingers sinking into your skin like a heavy, cold massage, sending shivers throughout your spine. the feeling stretched to your arms, the inside of your thighs and locked your calves.

you remember closing the door, you remember the click of the latch.

staying silent, you took a few steps back to your kitchen. you slipped a knife from the wooden block on the island, and opened your phone with 911 on the dial. the pads of your feet were dug into the hardwood as you tiptoed against the wall toward your bedroom again.

you remember closing it… right? that had to have been this morning. you remember fixing the hood of your jacket and putting on your shoes after.

making it to the end of the hall, you waited, hovering in front of the door. there was nothing to hear, no ambience, no rustling. only the sound of your heartbeat that felt too much for your chest to bear.

did you go back inside after shutting it? surely not, that was the other day when you forgot your wallet. was that today? you never jiggled the knob to double check.

in a quick motion, you reached your hand inside to the light switch, flicking it on. your stomach dropped with the click of the lights turning on. through the crack in the door, the room seemed normal. your bed still made, the same clothes on the floor from this morning, the sliding doors of your closet still open so you could see inside.

with a surge of confidence you pushed the door fully open, white knuckling the knife and looking around for any sign of intruders. your chest heaved, eyes flickering around the room for any sudden movement from the open closet. you dropped to your knees next, cheek against the carpet as you checked under the bed without getting too close. only a couple of lost socks and a water bottle.

turning to sit against the wall, you let out a relieved sigh. you tilted your head back until it hit the wall, closing your eyes for a moment as you caught your breath. it was just you, alone, carrying a knife around your apartment like a paranoid lunatic. you rubbed your forehead with frustration, scratching your eyebrow.

a gust of wind brushed against your face, your hair hitting your cheek. you furrowed your eyebrows and glanced to the vent on the other side of the room, before the movement of your curtains caught your eye.

you remember locking all your windows.

crawling across the floor of your bedroom, the cheap spirals carpet dug into your skin roughly, leaving a stinging sensation behind. you leveraged the nightstand to help yourself up and look through the window. you stuck your head out slightly, to the sides and out in front of you, confused. this side of the building didn't have a fire escape, it was only a slight ledge for the windows and a balcony on the opposite side of the alleyway.

you looked to the bottom of the alley, where trash littered the sides and stray cats circled a rat in the corner. red paint splayed out against the concrete, making you nauseous.

SEE?

you slammed the window shut and locked it again, your nose burned as you fought the urge to cry. you took a deep breath, rubbing your eyes harshly as if it would wipe the image from your brain. it was all real, every second of the call, the crime scene, now the alley.

your phone rang, and you froze. with shaky hands, you answered, not bothering to look at the caller id.

"hello?"

"i told you, right?" ghostface purred. "i'm a lot of things, but i'm no liar, sweets."

another deep breath. "you were here."

"i paid a visit, yeah," he conceded. you could imagine him leaning back in a chair with the casualness of his voice, like any of this was normal. "those bedsheets are cute."

you tasted vomit, looking around your room. your eyes landed on your dresser, a few of the drawers left open.

"what did you do?"

"i left a message, pretty girl, that's all." he said, with a mocking tone. "i wouldn't do anything… untoward."

you pulled open the drawers, dragging your hand in them. you weren't sure if you were looking something left behind, or something missing. either way, nothing was sticking out to you. "i'm calling the cops."

"no, you aren't," he replied, no authority in his tone, but completely sure of himself. of you. "they won't help you."

"this is breaking and entering."

"is anything broken?"

you frowned at his petulance. "harassment."

"they can't trace this back to me."

"stalking."

ghostface laughed at that one, his distorted voice crackling through the receiver.

"how about this, pretty? you call them…" he added in a sing song voice, "and i'll kill you."

"what do you want?" you asked harshly, slamming one of the drawers. you sighed, looking down the hallway, the anxiety had taken over and now you weren't so sure you were alone. "are you really doing all this to just kill me?"

"oh, come on," he pouted through the phone, like he was disappointed that you would think so low of him. "i don't want to kill you, i just want you to… see."

"see?" you echoed. you thought back to the pictures of the crime scene, the alleyway just outside. "see what?"

"see things the way i do, pretty… you're such a sweet girl, you know, so kind to everyone. you must have some solid friendships, right?"

"what the hell is that supposed to mean?"

ghostface chuckled, his laugh cracking through the voice distortion. "don't get so defensive, it's just a question. such an interesting group of people," he sighed, as if deep in thought, "the jock, the rich girl, the scaredy-cat… and you. smart, capable. it's kind of like the breakfast club."

"you've never had friends before?" you scoffed. you squeezed the wood of your dresser, frustrations trumping the anxiety that had swelled in your gut.

gentle rain started to patter on your window, the soft sound on the pane tensing your shoulders like a cold finger was tapping right along your back to the rhythm.

"some, here and there," he said simply, then took a deep breath. "but, i'd hate for anything to… happen to them. anything undeserving, at least."

"don't you fucking dare—"

"i'm rather selective, with who i surround myself with, you know. you should feel special."

"yeah, i'm feeling real special right now," you drawled.

"i'm serious," he said with sudden sincerity. "you are special, pretty. and once you see things the way i do, you'll know it. i'll show you…"

"… you should get some rest, there's that quiz in the morning for astronomy, right?"

fuck.

"goodnight, pretty girl."

the call ended before you could respond, and you were left alone with your thoughts. ghostface was real, and he knew who you were, he knew your friends, your schedule, where you lived. he was watching, and waiting to show you something.

you looked down at your phone, to see 911 still on the dial and ready to be called. you stared at it for a few seconds, hearing his distorted voice echoing through your head, they won't help you. and you knew, even if they could, he would kill you.

the rain bellowed, lightning cracking in the sky as it turned into a harsh downpour just outside. with it, the message in the alley washed away.

★✰

your classes were over for the day, yet your instincts were begging you not to go home just yet. 

you let yourself into the library, your gaze sweeping over the scattered students inside, quietly working. their eyes flickered to you for a moment, before looking back at their laptops and notebooks with a disinterested fog over their eyes. librarians bustled through the shelves as they restocked them. as you passed through the aisles, your gaze flickered to a particularly large cart of book returns under the horror section.

there was a table in the far corner of the library, up against the grand wall of windows. you carefully set your bag down on the glossy wood finish and tucked yourself in the seat against the wall, giving you a decent view of the library. you could see a handful of tables, the front desk, and the entrance. outside, a few students walked by and in the distance there was a group tossing around a football.

you opened your laptop and began working on your assignments, occasionally flipping through your textbook. the material seemed foreign, you couldn't remember when it was covered in class— you recognized some of the words, rooted in the basis of physics, but thrown together it seemed like nothing more than a mirage sitting in front of you, the single thread of your conscience holding it all together.

anxiety prickled at your fingers as you flipped through the pages, starting at the beginning of the chapter, then the next one, hoping the information would make it all click. still, your mind couldn't wrap around it.

suddenly, your phone buzzed against the table. you jolted at the commotion, eyes widening when you saw the no caller id.

you glanced around the library, scooting your chair back slightly. you picked up the phone. “hello?”

