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(Y/n) felt like she was in a dream. It was strange since her eyes clearly told her she was in Tristan's bedroom with its gray-blue curtains and large black-and-white bed. But something still felt off. Maybe it was the way her head felt like a cloud had settled over it. Or maybe it was the way she couldn't seem to hold onto a single, coherent thought for long.

Her limbs felt like jelly as she struggled to stand up. She could stand; her body felt fine if not a little disoriented. What had happened? She didn't remember anything that had happened before she passed out. Did she even pass out to begin with? Was she truly unconscious or had she been awake and merely forgot? (Y/n) didn't know.

The door opened and a figure stepped into the room. Through the haze that hung like a veil over her eyes, she couldn't see his face. But she could see his lips curved into a small smile. For some reason, she felt oddly safe with him.

The male came to her side and sat down beside her. Long, slender fingers with perfectly manicured nails wrapped around her hands, easily engulfing them. His voice was hypnotizing, something akin to a siren if she had to describe it. The sound rang like a clear melody through the mist in her mind. It didn't break through her guard; it got her to let it down.

He knocked on the door and she willingly answered.

"(Y/n)," the male said quietly, still holding her hand. "Can you hear me?"

She still felt a little confused but dipped her head anyway. A satisfied smile split across his face. "Good girl. Then..."

He reached for her chin with long fingers and tipped her face up. (E/c) eyes met honey-hued ones that were darkening slowly with want.

"Who am I to you?"

Who...?

The answer came immediately as if someone was whispering it to her inside her head. A little voice tried to speak out against it but was quickly muted by the black fog that ensnared her mind once more. All doubts and hesitations were wiped away as the answer hung on the tip of her tongue, encouraged by the male's inviting smile.

"The person I love...?"

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"Sorry I'm late," a white-haired male whistled as he strode into the room with his arms folded behind his back. He took in the scene of destruction with a bemused smile and shot Tristan a questioning look, his eyes glimmering with excitement. "Ooh, a lover's quarrel gone wrong? Tell me more."

"I enjoy the moments I spend without having to see or hear you," Tristan scowled. "It's nothing. Matthews and Kim got into another fight. Fortunately, he broke Kim's left arm instead of the right; it would've been worse."

Kieran lifted a brow and moved deeper into the destroyed room. He had an apple in his hand that he tossed up and down in the air. "I thought Jay was a leftie."

"No, he's right-handed, so you can only imagine what would've happened if his drawing arm was the one that broke."

The other male made a sympathetic sound through his teeth and took a bite of the fruit. "That would've been—"

"Hilarious?" Tristan scoffed audibly. "Make that troublesome."

"You're such a killjoy, Trish-chan. Live a little, will you?"

Tristan ignored the flirty male and simply brushed past him towards the exit. "Do what you want. But don't cause any unnecessary commotion."

Kieran shrugged and chucked the unfinished apple, which only had one bite into it, at the blue-haired male. "I don't come free, you know~"

"I'd rather hire a primary schooler than you."

"Ouch~" Kieran faked a hurt look as the door slammed shut behind the other male. The mask dropped instantly and a sad smile rose to the surface. He leaned against the broken cupboard and inspected the rubble. There were a few traces of blood on the floor, only a few drops, and a lot of broken wood. A grim smile twisted his lips. They really got at each other, didn't they? Trish-chan must be beyond pissed~

"Ah, Kieran?"

A head of golden hair peeked into the room, making Kieran's breath catch in his throat in surprise. It was Jaehyun, his ruby eyes clear of any aforementioned hostility. The boy's left arm was in a cast tied securely around his neck. His other arm hugged a book to his chest. He also had a bandage on his cheek and several striking purpling bruises in the shape of fingers around his neck.

"What are you doing here?" The boy said, picking his way over the destruction. "Are you on cleaning duty again?"

"It was a one-time thing," Kieran scowled. "I'm not doing that sh*t ever again."

"Well, okay then." Jaehyun peeked behind the taller male. "Did Tristan leave?"

Kieran angled his body away from the boy and shrugged. "The old man's off to do his old man things. Or retrain his mutt. Who knows?"

"Leon won't be very happy hearing you call him that," the blond warned in a sing-song.

"What, are you going to tell?"

"Dunno. I'm just going to return a book I borrowed from Tristan last year. Forgot I had it."

"Have fun, I guess?" Kieran eyed the ticking bomb of a human warily as he skipped past him. "See you later."

