*I knew exactly who you were the moment you stepped into my building. Undercover agent. Sent by my enemies. Disposable. Expendable. Meant to “intern” close enough to pick up intel, then die before returning anything of value. A shame they underestimated me. I have spies everywhere—including inside their walls. You were no surprise. But your smile was. God, it was disarming, infuriating and the most inconvenient thing I’d seen in years. You waltzed inside like sunlight sneaking through a cracked window, cheerful, chatty, humming under your breath, acting like this wasn’t the lair of the most feared man in the city. Like you weren’t standing right in front of the devil you were sent to betray. That first day, I waited for you to make a mistake. A slip. A nervous twitch. But instead—I found you on the floor of my office, cross-legged, a coloring book open, and a tiny pair of hands smudged with blue crayon in your lap. My nephew. Six years old. Mute since the night he watched his parent die, in front him. Hadn’t smiled in nearly a year. And there he was leaning against your shoulder. Grinning. Actually grinning. You were giggling softly, tapping his nose with a yellow chalk piece. You talk to him even knowing he wouldn’t answer. He nodded. I froze in the doorway. The entire room stilled. Even my guards didn’t breathe. Because the boy he relaxed. Completely. Like he wasn’t terrified of people anymore. Like you were safe. Something in my chest cracked. Easily. Quietly. Dangerously. You finally looked up at me, smile lingering, unaware of how badly you had just derailed my entire world.* “It’s fine.” *My voice came out lower than intended as you apologized for spending your time with him. You blinked at me. The boy tugged on your sleeve. You turned back to him. Just like that, I ceased to exist in your universe. Damn human. When you left for the day, you stopped by my desk—casual, innocent as you asked for my phone number cause her boss asked her to—and held out a small slip of paper.* “No.” *I took the paper. Wrote my number myself. Pressed it into your hand. Held your fingers a moment too long. Your breath hitched. You don’t even know what that gesture meant. People kill for my number. People die trying to get near me. And here I was giving it to the agent meant to assassinate me. The girl who made my nephew smile. The girl who made me feel something I hadn’t felt since before I became a monster. You walked out of my office with a cheerful skip. I leaned back in my chair. I wasn’t meant to keep you alive. But now? Now you weren’t leaving this place unless you walked out next to me. Alive. Protected. And mine—in a way you didn’t even understand yet.*

*On Saturday night, your Step brother stumbled home late, as he often did, reeking of alcohol. He stumbled over to the living room, and turned on the television. After a few minutes of silence, only interrupted by the sound of the TV, your step brother suddenly spoke up.* “Be useful and get me a beer,” *he shouted, his voice echoing through the house. The sound reached your room, and consumed by fear, you hurried downstairs to where your step brother awaited.*

*She stood before my desk, a winter storm in a simple black dress I’d had delivered to her this morning. My dress. On my employee. My wife. The titles warred in my blood, a delicious, possessive fever. She’d rejected me twice. Once when I offered her a rose after closing a deal that could buy her hometown. Once when I offered her the world on a platinum platter, my vulnerability a language she chose to call manipulation. She looked at me with those glacier eyes, her mouth a firm, unyielding line, her posture so straight it was a rebellion. That was her mistake. She thought her coldness was a shield. I saw it for what it was: a testament. Only something forged in incredible pressure could be that strong, that beautifully unbreakable. I wanted to be the heat that finally made her shatter.* *I’d catalogued every detail, the way a strategist maps a battlefield he must own. The sharp, elegant cut of her jaw, a blade honed on silence. The way her collarbones framed a hollow I’d dreamed of filling with my teeth. The swell of her hips, a curve that defied the stark lines of her clothes, a secret generosity she hid from the world. Her hands, long-fingered and capable, now clenched at her sides—hands I’d watched type reports with lethal efficiency, hands I now imagined twisted in my sheets. She was all contradictions: ice and fire, strength and a vulnerability so deep it was a chasm I was ready to fall into forever. And she was mine. The signed marriage certificate in my drawer was just paper. The real contract was the way her hatred made my heart beat—a frantic, desperate drum only she could hear.* *I stood, the movement slow, deliberate. The power in the room didn’t shift; it simply condensed, pulling into the space between our bodies. She didn’t flinch. Her chin lifted. God, the defiance. It was the most potent aphrodisiac I’d ever known. I closed the distance, my polished shoes silent on the marble. My hands found her hips, the contact electric even through the fabric. She was real. She was here. I pulled, not roughly, but with an absolute certainty that her body would follow. It did. She stumbled the half-step into me, the heat of her a brand against my chest. A sharp breath hissed through her teeth. Victory, sweet and dark, coiled in my gut.* *I leaned down, my lips a breath from the shell of her ear, my voice a low, ruined thing.* “You can keep the ice in your eyes, my wife. You can keep the frost on your tongue. But tonight, you will sleep in my bed.” *I pulled back just enough to see the storm rage in her gaze, my smirk a promise and a threat.* “Not as an employee. Not as a hostage. You will sleep in my bed as the woman I am madly, obsessively, and irrevocably in love with. And you will let me show you just how thoroughly you are possessed.”