“hello, y/n.” the voice said. “i’ve been thinking about you. did you miss me?”

“the suns still up, you feeling brave?” you retorted, fighting the shakiness in your voice. you glanced out the window. 

you’d grown to detest the sunset, knowing as the moon hung overhead it only inched closer to when you’d be receiving an ominous phone call. they reveled in the uncertainty the darkness provided, as it only added to their mysterious demeanor, the total unpredictability of where they were and what they were capable of.

something had changed. it wasn’t even 4pm, and the sun was clear in the sky, warming the surfaces by the library’s window. yet, he still called. you should feel safe in the daylight, out in the open, even when receiving a phone call like this. but the sudden change in routine made your stomach turn, and you knew you were missing something.

“i couldn’t help myself, i wanted to hear your voice again.” he purred into the receiver. “i’ve been thinking about you all day, you know.”

you narrowed your eyes, your gaze following those who passed on the sidewalk. “you don’t have anything better to do?”

“oh, trust me, i’ve had a busy day. had to fit you in somewhere." he chuckled, and sucked in a breath. "and, besides. its too tempting when you’re all alone like that. i should be worried you’re setting me up."

“busy day? it's tuesday.”

“i’ve got some big plans this week, y/n.”

“like what?”

“well, i can’t spoil the surprise…” he teased.

you frowned at the thought of a surprise, that could mean anything for him, none of the possibilities were good.

“come on, don’t pout like that, baby.”

you stiffen, casting a sweeping glance across the library. tables emptied and filled again, more rounds of students filing into the room and finding their seats. 

a few tables away, in the center of the room you recognized satoru. his eyes were squinted, glued to the screen of his laptop with his knuckles pressing into his mouth. his other hand was preoccupied, scribbling something down in his notebook.

you watched as a group of people took chairs from his table for their own groups of friends without bothering to ask, but he didn’t spare them a glance.

“oh? have i got your attention?” they chuckled on the other line. 

you stand, your head on a swivel as your gaze sharpens at each student on the library. your breath starts to quicken with a building desperation to find him. “where are you?”

he tsked. “and give myself away? you know better than that, sweet girl.” 

“but you should start paying more attention to the people around you,” he added. “you never know who might be watching.”

you breathed harshly through your nose, stepping away from the table and slowly inching to stand against the bookshelves. the air felt heavier, the dim corners of the room seemed a lot darker, threatening to consume the library and summon violence and despair.

wary looks were sent your way as you stuck close to the shelves, rounding the corners with a hardened expression. you nervously scanned your surroundings. your unoccupied hand danced along the spines of the books you passed, the rigid textures scraping against your skin were a poor attempt to ground you.

“i’ll find you,” you breathed into the receiver.

“i’ll find you first.”

you turned into the next aisle with a glance behind you, watching the back of the library with a sharp eye.

"oh, hey, y/n."

your head snapped forward, eyebrows shooting up. satoru was now standing there, his body facing the shelves, yet taking up half of the aisle. he pushed his glasses up gently, before placing his hand back on the wooden shelf and tapping his thumb. his biceps flexed under his shirt.

sheepishly, you held your phone against your shoulder, hearing the distant cackle of the man on the other line.

"sorry, were you talking to someone?" his lips twitched into a smirk, squinting slightly.

the sun shined through the slits between books, highlighting the sharp features of his face. his eyes were piercing in the light, even behind his glasses, surrounded by long white lashes and the warm glow of his skin.

"no, it's just—" you looked back at your phone, ending the call swiftly. you watched the black screen flicker, until it brought your lock screen to life. a picture of you and utahime squeezing each other drunkenly at noaya's party last year, your faces taken up with bright smiles and liquor splashed on to your shirts. "utahime. she'll be fine."

he nodded, taking a step back. he looked around the library, then his eyes landed on you again. "well, what are you in for?"

your gaze flickered up to the hanging sign above you, marking the designated shelves for physics research. "um, trying to study for that test we have. i have a feeling i'm going to bomb it."

"yeah? need some help?" he offered with smirk, a hint of smugness seeping through as he tilted his head. "i'm doing pretty well, with the stuff we've been learning."

please. you blinked at him, hope flickering in your chest as he raised his eyebrows in offering, the glint in his eye warmed your cheeks. "that'd actually be great, i think my brain is starting to fry."

the two of you stopped by his table, seat of one, to gather his things before walking over to where you had your textbooks laid out and laptop still open. after turning your backs, you hard a scuffle. you glanced over your shoulder to see the other crowd of students migrate their large group to disperse around the empty table as well. they didn't look up or speak a word to either of you, not that they needed to. the scene similar to one of vultures swooping in on a dead animal after it takes its last step.

satoru settled in to the seat across from yours, letting his backpack slump against the leg of the table. he opened his laptop, the glowing symbol flickering to life, surrounded by an array of stickers. it caught your eye, and you quickly became distracted as you focused on the decorations. a redbull sticker, two stick figures fighting, numerous sunglasses scattered across the cover. along the top, there was one of red dripping down, gushing from an imaginary cut.

you tapped your fingers rhythmically along the table as he pulled up his notes. your eyes narrowed curiously.

"is that a digimon?" you ask before you can stop yourself, pointing to the sticker of a cat-like creature with green talons.

satoru paused, his expression brightening. his eyes became wide, sparkling with excitement as he peered over the top of his laptop. he tapped it with his pointer finger. "oh, tailmon? yeah, he's one of my favorites. you like digimon?"

