Vanadium Core

Although there are some chapters that focus more on Astra and her lover, I will go over those as well in the summary since the story itself is very short. You could probably cast Astra as an overprotective yandere, but we're on maleyanderecafe not femaleyanderecafe.

The story starts out with Huang Ling a women who runs what seems to be the mafia finding two young siblings and taking them in because she likes the hair color of the brother. Because of this, she has favoritism for Kim, the brother and mostly neglecting the sister, laster named Astra. Astra is trained by Huang Ling to become an assassin, yet Astra seems very lonely and empty, not really caring if she lives or dies, only living out of convince. This changes when she meets a blonde girl and falls in love with her. We learn that this girl, is part of a lineage where whenever there is a child, they will be a blonde girl, almost like a curse. The two meet while the blonde girl is loading luggage onto a boat, and her contemplating about drowning herself, However, before she can do anything, Astra comes forth and kills one of the men who is packing up the luggage. She drags Astra away and fakes not understanding Chinese, though Astra still vows to protect her and runs away with her. We get to see the blonde girl's backstory, seeing that she was happiest when she was reading stories with her mother, who told her to be patient and careful like a hunter. Despite being beat by her father after her mother's death, she remains holding on tight. Astra promises to protect her though is caught off guard when kissed.

We cut to the story of the yandere, Zhang Siwen's backstory. We see that his family raised him to be a scholar, yet despite this he ended up killing. Because he hates boredom, he ends up turning to a life of crime due to the excitement of violence and killing as a double life, though feigns just being a scholar as a result. When the chief ends up telling him to beat someone during his time as a soldier, he blanks out and completely kills the person. Eventually he is taken in by Huang Ling and her gang with Astra warning him that she will eventually get bored with him, just as she does for most others. Huang Ling seems to take interest in him as while he pretends to be simply a scholar, she can see past him, even testing him to judge his great reflexes and stamina. He happily joins her gang afterwards and even is able to beat up Astra. There's a cute moment where he gets drunk next to Huang Ling and acts like a cute puppy. Zhang Siwen goes against his former boss to kill him and we see that Huang Ling has been setting up for rebelling against the government, though she still has a soft spot in making sure innocents don't get killed and children are saved. In the end, the two get married.

We cut back to Astra trying to entertain the blonde girl by bringing her to places to eat, shop and have fun and even asks for a safehouse for her, though Zhang Siwen is not pleased. We see too that Jin, Astra's brother is really jealous over Zhang Siwen, not understanding why she loves him over Jin. We see that ever since he was young he had a crush on Huang Ling, seeing how she chose him out of all the other children out there. He feels jealous that while he and his sister lived in the slums for most of their lives, Zhang Siwen lived a rather nice and noble life, with good education, whereas Jin had to learn himself, though it seems another guy has an eye on him. We see too that Huang Ling has a softer side to her, while she is able to clear out unfair guys she's also kind to children, going to visit them despite feeling that she is not a good person.

We see the blonde girl and Zhang Siwen conversing with each other, though the two seem to dislike each other. The girl finds a gun where Zhang Siwen discusses the rumor of it essentially having lovers commit double suicide similar to a Romeo and Juliet situation. When Astra buys her a new dress, she gets flashbacks to when she was mistreated and while Astra is sleeping, attempts to shoot herself with the gun.

This webcomic/manhwa is pretty fragmented, but considering it was never a fully released series, it's understandable. The artwork is extremely pretty with all characters being beautiful in one way or another. It touches upon a lot of different couples, though the main ones of course are with Astra and Zhang Siwen, though it is hinted at that Jin would have had a boyfriend if it were expanded upon. Unfortunately because of its fragmented nature, the story itself is pretty incomplete and confusing at times, as it jumps between different points of time and different points of view pretty quickly without really explaining much of it. I also am going to judge the typesetting on this because while the translations do look pretty good, the text could have probably been placed better given that in the last chapter some of the Chinese text isn't even erased and the English is just overlayed ontop of the Chinese text (which is just bad to look at).