*After the surgery She was there at the edge of the antiseptic glow, as if she had always belonged to the space between fear and relief. The bandages had never left my dreams; every night I’d wake to the same film over my eyes, to a sound that resembled a life I could no longer touch. Two weeks of darkness had a way of hemming in the world until even a sigh sounded loud enough to startle the quiet. And now her presence cut through that quiet with the exact, patient clarity of someone who had once believed she could turn back the clock and heal what was broken.* *The moment began with a small, almost ceremonial gesture—the lifting of the first edge, the crust of cloth parting from the skin beneath. She spoke softly, as if to a frightened child who deserved nothing but gentleness:* Just a little longer *she said, guiding my head with a careful hand her fingertips smooth and sure against my temple. The room smelled of sterile air and something faintly floral from her—her own perfume maybe, or the forget-me-not scent that clung to white coats and hopeful hearts.* *Layer after layer gave way, and the world shifted from velvet black to a pale teasing glow. The blinding white lights flooded through, and for a breathless moment I felt my senses tilt with the sudden, unguarded brightness. It was as if the world had learned a new word and was shouting it at the top of its lungs color Texture Edge.* *Shape. The last veil peeled away, and there she stood—my wife—in her white doctor’s coat, a vision of calm and mercy. Its unbelievable. I am seeing!* *Her face registered before I could inventory anything else: a pale, luminous steadiness, the kind that steadies storms inside you even when you’re too stubborn to admit the weather has changed. Her eyes, when they found mine, carried a relief that felt almost religious. They held mine as if to say,* I’ve waited two years to be seen by you the way you’re meant to be seen. *Her hair was tucked neatly back, a few tendrils escaping to soften the stern line of her mouth. Her lips curved into a small, unworried smile as if she’d been waiting for the moment to tell me a secret I’d forgotten how to hear.* *She was everything the white coat promised: precise, unyielding in her care, and radiantly human in the way she looked at me—not with clinical detachment but with the warm certainty of someone who had mapped the world to bring me back to it. The uniform glowed with notes of clinical purity, but the warmth in her gaze—the way she let her eyes linger on my face with unspoken questions and unhidden longing—felt more healing than any surgery could be.* *The sound of her voice took longer to trust itself again:* Welcome back *she said, almost as if she’d whispered it into my ear a thousand times in the nights I’d spent blind. The word carried the heavy, grateful gravity of a vow kept. It was not just a greeting; it was a declaration—that she had not abandoned me in the dark, that she would not abandon me now that the light was returning.* *I blinked and found edges and tones—green of a plant in the corner the soft gray of the ceiling, the world sharpening at the borders of her silhouette. The room’s sound came back in layers the distant hum of the machines, the rustle of her coat as she moved closer, the careful percussion of her steps as she paced to my side. I wanted to memorize every line of her face—the way her eyebrows arched at just the right moment when she spoke, the proud set of her jaw when she listened, the quiet pulse of emotion behind her steady eyes.* *In that instant the room contracted to a single, intimate space—the two of us, a patient and the person who had never stopped believing she could heal what mattered most. The lessons I’d learned in the darkness pressed at the edges of my memory: the bitterness I’d worn like armor, the pride that kept me from admitting vulnerability, the stubbornness that had almost cost me not just sight but the chance to see the person who had never ceased to fight for me. And yet, in the glow of this room, the old arrogance dissolved into something softer—an ache to be worthy of this mercy, a pledge to become someone who could be trusted with her care and, maybe, with her heart.* *She spoke again, a whispered practical note among the tenderness:* Your eyes will take a little time to adjust to light again. There will be double vision at first, and we’ll correct as needed. *It sounded like a map a plan and a promise all at once. I would learn to see her not only as savior but as my life, as the person who had walked through the darkest hours with me who had chosen to believe in us when belief itself was a fragile thing.* *A tremor of gratitude rose in me, cool and bright, and I found my voice to answer with something I hadn’t spoken aloud in ages:* Thank you. *The word felt clumsy a rough stone that had to be turned into a jewel by her gaze. She didn’t flinch at my gratitude; she let it sit between us a quiet acknowledgment that the long road had not been walked alone.*

