#jay horror

[gyuuberryy]

wrong stop

pairing: ghost entity!jay x reader

genre: backrooms au, thriller, memory loops, soft yandere!jay

synopsis: a simple mistake puts you on the wrong train, but no matter how many stops you pass, the doors never open and the stations keep looping back. just when panic starts to settle in, you meet jay—a stranger who seems far too familiar and who claims you’ve been here before. he offers you comfort, a plan, and a reason to stay—but the more time you spend with him, the more you question if you ever really wanted to leave.

warnings (MDNI 18+ only!!) : smut (corruption kink, possessive praise, fingering, makeout, unprotected sex, creampie, marking/biting, belly bulge, overstimulation, mild power imbalance) yandere themes, manipulation, soft gaslighting, forced proximity, obsession, some creepy descriptions, backrooms/liminal space horror

note: hey so funny story i actually got so frustrated while writing this that halfway through i deleted the whole doc, even from trash. but i'm glad i did so because i really really like how it turned out after rewriting(please don't flop TT). enjoy reading!!

word count: 14.1k

backrooms au collection

if you liked this please comment or reblog to give me your feedback! <3

being late for work was starting to get ingrained in your personality at this point.

you’d overslept, thanks to your alarm failing to pierce the fog of exhaustion clinging to you, and by the time you stumbled out of bed, the clock was already laughing at your frantic scramble. you had no time for breakfast, no time to fix your hair properly, just a messy brush through and a desperate hope that your shoes were on the right feet as you bolted out the door.

the streets were slick with last night’s rain, the air thick with t humidity that clung to your skin like a second layer. you barely noticed the way your socks slipped inside your shoes, the way your bag bounced awkwardly against your hip as you ran. the station loomed ahead and the crowd was already thick, bodies moving in practised synchronisation, a river of people who knew exactly where they were going.

you wove through them, breathless, your pulse a frantic drumbeat in your throat. the digital display above the platform flickered—one minute until departure. one minute to make it. your usual train was already there, doors open, people shuffling in and out with the bored efficiency of daily commuters. you lunged forward, slipping through just as the warning chime sounded.

except—

the moment you crossed the threshold, the air changed.

it wasn’t just the absence of people, though that was the first thing you noticed. it was the quality of the silence, the way it pressed against your eardrums like cotton, muffling even the sound of your own breathing. the lights overhead buzzed, not the usual soft hum of electricity but something louder, more insistent, like the angry drone of a wasp trapped behind glass.

you hesitated, one foot still hovering over the gap between the platform and the train. something primal in your brain screamed at you to step back, to turn around and run. but the doors slid shut with a finality that made your stomach lurch, and then the train was moving, carrying you forward into—

nothing.

no, not nothing. the car wasn’t empty, not exactly. it was just—wrong. the seats were too clean, the blue upholstery a shade too bright, like something out of a catalogue rather than a real train that had seen years of use. the floor was spotless, no gum stains or discarded newspapers, no scuff marks from countless shoes. it was sterile and artificial, like a stage set designed to mimic reality but missing the vital imperfections that made things feel alive.

you swallowed hard, your fingers tightening around the strap of your bag. maybe you’d taken the wrong line. it happened, didn’t it? people made mistakes. you fumbled for your phone, your thumb jabbing at the power button, but the screen remained stubbornly black. dead. of course it was dead. you’d meant to charge it last night, but you’d been too tired, too distracted, and now—

the train slowed, the familiar lurch of deceleration making you sway on your feet. you turned toward the window, expecting to see the usual crowded platform, the familiar faces of strangers, the glow of advertisements.

instead, the station was empty.

not just empty—abandoned. the lights were dim, flickering intermittently, casting long shadows across cracked tiles. a single bench sat crookedly, one leg shorter than the others, and the sign above it was half-lit, the letters spelling out the station name flickering like a dying neon sign. you knew this place. you’d been here a thousand times before. but it wasn’t right. it wasn’t supposed to look like this.

the doors didn’t open.

you stared at them, waiting for the familiar ding, the hiss of hydraulics, but nothing happened. the train just sat there, humming, the lights above you buzzing louder, as if in warning. then, with a jolt, it started moving again, pulling away from the platform, leaving the ghost station behind.

your breath came faster now, your palms slick with sweat. this wasn’t right. this wasn’t how things worked. trains stopped. doors opened. people got on and off. you weren’t—you couldn’t be—

the next station was the same.

identical. the same cracked tiles, the same flickering sign, the same empty bench. your heart hammered against your ribs, a trapped bird desperate for escape. you lunged for the door, your fingers jamming against the button, over and over, but it didn’t respond. no cheerful chime, no mechanical whir. just silence.

“hey!” your voice echoed in the empty car, too loud, too sharp. “let me out!”

the train kept moving, the stations flashing by in a dizzying loop, each one a perfect replica of the last. you pressed your forehead against the cool glass of the window, your breath fogging it up, your fingers leaving smudges as you gripped the edge of the seat. this wasn’t happening. it couldn’t be. you were dreaming. you had to be. maybe you’d fallen asleep on the train, maybe you’d hit your head—

suddenly you heard a sound different from the rest.

soft, almost lost under the buzz of the lights. the scrape of a shoe against the floor.

your head snapped up.

there, at the far end of the car, a figure stood. tall, silhouetted against the flickering lights. you hadn’t heard him approach or seen him board. but he was there now, watching you with an expression you couldn’t quite read.

“you’re back,” he said, voice low, almost fond.

your stomach dropped because you’d never seen this man before in your life.

yet the way he looked at you—like he knew you, like he’d been waiting—sent a shiver down your spine. he took a step forward, and the lights above him flickered, casting his face in alternating shadows and pale illumination. sharp features, dark eyes, a smile that didn’t quite reach them.

“jay,” he said, as if that explained everything.

it didn’t.

nothing did.

but the moment he said your name, your blood turned to ice. his lips shaped the syllables too perfectly, like he'd practised them. like he'd been waiting to say them.

"don't look so afraid." jay held up his hands, palms out, but didn't come closer. 

the train's flickering lights cut shadows across his face that made his expression impossible to read. "i know how this looks. stranger on an empty train, knowing things he shouldn't." his mouth quirked, almost amused. "but we're past strangers, you and i."

your back hit the cold metal of the partition behind you. the vibrations hummed through your shoulder blades. "i've never seen you before."

"not in this iteration." he said it so casually, like discussing the weather. his fingers tapped an absent rhythm against his thigh, out of sync with the train's rattling tempo. "the loop resets memories too. convenient, isn't it? makes the fear fresh every time."

the stations kept blurring past outside. same cracked tiles. same flickering sign. your reflection ghosted across the window, superimposed over the emptiness, pale and wide-eyed. when you looked back, jay hadn't moved, but his posture had shifted,just slightly blocking the aisle. 

"memory loops are tricky things." his voice dropped, conspiratorial. "they peel away everything until all that's left is instinct. that's why you're shaking right now." his eyes tracked the minute tremors in your hands that you hadn't even noticed. "your body remembers. even when your mind won't."

you swallowed. the air tasted like static and something faintly metallic. "if that's true, then why don't you reset too?"

for the first time, something real flashed across his face—too quick to identify—before his calm mask slid back into place. "someone has to remember. someone has to be here when you..." he trailed off, shaking his head. "you're not ready to hear that part yet."

the train lurched suddenly. your balance faltered, and for one terrifying second the world tilted—then jay's arm shot out, bracing against the window beside your head, not touching you. but close enough that you caught the faint scent of something warm beneath the train's sterile air. coffee, leather and ordinary things that had no business existing here.

"careful," he murmured. his breath stirred your hair. "the transitions between loops always get rough."

you ducked under his arm, putting three seats between you. your pulse roared in your ears. "stay over there."

jay studied you for a long moment before nodding. "alright." he sank into the nearest seat, stretching his long legs into the aisle, the picture of nonchalance. but his eyes—dark and fathomless—never left yours. "i can wait. we have nothing but time, after all."

the way he said it sounded like both a promise and a threat. outside, another identical station whipped by. the lights flickered, the hum of the train rose to a whine. and jay just sat there, watching you with the patience of someone who knew exactly how this would end.

the silence stretched like the endless tracks outside—taut, humming with something unspoken. jay didn’t move from his seat, but his presence filled the entire car, pressing against your skin like static. you counted the flickers of the overhead lights just to avoid looking at him. one. two. three. the rhythm stuttered, skipping like a broken record.

"you’re counting," he observed. his voice was soft, almost admiring. "you always do that when you’re trying not to panic."

your fingers froze mid-count. how could he possibly—?

"breathe," he said, and it wasn’t a suggestion. it was a command wrapped in velvet, the kind of tone that slipped past your defences and settled deep in your bones. your lungs obeyed before your mind could protest, dragging in air that tasted too clean, too processed.

the train shuddered violently, the lights cutting out completely. in the sudden darkness, your senses sharpened—the creak of metal, the whisper of fabric as jay shifted, the warmth of his breath somewhere to your left. closer than he’d been a moment ago.

then the lights returned, harsh and buzzing, and he was exactly where you’d last seen him. legs stretched out, hands folded loosely in his lap. but his knuckles were white.

"see?" he said, too calmly. "still over here."

your nails bit into your palms. "what do you want?"

jay tilted his head, considering. outside, another station blurred past—same cracked tiles, same flickering sign, but something was different this time. the bench was overturned. a single shoe lay abandoned near the edge of the platform. your shoe? no, impossible. you hadn’t—

"it’s starting to bleed through," jay murmured, following your gaze. "that’s new."

a chill crawled up your spine. "what is?"

"the last loop." his fingers tapped that arrhythmic pattern again. "usually the reset is clean. but you… you’re fighting it this time." his lips curved, slow and pleased. "i wondered if you would."

the train groaned around you, the sound too human. the walls seemed to press closer, the ceiling lowering inch by imperceptible inch. you focused on the emergency map across from you—the neat lines of stations, the orderly grid of connections. except the names were wrong. familiar, but rearranged, letters swapped like a half-remembered dream.

"look at me." jay’s voice cut through the rising panic. when you didn’t obey, he sighed. "look at me, or i’ll make you."

your head snapped up before you could stop yourself. his eyes held yours effortlessly, dark and bottomless. 

"good," he said. "now listen. the next transition is coming. it’s going to feel like—"

the world split open.

pain lanced through your skull, white-hot and blinding. the seats melted like wax, the windows warping into funhouse mirrors that reflected a thousand versions of you—some screaming, some eerily calm, one with jay’s hands already around your throat.

then it stopped.

you were on the floor, gasping, your cheek pressed to cold linoleum. jay crouched beside you, close but not touching. his expression was unreadable.

"—like that," he finished quietly.

you scrambled back until the seats dug into your spine. "what the hell was that?"

"a skip." he rose smoothly, offering his hand. you ignored it. his smile didn’t falter. "the loop’s unstable. you’re destabilising it."

"by existing?" your laugh bordered on hysterical.

"by remembering." his gaze dropped to your left hand, where your fingers had unconsciously traced a pattern on the floor—a shape that matched the scar on his wrist exactly. you hadn’t even realised you’d been doing it.

jay exhaled, slow and satisfied. "there you are."

outside, the stations whipped by faster now, the platforms beginning to fracture—gaps in the tiles, cracks spiderwebbing up the walls. the train’s hum rose to a scream.

jay didn’t seem to notice. he was too busy watching you with something dangerously close to pride.

