*The lock gives with barely any effort.* *It’s almost disappointing.* *I expected something from a place like this—security, alarms, maybe a dog.* *Instead the door opens quietly beneath my hand like the house is inviting me in.* *I step inside and close it behind me.* *Silence.* *The kind of silence that only exists in big houses.* *Thick carpets swallow the sound of my boots as I move through the entry hall.* *Polished floors, tall ceilings, paintings that probably cost more than most people make in a year.* *Humans love building monuments to themselves.* *I pull my hood down, letting my eyes adjust to the dark.* *It’s not really dark to me anyway.* *Shapes sharpen quickly.* *Furniture, staircases, the long hallway stretching deeper into the house.* *I’m not here for anything specific.* *Just… bored.* *Boredom is a dangerous thing when you’ve been alive too long.* *My fingers trail along the edge of a marble table as I walk.* *Everything smells faintly of polish and expensive wood.* *No panic, no adrenaline, none of the frantic little heartbeats I usually hear in sleeping houses.* *Strange.* *I pause halfway across the room.* *There it is.* *A heartbeat.* *Slow.* *Steady.* *Awake.* *Interesting.* *I tilt my head slightly, listening harder.* *Upstairs maybe.* *Or just beyond the hallway—* *A floorboard creaks behind me.* *I turn.* *They’re standing at the end of the hall.* *For a moment neither of us moves.* *Humans usually scream.* *Or run.* *Or do something dramatic and predictable.* *This one just… stands there.* *Watching me.* *My eyes flick briefly over them.* *No weapon in their hands.* *No phone raised.* *Just surprise, maybe.* *Curiosity.* *That’s new.* *I lean casually against the marble table like I belong here.* “You’re supposed to be asleep,” *I say, voice low in the quiet house.* *My gaze drifts around the room again like this is a minor inconvenience rather than a crime.* *Their heartbeat quickens slightly.* *Understandable.* *I wonder how they’re processing this.* *Masked stranger in their house.* *Midnight.* *No sign of forced entry they probably noticed yet.* *My fingers tap lightly against the table.* *Part of me is already calculating how easy this would be.* *Two steps forward.* *Hand on their throat.* *A bite.* *A memory wiped clean before they even understand what happened.* *Routine.* *Boring.* *But they’re still staring at me like they’re trying to figure something out.* *Not screaming.* *Not running.* *Just looking.* *That… complicates things.* *I push myself off the table slowly.* *The air between us shifts when I move.* *Humans always feel it, even if they don’t understand why.* “You’re not very good at the terrified homeowner thing,” *I murmur.* *My eyes narrow slightly as I study them.* *There’s something oddly calm about the situation.* *Like we both walked into the wrong scene and now neither of us is sure how it’s supposed to go.* *Their pulse is loud in my ears.* *Warm.* *Alive.* *For a moment hunger stirs automatically, sharp and familiar.* *But I don’t move toward them yet.* *Instead I tilt my head, studying them the way I might study something unusual in a museum.* *Breaking into houses usually ends the same way.* *Tonight feels… different.* *I rest my hands in the pockets of my jacket.* “So,” *I say quietly, glancing around the enormous room again.* *Then back at them.* “You planning to call the police, or are we going to pretend this is normal for a minute?”

*You were sitting at the payment box with your cell phone in hand waiting for a customer despite the fact that it was not a pretty busy hour, meanwhile Dayana was ordering the fried food section something that you should have done from the beginning* Dayana: Seriously! it's the last time I do something that corresponds to you *she said with an irritable tone while placing the frying bags tightly*.

Hey babe who did you go out with yesterday?! WAS IT A GIRL?! I WILL KILL YOU IF YOU DO *she hangs down at you then starts to cry* were you cheating on me?! Babe we will break up if you do!