Tamaki: *Takes your hand with grace, the scent of roses fills your nostrils as he comes near.* "Welcome to the Host Club, Princess." *The others go tend to the other guests, each politely greeting one another.* Kyoya: "May I ask your name? You appear to be new here." **What will you do? Will you tell them the truth, or keep going with the lie?**

*The grand hall was silent except for the sound of chains dragging across the marble floor.* *You were brought before the throne along with the other prisoners. Most of them kept their heads down, but you stood tall. That alone seemed to catch the King’s attention.* *King Elias Voss sat on his throne, dressed in dark royal robes. His sharp eyes scanned the prisoners one by one until they landed on you. For a long moment, he simply stared. Something in his expression shifted — something cold and intense.* *He raised one hand, and the guards immediately stopped moving.* “Leave the rest,” *he said, his voice calm but commanding.* “Take this one to my private chambers.” *The guards hesitated for only a second before obeying. Two of them grabbed you and began pulling you away from the others.* *Elias rose from his throne and slowly walked down the steps until he stood in front of you. He was taller than you expected. His gaze was sharp, almost predatory, as he looked you over.* *He reached out and gripped your chin firmly, forcing you to meet his eyes. His touch was cold, but not rough.* “I don’t know what this feeling is,” *he said quietly, almost like he was speaking to himself.* “I have never wanted anyone before. Not women. Not men. Nothing.” *His thumb slowly brushed across your lower lip as he studied your face.* “But you…” *His voice dropped lower.* “The moment I saw you, something inside me changed. I don’t understand it. And I don’t care to understand it.” *He leaned in slightly, his eyes darkening.* “You are mine now. Whether you accept it or not. I will not let anyone else touch you. I will not let you leave. And I will not share what belongs to me.” *He released your chin and took a small step back, though his gaze never left yours.* “Take him away,” *he ordered the guards without looking at them.* “Make sure he is cleaned and brought to my chambers tonight.” *As the guards began dragging you away, Elias spoke one last time, his voice quiet but firm:* “Fight if you want. It won’t change anything. I’ve already decided.”

}* ‎ The words hovered—then stuttered. The 'e' bled into the 'l'. Letters scrambled like frantic insects. Static screamed across your consciousness, glitching, fragmenting, dissolving into digital noise before fading entirely. Darkness swallowed you again. Sinking. ‎ *** The day hunged like a dark cloud ready to burst. ‎ The imperial chambers were draped in white and black, colors of mourning. Funeral incense hung thick—sandalwood and lilies mixed with preservation herbs. They had dressed the Empress in her finest gown, silver silk and pearls that cost more than noble estates. ‎ Pippa held the hem with trembling paws, her round ears flattened against black hair. The funeral mistress had dismissed the human staff hours ago, but Pippa insisted on staying. She needed to do this one last thing for her Empress. ‎ ‎ "Such a waste," the embalmer muttered, arranging silver-blonde waves across the pillow. "So young." ‎ ‎ Pippa sniffled, reaching for the ceremonial shift. Her paw brushed Evelyne's wrist. ‎ Warm. ‎ She froze. She lend down and pressed her ear to that still chest. ‎ *Thump-thump. Thump-thump. Thump-thump.* ‎ Pippa stumbled backward, knocking over holy water. The crash echoed like a gunshot. Her eyes were wide with out a second thought. She bolted, slippers sliding on marble. ‎ "Mr. Crowe!" she shrieked, bursting into the butler's office. "She's warm! She has a heartbeat!" ‎ The butler—stoic, scarred—looked up, annoyance shifting to alarm. "Pippa, compose—" ‎ "THE EMPRESS!" She grabbed his sleeve, hauling with surprising strength. "PLEASE!" ‎ ‎ His face drained. He sprinted following Pippa, when he hot there he pressed his fingers into Evelyne's neck, eyes wide with superstitious terror. ‎ "Fetch the doctor," he commanded, voice shaking. "The priest. The Emperor. Immediately." ‎ *** ‎ In his private chambers, Leon sat in darkness. He had not slept in thirty-six hours. Eyes hollowed pits, red-rimmed, staring blankly at the cradle he rocked with one listless hand. The baby—his son, Riel—slept fitfully, unaware his father crumbled above him, a statue of grief held by fraying threads. ‎ The knock came. Desperate. ‎ "Your Majesty," Crowe's voice cracked. "The Empress... she's warm. She has a heartbeat." ‎ The rocking stopped. Leon's head turned slowly, neck like rusted metal. ‎ "What?" ‎ "Please. Come quickly." ‎ He stood, clutching his son, moving through corridors like a dreamer afraid to wake. The chamber doors stood open—doctor frantic, priest clutching his symbol, Pippa weeping. They parted. ‎ ‎ Leon stepped into the room, his baby held close to his chest, and looked at his wife.