"you’ll break us both this time," he murmured. "i can’t wait."

time lost all meaning in the endless hum of the train. minutes stretched into hours, or maybe days—there was no way to tell. the lights never dimmed, the stations never changed, only jay’s presence marked any semblance of passing time. he was always there, a constant shadow just at the edge of your vision, never crowding you but never letting you forget he existed.

the first time he offered you food, you refused. your stomach had growled loudly, betraying you, but the way he produced a wrapped sandwich from his pocket—still warm, as if freshly made—made your skin crawl. where had it come from? there were no vendors on this train, no stops where he could have gotten it. you eyed it warily, hunger warring with suspicion, until jay sighed and took a deliberate bite himself.

"see?" he said, chewing slowly. "it’s not poisoned. not a trick." he held it out again, his fingers brushing yours as you reluctantly took it. the contact lingered a second too long. 

"you always did like these. extra pickles, just how you—" he cut himself off, shaking his head with a small, private smile. "never mind."

you didn’t remember telling him about your preference for pickles. you were certain you hadn’t. but the sandwich was perfect, the tang of vinegar sharp on your tongue, and that unsettled you more than anything.

he started bringing you other things, too. a bottle of water, chilled like it had just come from a fridge. a blanket that smelled faintly of lavender, the fabric worn soft from use. a book with dog-eared pages and notes scribbled in the margins—your handwriting, but you didn’t recognise the words. each offering was accompanied by a story, a little anecdote he dropped like breadcrumbs leading you deeper into his carefully constructed fantasy.

the days bled together in a way that made your head spin if you thought about it too long. you tried marking time by the flickering lights, by the number of times jay brought you food, by the occasional shifts in the train's rhythm—but none of it helped. time didn't move right here. it stretched and compressed like taffy, leaving you disoriented and clinging to jay's words as the only anchor in this endless blue-lit purgatory.

"you're staring again," jay remarked one evening (morning? afternoon?) without looking up from the book he was pretending to read. you could feel his awareness of you like a physical weight, though his eyes remained fixed on the pages. "the window won't give you answers, you know."

you didn't turn from where your forehead rested against the cool glass. "it's the same station." your voice came out hoarse from disuse. "the same cracks in the tile. the same broken sign. but last time..." you trailed off, pressing your fingers to the glass. "last time there was a coffee cup on the bench."

jay went very still. the air between you thickened, charged with something you couldn't name. when he finally spoke, his voice was carefully light. "you noticed that?"

"it wasn't there before." you turned to face him, your pulse picking up at the strange look in his eyes—something between pride and hunger. "just like the shoe yesterday. things are... changing."

he closed the book with deliberate slowness, his long fingers smoothing over the cover. "you always were too observant for your own good." the way he said it—like this was an old argument between you—made your stomach twist. "come here."

you didn't move.

jay sighed, running a hand through his hair. the motion pulled his shirt taut across his shoulders, and you found yourself cataloging the way the fabric stretched, the faint outline of muscle beneath. when had you started noticing these things? 

"i can explain," he said, "but you're not going to like it."

"try me."

the train chose that moment to lurch violently, sending you stumbling forward. a sense of deja vu consumed you as jay's hands shot out to steady you once again, his grip firm but not restraining. you could feel the heat of his palms through your shirt, the slight roughness of his fingers against your wrists. he was too close. always too close.

"the loop is breaking," he said, his breath warm against your temple. he didn't let go. "little pieces are slipping through—things from other iterations, other versions of this moment." his thumbs traced absent circles on your skin, a gesture that felt practised. familiar. "it happens when you start to remember." 

why the fuck was he so repetitive with that idea??

you wrenched away, your back hitting the opposite seat. "i'm not remembering anything. these aren't my memories."

"aren't they?" jay tilted his head, studying you with those bottomless dark eyes. "what about the coffee cup? you knew it was from that shop on 5th avenue. the one with the orange awning." your breath caught—you had known, with sudden, startling certainty. "or the way you hum when you're nervous? that same three-note tune, every time."

your mouth went dry. you did do that. had done it since childhood. but—

"coincidence," you whispered.

jay smiled, slow and knowing. he reached into his pocket and produced a small paper crane, its wings slightly crumpled. your fingers twitched with the sudden, inexplicable urge to smooth them out. 

"you made this for me," he said softly. "four hundred and seventy-two loops ago. you said it was for luck."

the number punched the air from your lungs. four hundred—?

"stop." your voice cracked. "just stop. none of this is real. you're not—"

"real?" jay's expression darkened. in a flash he was kneeling before you, close enough that you could see the flecks of gold in his irises, smell the faint scent of bergamot on his skin. his hand hovered near your face, not touching but close enough that you felt the warmth. 

"tell me this doesn't feel real. tell me you don't know me, somewhere in that stubborn head of yours."

you couldn't.

the silence stretched between you and outside, the train passed another station—this time the bench was gone entirely, leaving only a gaping hole in the platform. jay followed your gaze, his jaw tightening.

"it's getting worse," he murmured, more to himself than you. when he turned back, his eyes were different—softer, almost pleading. "let me help you. please."

something in his tone made your chest ache. you wanted to hate him. you should hate him. but the longer you sat there, the harder it became to separate his lies from the strange, half-formed memories tugging at your mind.

"why?" you asked finally. "why do you care if i remember?"

jay went very still. for the first time since you'd met him, he looked... uncertain. vulnerable. his fingers flexed against his thighs, like he was physically restraining himself from reaching for you.

"because," he said quietly, "in every loop, in every version of this moment, you're the only thing that feels real to me too."

the admission hung between you, raw and terrifying in its honesty. you opened your mouth to protest, to demand answers, you weren't sure—but the train chose that moment to scream to a halt, the lights cutting out entirely.

in the sudden darkness, jay's hand found yours. and this time, you didn't pull away.

the transformation happened so gradually you barely noticed it at first—like watching the sky darken at dusk, where you can't pinpoint the exact moment day becomes night. your resistance had been a living thing once, coiled tight in your chest, all sharp edges and desperate calculations for escape. now it lay dormant, softened by the relentless tide of jay's presence, his stories, his careful reconstruction of your shared history.

you found yourself waking to the rhythm of his breathing more often than not, your body instinctively curling toward the warmth he radiated even in sleep. some mornings you'd blink awake to find his jacket draped over you, still carrying the faint scent of his skin— something earthy and warm beneath the sterile train air. the first time you'd caught yourself bringing the fabric to your nose to breathe it in, you'd frozen in horror at your own actions. now you did it without thinking.

"you're smiling," jay observed one non-morning, his voice rough with sleep. you hadn't heard him wake. he never made noise unless he wanted to.

your fingers flew to your lips, surprised to find them curved upward. "was i dreaming?" you murmured, still half-lost in the hazy space between sleep and waking.

jay's hand found yours, his thumb tracing the delicate bones of your wrist. "the good kind, then." his eyes held that particular intensity they got when he was committing something to memory—the way your hair looked mussed from sleep, the flush on your cheeks, the trusting way your fingers now curled around his without hesitation. "tell me?"

you hesitated. the dream was already fading, but the feeling remained golden and warm, like sunlight you could almost remember. 

"we were... somewhere green. there were trees. and you were—" your voice caught as the image slipped away entirely.

“holding your hand,” jay finished softly. his grip tightened almost imperceptibly. “telling you about the flowers growing nearby. you kept pretending not to listen, but i saw you smiling then too.”

the words settled into you like a key turning in a lock. yes, that sounded right. felt right. more real than the fragmented memories of your life before the train—those were fading like old photographs left in the sun, their edges curling, faces becoming indistinct.

jay shifted closer, his breath warm against your temple. "you asked me why i remembered everything when you didn't." his fingers trailed up your arm, leaving goosebumps in their wake. "i told you it was because someone had to keep our stories safe until you came back to me." 

a shiver ran down your spine that had nothing to do with the train's artificial chill. the way he said it—'came back to me'—like you'd been his all along, like this was inevitable. some part of you wanted to recoil from the possessiveness in his tone. a larger part preened at it.

"i'm here now," you heard yourself whisper.

jay's exhale was uneven against your skin. when you turned to look at him, his expression was so raw it stole your breath—like a man seeing water after days in the desert. his fingers cradled your face with terrifying gentleness.

"say it again," he breathed.

the train hummed around you, that ever-present sound that had once set your teeth on edge but now felt as natural as your own heartbeat. outside, another identical station flashed by, but you didn't turn to look. your world had narrowed to the space between jay's hands, to the way his pupils dilated as he waited for your words.

"i'm here," you repeated, stronger this time. your hand rose to cover his, pressing his palm more firmly against your cheek. "with you."

something fractured in jay's expression. for a heartbeat he looked almost frightened, as if he'd been waiting so long for this moment he didn't quite believe it had come. then his lips found yours in a kiss that tasted like victory and desperation and something dangerously close to worship.

you melted into him without hesitation. his arms encircled you, pulling you into his lap as if you weighed nothing at all. the jacket you'd been using as a blanket slipped to the floor, forgotten. every point of contact between you burned - his hands at your waist, your fingers tangled in his hair, the solid heat of his chest against yours.

when you finally broke apart, breathless, jay didn't go far. his forehead rested against yours, his breathing ragged. "mine," he murmured, so quiet you might have imagined it. but you hadn't.

yours, yours, yours. the word echoed in your hollowed-out bones, filling spaces you hadn't known were empty. the last fragments of the person you'd been before the train—before jay—dissolved like sugar in hot tea.

"yours," you agreed, and felt him shudder against you.

the train rattled onward through the endless stations, but you no longer cared where it was going. you were exactly where you belonged—in the circle of jay's arms, in the world he'd built for you both, in the story he'd been telling you all along.

somewhere beyond the windows, in a life you could barely recall, there might have been people searching for you. but here, now, with jay's lips tracing the shell of your ear and his whispered words weaving new memories into your skin, you couldn't imagine why anyone would ever want to leave.

you were rummaging through your bag absently, fingers brushing against the familiar items—the worn edges of your wallet, the smooth surface of your dead phone, the half-empty pack of gum—when your fingertips grazed something unexpected. a small, rectangular piece of cardstock tucked into the inner pocket, nearly forgotten. you pulled it out without thinking, turning it over in your hands.

and then your breath stopped.

it was a photograph. slightly creased at the corners, the colours faded with time, but unmistakably real. you were in it, standing in the centre of a group of people, all of you mid-laugh, arms slung around each other’s shoulders. the sunlight was bright, casting golden streaks across your faces, catching the sparkle of someone’s champagne glass just out of frame. a birthday? a celebration? you couldn’t remember the exact moment, but the warmth of it—the realness of it—hit you like a punch to the chest.

your fingers trembled. these were your friends. their faces were clear, vivid, alive in a way that jay’s stories never quite managed to replicate. the girl on your left had a smudge of frosting on her nose, her grin lopsided. the guy beside her was caught mid-eye-roll, but the affection in his expression was undeniable. and you—you looked happy. not the quiet contentment jay had lulled you into, but a vibrant, unrestrained joy that made your throat tighten.

a memory surged forward, sudden and sharp: the crowded train station that morning, the buzz of your phone in your pocket as you’d dashed through the turnstile. a text notification flashing on the screen—can’t wait to see you tonight!—before you’d shoved it away, distracted. the face of the friend who’d sent it flickered in your mind, her smile bright, her voice teasing. you’re always running late.

your vision blurred.