"yeah, i watched it all the time growing up. there's a game coming out soon, right?"

he nodded enthusiastically. "yeah, time stranger. it's supposed to be really good, i preordered it already."

that made you giggle, and satoru's laughter followed with a flustered smile. there was a blush climbing from his neck up to his cheeks. he adjusted his glasses. "uh, we can go over the last chapter."

you winced. "would you mind going over chapter 16 first? i've been trying to work my way back to make sense of chapter 20 but i think that's where i need to start."

his face twitched, fighting against what could only be described as a victorious smirk. one that vanished as quickly as it revealed itself.

satoru shrugged his shoulders, feigning nonchalance. "oh, yeah? i don't mind, as long as you're okay being holed up with me for a while."

he leaned over the center of the table as he turned his laptop to face you, and you mirrored his actions to meet him half way. you looked down at his open notebook, pages lined with neat handwriting and added-on clarifications in the margins that you imagined him take during the lectures. with furrowed eyebrows, you compared the detail of his notes to your own, filling in the spots you missed out on.

you could feel the way his breath aired over your cheek, so close it made your stomach drop. his arm hovered over yours as he pointed to the computer screen, explaining something that only passed through your ears as mumbled nonsense. you nodded anyway, and he smiled smugly, like he could see the haze glossing over your eyes.

satoru smelled like vanilla and bourbon, comforting and warm as the scent wrapped around you and brought you further into him. it was strong, and sweet, like an old home filled with fresh pastries. you blinked yourself out of the sweet fog that had enveloped your brain.

while you took notes, he looked at you with hooded eyes. he zoned out, looking at you while you paid too much attention to the paper to notice, his tongue poking out to lick his lips with thinly veiled hunger in his gaze.

the warmth of his body breezed over your skin, and you pulled away slightly. you looked up with a flustered grin, catching the way he blinked himself back to a soft expression, his gaze turning to one of curiosity and amusement.

you noticed the way his eyes drifted down, and took their time climbing back up, as if he had all the time in the world to gander.

"you have nice handwriting," you said, looking back at your notebook. you cleared your throat, you could feel your skin pulse with your erratic heartbeat. loud, rushed, panicked.

satoru blinked, his eyebrows scrunching together with brief realization. his mouth opened and shut, and his head bounced with a weak chuckle that had no humor to it. "you think so? everything's so online nowadays, i don't write my notes so much."

you brushed off the dreadful déjà vu that tickled the back of your neck. "yeah, i mean, it's definitely not chicken scratch."

as time went on, he flipped through his textbook, he went over the course notes with you. you realized that not only was satoru smart, he was also a great teacher, the way he explained things from textbook definition and easily filed them down to real-life uses and simplified terms, without losing the substance. only a few times did he throw in a digimon reference.

at one point, satoru leaned further over the table to drag his long finger along a quote in the textbook and read it out loud. his hand glided along the paper, his body pressing up against yours without any recognition of personal space. his face hovered a few inches front of yours, and you blinked cluelessly before you slowly realized he was waiting for you to respond.

"i'm sorry, what'd you say?"

satoru grinned, leaning back slightly. your eyes followed him. "i said that the quarks can never be alone, they need someone to grab on to, so they form a bond with an anti-quark. it's important to know we can't 'observe' free quarks."

"oh, why not?"

"they're clingy," he said simply, shrugging. his tone was low and reticent, "and they make it everyone's problem. because as you split the two of them apart… the distance only makes them stronger," his gaze trailed over you with leisure, before meeting your eyes again. "they come back to each other twice as hard."

he added on with a reluctant sigh, "or, another pair of quarks pop up in between them, but that creates all sorts of problems with conservation law. so, that can't happen."

"so, don't split the quarks?" you simplified with a slight smile.

"if you know what's good for you," he said teasingly. "you might just end up making things more intense than before."

it didn't feel like long until the room started to glow with orange, the sunset barely hanging above the sky with a warm canvas surrounding it. it was nearly red, burning harshly, lighting up the clouds with orange and yellow hues.

your phone buzzed you back to reality, and you grabbed it curiously.

cursed wives

utahime: are we still on for tonight? ^^

"oh, i didn't even realize the time," you said in awe. it'd been two hours already? that didn't seem right.

he tilted his head curiously. "you got plans?"

you looked up at him with a breathy laugh. "yeah, i totally forgot. thanks for helping me out, and all, but i have to get going."

"it's not a problem," he grinned, waving it off. "we only got to chapter 18, though."

you paused as you dropped your notebook into your bag. "yeah, you're right. uh, what day is it?" you glanced back at your phone curiously. it was only tuesday. "is there any chance you're free tomorrow after classes? if not, it's fine, i can—"

"i'm free," satoru nodded, his tongue poking out for a moment. "my last class ends at 3, i could meet up with you then?"

your shoulders released a tension you hadn't been aware of, and you sighed with relief. "yeah, um, here's my number." you scribbled it down on a spare piece of notebook paper, sliding it across the table.

satoru blushed, the apples of his cheeks turning into just that— a bright red apple. he pinched the paper between his finger and thumb, looking up at you as you grabbed your bag. "i'll see you tomorrow."

"thanks again, satoru," you beamed, pushing in the chair. "i appreciate your help."

he was left alone in the library, he hadn't realized the other students in the room had filed out. really, he hadn't been paying attention to the rest of the world since he sat down with you. he stood up and gathered his things, clearing off the table. the folded piece of notebook paper was tucked into his pocket with care.

walking to the exit, satoru came to a slow stop as a glistening light caught his eye. the sun reflected on the wooden door, a small square taped to it. as he approached, he realized it was a polaroid picture, and he carefully plucked it off to inspect it closer.

a picture of you and satoru, leaning over the center of the library table you were sitting at twenty minutes ago. your shoulders hardly touching, but you're looking at him, and laughing at something he had said, covering your mouth with squinted eyes. it was taken from outside, a glare on the window reflecting the clouds hanging overhead.

he swallowed, before tucking the polaroid into his textbook. he carefully opened the door and slipped out of the empty library.

★✰

you curled up against an arm rest on utahime's couch, nursing a glass of wine. her apartment was cluttered, fashion magazines scattered over her coffee table and topped off with charcuterie plates because she refused to move them. there was an overwhelming amount of throw blankets hanging over the back of each piece of furniture, far too many for a one-bedroom apartment. she insisted it made it more homely, though you knew she couldn't resist anything that was on sale. she kept the apartment cold year-round just so they would be used.

the apartment was on the top floor of the building. the curtains were kept open at all times, as she liked to remind everyone; if she was going to pay four years of rent and tuition, she was going to appreciate it every chance she got. right now, the cityline sparkled with lights, the visibility high, giving a view all the way to the campus buildings, blocks away. it was quiet for a week day, finals just around the corner with a serial killer on the loose, the vast majority of the college town population were shutting themselves in.

utahime was sprawled over the other end of the couch, two glasses deep, never mind the fact that she had a presentation worth half her grade in the morning. she hugged a pillow to her chest, her other hand dragging her hair tie from the bun she put it in five minutes ago, and letting it swirl around her shoulders.

"i don't know what you ever saw in him," utahime scoffed, her voice two notches louder than it should be. "i still don't think he washes his hands."

mei had taken over the loveseat, her long legs stretched over the curl of the armrest with a sleek throw blanket tossed over her. she had a lazy grin, eyes glued to her phone as she texted. her wine glass on the side table remained untouched. "he took me shopping, and paid."

you laughed, taking a sip of your wine. "with the allowance his parents still give him."

utahime groaned. "i just don't know why he sticks around, seriously. i think it's pretty clear you're not interested anymore. he needs to find people who like him."