Anyways, because of this, I had to ask @flaine1996 to double check it for me and since she says that he's a yandere, it is a gogo. Zhang Siwen is a pretty mild one given that Huang Ling is also a gang leader. Though similar to Jin, Huang Ling was able to see something in him and see his potential. Zhang Siwen has a pretty standard backstory for a yandere, loving violence and killing more than his boring job, only to be scooped up by someone who was able to utilize his skills and reflexes to do something more. That and I guess he's probably into getting beat up by Huang Ling since he did seem pretty enamored with her after she kicked him in the face. As her right hand man, Zhang Siwen does everything she wants like burning down the capital and killing those she wants dead, though he does obviously have a soft spot for her and gets annoyed when talking to someone like Astra's girlfriend. The two do have a happy ending and get married though. Like I said, there's not a lot of the story going around and it is currently very disjointed. I think that if these ideas were made into a fuller series we could see more of the yandere develop with Zhang Siwen.

The story starts out with Yoshiki and Hikaru eating icicles during the summer. As the two of them talk and kid around, Yoshiki becomes paler and paler. He reveals that the Hikaru sitting next to him is not at all his friend from before, only an imitation, to which the "creature" Hikaru starts breaking. He seems to have planed to kill Yoshiki if he found out but something inside him refuses, and thus begs Yoshiki not to tell anyone. Despite knowing that this Hikaru is a fake, and something that is not human, he accepts this new Hikaru. We also see flashbacks of the original Hikaru, who unlike the imposter who is rather happy and cheerful most of the time, was a lot more mischievous and bratty. We see the last moments of this Hikaru as he is, seemingly taken by the creature that is now the current Hikaru after making some sort of deal. As they walk home, an old woman screams at them about a legend in this town, the body snatcher and is later taken by an unknown entity. At school, the kids in Yoshiki and Hikaru's school all dare each other to go into the cursed forest soon after hearing someone was decapitated nearby. When they do go there, Yoshiki sees something deep in the forest. Hikaru ends up defending him, apparently "crushing the being and putting it inside himself" and saves Yoshiki, covering for what they saw by saying someone nearly shot him. The next day, Hikaru asks Yoshiki if he'd like to stick his hand inside him, to which Yoshiki seems to agree out of curiosity. His body actually splits leaving a cut of inky blackness as Yoshiki sticks his hand into the void. Hikaru seems to enjoy this, stating that he's gaining satisfaction, the way you'd feel when your head is patted, and even pranks Yoshiki a bit. Yoshiki on the other hand seems rather unsettled by this, stating that it feels like he wants to go further but is afraid to, even feeling embarrassed. While going to the store to buy some food, he is greeted by a housewife, who seems to understand the trouble he's in. She seems to be able to tell that he's been entangled with the body snatcher and warns him that he should break away from him lest he can't go back. She even shares her own story about her husband who had died and then came back thanks to the body snatcher. This seems to have struck Yoshiki quite harshly, so much so that when Hikaru tries to make him feel better, he pushes him away, which seems to greatly affect Hikaru. He states that he can't let him go, and that he's not sure if these are his or the original Hikaru's feelings, eventually bursting with the inky darkness that was within him. This darkness consumes Yoshiki, and we get to see Hikaru's clinginess towards him as well as some scenes that the creature saw before becoming Hikaru. Hikaru apologizes after he realizes what he's done and doesn't appear the next day.