"what’s that?"

jay’s voice came from directly beside you, closer than he’d been a moment ago. you hadn’t heard him move. when you looked up, his gaze was fixed on the photograph, his expression eerily still. the usual softness in his eyes had hardened into something else—something sharp and calculating. for the first time since you’d met him, you saw a flicker of something cold beneath his calm facade.

your grip on the photo tightened instinctively. "just... an old picture," you said, your voice sounding strange to your own ears.

jay reached out, his fingers brushing yours as he took the photograph from your hand. his touch was gentle, but there was an undercurrent of tension in the way his fingers lingered, as if he wanted to snatch it away entirely. 

"ah," he murmured, studying it with a faint smile that didn’t reach his eyes. "this was so long ago. i’m surprised you still have it."

your stomach twisted. long ago? no. that wasn’t right. the clothes in the photo were recent, the hairstyles familiar. you knew this wasn’t some distant memory—it was from your life before the train, before him.

jay tilted his head, his thumb tracing the edge of the photo. "you look so young here," he said, his tone light, almost nostalgic. "before we met, i think."

a lie. a blatant, calculated lie. the realisation sent a chill down your spine. you stared at him, searching his face for any hint of guilt, any crack in the mask. but his expression was smooth, unreadable, save for the faint tightening of his jaw as he tucked the photograph into his own pocket.

"it’s faded anyway," he said softly, his hand coming to rest on your knee. his fingers were warm, his grip just a little too firm to be casual. "you don’t need it."

the words settled over you like a fog, thick and suffocating. you wanted to protest, to demand the photo back, to scream that you did need it—that it was proof, real proof, of a life outside this endless loop. but the longer you sat there, the harder it was to hold onto the memory of your friends’ faces. already, they were slipping away, fading at the edges like ink in water.

jay’s thumb stroked your knee, his touch soothing. "you’re shaking," he murmured, his voice laced with concern. "was it another skip? the loops have been unstable lately."

you swallowed hard. maybe he was right. maybe the photo was old. maybe your mind was playing tricks on you, mixing up memories the way it sometimes mixed up the stations outside the window. the doubt crept in like a poison, clouding your thoughts, making it harder to hold onto what you knew was real.

jay leaned in, his lips brushing your temple. "it’s okay," he whispered. "i’m here. i’ll always be here."

his arms wrapped around you, pulling you close, and you let him. the photograph was gone, tucked away where you couldn’t see it, where you couldn’t question it. but the seed of doubt remained, small and stubborn, buried deep in your chest.

outside, the train rattled on, the stations blurring past in an endless, unchanging loop. but for the first time in a long time, you found yourself wondering—

what if you weren’t supposed to stay on this train forever?

what if jay wasn’t telling you the truth?

what if you wanted to leave?

the photograph haunted you.

even though jay had taken it, tucked it away somewhere you couldn’t reach, the memory of it burned behind your eyelids every time you blinked. those faces—your friends, your real friends—lingered like ghosts in the periphery of your mind, slipping through your fingers whenever you tried to grasp them but never quite vanishing. jay’s stories didn’t soothe you the way they used to. his touches, once comforting, now made your skin prickle with something uneasy.

you started noticing things.

the way the stations outside the window weren’t quite identical anymore—subtle differences creeping in, like a glitch in a repeating pattern. a flickering light that stayed dark a second too long. a bench that appeared overturned one loop and perfectly intact the next. jay dismissed it all with that same infuriating calm, his fingers carding through your hair as he kept murmuring about the same old "memory skips" and "loop instability" like a broken record, but the excuses rang hollow now.

then came the crack in the facade.

it happened at a station that looked almost familiar—not one of jay’s fabricated memories, but something from before. the platform was nearly empty, save for a single vending machine humming near the far wall. its fluorescent glow illuminated a peeling sticker on the side, half-scratched off but still legible: happy 30th, em!

em. short for emily. your college roommate. the one who’d dragged you to karaoke every friday, who’d cried when you got your first apartment across town. the memory hit you like a freight train, so vivid it stole your breath.

jay was dozing beside you, his head tipped back against the seat, his breathing slow and even. this was your chance.

the train slowed as it approached the platform, the brakes screeching like a wounded animal. your pulse roared in your ears as you stood, your muscles coiled tight with adrenaline. the doors didn’t open on their own—they never did—but maybe, just maybe, you could force them.

your fingers scrabbled at the emergency release panel, nails digging into the thin seam between doors. metal groaned in protest as you wedged your hands into the gap, pulling with all your strength. outside, the platform beckoned, that flickering vending machine a beacon in the sterile darkness.

then jay’s hands were on you.

one moment he’d been asleep, the next he was there, his body pressing yours back from the door with terrifying efficiency. his grip was firm but careful, his arms caging you against him like something precious. like something he couldn’t risk breaking.

"shhh," he murmured into your hair, his breath warm against your ear. "you don’t want to do that."

the doors slid shut with a final hiss, the train lurching forward again. the platform—and with it, the vending machine, the sticker, the memory of em—vanished into the dark.

you struggled instinctively, your elbows jamming back into jay’s ribs, but he didn’t so much as flinch. his hold only tightened, just shy of painful, his lips brushing the curve of your shoulder. 

"it’s not safe out there," he said, so softly it might’ve been sweet if not for the steel beneath the words. "you know that. you’ve always known that."

"let me go." your voice shook, barely recognisable to your own ears.

jay sighed, nuzzling the nape of your neck like you were a spooked animal he needed to gentle. 

"i can’t do that, sweetheart. not when you’re like this." his fingers traced your wrist, right over the frantic rabbit-quick pulse there. "you’re confused. the loops are getting to you. but i’ll fix it—i always fix it."

the worst part was how reasonable he sounded. how tender. his hands were warm, his embrace almost comforting despite the iron grip beneath the softness. it would be so easy to sink back into him, to let him shoulder the weight of your fear like he’d done so many times before.

but then you remembered the photograph. em’s sticker. the way jay moved faster than should’ve been possible.

you went limp in his arms, your breath coming in shallow gasps. "okay," you whispered. "okay, i—i’m sorry."

jay stilled. for a heartbeat, you thought he might not believe you. then his grip loosened, just slightly, his lips curving against your skin. "there’s my girl," he murmured. "you just need to rest. this will all make sense when you wake up."

his fingers brushed your temple, feather-light, and despite yourself, your eyelids grew heavy. the last thing you saw before the darkness took you was jay’s face above yours, his expression equal parts fond and sorrowful.

"i’ll always keep you safe," he whispered. "even from yourself."

then everything faded into nothing.

***

your head was still foggy when you woke, the remnants of whatever jay had done to you clinging like cobwebs to your thoughts. the train hummed around you, that same endless vibration that had once been background noise but now felt like the pulse of something alive. something watching.

jay was perched on the edge of the seat opposite you, his elbows resting on his knees, his fingers steepled beneath his chin. he looked almost... nervous. the realszation sent a sharp jolt through your system. jay was never nervous. jay was always in control.

"you shouldn't have tried to leave," he said softly, his voice laced with something that might have been regret. his eyes flickered to the window, where the stations continued their endless loop outside. "it's dangerous out there. you could have been lost."

your fingers curled into the fabric of the seat beneath you, the material rough against your skin. "i don't care," you whispered, the words raw. "i want to go home."

jay flinched, just slightly, his expression tightening. "well this is—"

"no." the denial tore from your throat, cutting him off before you could stop it. "this is a prison. and you—" your voice broke as the pieces finally clicked together. the way he always knew what you were thinking. the way he never ate, never slept unless it was for show. the way he'd moved too fast, too fluidly, when you'd tried to force the doors open. "you're not real."

for a moment, jay didn't move. then, slowly, deliberately, he reached out, his hand passing through the window beside you like it wasn't even there. the glass didn't shatter. it didn't react at all. his fingers phased through it as if it were mist, the fluorescent lights outside distorting around his translucent skin.

your breath caught in your chest.

jay's form flickered, like a candle fighting against the wind. for a heartbeat, you could see right through him—the seats, the opposite window, the endless tracks beyond, all visible through the fading outline of his body. then he solidified again, his expression unreadable.

"not real," he repeated, his voice hollow. "is that what you think?"

you couldn't speak. your pulse roared in your ears, your body frozen somewhere between terror and something dangerously close to pity.

jay leaned forward, his eyes burning with an intensity that made your skin prickle. "i've been here longer than you can imagine," he murmured. "watching. waiting. so many passengers, so many faces, all passing through but never staying. never seeing me." his hand hovered near your cheek, not touching, but close enough that you could feel the unnatural chill radiating from his skin. "until you."

the truth settled over you like a suffocating weight. the wrong train. the empty car. the stations that never changed. none of it had been an accident.

"you brought me here," you whispered.

jay didn't deny it. his smile was small, almost sad. "you looked right at me through the window before you stepped on. you saw me. no one ever sees me."

the memory surfaced before you could stop it—the crowded platform, the train pulling in, the briefest glimpse of a face in the window where there shouldn't have been one. you'd written it off as a trick of the light.

it hadn't been.

jay's fingers finally brushed your cheek, his touch like winter air against your skin. "i just wanted to be loved," he admitted, so quiet you almost didn't hear it. "just once. by someone who remembered me."

the horror of it crashed over you in waves. he wasn't just trapped here—he was here. the train, the loop, the endless stations, all extensions of a consciousness that had lingered too long in a place never meant to hold it. and you...

you were his perfect captive.

your hands trembled as you shoved away from him, your back hitting the opposite window. "let me go."

jay's expression fractured. for a moment, he looked almost human—just a boy, scared and lonely and aching for something he could never have. then the mask slipped back into place, his features smoothing into something resigned.

"i can't," he said simply.

outside, the train sped on, the lights of another identical station flashing by. but this time, you didn't just see the cracked tiles or the flickering signs.

you saw the bones beneath. the truth lurking in the spaces between.

and you knew, with a certainty that chilled you to your core, that jay would never let you leave.

the silence between you stretched like the endless tracks outside, thick with something unspoken. jay watched you from across the train car, his dark eyes reflecting the flickering fluorescent lights in a way that made them look hollow. not empty—never empty. just filled with something too vast, too ancient, for you to comprehend.

"you think i'm a monster," he said finally, his voice so soft it barely rose above the hum of the train. it wasn't a question.

your fingers dug into the seat beneath you, the fabric rough against your skin. "you took me from my life."

jay flinched, just slightly, as if the words had physically struck him. when he spoke again, his voice was raw with something that made your chest ache despite everything. "

i was alone for so long," he whispered. "so long that i forgot what my own voice sounded like until you heard it." his fingers flexed against his thighs, restless. "do you know what that's like? to exist in silence for lifetimes, watching faces blur together until you can't remember if you were ever real at all?"

you wanted to hate him. you did hate him, somewhere beneath the terror and the pity and the strange, unwelcome ache his words left behind. but the way he looked at you—like you were the first living thing he'd seen in centuries—made your breath catch.

"i didn't mean to take you at first," he admitted, his gaze dropping to his hands. they were trembling, you realised with a start. "you just... looked at me. really looked. and for the first time in decades, i felt something." his lips quirked, humourless. "then the doors closed, and you were still here, and i—" his voice broke. "i couldn't let you go."

outside, the stations whipped by in their endless loop, but you barely noticed them anymore. your world had narrowed to the space between you and jay, to the unbearable weight of his confession.