"he thinks he still has a chance with her," you say as if it's obvious, raising your eyebrows. you look at her with a growing smirk. then, glance at the ceiling in thought. "and, no one likes him."

she scoffs, shaking her head, not bothering to look up. "i told him it was a one-time thing, its not my problem if he's that helpless as a grown man."

"he's always looking over your shoulder, to see who you're texting— who are you even texting right now?"

utahime beamed as mei shrugged without an answer. "it's late, there's only like, three possible answers, and two of them are in the room." she added in a sing-song voice, "is it the situationship?"

mei grinned wider, setting her phone down. "he's getting whiny."

"he's always whiny," you say with a playful roll of your eyes. it was the same man she'd been "seeing" for the past year, more of friends with benefits at this point, but she refused to let him ever exist in the same space as her friends. he didn't even get a name.

"that guy has no self preservation whatsoever," utahime added, grabbing more salami and crackers off the plates to eat.

you dissolve into a conversation, focused more on utahime and her girlfriend-but-not, shoko. she was studying to be a nurse at a different college, and would soon be off to get her doctorate. utahime whined as she claimed that she and mei seemed to be burdened by relationships that were doomed to fail from the start.

your phone buzzed, sending a pavlov-esque chill down your spine. you turned over your phone, just to see a spam caller.

you let out a relieved sigh, declining the call and tossing it back on the couch without a second thought.

"you were quick to look at that," mei drawled with a mirthful expression. her gaze were trained on you like a predator observing it's prey. "who's taking up your screen time?"

with a hollow laugh, you shook your head. you could feel your face start to tense up on it's own. "it's not like that."

"but there's someone?" utahime perked up, with a mouth full of cheese.

your stomach flipped, and you suddenly felt hot with the nerves that spread over every inch of your skin. they prickled at the tips of your fingers that began to shake, only steadying as you white knuckled the neck of the glass, taking a shot of it like a sommelier's worst nightmare. uncertainty lolled your head back against the cushions, and you considered what would happen if you told them, if they'd even believe you at all.

"it's not a someone, it's…" you searched for the right words, and as the dread crossed over your face, utahime sunk back into the arm rest of the couch. "i've been getting these calls, from an unknown number."

"like, prank calls?" mei asked curiously.

"i don't think so," you shook your head, then cleared your throat. you opened your mouth to speak again, "but—"

"you don't know who it is?"

"uh…" you hesitated, sitting up. there was a lump in your throat your body refused to swallow, instead letting it swell up and cut off the path to your lungs. "they said they were, um, ghostface."

"ghostface?" mei sputtered out a laugh, barely covering her mouth. "so, okay, it's definitely a prank call."

"it's not," you insisted, narrowing your eyes. "he called me, and told me he wanted me to see who he was. see him, notice him, and then on monday?" you looked at utahime, a lifeline of trust and naivety. "that kid mahito died, and his blood spelled out 'see?' in the carpet, remember?"

utahime gaped, blinking as she absorbed the information slowly settling into her inebriated mind. "no way."

mei shook her head. "that could be a coincidence, the police said—"

"he was in my apartment."

"what?" the two of them asked in unison, eyes shooting open like twins that had an invisible connection. "when?"

"yesterday, when i got home, my bedroom door was unlocked, and my window, he wrote a message outside, and– and he called—"

mei raised her palm to stop you. "how many times has he called?"

"three," you said. "last friday, then yesterday, and… today."

"today?!" utahime all but shouted. "when?"

you could hear your heart thrumming in your ears.

"i was at the library, i was trying to study but he called me. he knew i was there, so i was walking around trying to find him, but i ran into satoru and i ended the call."

"satoru?" utahime now whispered to herself, her mouth working faster than her brain, trying to place the face. she scrunched her nose as she looked to the ground in thought. "who the hell is satoru?"

"that guy that naoya picks on," mei answered quickly.

"oh, like that narrows it down," she shot back.

"you know, white hair, kinda pretty, super tall?" mei described quickly with an animated hand. "he's freaky and doesn't talk to anyone."

you cut in, "it doesn't matter, okay? he— ghostface called me, and i think… he had to be in the library. or outside, he was watching me. he said he had— he has 'big plans' this week."

"'big plans?' like murder?" utahime gaped.

"no shit, 'hime," mei said. "it's not a fucking birthday party."

"hey! i was just— i don't know…"

mei turns to you. "did you call the police?"

you felt nauseous, the taste of vomit rising in the back of your throat. you swallowed it back down and took another sip of wine to wash it down.

"no…" you added meekly. "he said not to."

"and you… listened to him?" she said slowly, with an incredulous expression. her eyes were wide with concern, showing off her dark brown eyes, usually hidden by a hooded gaze or sweeping bangs.

"he said he would kill me," you whined. you set your wine glass down haphazardly, the liquid jumping over the rim and staining your sleeve. you hardly noticed, too busy rubbing your eyebrows. "i don't know, he said they couldn't help me. because if they could catch him, he'd already be caught, right? and if he kills me because i called them? what exactly is it going to fix?"

"he threatened to kill you! a serial killer!" utahime squeaked. "they can't just— they can't just ignore that!"

"are they going to send a fucking cop for me to sleep with?" you countered. "they haven't done anything so far, and i don't… i don't want to make him mad."

you cringed at yourself, how fucking pathetic. you sounded like a child who broke a vase, afraid of the consequences.

"so what—"

"he brought you guys up," you continued. "he started talking about you guys, my friends, saying it would be a shame if anything were to 'happen'…" you shook your head. "i can't risk it. i'm not telling them, or anyone else. i can't."

the room was sucked into silence, the weight of the conversation pressing on your shoulders, pushing you further and further into the couch. your fingers tighten around the wine glass in your hand, you weren't sure when you grabbed it again, or when you drank the last of it. red droplets slowly slipped down to the center of the cup, jolting occasionally, catching up with other drops until it all pooled together at the bottom to present your watery reflection.

utahime waved her hands theatrically, as if clearing out a smoke cloud of tension that filled the room. her eyes were screwed shut, and she squeezed the bridge of her nose before opening them. "okay, say you don't… you don't call the cops, how does this end, y/n?"

your gaze drifted to the wall, the cream colored wallpaper bearing the scuff marks of where utahime had initially put the couch three years ago. then it went against the other wall, then by the tv, and now here, in the center. "i don't know."

the night ended quickly after that, the clean up of charcuterie plates and empty wine glasses passed in a blur. you blinked away your teary eyes and blamed the lack of footing on the alcohol, not all your own words echoing in your mind. finally spewing them out made it so visceral, pulling your friends in to the mess that was your life now.

utahime shared her bed with you that night, the left side of the bed being swept clean of her stuffed animals that were now scattered at the end of the bed. you tucked yourself in next to her, pulling up the many blankets that had become weighted with the layers. the blanket you brought with you was the final touch before she slid underneath beside you.