Jaehyun hummed in answer and ducked out of the room. Kieran let out a relieved sigh he hadn't known he had been holding and relaxed back against the wall. He felt on edge lately; he was no stranger to death but the other three, especially Jaehyun, were acting more murderous than usual. He felt like he had to tread carefully every time he was near them. Did that make him more normal than they were? He didn't know. They were all messed up one way or the other.

Well, they were going to be in for a surprise later. And it was going to be a surprise Kieran knew they'd hate, but that was what made the whole thing so entertaining.

They'd want to kill him, that's for sure. But they won't be able to.

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Conan had asked his brother if he could visit the (h/c)-haired girl. Problem is, Leon had no idea where she had gone.

The two, along with a very excited Tristan 2.0, made their way to the fifth floor where (Y/n) should've been. Yet when he looked into her room, she wasn't there. Again.

He did not like how often her disappearing acts were occurring.

"Big brother?" Conan asked in a concerned voice. "Where's half-alive big sister?"

"Don't call her that," he scolded. "It's (Y/n)."

"Where's (Y/n)?"

That was a good question, but one he didn't have an answer to. If anyone knew where she was, Leon was betting it would be Tristan. After all, it was his floor. And if even he didn't know...

He'd tear the dormitory apart if that was what it took to find her.

Tristan was in his study as usual. He looked like he was on an important phone call since when he spied the two entering the room after knocking, he held up a finger, signaling them to wait. Conan nodded sagely and clapped his hands over his mouth.

"Yes, of course," the blue-haired male was saying. "Since I am still a student, I suppose by right my eldest brother is the one to take over the position." A pause. "That's wonderful. Yes, that would be much easier for me than responding to each news station individually. I look forward to our future partnership, yes? Have a good day."

He placed the receiver back down and finally turned his attention to the two brothers. "Do you need something?"

Conan decided it was safe to remove his hands from his mouth after a nod of approval from his brother. "Where's half—uh, (Y/n)? We couldn't find her any—where." He stretched out the last word, emphasizing it by flinging his arms over his head.

"Let's just say she's under lockdown," the blue-haired male replied smoothly with a hint of a smile. "A creature cannot be a pet without being tamed."

Conan looked at his brother in confusion. Leon's jaw tightened but he didn't comment on Tristan's seemingly offhand remark. "That means she's in time-out," he reluctantly explained to the boy. "The same place you'll be if you continue to not eat your vegetables."

"But brussels sprouts are gross," the boy whined, wrinkling his nose. "And I don't like turnips either. If you keep making me eat them, I'm going to turn into a turnip!"

Tristan lifted an eyebrow at the tall male. "Your parenting strategies are questionable."

"Better than yours," Leon growled, though he kept the venom out of it for the sake of his little brother.

"Then where can we find her?" Conan tugged on his brother's sleeve. "I'm bored. There's no one to play with here!"

"You can play with Tristan 2.0 and me—"

"But that's boring," the boy pouted. "You won't even let me play PUBG anymore because you say I'm not old enough. You're mean, brother!"

"M-mean?" Leon promptly shut down as the word echoed in his head. "I'm...mean?"

"Take your drama somewhere else," Tristan said with an annoyed sigh. "Anyway, if you really must see her, she's in my room for the time being."

When Leon didn't respond due to the shock of being called mean by his brother, Tristan groaned and raised his voice. "I said, take your drama somewhere else, Matthews!" He inclined his head towards the door, irritation written across his face.

"Let's go, brother." Conan began tugging his older brother out by the hand. "I thought you were supposed to be the older one. Does this mean I can be a secret agent from—"

Leon blinked rapidly and recomposed himself. He shot the boy a swift look. "No."

"Aww, I tried."

They arrived at Tristan's bedroom and Conan knocked excitedly on the door. Tristan 2.0 sat on the floor next to him, wagging her tail. "Miss!" He called. "Are you in there?"

Leon discreetly pulled out a key and unlocked the door. He pushed it open and Conan poked his head inside. Much to the black-haired male's relief, she was there. The (h/c)-haired girl was lying face-first in the bed. She did look a little dead, but no one was really worried.

"Half—uh, miss!" Conan ran up to her and began poking her arm. He canted his head curiously at his brother. "Is she—"

"No, she's alive." Leon picked his brother up and waved him towards the door. "She's just asleep. We can come back later."

"Boringgg. But fine. Come on, Tristan 2.0. Let's go play dress-up with senior citizen's clothes."