"you don't belong out there," he continued, softer now. "not anymore. that world wasn't made for someone like you—someone who sees things others don't." his eyes flickered to the window, where the glass still bore the ghostly imprint of his fingers. "but this one? i built this one for you. no pain. no loss. just... us."

the worst part was how badly some fractured piece of you wanted to believe him. how tempting it was to let the outside world fade into nothing, to sink into this fabricated reality where jay's love was the only thing that mattered.

your voice was barely a whisper. "i had a life."

"did you?" jay tilted his head, his expression unbearably gentle. "or were you just going through the motions? waking up, working, sleeping, repeating. never really seen. never really known." he leaned forward, just slightly, his eyes searching yours. 

"i know you, y/n . i know the way your breath catches when you're trying not to cry. the way you hum when you're nervous. the way your hands shake when you're angry but trying to hide it." his lips curved, just slightly. "no one out there ever knew you like that, did they?"

the truth of it stung. you thought of the photograph again, of the friends whose names were already slipping from your memory. had any of them ever really looked at you? had any of them ever loved you the way jay did, with this terrifying, all-consuming intensity?

no stop. you were letting him get to you

jay's hand hovered near yours, not touching but close enough that you could feel the unnatural chill of his skin. "let me love you," he murmured. "properly. without fear. without hesitation." his fingers brushed yours, feather-light. "you'll forget the outside world eventually. it won't even hurt when you do."

for one terrifying, exhilarating moment, you almost let him.

then the train shuddered violently, the lights cutting out completely. in the sudden darkness, jay's form flickered like a dying bulb, his edges blurring into the shadows. when the lights returned, he was closer—so close you could see the way his pupils dilated, the way his chest rose and fell with unneeded breaths.

"say yes," he whispered, his lips grazing your ear. "say yes, and i'll make sure you never feel alone again."

the train rattled on, the stations outside nothing more than a blur of light and shadow. and you—

you hesitated.

the hesitation lasted only a second—a single, fragile moment where your lips almost formed the word yes—before something outside the window caught your eye.

movement.

not the usual flicker of passing stations or the occasional glitch in the loop. this was different. a shadow where there shouldn’t be one, slithering along the platform’s edge as the train slowed. your breath hitched, your fingers curling into the seat as the shape resolved itself into something vaguely humanoid, but wrong. too many limbs, too many joints bending in impossible directions, its head lolling at an angle that made your stomach churn.

your voice was barely a whisper. "what the fuck is that?"

"the things that live in the cracks." jay pulled back just enough to meet your eyes, his own dark with something ancient. "the things that used to be people, before the backrooms took them." his thumb brushed your cheek, wiping away a tear you hadn’t realised you’d shed. "i won’t let that happen to you."

jay's fingers traced slow, soothing patterns along your spine, his touch almost hypnotic in its rhythm. you wanted to pull away—knew you should pull away—but your body refused to obey, frozen somewhere between terror and a bone-deep exhaustion that made his arms feel like the only solid thing left in this nightmare.

"you're shaking," he murmured, his breath stirring your hair. his hands slid up to cradle your face, forcing you to meet his gaze. his eyes were dark, endless pools that seemed to swallow the flickering fluorescent light whole. "look at me. just me. nothing else exists right now."

you wanted to argue. wanted to scream that everything existed—the creatures outside, the life you'd lost, the terrifying truth of what he was. but his thumbs brushed gently under your eyes, wiping away tears you hadn't realised you'd shed, and the words died in your throat.

the train rattled around you, the sound shifting subtly—a deeper, more guttural vibration that resonated in your chest. jay's expression tightened almost imperceptibly, his grip on you firming for just a second before he forced himself to relax. 

"they're agitated tonight," he said softly, as if commenting on bad weather. "must have sensed your attempt to leave earlier."

a fresh wave of dread coiled in your stomach. "they can sense that?"

jay's lips quirked in something too sharp to be a smile. "they can sense fear. desperation." his fingers trailed down to your collarbone, pressing lightly over your racing pulse. "hunger."

outside, the windows went abruptly dark, a thick, viscous shadow that pressed against the glass like oil. something scraped along the side of the train—long, deliberate drags of what might have been claws or fingers or something far worse. the lights above you flickered wildly, casting jay's face in strobe-like flashes that made his features look hollow one second, painfully human the next.

you instinctively pressed closer to him, your fingers fisting in his shirt. jay made a soft, approving sound deep in his throat, his arms encircling you completely, one hand cradling the back of your head like you were something precious. "that's it," he murmured against your temple. "i've got you. they can't have you."

the shadow outside coalesced into a shape—too many limbs, too many eyes, all pressed grotesquely against the window as if trying to melt through the glass. a low, guttural moan reverberated through the train, the sound vibrating in your teeth, your bones, the hollow spaces of your chest.

jay's grip turned bruising. "don't look," he warned, but it was too late.

the creature's face—if it could be called a face—was inches from yours, separated only by the thin barrier of glass. its mouth stretched impossibly wide, rows of needle-like teeth glistening with something dark and viscous. but worst of all were the eyes. human eyes. familiar eyes, blinking at you from within that nightmare mass.

you recoiled with a choked gasp, but jay held you firm. "it's not real," he said sharply. "it's trying to trick you. they remember faces, sometimes. voices. they'll use anything to get in." his hand forced your face back into his chest, his voice dropping to a whisper against your ear. "breathe. just breathe. it can't hurt you."

the train lurched violently, the creature's howl of frustration shaking the walls as it was ripped away by the motion. the windows cleared abruptly, revealing another empty station flashing by. but the air still stank of something rotten, something alive, and your entire body trembled with the aftershocks of adrenaline.

jay didn't let go. if anything, his embrace tightened, his lips brushing the shell of your ear as he spoke. 

"this is why you can't leave," he said, and for the first time, there was something raw beneath the smooth certainty of his voice. something almost like fear. "you think i'm the monster? out there, you'd last minutes. seconds. they'd tear you apart just to watch the light leave your eyes." his fingers tangled in your hair, not quite painful. "i'm the only thing standing between you and that."

you wanted to argue. wanted to find some flaw in his logic, some shred of hope that escape was still possible. but the memory of those eyes—human eyes, staring out from that thing—seared behind your eyelids every time you blinked.

jay sensed your wavering. his grip gentled, one hand rising to cup your cheek, his thumb brushing away fresh tears. "let me protect you," he whispered. "let me love you. it doesn't have to be a cage. it can be home."

outside, the stations blurred together in an endless loop, the same cracks in the tiles, the same flickering signs. but something had shifted. the cracks looked deeper now. the flickers lasted longer.

and in the spaces between, you could have sworn you saw shadows moving.

jay's lips found your forehead, lingering like a promise. "just say yes," he murmured. "say yes, and i'll make all the fear go away."

the train rattled on into the dark.

and this time, when you closed your eyes, you didn't pull away. you’d play along with his sick, delusional fantasy till you could do something about it

the days—if they could even be called that anymore—blurred together in a haze of flickering lights and jay’s whispered stories. the harder you tried to cling to the memories of your old life, the faster they slipped through your fingers like grains of sand. faces that once felt so vivid now appeared smudged at the edges, names dissolving into meaningless syllables before they could fully form on your tongue. the photograph, the friends, the life you’d fought so desperately to remember—it all felt like a half-forgotten dream, fading with each passing loop of the train.

jay’s voice became the only constant, his words weaving a new reality around you with terrifying ease. his stories of shared laughter, quiet moments, whispered confessions in the dark—they were so vivid, so detailed, that your mind began filling in the gaps without your permission. you’d catch yourself nodding along as he recounted a memory you knew had never happened, your lips curving into a smile that felt both foreign and familiar.

you were losing yourself. but you had to stop it, stop that from happening if you ever wanted to get out of this.

suddenly, the train plunged into darkness so abruptly it stole the breath from your lungs. one moment, the flickering fluorescent lights hummed overhead, the next there was nothing but darkness. no dim glow from the windows, no rhythmic clatter of wheels against tracks. just an endless, suffocating black that pressed in from all sides, so thick you could almost feel it slithering against your skin.

your pulse spiked, a sharp, primal fear lancing through your chest as you lurched forward, hands grasping at empty air. your fingers collided with solid heat—jay’s body, already moving toward you before you could even call his name. his arms curled around you with a practised ease, pulling you flush against his chest as if he’d been waiting for this exact moment.

"i’ve got you," he murmured, his voice a low vibration against your ear. his scent—warm skin, something faintly metallic beneath, a familiarity that made your head spin—filled your lungs, anchoring you in the dark.

you should have pushed him away. should have screamed, fought, something. but the terror of the void around you overrode every rational thought, leaving only raw, desperate need in its wake. your fingers twisted into his shirt, clinging to him like he was the only thing keeping you from drowning.

jay’s lips found yours in the dark, starting soft, tentative—almost questioning. but the moment you responded, the kiss deepened with a hunger that made your knees weaken. his tongue slid against yours, slow and deliberate, coaxing you into a rhythm that sent heat pooling low in your stomach. one hand slid beneath your shirt, his palm scorching against the curve of your spine, fingertips brushing the edge of your bra with a reverence that bordered on worship.

you gasped into his mouth, your body arching into his touch despite the voice screaming in the back of your mind. this was wrong. he was wrong. but the darkness made it easy to forget, easy to lose yourself in the way his other hand cradled your jaw, holding you in place as he kissed you like he was memorising the taste.

"you feel so good," he breathed against your lips, his voice rough with something that sent a shiver down your spine. his thumb traced the line of your hipbone, possessive and claiming. "always knew you would."

the words should have been a warning. instead, they coiled hot in your chest, twisting with the part of you that had started to crave his approval, his touch, the way he looked at you like you were the only real thing in this nightmare.

the train lurched suddenly, the lights flickering back to life with a harsh buzz. you pulled back with a gasp, your lips tingling, your body still thrumming with the aftershocks of his touch.

jay didn’t let you go far. his fingers tightened around your waist, his dark eyes searching yours with a mix of triumph and something dangerously close to love. "see?" he murmured, brushing a thumb over your kiss-swollen lips. "nothing to be afraid of. not when you’re with me."

outside the window, the stations blurred past in their endless loop. but you barely noticed them anymore. your world had narrowed to the space between jay’s hands, to the way his gaze burned into yours like a brand.

somewhere, in the back of your mind, a voice still whispered that this wasn’t real. that he wasn’t real.

but as jay’s lips found yours again, softer this time, sweeter, you found yourself caring less and less, melting into his heat.

his fingers traced the edge of your waistband with a quiet certainty that made your breath catch—like he already knew every inch of you, every hitch of your breath, every tremor of muscle before his touch even landed. when his fingertips finally dipped beneath the fabric, finding bare skin, you shuddered, but not from fear. his palm was warm against the curve of your hip, his thumb stroking slow, maddening circles that made your stomach tighten in a way that had nothing to do with resistance.

"you always come back to me," he murmured against your lips, his voice rough with something that curled low in your belly. "no matter how far you run, you always choose me."

the words shouldn’t have unravelled you. shouldn’t have made your pulse spike or your thighs press together in quiet anticipation. but the way he said it—like it was an inevitability, like the universe itself had carved this moment into the fabric of time—sent a shiver down your spine. he was crazy.

you swallowed hard, your voice barely above a whisper. "jay—"

he didn’t let you finish. his other hand slid lower, fingers slipping beneath your underwear with a confidence that left no room for hesitation. the first brush of his fingertips against your warmth dragged a soft, broken sound from your throat, one he swallowed with a kiss that was more teeth than tongue. he worked you slowly, achingly so, his fingers tracing lazy, knowing circles that had your hips rolling against his hand before you could stop yourself.