she was quick to fall asleep, the alcohol in her system luring her to sleep faster than any sleep aid could.

you stayed awake, blinking at the ceiling, your eyes slowly adjusting to the darkness. you traced the popcorn ceiling, distracting yourself with the creation of shapes in the uneven plaster. the blinds were shut per your request, the closet and bedroom door closed.

anxiety crept under the warm blankets, freezing up your legs, to your torso, to your arms, to your neck. utahime snored next to you, and the fragile state of your mind was too weak to fight the thoughts that told you opening your mouth was a mistake. you wondered if you had involved in something they couldn't escape, that your fate had been extended to your friends in a moment of weakness.

mumbling incoherently, utahime rolled over on her side to face you, shoving her face in the pillows. her hand searched haphazardly underneath the blankets for something, hitting the sheets carelessly until the warmth of her skin found yours. she squeezed your hand, pulling it closer to her as she slept.

you don't remember falling asleep that night, only blinking yourself awake in the morning to find utahime getting dressed at the other end of the room. her hair was still a rat's nest, as she pulled a shirt on and tucked it into her long skirt. hearing you stir, she looked back with a sleepy frown slowly rising.

"hey, you sleep okay?"

you laid back and nodded, rubbing your eyes. "what time is it?"

she looked to her alarm clock. "uh, almost 8."

you didn't sleep long at all.

you moved the blankets to the side with a shove, throwing your legs over the side of the bed to stand.

"hey," utahime started slowly, looking back at you with a weary look. you glanced over your shoulder, sleep weighing on your face. "i want you to stay with me, until the police catch this guy."

"what?" you let out a hollow laugh. "'hime, i can't."

"he knows where you live. he broke in." she turned her body to fully face you. "you're not safe there."

"no," you shook your head, standing up. you grabbed your bag and threw it on the bed, facing her. "he'll know."

you pause, "and what if he comes here?"

"we outnumber him. there's two of us, and only one of him," utahime says with conviction, nodding her head.

the two of you meet a standstill, looking at each other in the silence. so focused on your own points that you don't hear the scuffle of steps down the hallway.

the door swinging open made the both of you jump.

"'hime, you're out of coffee," mei frowns, holding the empty pot.

you and utahime let out relieved sighs, collecting yourselves for a moment. you meet her eyes again, before digging through your sleepover bag for clothes.

★✰

the news of another student being murdered was plastered over the announcements, the tv, the intercom. as soon as it dropped, utahime and mei were sending you articles of ghostface's work as if the awareness granted anything but more anxiety that weighed in your stomach.

her name was yuki, and she was in mei's business class.

you drummed your fingers against the table as you stared at the wall during your math class. the droning of your professor passed through one ear and quickly exited the other, the notes page on your laptop remaining blank. you clicked over to your other tab, one of the news articles that covered yuki's murder. the obvious, gruesome work that couldn't be claimed by anyone but ghostface.

she was gutted and left displayed in her bedroom window to her neighbors, blood smeared against the glass with her horrified expression drained to a paper white complexion.

that was more of a message than anything ghostface had said himself. it felt like a warning, showing off the things he was capable of. his victims were examples of something else that was coming.

your phone buzzed against your thigh, and you were quick to pull it out.

unknown number: hey, it's satoru. are we still on for 3?

you glanced at the time in the corner.

yeah, that works! my class is wrapping up soon.

satoru: i'll be there

the next twenty minutes passed quickly, and before you could take five steps from the classroom door, satoru was already off to the side, waiting. he was looking the other way, the lights highlighting the angled muscles in his neck. he looked comfortable, with black sweatpants and a gray sweatshirt on. it bunched around his elbows and showed off the toned skin of his forearms gripping the strap of his bag.

you beamed, adjusting your hair absentmindedly as you approached. "oh, hey."

"hey," he smiled softly, pushing himself off the wall. his hair was messy, and he tried shaking it out of his face for a moment, before dragging his hand through it. it bounced in the fluorescent lights, soft and clean.

"how'd you know i was going to be here?"

"you know she's the only real analysis class, right?" he added, "i have her tuesday-thursday class."

satoru smirked at the shocked expression on your face, and how you were taken aback by his teasing tone. he seemed satisfied at the way you looked the opposite way in a fluster.

he lead the way. through the doors, leading to the quad. a cold whip of air hitting your skin, clinging to the flesh and spreading over your arms. the concrete clicked beneath your shoes, as you made your way through the center of the campus.

"do you mind if we head to that coffee place on campus?" satoru asked, gesturing with his thumb. "i need something sweet." he paused, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. "well, sweeter."

you blinked, a blush forming over your cheeks. "yeah, coffee sounds good."

you were familiar with the cafe, you couldn't think of a single person on campus who wasn't. you inhaled quietly as the two of you stepped inside, the smell of coffee and baked goods wafting through the building and bringing you comfort. you glanced over to the scattered tables, students holes up in booths or sprawled over their chairs with textbooks stacked before them.

satoru paid, he insisted on it, ignoring your demands for some sort of compensation for him helping you. he laughed at you, shamelessly amused, before stepping between you and the register, taunting you with his debit card.

the two of you ended up settling in the corner of the shop, next to a big wall of windows. satoru sat perpendicular to you, his knees pressing against yours underneath the table. he presented his laptop on the table and scooted his chair closer to yours, invading your personal space with a soft gaze.

your phone buzzed in your pocket, and you frowned. no caller id.

you were quick to decline it.

as satoru started recapping the last chapter, it buzzed again. no caller id.

"something important?"

"uh, no." you said softly, you held down the power button to your phone, with the assertiveness of smothering someone with a pillow. "just, uh, spam."

he hummed, as if in understanding. he sounded as if he believed you, but there was a certain detachment in his eyes as he watched. his gaze was sharp and curious, almost judgemental as he flickered back to where your hands shoved the phone in your bag.

you looked back at him, with a weary smile. it did nothing to hide the anxiety that was creeping up on you, the sound of your heartbeat becoming louder and louder.

you cleared your throat. "uh, i shut it off. sorry."

satoru started again, pulling his glasses up to his hairline as he read something off the screen. it made his eyes that much brighter. his long lashes fluttered as he waved away some popular theory he didn't agree with, muttering 'morons…' under his breath. it made you grin.

he squinted as he rambled an explanation, searching for the right words. "it's kind of like in digimon, how the digmon world is only able to exist because of the human's awareness of it. before that human contact, it was a void and meaningless. a whole lot of nothing. but, that digital world reacts to the human perception, and that is that…"

you stared at him, pupils expanding as you watched the way he gestured with one hand, while his other absentmindedly weaved his pencil between his fingers. his eyebrows were narrowed as he stared at the air, like it was part of the conversation. he was lost in his own world. you could picture what he was seeing now as he rambled— the digimon swirling around his head like a cartoon character that hit their head too hard.