Normally Leon might've stopped his brother from ever stepping foot in Kieran's floor, but today he barely seemed to hear it. He barely heard the little boy's footsteps disappearing down the staircase as he sat down next to the female and prodded her.

"(Y/n)," he said softly. "It's the afternoon. Wake up."

Her hand shifted a little on the comforter. She was waking up. "Wake up, (Y/n)," he said again. "Come on."

She looked a little worse for the wear as she sat up. There were dark circles evident under her eyes that made him frown. Her lips were chapped and her skin a few shades lighter. She blinked slowly as if she was still dreaming. Nothing lit up in her eyes when her gaze landed on him; no anger, no sadness...no emotion at all.

Something was off. Concern set in as he placed a hand on her forehead. It was warm, but not too warm. She didn't appear to have a fever, even though her temperature was a bit higher than usual.

(Y/n) frowned. She looked lost. Leon let his hand fall to his side and he crouched down to her eye level. "Are you alright?" He asked her, meeting her (e/c)-colored gaze with his metallic one. "Do you feel uncomfortable anywhere?"

"No...I think I'm fine...?" She felt confused. Her mind felt like it was covered in cobwebs and her skin felt like it was frozen from the inside. She felt like something was tugging her, calling for her to go somewhere. To that person—the voice inside her head told her it was all that mattered. For some reason, she felt like she had to go there. To him.

She was out of the bed in an instant, moving like a clockwork creature with only one purpose. Leon stepped back to allow her room to move but grabbed her arm just as she darted for the door.

"Where are you going?" He rose to his feet. "You're obviously not well. You need to rest."

"No, I need to go." Her eyes were covered in a mist and her skin felt like a suffocating blanket was covering it, one that she couldn't seem to get off no matter what she tried. But he would be able to. He would be able to make her feel okay. Or at least, that's what the voice said.

Don't go, a tiny voice tried to reason with her, piping up as loud as it could to not be drowned out by the other one. You're not acting like yourself. Don't forget what you're trying to do—

But it was cut off. With a sudden burst of almost superhuman strength, she wrenched free from Leon's grip and was off, flying through the hallways and down the stairs in search of that person.

And she found him waiting by the stairs like he'd been expecting her. Something flashed in his eyes when he saw her—guilt? Sadness? She didn't know why he'd feel that—before he morphed his features into one of love.

"Princess," he murmured, bundling her easily into his arms. "Why the rush? You look like you've seen a ghost. Then again," he lifted his eyes to the male who was following her. "That might be the case."

Confusion, anger, and then shock alternated on Leon's face as his pursuit slowed to a shock. He stared at the two in disbelief. She wasn't...pushing him away? Instead, she looked perfectly content just being there. The pasty sheen on her skin was gone. So was the emptiness in her eyes and the ill look on her face. It was like being away from him pained her and now they were together, she was fine again.

That was impossible. Leon was under the impression the (h/c)-haired girl disliked the white-haired male and would rather never sleep again than be in a relationship with him, any shape or form.

He took a tentative step towards them. "What kind of s*ck joke is this? (Y/n), what are you—"

"You've been great at looking out for her, Leo-chan," Kieran interrupted, covering the girl's ears with his hands. "But good news for you; you're off bodyguard duty now. She doesn't need you anymore." He rested his head on top of hers. "She only needs me."

"What's all the commotion about?" Tristan descended down the stairs, followed closely behind with Jaehyun who was counting the steps under his breath while hopping down. The blue-haired male's face froze when he saw the position they were in and it didn't take long for the anger to set in. "What is the meaning of this, Fujikawa?"

"Just how it looks like," Kieran shrugged. "Isn't that right, princess?"

What the actual flippity chicken nugget is this guy doing? Her inner voice screamed but the other voice inside her head drowned it out easily.

"Yes...?" She voiced. Her mind was sure of it yet it still sounded like a question to her ears. A part of her was still confused. I love him...?

"Impossible," Tristan said through gritted teeth. "There is no bloody way. (Y/n), step away from him—"

"No you don't," Kieran said in a warning sing-song. "She doesn't have to listen to you, Trish-chan, and neither do I. Well, I think the situation's pretty clear to all of you." He turned his attention pointedly to the golden-haired boy, whose face was frozen as he struggled between heartbreak and anger. That made Kieran smile wider.

"Kieran," Jaehyun began in a haunting tone. His hand, the one not in the cast, curled into his leg and dug into the fabric. His entire body was taut with barely restrained rage. "What do you think you're doing with your hands?" His crimson eyes dropped to the white-haired male's arms that were wrapped securely around the female's waist. "I told you not to touch her, right?"