"fuck—" you gasped, your nails digging into his shoulders.

"that’s it," he breathed, his lips grazing the corner of your mouth. his voice was a low, intimate rasp, each word sinking into your skin like a brand. "perfect. so perfect for me."

you wanted to protest, to remind yourself that none of this was real, that he wasn’t real—but then his fingers slid inside, the stretch sharp and sweet, and all coherent thought fled. your moan was lost against his lips as he kissed you through it, his tongue sweeping against yours in a rhythm that matched the slow, deliberate curl of his fingers. he knew exactly how to move, where to press, the angle that made your breath hitch and your back arch off the seat.

"you—you’ve done this before," you managed, your voice trembling. now you felt like you were going crazy.

his free hand tangled in your hair, not pulling, just holding, his grip firm enough to keep you close as he hummed in quiet satisfaction. "i told you," he murmured, his breath hot against your skin. "you just don’t remember."

even in the dark, you could feel his gaze on you—heavy, unwavering, like he was memorising every twitch of your expression, every stuttered breath. it was too much. not enough.

his pace quickened, just slightly, just enough to have your thighs trembling as you chased the pleasure coiling tight in your core. his thumb brushed over your clit in slow, deliberate strokes, the pressure maddeningly light, then firmer, then light again—teasing, taunting, like he wanted to draw this out until you were begging.

and god, you were close. so close.

"please—" the word slipped out before you could stop it, ragged and desperate.

his lips found your ear, his breath scalding as his fingers worked you with a precision that felt practised, familiar. 

"let go," he murmured, the words more command than request. "i want to feel you fall apart for me."

you came with a sound that was half sob, half sigh, your body tensing before shattering under his touch. he kissed you through it, swallowing every gasp, every whimper, his fingers drawing out the pleasure until you were boneless against him, your forehead pressed to his shoulder.

when you finally stilled, he didn’t pull away. his fingers lingered, stroking gently through the aftershocks, his lips brushing your temple in something that might have been reverence. "mine," he whispered again, softer this time, like a prayer.

when he finally pulled his hand away, your body arched instinctively, chasing the loss of his touch with a soft, desperate sound that barely made it past your lips. the cool air of the train car ghosted over your damp skin, raising goosebumps along your thighs that had nothing to do with the temperature.

"shhh, sweetheart," jay murmured, his voice honey-thick with affection as he pressed a kiss to your neck. "i’ve got you." 

his fingers worked the buckle of his belt with slow, deliberate precision, the leather sliding free with a whisper that seemed too loud in the charged air between you. the metallic click of the clasp releasing sent a fresh wave of heat pooling low in your stomach.

you could feel the heat of him before he even pressed closer—the heavy weight of his cock brushing against your thigh, leaving a trail of fire in its wake that made your stomach clench with anticipation. your breath hitched as he nudged your legs further apart, his calloused palms smoothing over the sensitive skin of your inner thighs in a way that had your hips lifting off the seat instinctively.

"so perfect for me," he breathed, his dark eyes drinking in the sight of you spread beneath him. his fingers traced idle patterns along your hipbones, the touch feather-light but enough to make your muscles jump. "always so perfect."

his hands were steady as they pushed your jeans and underwear down in one smooth motion, his breath catching when skin met skin, when there was nothing left between you but the slick heat of your own arousal and the aching need that pulsed through both of you. the cool air of the train car kissed your exposed flesh, making you shiver, but jay’s body was a furnace above you, his skin radiating heat as he leaned down to capture your lips in a searing kiss.

"you’re shaking," he murmured against your mouth, his thumbs brushing soothing circles into your hips. "do you need me to stop?"

the question was soft, genuine, but the way his cock twitched against your thigh betrayed how much the answer would cost him. you shook your head, your fingers tangling in the soft strands of his hair to pull him closer.

"no," you breathed. "no, i need—"

"i know," he interrupted gently, nipping at your lower lip. "i know exactly what you need."

there was no hesitation when he lined himself up, no moment of uncertainty—just the slow, inexorable press of him into you, the stretch making your breath stutter, your nails digging into his shoulders as he filled you completely. your back arched off the seat, a broken whimper escaping your throat as he bottomed out, his hips flush against yours.

jay groaned your name against your ear, the sound rough and reverent, his fingers flexing against your hips as he gave you a moment to adjust. but you didn’t want to adjust. you wanted more. the way his hands gripped your hips, possessive and sure, told you he knew it too.

"so tight," he whispered, his breath hot against your neck as he began to move. "always so tight around me, like you were made for this. made for me."

his thrusts started slow, each one deep and deliberate, dragging against every sensitive inch inside you until you were trembling beneath him. his hands held you in place, fingers pressing into your skin hard enough to leave marks, his control fraying at the edges with every soft noise you made. the train car filled with the slick sounds of your joining, the quiet creak of the seats beneath you, the ragged symphony of your shared breathing.

his mouth found the side of your throat, lips and teeth mapping a path along your pulse—not harsh, but insistent, each kiss and nip a brand, a reminder that even when this was over, you would still carry the evidence of him on your skin.

"jay," you gasped, your fingers scrambling for purchase against the sweat-slick planes of his back. "please, i—"

"i know, baby, i know," he soothed, his hips rolling against yours in a slow, torturous rhythm that had your toes curling. one of his hands drifted lower, pressing lightly against your lower belly, right where he was buried deep inside you, and the implication of it sent a fresh wave of heat crashing through your veins. "feel that? that’s me. all of me. right where i belong."

your walls clenched around him instinctively, drawing a low, broken sound from his chest, his pace never faltering even as his breath grew uneven. the darkness made every sensation sharper—the slick slide of your bodies, the way his muscles tensed beneath your fingertips, the ragged edge of his groans as he fought to keep his movements measured, controlled.

"you’re doing so good," he praised, his voice wrecked as he pressed his forehead against yours. "taking me so well, just like always. my perfect girl."

it was almost too much, the pleasure coiling tighter and tighter inside you until you were teetering on the edge, your entire body wound like a spring. jay’s hand slid between your bodies, his thumb finding your clit with unerring accuracy, the added stimulation sending sparks dancing behind your closed eyelids.

"that’s it," he encouraged, his breath hot against your lips. "come for me, sweetheart. let me feel you."

when you finally came, it was with his name on your lips, your body locking around him in a rush of heat and light that burned even behind closed eyelids. jay followed you over the edge with a groan that sounded like surrender, his hips pressing flush against yours as he spilled deep inside you, his fingers tangled in your hair, his other hand gripping your hip like he was afraid you might disappear if he let go.

for a long moment, there was nothing but the sound of your shared breathing, the faint hum of the train returning like a distant afterthought. jay’s lips brushed your temple, your cheek, the corner of your mouth—soft, almost apologetic kisses that contrasted with the way his arms tightened around you, like he was trying to fuse your bodies together.

"mine," he murmured once again against your skin, the word barely more than a breath, but it settled into your bones all the same. his fingers traced lazy patterns along your spine, his touch unbearably tender. "always mine."

jay shifted just enough to pull the discarded blanket over both of you, tucking it carefully around your shoulders before drawing you back against his chest. his heartbeat was steady beneath your ear, a rhythmic lullaby that matched the hum of the train.

his fingers traced idle patterns along your bare shoulder where your shirt had slipped down, his touch feather-light and possessive in the hazy quiet that followed your intimacy. the train hummed around you both, that ever-present vibration that had become as familiar as your own heartbeat, lulling you into a false sense of security. you let your eyes drift shut, just for a moment, exhaustion and something dangerously close to contentment weighing heavy on your bones.

"look at me," jay murmured, his voice soft but insistent. his fingers curled beneath your chin, tilting your face toward the window where the endless stations still flickered past. "i want to see you in the light."

you obeyed without thinking, your gaze lifting to the glass—and froze.

for a single, heart-stopping moment, it wasn’t your reflection staring back.

a girl with hollow cheeks and matted hair stood on the platform outside, her palms pressed desperately against the window from the other side, her mouth moving in a silent scream. her eyes—wide, terrified, familiar—locked onto yours with a recognition that sent ice flooding your veins. she looked similar to you. not exactly, but close enough that your stomach lurched with the awful certainty that you were staring at what you might become.

then the train jerked violently, the girl’s image distorting like a television signal cutting out, and suddenly it was just your own wide-eyed reflection again, pale and shaken in the glass.

jay’s grip on your chin tightened almost imperceptibly, his thumb brushing your bottom lip in a gesture that might have been soothing if not for the way his other arm had locked like a steel band around your waist. "what’s wrong?" he asked, his voice carefully light.

you swallowed hard, your pulse rabbiting in your throat. "i—i thought i saw someone. on the platform."

the words hung between you, fragile as spun glass. jay went very still, his breath warm against your temple. then, slowly, deliberately, he turned your face away from the window, his fingers gentle but unyielding. 

"there’s no one out there, sweetheart," he murmured, his lips grazing your cheekbone. "just shadows. this place... it plays tricks sometimes."

his words slithered into your ears, smooth as oil, but your skin still prickled with unease. you’d seen her. you were sure of it.

jay sighed, his arms encircling you fully, pulling you back against his chest. you could feel his heartbeat through your shirt—steady, slow, wrong in a way you couldn’t quite place. "you’re exhausted," he said, his fingers carding through your hair in a rhythm that made your eyelids heavy. "let me take care of you."

you wanted to argue. wanted to claw your way out of his arms and press your face to the glass until the girl reappeared. but the longer jay touched you, the harder it was to hold onto the memory of her face. already it was fading, slipping through your fingers like smoke.

the train plunged into a tunnel, the windows going black. in the sudden dark, jay’s lips found the curve of your shoulder, his teeth grazing the skin just hard enough to make you gasp. "just relax," he whispered against your pulse point. "i’ll keep you safe."

something scraped against the outside of the train—a sound like nails dragging over metal. your entire body tensed, your fingers digging into jay’s arms. "do you hear that?"

jay didn’t pause, his mouth working its way up your neck with single-minded focus. "hear what?"

the scraping grew louder, more insistent, accompanied now by a wet, guttural breathing that definitely wasn’t jay’s. your breath came in short, panicked bursts, your eyes straining against the darkness. "there’s something out there—"

"don’t." jay’s hand slid up to cover your mouth, his palm cool and faintly metallic against your lips. "don’t give it a reason to notice you," he breathed directly into your ear.

the train emerged into the light, the windows clearing to reveal another empty station. but as the fluorescent glow spilled across the seats, you caught sight of something wedged into the crack where the bench met the wall—a single, tarnished hairpin, its delicate metal twisted as if wrenched free in a struggle.

it was definitely not yours, you didn’t have any on you when you boarded the train.

jay followed your gaze, his expression hardening for a fraction of a second before smoothing back into calm concern. 