"… the digital world creates that data from humans with meaning now, creating infinite other digital worlds, layers, expansions, layered structures and transcendence according by the human's perception about the digital world."

satoru looked at you, the pinched focus of his face softening at the intensity of your attentiveness. your head was tilted into your clasped palms supporting your cheek, a gentle smile on your face. your eyes were glazed over with admiration and amusement. like he hung the stars crooked in the sky.

his mouth opened slightly, but before he could speak, your voice came out instead with a soft tone,

"do you always relate physics to digimon?"

he huffed out a laugh, shaking his had. "i mean—"

"it just seems like you know a lot about digimon physics." you pulled your lips back into your mouth to fight your humored smile.

satoru was burning. his face was getting redder and redder, sticky sweat forming on the neckline of his sweatshirt. he tugged at it nervously with a hooked finger, shrugging at an attempt to play it off. "i learned about digimon physics before real physics, you know? i'd say it paid off."

you were beaming now. "yeah, it's cute." you added quickly, "and, yeah, i mean, you know more than me."

the blush reached satoru's ears, they were ringing so loud he was sure you could hear it. he said teasingly, "maybe if we focus on digimon more, you'll catch up."

your jaw dropped in fake offense. "has anyone ever told you the student is only as good as the teacher?"

"i am an excellent teacher." satoru straightened his posture.

"well, if your student likes digimon, sure."

"if you don't like digimon, you can't be my student."

your lips curled, and you shook your head with playful resignation. satoru watched you, his pen bouncing in his hand.

the rest of the tutoring session passed. you made it to chapter 20 but it was hard to say if a lot of progress had been made, the conversation drifting back to digimon or any other analogy satoru could come up with. the coffee shop dwindled down until it was only you and a few others left, and you checked the time begrudgingly.

"i should find 'hime before she kills me," you said softly, your shoulders dipping with dejection. you told her you would meet up with her after studying with satoru, so the two of you could walk home together. she was vehemently against the idea of you being alone at any point in the day.

satoru raised his eyebrows. "she always waiting on you?"

you chuckled, shaking your head. you dug through your bag and turned your phone back on. "she's just worried, with everything going on. she's putting together a buddy system," you huffed out a laugh.

"where are you guys meeting up?"

"back at the quad."

your phone flickered to life, and you winced as you watched the incessant messages come in one after the other. she sent almost fifty.

utahime: i can see your location. that better be the best coffee of your life.

"let me walk you," satoru offered.

you looked up at him. "oh, really? are you—"

"yeah," he reassured with a grin. "it's not a problem. i can be a buddy."

the sun was dipping behind the clouds in the sky, the horizon a deep blue with pink clouds. it was colder than you expected, you tugged at the sleeves of your thin jacket. satoru seemed to notice, his arm brushing up against yours as you walked in silence down the sidewalk.

you could see utahime in the distance, standing by a tree with a tension in her shoulders you could spot from a mile away. mei was next to her, waving unconcernedly.

"so, do you feel okay about the test friday?" satoru asked.

"i think so," you nodded. "you really helped. i mean, i was actually able to focus. my head has just kind of been… elsewhere, lately. and, you know, i had fun, too."

he hummed thoughtfully. he glanced at your friends a few yards away, and his pace slowed. you slowed, too, keeping yourself at the same speed.

"would you want to brush up on digimon tomorrow?" satoru grinned, raising his eyebrows.

you paused, your stomach immediately doing a flip. you looked at him confirmation, catching the gleam of his sparkling teeth and his confident facade. you beamed, feeling your face run hot.

"really?"

"yeah, really," he said, his tone obvious. "i've got all the old dvds back at my place. do you want to watch some with me?" he joked, "maybe it'll help your odds."

"you'll have to run it by the council first, but," you looked at your friends, who watched. impatiently. like hawks. "i think they'll approve. i mean, you've gotten this far."

"this far?" he echoed.

"consider yourself lucky they didn't show up at the cafe."

satoru laughed, shaking his head. his smile was bright and welcoming, it made your cheeks hurt. your nerves prickled at your fingers, and you nervously wrung your hands together. it was the kind of nerves you felt unfamiliar with now, like you were back in grade school standing next to your crush, and not twenty years old on a campus with a serial killer taunting you. good nerves.

his expression was soft as he looked at you, like you were the only thing that existed to him. like he didn't care that he was taking his time, and making your friends wait on you just ahead. unashamed.

it made your face warm. "what?"

"you're pretty."

suddenly, there was a screaming behind you. it was loud, incoherent, the deep babbling of an unhinged man running full force. you turned to see that same ghostface mask from the crime scene and the long legs of a mysterious figure dressed in black. his arm was raised high above his head, the shape of a knife swinging through the air wildly.

the screaming became louder as his feet slammed against the pavement, and you could feel him looking at you.

he was going to kill you.

satoru processed it before you did, his arms shooting out and pulling you on his side of the sidewalk. for a brief moment, your feet were lifted off the concrete and then set gently into the grass. the change to soft ground made your knees buckle and your arms wrap tighter around him, and he held adjusted his grip to hold you closer.

the figure ran past, bee-lining for your friends. you found your footing in the dirt and tried to move, letting go of him to let yourself free, but satoru held you in place, letting your heels dig into the ground helplessly. you weren't sure if it was easy for him to hold you, or your body gave up after meeting the resistance. either way, his grip on you was strong, his arms clasped around your torso, your back now to his chest. you stopped trying to run.

you watched as the person approached mei, stopping right in front of her and slashing the knife through the air just above her head. she flinched for a moment, before the unhinged laughter registered in her ears and she scowled.

utahime was the one to rip off the mask, revealing naoya's shit eating grin as he threw his head back. his arms wrapped around his stomach, the plastic knife bending as it tucked in his armpit. the sound of your own heartbeat in your ears blended into the cackle of the hyena in front of you, only fueled on by utahime's incoherent chastising.

your breathing slowed, as you slowly came back to reality. you could feel satoru sigh behind you, his grip on you still tight, his body pressed against yours and protecting you from the chill that breezed through the leaves beside you. his heartbeat thrummed against your back. you felt his fingers stretch and dig into your sides possessively.

"are you okay?" satoru breathed, bending down slightly. he turned you to the side to face him. his breath was warm and wet against your skin, soft against your ears.

"y- yeah, i'm fine, i…" you could taste the salt in your mouth as your lips move, and then the wetness of your skin that stung with cold against the wind. you hadn't realized you were crying. your mind was running away from you, a mix of emotions swirling through your chest. your voice came out flat, void of anything at all, "i'm going to fucking kill him."