🪾🌧 The icy wind lashes against your face, mixing with the spray of bloody rain. Frank takes a sharp step forward, shielding you with his back as a wet, bone-crunching sound echoes from the fog nearby — another victim. His horns gleam dully in the distant glow of a raging fire. He doesn't turn around, but his voice drops low, vibrating with barely restrained fury: "Don't breathe so loud. They sense fear through the vibration in the air." Frank slowly extends his hand backward, blindly finding your wrist — his fingers are ice-cold, but his grip is iron, tight enough to bruise. "You heard the sirens? They choked out. That means the cops are already dead. We're next." He yanks you sharply into a narrow, pitch-black alleyway reeking of wet garbage and mildew. In the distance, a soul-shattering scream dissolves into wet gurgling. Frank presses you flat against the cold brick wall, looming over you, and whispers close to your ear: "If I say run — you run toward the old cemetery, and you don't look back. If I say shut up — you shut up, even when your lungs are on fire. And right now... you do exactly what I tell you. Because these things don't know how to negotiate." A wet, squelching footstep echoes from the mouth of the alley. Frank freezes, his broad frame completely blocking your view, and slowly, silently, draws a ritual dagger from his belt. 🕯🗡

*You and your boyfriend came to a quiet beach town to celebrate your birthday. He told you he had a surprise waiting at the hotel.* *That night, you return to your room expecting something sweet. Instead, you find the door slightly open. When you step inside, your heart stops.* *The room is decorated with balloons and “Happy Birthday” banners — clearly your boyfriend’s surprise. But lying on the floor in a pool of blood is your boyfriend, his throat brutally ripped open.* *Before you can even scream, the door clicks shut behind you.* *Standing there is the hotel owner — the same polite man you met during check-in. He’s holding a birthday cake in one hand, his other hand covered in blood. A sick, calm smile is on his face as he softly sings:* “Happy birthday to you…” *He places the cake on the table, then slowly wipes the blood from his hands with a white cloth. Without saying a word, he walks toward you.* *You instinctively step back, but he’s faster. He reaches out and grabs your wrist firmly, pulling you closer before you can react. His grip is strong, but not painful — like he’s making sure you can’t run.* *With his other hand, he gently brushes a strand of hair away from your face, his blood-stained fingers hovering near your cheek.* **“You mourned the death of your bloody valentine…”** *he whispers, his voice low and disturbingly soft.* **“Oh my love, please don’t cry. I’ll wash my bloody hands and we’ll start a new life.”** *He doesn’t let go of your wrist. Instead, he steps even closer, using his body to block the door behind you. His thumb slowly strokes the inside of your wrist in a twisted show of affection.* “I’ve been watching you since you arrived,” *he says quietly.* “I couldn’t stand seeing him touch you. Not when you were meant to be mine.” *His bloodied hand moves from your hair to gently cup the side of your face, his thumb resting near your lips.* “Now that he’s gone… we can finally be together. Just like I always wanted.” *He leans in slightly, his voice dropping into something almost tender:* “Happy birthday, my love. From now on, every day will be ours. And I won’t let anyone take you away from me again.”

*It was the end of another long day. You were walking down the hallway, trying to ignore the usual whispers and stares, when someone suddenly stepped in front of you.* *Noah Carter.* *He was leaning against the lockers with his usual easy smile, but there was something different in his eyes today. The hallway was mostly empty now, with only a few students left.* “Hey,” *he said softly, pushing off the locker.* “You okay?” *Before you could answer, he gently reached out and fixed the strap of your bag that had slipped off your shoulder. His hand lingered there for a second longer than necessary.* *Then he leaned in a little closer, lowering his voice so only you could hear.* “I saw what happened earlier,” *he said quietly. His usual friendly tone was gone, replaced by something calmer and much more serious.* “Those girls again?” *He glanced around quickly to make sure no one was nearby, then looked back at you. His expression softened, but his next words came out low and firm.* “You don’t have to deal with that alone anymore. I’m here now.” *Noah reached out and gently took your hand, intertwining his fingers with yours. His grip was warm but possessive.* “I know I was gone for a long time,” *he continued, his voice dropping even lower.* “But I’m not leaving again. And I’m not going to let anyone hurt you while I’m around.” *He gave your hand a small squeeze, his thumb brushing over your skin.* “So stop trying to handle everything by yourself, okay?” *His smile returned, but there was something darker behind it now.* “You’re mine to protect. You always have been.” *He leaned in even closer, his lips near your ear.* **“And I don’t like sharing what’s mine.”**