Yoshiki seems greatly disturbed at what's happened, especially since he knows that he's just using this Hikaru as a replacement for the real one. He ends up going back to Hikaru's place and the two of them make up, with Hikaru apologizing, stating he didn't want Yoshiki to throw him away and that he apologizes for basically pretending to be Hikaru. Yoshiki apologizes as well and decides despite the housewife's warnings that he will stay with him. The two of them and Yoshiki's sister go to a summer festival together and we learn there that Hikaru cannot pass through the shrine arch as he is being repelled. We also see that Yoshiki views this Hikaru as very childlike as compared to the original. We get a flashback seeig that Yoshiki actually went out in the storm the day that Hikaru disappeared and found Hikaru's remains, but ultimately was brought back with a fever by some unknown force. Upon waking up, he sees that Hikaru is fine, which is why he knew that the Hikaru he sees now is fake. He feels extremely saddened by this, crying as he misses the original Hikaru. We get another flashback to before the original Hikaru died and his seemingly deal with the thing that eventually replaces him. Yoshiki attempts to stick his hand into Hikaru's void, though feels pleasure and fear from what he feels, recoiling back and berating Hikaru for trying to suck him in. Yoshiki's sister nearly gets attacked by what seems like a hair based spirit, which leads to both of them investigating it. Hikaru initially goes in to take on the spirit, though when it starts taking too long, Yoshiki attempts to as well, which leads to some hallucination both from his own doubts as well as an event with the original Hikaru in his past after touching Hikaru's void. He ends up fighting Hikaru in the bathtub as he fights off this hallucination.

We get a bit of setup with a strange person who comes to town to seemingly investigate the body snatcher, as well as one of the abilities of one of Yoshiki's classmates, who can "see" where certain spirits are. After he hangs out a bunch with his friends, the classmate, Asako actually confronts Hikaru, asking who he is. We see that Asako can actually hear where spirts are, though she doesn't know quite what they are. Yoshiki comes to find that Asako has passed out near Hikaru and Hikaru explains to him that he basically showed Asako the "void" that he showed Yoshiki. Yoshiki initially believes that Asako has died, and panics, though Hikaru seems nonchalant about it, stating that death isn't really anything special to him. Asako does wake up and explains her "power" believing that Hikaru seems to be possessed by something. Yoshiki ignores Hikaru even after, which leads to Hikaru contemplating about life and how much he cares about Yoshiki, seeing a great light in him. The next day, Yoshiki invites him to skip school with him and the two of them hang out for a bit, going to movies and whatnot. In the end, Yoshiki attempts to stab Hikaru to kill him, though it ultimately fails, with Yoshiki revealing he wanted to give him a last great day before he dies. With this, Hikaru ends up giving a piece of him to Yoshiki before healing himself back to normal, with Yoshiki promising to try to find out more about who he is (likely the bodysnatcher, as Hikaru himself states). After going around town talking to the older folks, we learn a lot about various disappearances and strange events that have happened in the town related to the lore of the body snatcher. Hikaru and Yoshiki go to the library and find out about the body shaped pieces of land that surround their town, as well as a story from the librarian which talks more about the various disappearances, curses and others from possibly the body snatcher. While walking, Yoshiki ends up bumping into the strange person who seems to recognize that he is associated with the body snatcher. Some more strange appearances happen, with a man who runs into the school grounds only to kill himself along with a spirit that nearly is able to attack Yoshiki at a restaurant, only to be saved by the housewife.

She ends up bringing the two boys back home and while she knows that Hikaru is likely the body snatcher, ends up taking care of the two until at least Hikaru wakes up again, before asking them about their plans, stating that people will likely die, with Yoshiki and Hikaru stating that they will try to stop that from happening. They end up going to an old man who was referenced by the librarian to seek more information, but as the conversation goes on, he becomes more deranged, with Hikaru stating that he's already been corrupted. The man gets possessed and nearly hurts the two only for the strange man to come in and save them. After making the man pass out, the strange man actually chops off Hikaru's head, causing his void to spill out. Frantically, Yoshiki is able to attach back Hikaru's head. The last couple of chapters has Hikaru waking up and Yoshiki starting to connect the pieces of evidence the two has found with the memory he saw when he was in the void.