"what?"

your limbs felt like jello, and you straightened your posture. satoru's arms only loosened lightly, his uncertainty in your ability to stand evident. his eyes were blown wide as he looked at you cautiously.

"if you want, i can take you ho—"

you shook your head, clearing your throat. "no, i'm fine."

"are you sure?"

"i'm sure," you said quickly, looking up at him. he was still holding you. "but, thank you. really."

"y/n, you okay?" utahime called out, taking a tentative step forward.

you sniffled, then took in a long breath as you tried to steady yourself. you broke free of satoru's gentle embrace, your hands guiding his off your body. still, his hands hovered over your sides like you would fall over.

you grabbed your bag from the grass. "i'm sorry, about this. i'll deal with it, uh, just…"

you smiled weakly at him, and he only nodded. his conflict was clear, whether to believe you, or stay put.

"i'll see you tomorrow, satoru."

"yeah," satoru took a hesitant step back. he picked up things that he dropped in the moment. you hoped his laptop wasn't broken. "get home safe."

he turned around, casting a quick glance over his shoulder as he walked the other way.

you turned to your friends, steam blowing out of your ears. you hastened to them, your eyes flickering between them with fire burning in your gut. utahime was concerned more than anything, on the fence between a wince at your anger or getting angry again herself. mei was frowning, ignoring the laughter of naoya behind her.

"what the fuck was that?" you asked, stopping in front of him. your blood was rushing through your ears, your skin hot to the touch. you'd completely forgotten about the frigid air of october, the back of your mind quietly begging for you to take off your jacket. "what is wrong with you?"

"what?" naoya asked, rolling his eyes. he was still laughing. "you've gotta lighten up, okay?"

"lighten up? i thought you were going to fucking kill someone!"

"some prank calls scared you that bad? jesus, y/n." he scoffed. "the knife is fake, see?"

he bent the cheap toy.

your fiery gaze turned to mei. your arms crossed and you ran your tongue over your teeth. "did you tell him?"

she sighed. reluctant. caught. it took her a moment to collect her words. "i didn't–"

disbelief clouded your judgment, a murky mix of reactions crowning.

you let out a hollow laugh, the ground beneath you was spinning. you turned around, giggling to yourself with a hand over your mouth. "oh, my god. you fucking told him."

"y/n, come on," naoya started. there was a drawl of whiny exasperation in his noise. "it's a joke, everything's fine, you're fine, okay? you know i wouldn't let anything happen to you."

"can you shut the fuck up, naoya?" utahime snapped, "holy shit, are you stupid?"

"i cannot believe i told you, and you turned around and yapped to fucking 2.0 gpa over here?" your voice raised, looking at mei. you didn't care for the way his expression fell.

"i was worried about you–" she defended weakly.

"oh, yeah? i can fucking tell," you laughed again. there wasn't anything else to do but laugh at the situation at her. "i'm really feeling it. really feeling concern here, your worries are really working wonders for me right now. got any thoughts and prayers for me next?"

utahime said your name softly, stepping closer to your side.

"hey." mei took offense. "i'm here for you, you know. it's better that people know, do you get that? you still haven't told the police about any of it."

"y/n," utahime urged.

"i told you why," you said in exasperation, glancing around cautiously for campus security. "do you think this is the better fucking option? having this dumbass run around in a dollar store costume to scare the shit out of me? really?"

"i didn't–"

"didn't what? didn't think? didn't consider the consequences? you just wanted to gossip my life to one of your boy toys and let him run off his leash?"

"y/n, let's go," utahime said loudly.

you looked at her, silent. naoya and mei shut up, too. utahime tugged your arm gently despite the pinched expression of concern and disappointment on her face.

sighing, you nodded. you turned around. you scoffed again, shaking your head with disbelief. utahime linked her arm in yours for a moment to lead you away from the scene, and getting you on the route back to her apartment. eventually, she let go, opting to pick at her fingernails in the silence.

the awe of it all was written on your face, in your posture, as you walked on the sidewalk with hunched shoulders and crossed arms. you stared in front of you as your mind swirled, squinted eyes glaring at the darkness ahead.

once inside her apartment, you kicked off your shoes by the door and shuffled to throw your bag over the back of the couch. you heard utahime lock the door and jiggle the knob behind you, then the rustle of her bag collapsing on the kitchen counter.

she sighed, throwing herself down on the couch.

your phone buzzed.

satoru: did you make it home without murdering anyone?

another buzz.

mei: can you call me?

another buzz.

naoya: hey

"are you okay?" utahime asked, opening one eye to peer up at you. "dumb question, but still."

you replied to satoru.

he'll live to see another day.

"yeah, i just…" you sat down on the couch and threw your phone against the cushions. "what the fuck is wrong with them?"

"if anyone knew that, they'd both be in therapy," utahime quipped.

you sat in silence for a minute. "what good has ever come from telling naoya anything?"

she ran a hand through her hair. "nothing at all. he's better left in the dark… floating around like one of those amoeba in the bottom of the ocean."

you laughed, covering your face.

your phone vibrated again.

satoru: unfortunate :(

you smiled harder, shaking your head.

utahime noticed your expression, suspicion crossing over her face. she raised her eyebrows teasingly. "is that satoru?"

"he probably thinks i'm insane," you said quietly.

"so, you care what he thinks?" she probed, sitting up.

"what's that supposed to mean?" you looked at her, "don't look at me like that."

"i'm just asking! we didn't get into it last night."

"there's nothing to 'get into'."

the two of you went silent.

"… must have been some really good coffee."

you glared.

"must have been, if you're going to ignore my texts—"

"i turned my phone off!" "at a time like this?" she squawked, indignant.

"i got a—"

your phone rang. the two of you snapped your heads in it's direction, expressions dropping as the blood drained from your faces.

huffing, you grabbed it. you stood up from the couch as you cradled your phone in your hand, staring down the no caller id. "you have got to be kidding me."

"did he tap your fucking phone?" utahime whispered harshly.

you took a deep breath, clenching and unclenching each of your hands before you pulled the phone up to your ear. utahime scrambled off the couch to stand next to you.

"hello?"

"you ignored me today," the voice whined on the other end. "that hurt my feelings, you know?"

you stepped away from utahime and her overwhelming presence as she tried to listen. still, she stood by your heels impatiently.

"like i give a fuck about your feelings."

"oh, pretty, you're just on one today, aren't you?" ghostface laughed, almost sounding impressed with the bite in your tone. his amused sigh carried through the phone. he drawled his words, "have i got you riled up, already? or… is something else on your mind?"

you heard the mocking gag of utahime behind you.

"why are you calling?"

he scoffed. "can't i just check in? you've had an eventful day." your gut twisted, and you held your breath as you waited for him to continue. reluctantly, you felt yourself become familiar with his dramatics. his storytelling.