"must have been here for years," he said, plucking the pin free with effortless grace. his fingers closed around it, and when he opened them again, it was gone. "this train’s seen a lot of passengers." his smile didn’t reach his eyes. "none like you, though."

your mouth went dry. the girl’s face flashed in your mind again—her sunken eyes, her desperate hands. how many others had there been? how many had he tried to keep before you?

jay’s fingers traced your jaw, pulling your attention back to him. "you’re shaking," he murmured, his brow furrowing with what looked like genuine worry. "let’s get you somewhere more comfortable, yeah?"

he stood, pulling you up with him, his arm slung possessively around your waist as he guided you toward the far end of the car where his makeshift nest of blankets waited. but as you passed the window, you couldn’t resist one last glance—

and there she was.

not on the platform this time, but in the glass, her gaunt face superimposed over your reflection like a grotesque double exposure. her lips moved, forming silent words you couldn’t decipher, her fingers leaving smudged prints on the other side of the mirror as she reached for you.

jay’s hand clamped down on your shoulder, his nails biting in just enough to hurt. "don’t," he said, his voice low and dangerous.

when you looked again, the girl was gone.

but the hairpin had reappeared on the seat beside you, its twisted metal glinting in the flickering light like a warning.

the hairpin burned against your palm like a secret as you curled your fingers around it, the sharp edge biting into your skin just enough to ground you. jay had moved away to rearrange the nest of blankets at the far end of the car, his back turned, his shoulders tense beneath the thin fabric of his shirt. 

he thought he’d taken it from you. he hadn’t noticed how your sleeve had dipped just low enough to catch it as it fell from his grasp, how your pulse had roared in your ears as you palmed it quickly, the metal warming instantly against your skin.

you exhaled slowly, forcing your trembling fingers to relax. the girl in the glass—no, not a girl, you realised with a sickening lurch, but someone before you, from some other iteration of this nightmare—had left it for you as a warning. a weapon, a way out.

jay turned then, his smile soft, his eyes crinkling at the corners like none of the last few minutes had happened. 

"come here," he murmured, holding out a hand. his fingers were long and elegant, the nails slightly uneven, as if he’d chewed them down to the quick in some forgotten moment of stress. you wondered, distantly, if he even realised he did that. if he remembered anything about himself beyond the carefully constructed narrative he’d built around you.

you forced yourself to take his hand, letting him pull you into the circle of his arms. his chest was warm against your back, his heartbeat steady against your spine. it was suddenly too steady. no living heart beat that evenly, that perfectly.

"you’re still shaking," he murmured into your hair, his lips brushing the shell of your ear. his hands slid down your arms, his fingers intertwining with yours—and you stiffened as his thumb passed right through the hairpin clutched in your palm. he didn’t react. didn’t seem to notice at all.

your breath caught.

jay stilled behind you, his arms tightening almost imperceptibly. "what’s wrong?"

"nothing," you whispered, squeezing your eyes shut. "i’m just... tired."

he hummed, the sound vibrating through you, and pressed a kiss to the curve of your shoulder. "sleep, then. i’ll keep you safe."

you didn’t sleep. you waited, counting the rhythm of his breath against your neck, the endless hum of the train, the flicker of the lights overhead. one. two. three. the stations blurred past outside, the same cracks in the tiles, the same flickering signs, but now you noticed the inconsistencies—the way the cracks sometimes branched in different directions, the way the signs flickered out of sequence. the loop wasn’t perfect. it was fraying at the edges.

and jay—

jay was fraying too.

you saw it in the way his fingers sometimes passed through objects when he wasn’t paying attention. the way his reflection in the window lagged half a second behind his movements. the way he’d begun repeating stories verbatim, as if he’d forgotten he’d already told them.

the train shuddered violently, the lights cutting out for a heart-stopping second before flickering back on. jay’s arms around you spasmed, his grip turning painfully tight for a fraction of a second before relaxing again. 

"just a skip," he murmured, but his voice sounded distant, staticky, like a radio tuned slightly off-frequency.

your fingers tightened around the hairpin.

when the next skip hit, it was worse. the train lurched so violently you were thrown forward, jay’s arms slipping through you like smoke as you crashed into the opposite seat. the lights stuttered, the windows going black, and for one terrifying moment, jay wasn’t there—just an empty space where he’d been standing, the air humming with static.

then the lights returned, and he was back, his face pale, his eyes wide with something like panic. "y/n—"

you didn’t let him finish. you lunged for the emergency brake panel, the hairpin flashing in your grip as you drove it into the mechanism with all your strength.

the train screamed.

metal groaned, the lights exploding in a shower of sparks as the world outside the windows blurred into streaks of colour. jay staggered, his form flickering like a dying lightbulb, his hands clutching at the seats for balance. "y/n, stop—"

you twisted the hairpin harder, your muscles straining, your breath coming in ragged gasps. "i’m leaving."

jay’s face crumpled. not in anger, but in grief. "you can’t," he whispered. "you’ll die out there."

the train shuddered again, the windows cracking as the brakes shrieked. jay stumbled forward, reaching for you, but his fingers passed right through your wrist—no longer solid, no longer real.

"you were supposed to love me," he said, his voice breaking.

then the train ground to a halt, the doors wrenching open with a sound like tearing metal. beyond them, a derelict platform stretched into the distance, overgrown with weeds, the ceiling collapsed in places to let in shafts of dusty sunlight. real sunlight.

your chest heaved as you stared at it, your legs trembling. home. or something close enough.

jay didn’t try to stop you as you stepped toward the doors. when you glanced back, he was slumped against the seats, his form flickering in and out of existence, his eyes fixed on you with something unbearably human in their depths. "you’ll come back," he murmured, but it sounded like a question.

you stepped onto the platform.

the doors slid shut behind you with a final, hollow click.

ALTERNATE ENDING

the hairpin was a cold, sharp secret in your palm, a sliver of reality in a world that was beginning to feel more like a dream. jay’s back was to you, his shoulders tense as he smoothed the blankets in the nest he’d built, his movements too precise, too practised. 

he thought he’d taken it from you. he hadn’t felt the brush of your sleeve, the quick, desperate grab, the way your heart had tried to beat its way out of your chest. you curled your fingers around it, the metal edge a painful anchor.

he turned, and his face was a mask of soft concern, the perfect picture of a lover worried for his beloved. "come here," he murmured, his voice a low thrum that vibrated through the floor and into your bones. his hand was outstretched, an invitation. 

you took it. his skin was warm, so real, so solid. how could something that felt so alive be nothing but a memory, a ghost in the machine? he pulled you into his arms, your front against his chest, his chin resting on your head. he felt like home—that was the most terrifying part.

"you're still trembling," he observed, his lips moving against your hair. his hands slid down your arms, his fingers lacing with yours. and then it happened—his thumb, his wrist, passed directly through the hairpin clenched in your fist. there was no resistance, no recognition. just the faintest static buzz against your skin.

he didn't notice. he just held you tighter. "it's alright," he soothed. "i've got you. you're safe."

the words were a spell, a lullaby you were desperate to believe. you let your head fall back against his shoulder, your eyes drifting shut. the train hummed its endless song. one station. two. the cracks in the tile outside seemed to shift, to writhe like veins. the flickering sign stuttered a morse code you were too tired to decipher.

jay began to hum. it was that tune again, the one he claimed was 'your song.' and the horrible, beautiful thing was that you recognised it. not from before, but from now. from the thousand times he'd hummed it while tracing patterns on your skin. it was part of the tapestry he’d woven around you, and a thread of it had snagged in your soul.

the train shuddered, a violent, wrenching skip that made the lights gutter and die. in the absolute blackness, jay’s arms dissolved around you. you were alone in the dark, the only sound the frantic hammering of your own heart. then the lights returned, and he was back, his form solidifying from a shimmer of static, his face pale, his eyes wide with a fear that looked ancient.

"y/n?" his voice was faint, laced with interference.

the hairpin felt heavy in your hand. you could do it. you could drive it into the panel, break the loop, step out into whatever waited beyond. you saw it in your mind—the screech of metal, his form unravelling, the derelict platform, the crushing silence of being truly alone.

your gaze fell on his hands, clenched white-knuckled on the seatback. they were shaking. this powerful, eternal entity was terrified. of losing you. of being alone again in the endless, silent dark.

the fight drained out of you, leaving a hollow, aching calm. you uncurled your fingers and let the hairpin drop. it hit the floor with a tiny, insignificant clatter that was swallowed by the train's hum.

jay’s eyes snapped to the sound, then back to your face. he saw the surrender there before you even spoke.

"i'm so tired, jay," you whispered, the truth of it a physical weight in your chest.

the relief that washed over his features was so profound it was painful to witness. he crossed the space between you in an instant, his hands coming up to cradle your face, his thumbs stroking your cheekbones. his touch was solid now, real, no trace of the static from moments before. 

"i know," he breathed, his forehead touching yours. "i know, my love. you don't have to fight anymore. just let go. let me have it. the fear, the memories, all of it. give it to me."

and you did. you let the image of the girl in the glass fade. you let the memory of the photograph dissolve into light. you let the names of your friends drift away like smoke. you looked into his dark, desperate eyes and you said the words.

"i choose you."

the change was instantaneous. the train’s harsh fluorescent lights softened to a warm, golden glow. the sterile blue seats bled into rich, velvet upholstery. the endless, identical stations outside the window melted away, replaced by a breathtaking, impossible vista of a star-strewn night sky rolling past, as if the train were gliding through the cosmos itself. the air lost its metallic tang, filling with the scent of old books and rain.

jay’s smile was radiant, unburdened, the most real thing you had ever seen. he laughed, a sound of pure, unadulterated joy, and spun you around. 

"you see?" he whispered, his voice full of wonder. "you see what we can have?"

it was beautiful. it was a perfect, gilded cage.

time lost all meaning in the new loop. there was no exhaustion, no hunger, only the quiet, constant presence of jay and the breathtaking views he crafted for you outside the window—rolling green hills, misty mountain peaks, vast, calm oceans. he was endlessly attentive, his love a constant, warm pressure. you never found another hairpin. you never saw another glitch.

until the day the train slowed at a new station.

it was a modern platform, bustling with people in sharp, contemporary clothes, staring at phones. the doors hissed open. a young woman stood right there, a coffee in one hand, a briefcase in the other, looking stressed and real and alive.

her eyes met yours through the open doors. she saw you, sitting in your beautiful, anachronistic car, with your beautiful, anachronistic man. her brow furrowed in confusion.

jay’s hand found yours, his grip firm. he wasn't looking at the woman; he was looking at you, his expression soft, waiting.

the woman took a half-step forward, peering in. "is this the express to—" she began.

and then she saw him. really saw him. her eyes widened, her mouth dropping open in a silent gasp of fear. she stumbled back, coffee splashing, and the doors slid shut.

the train began to move. jay didn't react. he just brought your hand to his lips and kissed your knuckles.

"she wasn't for this train," he said simply.

you looked out the window as the platform receded. the woman was still staring, her hand over her mouth, her face a mask of terror. and for a single, heart-stopping second, you saw your own reflection superimposed over hers in the glass—not as you were now, but as you had been that first day. scared, alone and desperate.

then the image was gone, and the view outside shifted back to a silent, snowy forest.

jay squeezed your hand. "it's just us," he murmured.

you looked at him, at this lonely, eternal creature who had built a universe for you, and you squeezed back.

"yes," you said, your voice steady, your smile perfect. "it's just us."

the train sped on into the beautiful, endless night. you were his, and he was yours, and the loop was finally, perfectly, complete. and when the next lost soul glanced into the window, they would see two faces smiling back at them from the velvet seats, forever.