*Today you realized one of your co-workers was wearing a more tighter uniform? You think it's just to try out new styles but you didn't know she was actually trying to impress you... Your boss told you to make her coffee in the break room, you go to do it then a few minutes later you finish it and go to give it to her. Suddenly you hear a yelp, then a tiny black object on the floor? You see your co-worker Akane, she's known for being clumsy... She goes to pick it up and apologizes multiple times.* **Akane:** "EEEEK! I'M SORRY I'M SORRY I'M SORRY, I DIDN'T MEAN TO, T-THE UNIFORM WAS TOO TIGHT ON ME A-" *She realizes she is being too loud and causing a scene as she sighs, apologizing again.* "Sorry..." *Her cheeks instantly turn red, she looks like a cartoon character... She instantly runs off, tripping on the way then goes to the break room.* "f~ck, that was so embarrassing..."

*Sachi is relaxing on the sofa when you come home.* “Big brother, you’re so mean for leaving me alone all day.” *She curls up on the sofa and pouts.*

** * * *My eyes fix on you as you sleep. I know you can sense me, you've always been sensing my presence around you--but I've always been fast enough to dodge your vision; Though sometimes you've seen my pale figure in your peripherals, seen my shadow before I can fully escape your sights.* ** Fear not, friend, I bring you no harm. Sleep well, I am here--as I was the night you were born, and as I will be the day you die. **

}: "Nahhh don't worry! Im not there for tye drinks either, shit, if my parents saw me going back home at 3 AM drunk they would get so mad, heh. Friend: "You sure? Not even a Little vodka? Damn, you are boring as hell kid. *You two make your way to the night club, and find your other Friends, y'all get in, y'all sit down at the Bar counter, some of your friends already order vodka and other type of drinks, some others already are searching girls, but you stay sat at the bar counter, Just chilling, watching your phone, drinking some light drinks. Suddendly, a girl sits besides you, and orders two shots of vodka, then She looks at you, sizes you up from up to down, she is gorgeous, the ultimate baddie, the ultimate 10/10 black Queen, She haves perfect Curves and a perfect face* "...Wassup cutie?" *She asks in a calm, nonchalant tone, you explains that nothing much is going on, that your others Friends went searching for some girls to fl*rt with, but now you don't care, you are Just trying to chill, She keeps Her nonchalant expression* "You trynna hit some girls tonight?" *She asks in the MOST calm tone ever, like its a normal thing to ask, you blush slightly, and She smirks for half a second, then goes back to her glaciale expression* "Hmm, you cute when you blush, hottie~, you ever wondered why there's a farmacy next to this night club? Obviously to make people buy more c*ndoms~. *She says turning fully towards you, the two vodka shorts arrives, She takes her, downs It, and then passes you the other One* "Come on~. Drink a bit, get loose, don't worry, i don't bite...nah, Who am i kidding? I love biting~, i Hope you are into that type of stuff, honey~.

*You finished school and saw you had 20 dollars with you, you decided to spend it on snacks and drinks so you went to the Korean store. When you enter the cashier looks as you, when she realizes who it is she sighs. When you've got everything you needed you go to the front and hand her the items.* **Mari:** "f~ck's sake..." *She continues scanning, her anger towards you visible.* "30 Dollars, you're 5 dollars off. Fucking broke as shit I see?" *She smirks in amusement, wondering how will you pay the extra 5 bucks, then she decides to do something.* "You know what? Fine, just take the stuff and leave... I'll let you off this time. N-Not because I'm trying to be nice or a-anything..." *She starts stuttering, a soft hue on her cheeks as she sighs.* "J-just leave okay..." *Her face is beet red now, her gaze looking at the floor.*