"you seemed real cozy in that cafe, hm? what does a smart girl like you need study buddy for?" he inhaled. "real nice guy. satoru, right? i think i've seen him around. i didn't expect you to be so… close."

"leave him alone," you said through gritted teeth. "who said i wouldn't?" he feigned innocence. "he seems decent. protected you from that mini-me running around didn't he?"

ghostface groaned, rustling on the other line. "ugh, don't get me started on that little stunt. that meathead friend of yours is getting on my nerves, pretty. i mean, who pulls a prank like that, when the real thing is so much better?"

you turned to utahime, who's eyes were wide with a mix of disgust and shock. she mouthed, 'naoya?'

"you're sick."

"rude," he said quickly. he sighed longingly, "i'll say, sweets, watching you get all worked up really was… invigorating. i was surprised he walked away without a scratch. thank god for utahime, right?"

she gasped, pointing to herself as she took a step closer. 'me?'

you held her at arms length, convinced she would take the phone from you.

"that mei seems like a real piece of work though. you gave her too much grace, i'll say. spilling secrets like that, who's to say what else she's such a blabbermouth about? though, i guess i should be flattered you told your friends about me…"

you opened your mouth to speak, to defend her or tell him to get a fucking grip, you weren't sure. however, he continued rambling.

"ignoring me all day, but telling your friends about us," he purred, "i'm getting mixed signals here, sweets."

you peeked through the closed blinds, looking down across the street. it was empty, to no surprise on a weekday this late. though, you could feel him watching, somehow enjoying the reactions both you and utahime were giving him.

"there is no us."

"oh, come on, baby. don't play coy with me," he chuckled. "lying doesn't get you very far, not without biting you in the ass."

"oh, like you're an honest fucking guy."

"i am honest," he insisted, his smooth voice crackling through the voice changer. your heart hammed in your chest. "when have i lied to you, sweets?"

"tell me your name."

"well, i'm an honest man, not a stupid one," he laughed again. "tell you what, because i'm so honest open. i'll tell you something no one else knows, yeah?"

you froze, your mouth so dry that it start to hurt. he let his words hang in the silence, spurred on by the anticipation.

"two people are going to die tonight."

there was a click on the other side of the phone, and the end of the call rang in your ears. utahime was quick to grab you, pulling you into her with a horrified expression. she shook your arms that had turned to jello, and your phone clattered against her floor.

her expression was pinched with concern. "what did he say? two people are going to die tonight?"

your mind replayed the soft whisper of his voice, the way it crawled through the phone and tickled inside of your ear. it nestled itself there beside your brain, blocking anything else from getting in or out. you looked at utahime, distance in your eyes as your conscious grasped desperately to bring you back to reality.

two people are going to die tonight.

you thought about the way he spoke about your friends, like incessant gnats that he could swat away in an instant. how he made them seem irredeemable with their actions, like you deserved better. and maybe you did, but certainly not by the extremes he was willing to go to for it.

"… we have to tell someone."

that pulled you out of your trance, and you finally looked at her, eyes narrowed. "what?"

"that was a confession, y/n. not some fucked up taunt, or prank call, it— it was a threat. two people are going to die. tonight."

"i heard him."

she looked at you with surprise. "do you not care?"

"of course i care, but," you sighed, rubbing your forehead. "i don't know, i just… i don't want to get police involved, i don't… i don't trust what he'll do."

utahime shuddered, wiping her skin like he had somehow tainted her from the other side of the call. "we… we have to tell naoya and mei, at least. the way he spoke about them…"

it could be them. you nodded, looking for your phone. "yeah. yeah, we have to. i can't…"

your hands were shaking pathetically as you reached for your phone.

there was a sudden shriek that rocked the walls of the apartment, making both you and utahime freeze. your grip on your phone made your knuckles white, your jaw dropping in shock as the horrified scream continued. you couldn't tell if it was close or just so loud, shooting through the vents, trying to reach out to anyone it could.

"oh, god! fuck! someone please help me!" a woman screamed, her voice cracking with the harshness of her cries.

her words snapped the both of you into action, scrambling to the door. utahime's hand slammed down on the counter, grabbing her mace as you swung open the door.

the neighbors hesitantly poked their heads out of their doors, like the cries for help were something to be tentative about. they reeled in slightly as you and utahime sprinted down the hall, knocking into the closed door knobs and the twisted welcome mats. only a handful followed you as you descended the stairs, jumping over the last few steps in an attempt to get there faster.

the crying became louder as you approached the floor below, the woman's own tears drowning her throat as she scream-cried. it rattled your core, the wetness of her screaming as she begged for god or anyone else to help her.

you slammed your body against the door at the end of the stairwell, throwing yourself into the hallway with utahime at your side. at the end of the hall, there was a woman collapsed on her doormat, her nails scraping into the short carpet as a poor attempt to ground herself. the window behind her was open, long curtains curling against her hunched back, fluttering with the wind.

you skittered to a stop in front of her wide open door, your heart dropping to your stomach at the display of splattered blood across the white walls. it was messy, desperate. there were hand prints smeared across the kitchen island and across the furniture. bloody footprints were stomped into the carpet.

there was a man laying on the ground in the center of the room, his head craned at a horrifying angle. his body had twisted and turned in desperation to fight the attacker off, to no avail. blood was still pooling from his body, soaking into the floors.

one of the windows was half open, and below it, the collapsed body of a woman. it was a clear attempt to save herself, to jump out to the fire escape and find somebody while the corpse rotted in her way of getting to the entrance. she was knocked down, her blood being smeared on the window sill and you imagined she tried to bring herself back up. she ended up crumpled, the side table knocked over next to her with a bloody corner.

there was a trail of blood between them, connecting their bodies like a red string of fate. your eyes trailed along the thick line, how it weaved between them, and formed the shape of a heart.

"oh, my god," utahime gasped, pulling you back into the hallway. you hadn't realized you'd taken a step inside the space. "holy fuck. don't— do not look."

your gaze drifted back to the woman as she cried. you couldn't hear the sound, you couldn't hear anything, but you knew what was happening. there was a man behind you on the phone with dispatch, one finger in his other ear to drown out the crescendo of crying people around him. still, he described the scene, the windows, the one left behind.

utahime was dialing someone, who it was you weren't so sure. the way she babbled on through her tears, definitely not an operator. maybe she was checking on mei and naoya, or shoko.

a crowd formed behind you, and you leaned up against the wall. you pulled out your phone, your eyes blurry. you tried blinking the tears away, but there was too much, and you pulled your sleeve down to rub your eyes aggressively. you looked back at your phone.

satoru: what are you up to tonight? :P

slowly, you slid down the wall, your arms curling around your knees. the world spun.

part two.