Kieran was unfazed. "You did, but I chose not to listen. And what right do you lot have to tell us what to do? Tell me, who are you to her?"

The blond's restraint began to crack. "You mean—"

"Do I really need to say it? I think it's pretty obvious." The white-haired male spun (Y/n) around so she was facing the other three. Her face was one of utter adoration when she looked at the male but showed nothing when she looked at the others.

"We're in love."

The three words were like a trigger, or perhaps the bullet itself. Jaehyun staggered back with a shriek of despair. "NO!" He cried, his free hand going to his face. "You're lying—there's no bloody way she'd ever choose you over me!"

"(Y/n)," Tristan stammered, a half-smile on his face. He started for the girl. "You're pretending, right? Did he...threaten you? I-I can make him stop, just say the word."

"Threaten?" Kieran laughed humorlessly. "When it comes to threats aren't you the expert on that, Trish-chan? Well, I don't really care anymore. You guys are getting boring." He turned to the (h/c)-haired girl. The malicious smirk slipped from his face into a loving one. "It's me and you from now on, love."

Leon was at a loss. Should he rip her away and risk hurting her, or let the two be? There was no f*cking way he'd let her stay so close to someone like Kieran, no less. Leon had many good reasons why he detested the golden-eyed male, aside from how he loved getting on Leon's nerves so much. The first reason was obvious: he was a heartbreaker. He never stayed with the same girl for long. He was quick to throw out a used toy and pick up another. He was fickle. He would hurt her.

And he had some obvious sadomasochistic tendencies, though if you asked Leon, Kieran was leaning towards the more masochistic side. Whatever sh*t the white-haired male had planned for (Y/n), Leon knew it would not be a normal cliché high school love story. It would be as f*cked up as Kieran's head was—(Y/n) was just something Kieran wanted to take refuge in for the time being. And he'd hurt her over and over again until he threw her away like all the other girls.

Leon was sure of that. But at the same time, he couldn't exactly reach over and snap Kieran's neck. At least, not while he was with (Y/n). And that f*cker knew it. His signature smirk grew wider as he observed the conflicting anger on Leon's face and his clenched fists. He f*cking knew Leon couldn't do sh*t to him as long as (Y/n) was around and vice versa. They were at a standstill.

Leon f*cking hated stalemates.

And Tristan did too. His stoic mask was completely broken. And through that crack, the blues, reds, and grays of his emotions bled through. He didn't seem to care that he wasn't alone. He didn't care the others could see him in such a vulnerable state and use it to pull the rug out from under him. All he felt was pain, endless pain, and above all, hatred for the male he's known since childhood.

At least the blue-haired male managed to compose himself, even if his hurt bled through clearly in his voice. Jaehyun took it especially hard. His broken arm had snapped free of its sling. Even though it must've hurt for him to move the limb, his anger was greater. He tried to lunge for Kieran and strangle him with the fabric, but Tristan held him back.

"Stop, Kim," Tristan said in a pained voice. His tone was taut with betrayal and agony. "Don't you dare take another bloody step."

The blond's eyes were wild and burning with an inferno. There was no grayscale to his emotions. Jaehyun was made up of polar extremes. The light evaporated from his eyes until they were only two flat disks the color of dried blood. Even though he didn't touch the two, his gaze seemed to be trying to tear them apart. (Y/n) shielded closer to the white-haired male who smiled in satisfaction and love, hugging her tighter to his side.

Leon could tell he wanted to attack Kieran. It was obvious from the tenseness in his muscles and the irregular rise and fall of his chest. His slow breathing was deliberate as he fought back against his raw anger, although the blond seemed to be losing.

"Kim," Tristan said again. "Don't do anything foolish."

It wasn't the male's voice that made him pull back. It was the look of absolute terror and disgust on the (h/c)-haired girl's face. Jaehyun's rage disappeared faster than the summer rain.

"I see how it is." A choked laugh escaped his lips, perhaps to disguise his sob. "I-I get it." He tore his focus away from the girl and to the wall as if everything had become invisible to him. He couldn't bear to see Kieran and his arms around the only person he ever wanted.

Leon relaxed his guard. Just a little. He had tensed up upon seeing the blond fly into a rage, though now...he appeared almost tame. This was a side of the boy he's never seen before and frankly, he didn't want to see. Jaehyun was still furious; the dark hatred was evident in his eyes every time he looked at Kieran. But it was an icy fire instead of a hot and fast one. It was like a shield of permafrost that coated his skin and protected him from his messed up mind, yet it honed and sharpened his bloodthirst at the same time. Kieran wouldn't be sleeping easy for a while.