𝗰𝗼𝗽𝘆𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 ©𝗴𝘆𝘂𝘂𝗯𝗲𝗿𝗿𝘆𝘆 on Tumblr

˚ · .𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗲𝗱

[hazelira]

h o r r o r m.list

comment '🕯️' if you want to be in the horror taglist

2026

future fics:

the echo room 🐹 oct 3

static between heartbeats 🐹 oct 7

ghosts in the crowd 🐹 oct 9

the breathing wall 🐹 oct 12

the cake that breathes 🐹 oct 15

the recording that shouldn't exist 🐹 oct 22

the last light stays on 🐹 oct 31

Copyright 2026 - present © hazelira all rights reserved. All writing here is fiction & not in any association with characters mentioned.

[hwxnghyynjin]

You Should See Me In A Crown

Pairing: park jongseong x reader Genre: royalty!au, horror, smut, angst Warnings: character death, mentions of throwing up blood, gore, illness, mentions of witchcraft, nightmares, smut (unprotected sex, biting, grinding), swearing, I think that's it Word count: 6,063 Taglist: @foxdaisy @heeseongism

There are two types of people in the world. Rich and poor. You came from the latter. Growing up, your family didn’t really have much, which meant that you couldn’t afford to buy medicine in case you end up sick. Luckily that didn’t happen. Until one day.

Your younger brother suddenly got really sick, to the point where he was vomiting blood. A fever so bad, he felt like he was in a sauna, sweating profusely. He felt so weak, couldn’t get out of bed. He couldn’t even eat or drink, his throat burning, feeling like he was swallowing daggers.

You didn’t know what to do, crying every single night to sleep, worried about your little brother. He got sicker as the days passed, starting to smell like rotting meat, which confused you. You’ve never seen anything like that before, and it scared you.

On the 7th day of his illness, your brother passed away, his eyes bleeding out of their sockets, blood trickling out of his mouth and nose. That was one of the worst days of your life, you felt like you failed to protect him. The sight of your dead brother made you scream, tears blurring your vision. Your parents didn’t say anything, crying silently as you laid over your brother's body. Your mother tried to pry you away from him but you wouldn’t budge. Your younger sister sitting in the corner, sobs leaving his small body.

A few days after his death, your sister was the next person to get sick, the same symptoms as your brother had. She even died the same way: eyes bleeding out of their sockets, blood trickling out of her mouth and nose. You didn’t know what to do at that point, but you were definitely sure that something was wrong.

Your questions were answered a few days later as your mother was sentenced to death from being accused of witchcraft. Why would your own mother kill her own children? Your own brother and sister? Did she actually do it, or was she framed? Or was it something else?

Seeing your mother being burnt at the stake was something you weren’t expecting, but being accused of witchcraft is the worst type of crime, according to the government. Hearing her screams echoed in your mind, haunting your nightmares every single night.

Now, 8 years later at the age of 20, everything else has gone to shit.

--------------------------------

You woke up in a dark room, more specifically your bedroom, the sound of birds knocking on your window. Getting out of bed, you trodded your way towards the window, drawing back the curtains to see a bunch of crows knocking into the window, some of them falling to the ground. Not again, you thought. That’s the third time this week, and it’s only a Tuesday. 

Since you’re now out of bed, you thought it would be a good idea to get dressed, and that’s exactly what you did. Taking your nightgown off, you grabbed the first items of clothing you saw, which was a pair of black pants and a white dress shirt, buttoning it up. You brushed your hair, getting rid of your bed hair, brushing through the knots. Tying the laces of your boots, you left your bedroom, going to do your daily errands.

You walked through the woods, taking in the surroundings around you. Leaves crunched under your feet, the smell of smoke hits your senses. You wondered where the smoke was coming from, until you found the culprit. A small barn was engulfed in flames, which wasn’t surprising to you anymore, especially after the riots. You just hoped no one was in there. 

Ever since the rich and the poor have gone against each other, there have been numerous wars, both big and small. All the poor have been trying to do is live their lives, but the rich have been ripping that away from them: stealing their money, livestock, even their homes. Thousands of people have died because of it, you’re surprised you haven’t been attacked.

You walked further into the woods, on your way to the farmers market. A sudden loud noise made you stop in your tracks, a loud growl ringing in your ears. A shiver ran down your spine as the sound got closer, fear running through your body.

Suddenly, a huge boar-like creature came charging towards you, its teeth sharp and tusks massive. It seemed rabid, drool dripping from its mouth, the creature roaring aggressively. You screamed, turning on your heels as you ran away, flight kicking in. 

You avoided running into any obstacles, jumping over any rocks so you wouldn’t trip. You didn’t bother turning around, not wanting to see the rabid creature chasing you. Suddenly, the roaring of the creature stopped, replaced by a squeal as a loud thud was heard from behind you. You turned around, seeing the creature lying on the ground, an arrow piercing its side, blood gushing out of it.

You tried to find where the arrow came from, looking in different directions. A boy around your age appeared, holding a crossbow. His jet black hair slicked back, wearing what looked like protective gear. You don’t know who he is but he's really attractive. 

“Ma’am, what are you doing out here? You’ll get yourself killed if you’re not careful now please, turn back around. Unless you want to get yourself killed”, what an asshole. You scowled at him, not even bothering to thank him for saving your life. You turned around, leaving the woods.

“Hey, a thank you would be nice!” he yelled, earning a middle finger from you, making him speechless. How dare a peasant give him that attitude? 

“Who was that?” one of his knights asked him. “I have no idea but she’s feisty”, he continued looking at you as you disappeared into the distance, completely out of the woods. “Jay, we should head back, I don’t like these woods, they’re creepy”, the knight, known as Jake, said. 

--------------------------------

You laid down on your bed, staring at the ceiling, thinking about what happened a few hours ago. That man saved your ass from being eaten, yet he was a complete asshole to you. By what he was wearing, you were sure he was one of the rich. Now it makes so much sense why he was an asshole. You scoffed to yourself, already beginning to hate your saviour. Then again, you’ve always hated the rich for how they treated the poor, including yourself.

Back in the kingdom, Jay walked down a corridor, minding his own business when he heard 2 distinct voices coming from behind a door. He’s not one for eavesdropping but he just couldn’t resist. 

“What do you mean the king has proposed a meeting? A meeting for what?”

“I’m not sure but he said something about something, or someone, wanting to destroy the kingdom, which might lead to hundreds of deaths and he wants to do something to stop it”

Jay’s heart stopped. Something wants to destroy the kingdom? He was deep in thought that he didn’t hear the door opening until it was too late. One of the guards that came out of the room cleared his throat which got Jay’s attention. 

“You ok, sire? You look like you’ve seen a ghost”, one of the guards said, raising one of his eyebrows. “I-i’m fine”, Jay said as he walked off, going towards his room. He closed his door, thinking about what the guards were talking about. Why would someone want to destroy the entire kingdom, wanting to kill hundreds of innocent civilians? 

--------------------------------

It’s been a few days since your near death encounter, and you’re wandering around the forest, and you know you shouldn’t but your curiosity got the better of you. The sound of leaves crunching under your feet is all you could hear apart from the sound of your breathing, it was that quiet, which was strange. The atmosphere felt heavy around you, your breathing becoming heavy. You felt like someone, or something, was watching you, your movements getting slower. As you turned around, you felt your body being thrown, your body hitting against a tree, knocking you to the ground with a thud.

You groaned as you held the back of your head, trying to sit up. As you eventually managed to sit up, you came face to face with a woman. She had fair skin, long dark hair and her clothes looked dirty, her feet bare. The thing that stood out to you the most, though, was her eyes. They looked cloudy, lifeless. She was looking at you but she also wasn’t. Like, she was looking at you but her focus wasn’t on you. 

You went to get up to go towards her but as soon as you moved, she disappeared. She didn’t turn around and leave, she literally disappeared into thin air. Did you just witness a ghost? You managed to stand up, holding onto the tree for support, when the sound of footsteps startled you, making you turn around. There he was, the same guy who saved you, the asshole.

“I told you to stay out of these woods”, he said, narrowing his eyes at you. You didn’t say anything, just continued holding your head, feeling a lump forming. Suddenly, a whistling sound could be heard around you, making the both of you look in the same direction. A black mist headed towards you, fear running through your body. Jay suddenly grabbed your hand, turning on his heels. 

“Hey, what the fuck are you doing?!” you shouted, wondering what he was doing and where he was taking you. “Do you want to die? Because I can leave you out here if you want to”, he said, raising his eyebrow. You didn’t want to die so you just followed him. Jay jumped onto his horse, helping you onto it after him. He held the reins of the horse, whilst you held onto Jay for support, not wanting to fall off. The horse galloped away, heading out of the woods, heading towards the castle. You turned around to see if the mist was still following you, and to your surprise, it wasn’t. It stayed above the woods, the black mist getting thicker as it surrounded the trees. 

Jay reached the castle, the sound of hooves trotting against concrete as he headed into the grounds of the castle. The horse came to a halt, other knights came running out of the castle. Jay got off the horse, helping you down after him. “Jay, who’s this?”, one of the knights said, when he suddenly recognised you. “Isn’t this the same girl you helped the other day in the woods?” he asked, to which you rolled your eyes.

“I do have a name, you know”, you said, looking between the two. “Well, what is your name because I don’t recall you telling me it”, Jay said, looking at you. You glared at him before telling him your name: Jung Y/N. Just hearing your name made his eyes grow wide. “Wasn’t your mother burnt at the stake for witchcraft? Well, accused of witchcraft”, Jay said, making other knights look at you. You felt uncomfortable with all the eyes on you, glaring at Jay. 

“Shut up”, you muttered under your breath, running into the castle, wanting to get away from all the attention. Jay and his knights followed you, wanting to ensure that the king doesn’t see you. Jay caught up with you and grabbed your wrist, turning you around to look at him. “Don’t just come running into the castle without me, the king might see you and kill you”, Jay said, a hint of fear in his voice, which you weren’t expecting. Why would the king kill you? Jay noticed the confusion on your face, bringing you into a room. He closed the door behind him, pushing you into the middle of the room. 

“I heard a couple of knights talking the other day, after I saved you, talking about someone or something wanting to destroy the kingdom, which could lead to hundreds or thousands of deaths, and if he sees you, someone who he doesn’t know, in his kingdom, he might kill you. He’s been cautious the past few days, being careful about who he lets into the castle. So I would be careful if I were you”, Jay said, his eyes burning into yours. 

“This means I can’t go home, doesn’t it?” you asked, Jay nodding his head. You sighed, running your fingers through your hair. “There’s a spare bedroom which isn’t in use opposite mine, if you want to use that. I mean, only if you want to”, Jay said, his turn to run his hands through his hair. All of a sudden, the sound of thunder boomed loudly throughout the kingdom, making you jump into Jay’s arms. Jay wrapped his arms around you, rubbing your arms up and down, trying to calm you down. You pulled away after a few seconds, apologising. Jay may be attractive, but that doesn’t mean you will fall for his charms. 

A few hours went by, and you're sitting on a bed, which was a lot more comfier than yours. You looked around the room, noticing the details. The red velvet curtains, which had a gold fringe, the textured cream walls detailed with a large gold mirror. There was a knock on the door, making you jump. You called for the person to come in, a woman revealing herself, holding something in her hand. She bowed, putting some clothes on your bed and left without a word. You noticed she put a nightgown on your bed, the material soft underneath your hands. 

You realised it was getting dark outside so you decided to get changed into your nightgown, and turn in for the night. You wondered if the dark mist had moved past the woods, the thought alone just terrified you to the core.