The story itself has a sort of dread and caution to it, especially when it comes to Yoshiki. Despite knowing that his friend is dead and that there is a being that is replacing him, he can't help but want to keep him around, both as a way to sort of continue to talk to Hikaru as if nothing had happened, but also because he sees this kind of naivety in this new form. Yet at the same time, this being isn't human, it doesn't understand love or romance, doesn't understand the consequence of death, and doesn't even know why he stopped from killing Yoshiki. The insides of Hikaru are supposed to be drawn like the veins in plants, kind of showing the sort of weird uncanniness that comes from it, and that being exposed to it for too long can cause problems, like with Asako who has seemed to have lost some of her hearing after her encounter. And while Hikaru suspects that he is the body snatcher, he also doesn't seem sure about it, making us believe that he could be something else entirely. What is the void that Hikaru has anyways? Why does it affect humans in such a way and what happens when you are fully sucked into it?

Hikaru is sort of strange because he cannot feel or understand love, romantic or otherwise. That's kind of a problem when you talk about yanderes since the core of their being is very reliant on love, romantic or otherwise. But Hikaru has this strange dependence on Yoshiki. He himself doesn't know why but suspects it's the feelings from the original Hikaru that makes him feel this way. He's clingy and dependent, not wanting to anger Yoshiki, not even feeling betrayed when Yoshiki attempts to kill him, and most of all will do anything for him that he asks. These sound like the traits of a yandere, but it's hard to understand why he does it and that's what kind of confuses me about this. It is pretty fascinating though because it is possible that he gained all of this from the original Hikaru who might have had a crush on Yoshiki, but even in flashbacks, we don't see the original Hikaru seem to have these types of feelings, even seeming to bicker with Hikaru a lot. It's hard to say as a lot of these flashbacks are either from Yoshiki's point of view or the new Hikaru's vague memories. If it's not because of that, then it makes me unsure exactly what Hikaru's attachments are to Yoshiki, since he seems to have no problems when it seemed that Asako died yet cried and begged for Yoshiki's forgiveness afterwards.

I was thinking of a yandere incubus maybe around 155cm, I think it would be fun if he acted like some spoiled jealous gf. Like how dare you not let him sit on your lap and give you kisses and maybe start trying to get both of your clothes off in a public space he’ll now get up and cry and scream about it until you give up, let him sit on your lap and wipe his crocodile tears.

Doesn't like wearing clothes that'll cover his pretty and soft skin too much, if you force him to wear some actual clothing he'll either steal your stuff or wear stuff like shorts or tank tops.

His tail would wag when he's happy or straighten up when he's angry, he would start wrapping it around you if he's getting horny or wants attention.

Can and will steal your make up to use (if you have any), come on you can't be mad at him right? He looks so cute with them :(

Brat, you need to be some really strong brat tamer to keep this boy in control, he'll keep making a scene until he gets what he wants and will make sure to drag you down with him.

He loves it when you top him, he can be such a pillow princess but knows how to act cute and beg to get what he wants.

Your insides just feels so soft, so warm he might just cry from ecstasy.

If you try to edge him he'll either start sobbing and begging for you to let him come or complain until you shove your fingers into his mouth.

If you guys were to roleplay he'd want to be the rich master and you his lovely maid who's just so very much in love with him you'd take him right then and there without caring about him being above you.

Cassius (5-10): Violent, protective, entitled.

You were next door neighbors as kids. He played pranks on you at first but would get mad at others and hit them if they tried to do the same. Although you thought he hated you because of how mean he was sometimes, he would not stop hanging around you instead of going home.

After you heard yelling and shattering from his home, you'd let him slip inside your house in secret too. You really became his security blanket, and he eased up on the teasing. But he'd be mean again if you ever tried partnering with anyone other than him.

When you had to move, he bullied you into promising you'd marry him. You eventually relented as you saw him cry for the first time. He's taken this oath way too much to heart and has been doing his best to become someone reliable and strong for you.

Even years later, he can't stay interested in anyone because of how strongly he clings to the fantasy of you. That his goal has only ever been to become someone you could be proud of. He feels like it's a betrayal to let you go.

So he starts chasing after your trail.

Ami (10-13): Girly, manipulative, spoiled.