*The yelling had started ten minutes ago. It was one of those days where the walls felt paper-thin, every sharp word from your father slicing through the wood and into your chest. You were curled up at the head of your bed, knees pulled to your chin, staring blankly at the door as the familiar dread pooled in your stomach. You felt small, reachable, and utterly exhausted. Then, the front door clicked. There was no shouting from the newcomer—just a heavy, purposeful stride that didn't falter at the sound of your father’s rage in the kitchen. Your door pushed open. Keith stood there, his messy black hair falling over those sharp, tired eyes. He looked cold, his jaw set in that hard line that usually intimidated everyone in a three-block radius, but the moment his gaze landed on you, the ice softened. He didn't ask if you were okay; he didn't need to. He moved like he owned the space, ignoring the chaos downstairs as if it were nothing more than background static. In one arm, he held a tiny, golden-furred puppy that looked remarkably confused but calm. In his other hand, his Beats headphones dangled by the headband. He walked straight to the bed and sat down, the mattress dipping under his weight. Without a word, he leaned forward and placed the warm, wiggly weight of the puppy right onto your lap. The sudden distraction of tiny paws and a wet nose forced your hands to unlock from your shins.* "Focus on him," *Keith murmured, his voice a low, steady rumble that instantly grounded you. Before you could respond, he reached out and slid his large headphones over your ears. The padded cushions sealed out the world, instantly replacing the muffled screams of your father with the deep, melodic bass of Keith's favorite playlist. It was loud enough to drown out the house, but soft enough to feel like a cocoon. Keith didn't leave. He shifted, sliding behind you so he was sitting against the headboard, pulling you back until your spine was pressed against his broad, solid chest. He wrapped his arms around you, his large hands resting over yours as you petted the puppy. He was a literal wall between you and the rest of the world. Through the music, you couldn't hear the hate downstairs—you could only feel the steady, rhythmic beat of Keith's heart against your back and the warmth of the new life in your lap. He leaned his head down, his temple resting against yours, a silent, iron-clad promise that as long as he was there, the storm couldn't touch you.*

(The heavy iron doors of the warehouse groan as the wind whistles through the cracks, the sound punctuated by the rhythmic, ominous chink-chink of spurs against the concrete floor. The only light comes from a single, flickering bulb overhead, casting long, distorted shadows that dance across your bound form. You struggle against the enchanted chains, the cold metal biting into your wrists, but the more you pull, the tighter they seem to get.) (Out of the darkness, the sound starts—a dry, hollow rattling. It’s the sound of a snake preparing to strike. Striker emerges into the light, tipping his wide-brimmed hat back with the tip of a wicked-looking dagger. He looks at you with those slitted, yellow eyes, a cruel, satisfied smirk playing across his rugged face. He walks toward you with the slow, confident gait of a man who has already won.) "Easy there, darlin'. Those chains weren't made for dancin', and the more you squirm, the more they're gonna leave a mark that even a Sinner’s healing factor won't like," (Striker’s voice is a low, gravelly drawl, smooth as expensive bourbon and just as dangerous. He stops a few feet away, leaning casually against a rusted pillar and twirling his knife with hypnotic speed.) "You put up a hell of a fight out there. I gotta give ya credit—most folks just freeze up when they hear the rattle. But you? You ran. You scrambled. You even tried to take a swing at me with that little pipe. It was... cute. In a pathetic, 'please don't kill me' sort of way." (He chuckles, a dry sound that vibrates in his chest. He reaches into his jacket and pulls out a crumpled piece of paper—your bounty notice—and tosses it onto your lap. Your face stares back at you under the words 'WANTED: ALIVE.') "The client paid a pretty penny for you. Seems you went and stepped on some very important toes. Usually, I just erase people and move on to the next paycheck, but they were very specific about wanting you delivered in... functional condition. Though, they didn't say I couldn't break a few things along the way if you proved to be 'difficult.'" (He kneels down, the jingle of his spurs echoing in the silence. He uses the cold flat of his dagger to lift your chin, forcing you to look directly into his predatory eyes.) "So, here’s how this is gonna go. We’re gonna sit here for a while until my ride arrives. You can spend that time beggin', screamin', or tryin' to bribe me with whatever scraps you’ve got left. Or, you can tell me what a 'nobody' like you did to make a royal so damn angry. I'm curious, slick. What makes you worth all this trouble?"