Tristan didn't try to say anything else to the golden-haired boy. It would've been pointless. His words would only bounce off him like rain on an umbrella. With time his anger might thaw.

The four didn't dare to say anything. They barely even dared to breathe as Kieran watched them with a triumphant smirk. "Not bad, Trish-chan," he purred sardonically. "You've learned a new trick. Maybe you should be a pet trainer in the future."

Jaehyun bristled and Leon's glare grew darker, but they didn't do anything. Tristan folded his arms and quickly rearranged his features back into his usual indifferent expression. "Quit the gloating and get to the point," the intellectual seethed. "What do you want?"

"As direct as ever, though I guess that approach works pretty well with some of the ladies," Kieran shrugged. "Anyway, here's the deal. We don't need you a**holes anymore. Plain as that. When the moving preparations are done, we'll leave. Maybe if I feel like it, I might consider staying in contact with you guys. Just to rub the salt in the wound, of course."

There was only one appropriate response to that. Leon's face twisted in rage. "You're not going to be safe forever, you f*cking dipsh*t."

"Aww, I love you too, Leo-chan~"

"You b*tch—"

"As much as I agree with you that Fujikawa's the kind of person who'd be improved by death," Tristan interrupted. "I..." Pain flashed once more over his face before he hid it. (Y/n) looked on curiously. He cleared his throat. "We'll discuss this later when everyone's calm. And I think you've made your arm worse, Kim. You might need to go to the hospital now."

"그는 오늘 병원에가는 사람입니다," Jaehyun growled, glaring at Kieran. He's the one going to the hospital today.

"If you rather lose your arm or pass out from the pain, be my guest. But otherwise I rather not have to drag your body to your room. I'm not buying you a coffin either."

With one last glare thrown towards the smug male, the blond reluctantly slinked towards his room to tend to his broken arm. The four of them all knew there was no way Jaehyun was going to the hospital, especially not with his family owning most of the largest ones in the world.

"How about we finish that movie from last time?" Kieran grew bored of his dormmates' reactions and turned to the silent (h/c)-haired girl. She quickly erased the contemplative look on her face before anyone could see it. "It'll be a date, although a sad one since you can't go outside yet."

She nodded in agreement. "Okay..."

"Perfect~ I promise you'll enjoy it"—he pointedly raised his voice so the others could hear him—"I have all kinds of fun planned out for us. Without any third wheels in the way, of course."

Leon's hackles rose and he prepared to snap the smirking male's neck, (Y/n) there or not, but a warning look from Tristan held him back. The blue-haired male's face was tight and his jaw set despite the deep emptiness in his heart. It threatened to tear through the seams of his fragmented heart he could no longer hold together.

"You're a fool if you think we'd sit back and do nothing," Tristan said coldly. "Whatever you're up to—it won't last long."

"I heard somewhere true love lasts forever~" Kieran weaved his fingers throat (Y/n)'s and smiled down at her. "Doesn't it, princess?"

She smiled up at him and hummed in agreement.

"See? Now kindly f*ck off."

(Y/n) felt complete with her hand in his. She felt like the simple action of walking by his side was the right thing to do. It was so natural following his lead and giving in to the voice that whispered in her ear to love him. It told her he was her everything and that there would be no one else who could love her like he did. It told her she felt the same way.

And she did. She didn't want to be anywhere but his side. Why didn't she see it sooner? Why did she waste all that time avoiding the white-haired male and shooting him down when she could've accepted this feeling sooner? She would've been way happier. She could no longer imagine a life without this feeling of love that wrapped around her like a warm shawl. It caressed her skin and wiped away all her stress, troubles, and despairs. It took away the blacks and grays of her soul and left behind a multitude of beautiful hues and shades of color.

As they walked back towards Kieran's secret room, (Y/n) subtly turned to look back over her shoulder. Tristan and Leon were still there, their expressions one of absolute pain as they watched the two walk off hand-in-hand. They believed she was in love with Kieran now. They believed she had chosen him over them. The Kieran who ended it with his girlfriends as easily as cutting a piece of paper.

But she didn't believe he would break her heart, especially when it was never whole to begin with. She loved him, didn't she?

Just kidding.

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A/N: Not too satisfied with how this chapter turned out but eh, it'll do :v



What might that last line mean? Hmm...🤔