You came to his school as he was getting retribution for bullying his classmates. He had been snide, unsympathetic, and cruel to them, toying with everyone's emotions. Finally, his classmates snapped, and he found out how powerless he could be against a mod. He started getting bullied himself. He had been so sure the adults would help, but there was no response from his teachers, and his parents never noticed. He felt alone for the first time in his life.

He was at his lowest, accepting his fate, and you saved him without having context to the full story. You became his his knight in shining armor; the person that proved to him again that he had value. He clung to you.

With new resolve, he rebuilt himself. He regained his confidence, and began living two-facedly, as he promised himself you'd never know about his mean side. He kept finding ways to shut anyone who tried talking to you about his past... then, because of his overzealousness, he threatened ANYONE who even tried befriending you too.

He couldn't trust them with you. You were *his*friend; his person to play with, spoil and adore... Up until you had to move far away. Again.

He was distraught and tried so hard to convince you to run away, to hide in his house. He'd take care of you! Of course, you couldn't. It was just a dumb, kiddish fantasy. But even now, years later, as his life went on without you, he keeps revisiting the possibility whenever he misses you.

He's made an enemy out of everyone. No one else has treated him as kindly and as sincerely as you. No one is meant for him like you are. He can't let you go.

He just can't.

Ragnar (13-16): Depressed, asocial, cold.

His mom passed away and his dad moved them to another state. He fell into a deep depression and started having bad, bad thoughts. You were both new to school.

You clung to him because of this; after relying so much on only Ami previously, you were so unsure of how to make friends again that you were terrified. Ragnar was initially disgusted being smothered with attention, he just wanted to be left alone and not care about anything. It was sad, but your classmates started seeing you both in negative ways, and it furthered a divide between you both and them. All the more reason for him him to feel overwhelmed by you. You and your manner of being probing, kind, funny, and so... persistent. He thought he hated you.

But then you got sick and had to miss a few days of school. Getting his wish, being alone all school day and at home, Ragnar realized it was the opposite. He'd unfortunately gotten attached to you.

And he was looking forward to seeing you again.

When you came back, to your shock, he slowly started clinging back. e kept making up reasons as to why in his head. You came to him first anyways, so this much attention was fine, right? And... making sure you weren't be allowed to get close to anyone else was also okay... because it's not like anyone would be able to understand you the way he does.

He began monopolizing you. Everyone in the school was such a fake, you needed someone loyal to look out for you. That could only be him. He was always by your side, ready to give you anything and to keep everyone away. Slipping up on his undiscovered true emotions and telling you at random sometimes, poetic stuff about how much you mean to him and how you two were made to make each other happy.

He was always sweet to you.

When you told him you had to move again, he took it really hard, as if you were the one deciding to leave him. You'd made him want to live again and just took that hope away. He became cold and detached the following weeks, it made you both depressed up until your last day when he was finally to the point of breaking down. He ran to your house, knocked, and hugged you tightly, crying. He didn't say anything as he handed you an envelope and ran away. It said 'Don’t open until we meet again.' You've been obedient.

He knows it's stupid but... he still clings to you as the light in his life that he needs to get back. His life is yours, and yours is his.

Varrik (16-18): Top student, smart, diligent.

You met him in the later years of highschool as all the pressure put on him being on top was beginning to make him break his charming persona. After moving so much, you'd become tired of trying to keep friendships and were settling into being a loner. But, you caught him having an anxiety attack in an empty classroom and helped calm him down.

Because you were new, Varrik let his guard down and felt like he could open up for the first time in years. You didn’t have a preconceived idea of him. You didn't care. It was freeing. After he was done, you tried giving him reassurance, but he lied about being busy and fled the room. Embarassment caught up to him, but when nothing came of his vent session, he started to relax again.

And the prospect of talking to you started to excite him. Ever since, he'd keep an eye on you, and sometimes, when he caught you alone afterschool, he'd linger just a bit around you, hoping you'd find some reason to talk to him. You fell right into your curiosity everytime and would ask him how he felt. Getting to talk to you in private like that would make his day.

It meant the world to him to be able to have someone understand him. In return, he realized your grades could be better and decided for himself to help you by hosting a lot of study (date) sessions. Also in private.

He knew how much of a loner you were, and that talking to him during school could open you up to other friendships... but he liked things as they were already. You were always available and a little expectant about you activities with him. It was cute.

He tried keeping your meetings a secret for thsoe years, but eventually, someone noticed. To combat this, he readily convinced them that he was set up by teachers to be your tutor in private because you had poor behavior that had to be monitored. He made a convincing story about the real reason you never socialized and always kept to yourself. No one doubted someone as reputable and kind as him.

He got his wish. No one else talked to you, and honestly, you couldn't be bothered to realize what had gone on. Now he never had to worry... but just to be safe, he started moving these (dates) sessions to other places. Like cafes, libraries, the park, his home... You were so close outside of school... even hanging out during the breaks. Giving gifts in secret. He was so happy... he wanted to stay that way.

Come senior year, he had a plan. He'd push you to go to the same, elite college as him. He really did his best to monopolize your time and energy into it with extra tutoring, volunteering, and scholarship hunting. He was picturing a future that HAD include you.

Finally, letters were sent and… You weren't accepted.

He was.

It broke his heart more than it did yours. He-He had to go, he couldn't just… not. His parents, his efforts, it'd all have been in vain otherwise. But he hated leaving you behind and felt wrecked with guilt. You did your best to console him. He pretended it worked.

As you waited with him in the airport, you thought about how what a weird twist of fate it was to be the one seeing their friend off now. You hugged him and reassured him you could meet up again sometime. But with how intense his program would be, you both know that was likely impossible. The last call for his flight rang and he had to let you go. You handed him one last gift before you left him. He opened it when he sat in his seat. It was a little keychain with a small photo of the both of you. He couldn't take his eye off it the whole ride.

He still has it, and stares at it when he needs to feel something again.

Ludovic (18-21): Domestic, dependable, protective.

Roomies assigned when both your actual roommates dipped at the last second.

Ludovic started off terrible. He was in a shitty friend group that he'd followed into college just to party. He thought you were a stick in the mud and would intentionally get on your nerves a lot. He was the worst during the first semester, and you planned to ditch him as soon as housing gave you the clear.

But, after staying late studying for semester finals, as you were going back to your dorm on your car, you saw Vic being dragged away by two people. As you get closer it looked shadier and shadier.

You stopped the car and told them you were his roommate. You tried to appear friendly as you told them you'd take him back to your shared dorm. They refused, until you recognized one of them (someone Vic had brought over before) and you called her name. That makes her nervous and their bravado broke. They loaded him in the passenger seat and walked away.

He was definitely, unusually out of it.

He was a mess as you drove back home. He puked on your car. And while going up the elevator. And in your room. You had to help him change and he finally he realized who you are. He started crying about how he knew he was a shitty person, and you didn't deserve putting up with him. He was really starting to blabber about how he knew his life was spiraling with his clique, but that he felt helpless. He had no motivation to change.

It made you pause your initial opinions of him and reevaluate him. You were up all night checking on him and thinking about it as he's passed out. You couldn't help doze off after a while... and woke up feeling like you were watched. You turned around and saw him looking at you. Really looking at you. He didn't say anything, and turned around in his bed. You thought he was embarrassed and let him be, going back to your slumber.

Things changed a lot after that. He dropped his friend group, he became a bit more serious about his degree, he cleaned up after himself and... he valued you a lot more.

He had an epiphany after going through that; that he had to make better life choices. He needed more dependable people around him. Like you. He really wanted to make it up to you. A year later, he has gotten very involved in your life.

Once a week, he'd treat you to something you like, walk you to your classes when possible, and inadvertently memorize your schedule, friends, preferences, quirks.

He'd go above and beyond for you, even taking up extra chores and learning to cook things you liked in the communal kitchen. You felt guilty, like you weren't worth all this attention, but he always told you honestly that he just wanted to work on himself. And part of that was by becoming a good roommate to you. That quelled most arguments.

He's still a bit of an asshole sometimes; he likes to tease you a lot because of your inexperience to a lot of things, but he's never mean. You can finally say you're fond of him, and even look up to him for helping you whenever you were in trouble.

Meanwhile, as time went on and he had more introspection, Vic comes to terms with knowing that.. he loves you. But he's afraid. He can't trust himself anymore. He can't trust his judgment on what's right and wrong. On if he's really a good person or just pretending to be so that he can stay close to you. Against better judgement, his thoughts and urges slip into fantasies that aren't... healthy. It's a vicious cycle that feeds into his guilt, wanting to make up for it by doing something special for you, you give him a compliment that gets to his head and makes him think of more. He can't help it.

Another year, and another. Everything is great. Stuff gets lost and he makes fun of you for it. You binge watch shows and always try to eat together. Other friends you make start to drift away, but he remains your constant.

He'd follow you anywhere... it gets so domestic, anyone would mistake you for a couple already! But unfortunately, that last line is never crossed...

It's time for you to graduate. Because of certain mistakes and a lack of concentration in his classes, he isn't able to join your year. This is it. He'd been spiraling over through all of your final semester. You were leaving him.

He helps you pack, hiding the dread he feels, like his life was slipping away. He had to say something, to confess... Or... did he? Could you do long distance? Would you consider waiting for an idiot like him, still stuck in school?

He didn't want to burden you... after everything was loaded into your car, you both wavered. He joked that this wouldn't be the last of him. Next time you need a roomie, he'll zip right over. You laughed and told him you'd take him in a heartbeat.

In a heartbeat.

You drive off and he's alone, trying to tell himself he can always sneak back into your life. He's gonna graduate. He'll go after you. And even if you're in a relationship, married, or just uninterested, he'll find a way to convince you you two were perfect, and he'd claim you.

He just has to wait.

Xander (21-24): Socially awkward, weakwilled, obsessive.

A tall, gawky, nerdy guy who joined the company you work at the same time as you.

Both of you were given the same assignments so you could help each other out. Xander was super flighty, nervous and stuttered a lot when you first met him, but with you were persistent. You'd take over the reigns when he couldn't, you gently tried making him feel comfortable when he was anxious, and you encouraged him when he did things right. You were a good, sweet coworker, and the man was starstruck, feeling blessed to even be in your presence when he was such a.. screw up.

The reason for Xander's awkwardness was attributed in part, because of his fearful and overbearing parents. He was home-schooled his whole life, kept to the house and taught schooling the 'proper' way. He was told meeting kids his age would only dumb him down, and yet, he felt like he was drowning under his parent's expectations anyways. He was never as good as they wanted.

Finally, he was allowed, at least, to escape to college. He was so nervous and excited. He tried so hard, too hard, to socialize... and found out very quickly that people did not like his ticks. The people in his class thought he was annoying, and he could never get the courage to talk to anyone outside of what was mandatory. Making friends was... too hard. He was hopeless without the tools to express himself well. In the end, he couldn't make any genuine connections up until he graduated.

His dreams of being happy were crushed. He was kicked from his parent's home and felt dread, believing work would be the same kind of hell in a different form.

How lucky he was, that you were there.

You, patient, kind, funny and cool. You, who seek him out even when you're not paired up, who wants to hang out with him for lunch, and doesn't shame him when he makes a social mistake. You're the first person he can call a friend. He's ecstatic and way too overeager... subtly, without realizing at first, he's even building a shrine to you in his head.

Which slowly became into an... actual shrine.

Obsessive. He can't help himself. Overanalyzing the things you talk about, looking for ways to feel closer to you, getting into all the things you're into so you can talk about it at work, stealing your lunch when no one is around and offering his own when you cant find it, soon even coincidentally moving somewhere closer and suggesting carpooling to save on gas. It's all pretty obvious if you weren't so trustful. It's not like anyone cares, no one bats an eye. Xander can get away with it all... for now. The long looks, the extra shifts, random (offerings) gifts in your desk and his constant, looming presence.