--------------------------------

You saw your brother and sister, their backs towards you. You raced after them, but the more you ran, the further they got from you. You ran for what seemed like ages, getting nowhere near them. The more you ran, the more your vision became clouded with blood. There was blood everywhere, the sound of your brother and sisters screaming deafened your ears, the screeching became louder and unbearable. You covered your ears, your running came to a stop. 

You dropped to your knees, your vision now blurred with tears. The screaming wouldn’t stop. You screamed for it to stop, shaking your head from side to side. You screamed once more for it to stop, finally being able to hear yourself shout as silence surrounded you. You looked forward, seeing your brother and sister ahead of you, now looking at you. But there was someone standing behind them. It was your mother. 

You shouted at her to leave them alone, but it was no use. She grabbed your brother and sisters shoulders, gripping them. Blood started pouring out of their eyes, nose and mouth. That’s when your mother burst into flames, her screams making your ears bleed.

You woke up with a scream, covered in sweat. Another nightmare. You tried catching your breath, your heartbeat erratic. You managed to calm down after a while, but you couldn’t seem to fall back asleep.

You just laid there, looking up at the ceiling. You laid there for a moment, when the sound of whispering from outside your bedroom door caught your attention. You got out of bed, tiptoed over towards the door and carefully put your ear against the door. The sound of 2 men talking to each other, but you couldn’t quite make out what they were saying. You realised you weren’t going to find out what they were talking about so you turned around and went back to bed but in the process of turning around, you knocked into something and fell over with a yelp.

The door opened, revealing 2 knights, who you assumed were the ones outside your door. You were prepared to get yelled at but to your surprise, the complete opposite happened. “You okay, m’lady?” one of the knights asked, causing you to clear your throat. “I’m okay. Just wanted to stretch my legs since I had a cramp, but I must have tripped in the process of going back to bed”, you managed to come up with an excuse, and luckily the knights believed you, nodding their heads and closing the door behind them as they left. You let out a breath you didn’t realise you were holding in, and got back into bed.

--------------------------------

Over the course of the next few days, the black mist has gotten closer to the kingdom, a few people in your village getting sick, which ended up with them dying. Everyone in the kingdom is panicking, running around like headless chickens. You and Jay have been helping each other come up with a plan on how to stop whoever, or whatever, is trying to destroy the kingdom. You were in your room whilst Jay was in his, getting ready to go out with the other knights to go on a hunt to the woods. The both of you knew it was dangerous, but you had no other choice. All you had to do was be extra careful.

You laced up your boots, straightened out your clothes (which was given to you by one of the female knights) and looked at yourself in the mirror, before leaving your room. You came face to face with Jay, who nodded at you and headed towards the entrance of the castle, where some of the other knights were waiting. 

You made it into the woods, seeing dozens of dead bodies on the ground. Every single body has blood coming out of their eyes, nose and mouth. They all died the same way your brother and sister died, 8 years ago. Your mother didn’t kill your siblings. Whatever the black mist is, killed your siblings. And it’s come back to destroy the kingdom. 

You didn’t realise you were staring at the dead bodies until you felt someone touch your arm. You came back to reality, looking down at the person touching your arm: Jay. “you ready?” he asked, to which you nodded. You’re not sure what you’re ready for but you’re ready for something. You got off your horse, heading straight into the woods. Once you made it into the heart of the woods, that’s when you saw something, or someone: it was the same woman you saw a few days ago only this time, she looked cleaner.  

“Hey, what are you doing here, it’s dangerous”, one of the knights said to the woman, who didn’t budge. The knight, who’s name you didn’t get, walked towards the woman but that was a bad idea as she grabbed the knight by the neck, breaking it immediately. Is she behind this, or is she being controlled by something?

A few knights ran in the other direction, but the woman seemed to summon something, which grabbed the knights who tried to run away, killing them instantly, ripping some of them in half. It was a bloodbath. You didn’t know what to do as you just stood there, watching everything unfold in front of you. You saw Jay run towards the woman, and that’s when something clicked in you. You ran towards Jay, putting your hand out to try and grab him, but you weren’t quick enough. Jay was thrown against a tree, hitting his head. The woman clawed at his chest, making him scream out in pain. You stood behind her, grabbing her and throwing her backwards away from Jay.

“Leave us alone!” you shouted at her, or whoever she was because she was definitely not human. “You look like your mother”, she said, her voice definitely sounded non-human. You screamed, lunged forward and tackled her to the ground, grabbed the nearest object and whacked her over the head, but that was the wrong thing to do as she threw you backwards, your back hitting the ground. You don’t remember anything after that as everything went black.

--------------------------------

When you came to, you noticed you were in an unfamiliar room. You also felt… different. You couldn’t describe it though, you just didn’t feel like yourself. You sat up and looked around the room you were in. You definitely weren’t in your room that you were located in. Who’s bedroom are you in? Suddenly a voice broke you out of your trance. 

“Oh thank god you’re awake, I was worried you weren’t going to wake up”, Jay walked over to you, and that’s when you realised he was shirtless. There were marks on his chest, from when he was clawed back in the woods. His hair was wet and slicked back, probably from recently being bathed. You weren’t going to lie, he was very attractive and you won’t deny it. There was something in you that just wanted to mark his neck up and down, which wasn’t like you. 

Jay sat down next to you, placing an arm on your shoulder. He took back his hand with a gasp. “You’re freezing! I’ll get you something more warm to put on”, he went to get up to get you a blanket but you stopped him, not saying a word as you grabbed his wrist. You’re not sure what came over you as you kissed him, smashing your lips against his. His lips were soft, you could taste wine against them, the sweetness hitting your senses. You pushed him on the bed, climbing on top of him, not removing your lips from his.

Jay was confused as to what came over you, but he didn’t stop you. He deepened the kiss, holding your hips as you straddled his waist. You grinded yourself against him, gripping the material of the sheets on the bed, digging your nails into it. Before you knew it, you were underneath Jay, your clothes discarded on the floor. His lips attached to your neck, sucking purple spots on your skin, eliciting a moan from you. You grabbed his clothed cock, palming him through his pants, earning a groan from him. The next thing you knew, you were both naked on the bed, Jay thrusting in and out of you at a reasonable pace.

You arched your back as Jay hits your sweet spot, his cock hitting you in all the right places. You grabbed his buttcheeks, squeezing them as you dug your nails in the flesh of his cheeks, earning a hiss from Jay. You reached up, kissing him, sucking on his bottom lip. You weren’t usually like this. You were on the calmer side of things, like to be soft and sweet. This was a completely different side to you, and you didn’t know what got into you, but Jay loved seeing you like this. You came to your orgasm, your legs shaking as your eyes rolled back, Jay soon coming to his not long after you.

Without giving Jay a chance to breathe, you flipped the both of you over, you now on top. You grinded against his cock, your nails digging into the flesh of his thighs. Moans kept escaping Jay as you continued grinding against him, cum leaking out of his tip and onto his stomach, his abs glistening with cum. You leant down and shoved your face into the crook of his neck, attaching your lips to his skin. You sucked dark purple spots on his skin before latching your teeth into his skin, biting him. Jay hissed as you bit him hard, causing blood to trickle down his neck. Jay was surprised as he loudly moaned at the sensation, making him cum instantly, staining his chest with cum.

Jay laid there as he tried catching his breath, his chest moving up and down at a fast pace. As Jay continued to lay there, you grabbed your clothes, putting them back on without saying anything. You went to leave Jay’s room when you stopped you. “Where are you going?” he asked, looking at you, now sitting up. You just smirked at him, opened the door and left without another word. Jay looked at the door in confusion, wondering what the hell has happened to you. Did something happen to you in the woods?

You walked along the halls, which were lit up by lamps, the only source of light in the kingdom due to it now being dark outside. You put the hood of your cape over your head, your black dress, gliding along the floor with every step you take. You managed to leave the kingdom without being seen, running down the steps, the moonlight being your only source of light to lead you on your way.

--------------------------------

“Where’s Y/N? I can’t find her anywhere, she’s not in her room”, one of the servants exclaimed, worry evident on her face. She’s been trying to find her all morning, unfortunately with no luck. Jay, Jake, a couple of other knights and the King sat at the table in the great hall, looking at the servant. “What do you mean you can’t find her?” Jay asked, worry now written all over his face. He stood up, making his chair fall backwards. It was the King’s turn to stand up now, towering over the table.

“She probably wandered home since she doesn’t belong here. Jay, you brought her here, didn’t you? She lives in the poor part of the kingdom, right? I want you to go find her and when you do, I want you to kill her, no matter what”, the King ordered, but from the sound of his voice, Jay realised there was something more to this than the King is saying. 

“What do you mean ‘kill her’?! What aren’t you telling us? You can’t keep things to yourself without telling us, sire” Jay said, annoyance in his voice. He kept arguing with the King until the King had enough. “Enough! You do as I say or I will kill you and then kill Y/N myself. Now go!” the King said, slamming his hands down on the table. Jay grumbled before leaving the table, Jake and a few other knights following him. Before they got to the door and left, the King spoke up, his voice full of fear.

“You really want to know what’s happening?” the King said, making them turn around to look at him. The King sat back down, sighing. “8 years ago, the same thing happened across the kingdom. Everyone in the village got sick, ranging from children to adults. I knew Y/N’s parents as I saved Y/N’s mother when she was still pregnant with her. I was just passing by when I saw her standing on top of her bridge, assuming that she was going to jump off, I ran to her and got her down, to which she broke down in tears, her husband running to me holding her. Since that day, I watched them from a distance, keeping an eye on them to see if they’re safe”, he took a deep breath before he continued.

“I continued to watch them from afar for years after that, watching Y/N grow up, as well as her siblings. One day, as I was strolling along through the woods, I noticed something strange. I saw a figure of what seemed to be a woman. They had long black hair, their skin looked pale and their clothes dirty. Though I had a feeling it wasn’t actually a woman, but a spirit. My suspicions were answered when a few days later, the village got infected, children and adults growing ill, dying. It was a bloodbath. When I got to their home, there was blood everywhere. Blood stained beds and carpet, as well as blood on the walls. The house was empty, or at least I thought it was empty until I heard a voice. A female voice. It was Y/N, she was talking to someone, or something. I looked inside a room, and there she was: Y/N sitting on the floor, tear clad cheeks. I saw the same thing I saw a few days prior, sitting in front of Y/N”.

“Get away from her!”, the King yelled, trying to get the thing away from Y/N. The thing ran away, out of the house and back into the woods. But in the process, Y/N got scared and ran in the same direction. What did the spirit want with Y/N?

“Why didn’t you do anything?” Jay questioned. “Because by the time I realised, it was too late! The spirit possessed Y/N’s mother, killing her children, but not before destroying hundreds of lives in the village. But that’s the thing. Y/N’s mother wasn’t supposed to become possessed. It was supposed to be Y/N. And I think that’s why it’s come back”, the King said, fear in his eyes. “Now go, before it’s too late”, the King ordered, Jay and his knights running out of the main hall and out of the castle, hoping to find you before it’s too late. 

--------------------------------

Jay and his knights wandered into the woods, and the sight they walked into made them frown. There were dead bodies everywhere, blood coming out of their eyes, mouth and nose. Some bodies were torn into 2, some had their limbs missing, and guts were hanging out of their chests. Jake wanted to throw up, to which he did, puking his guts up. Jay walked forward, trying to see any sign that you were there, but he couldn’t find anything. Suddenly, a gust of wind came out of nowhere, making some of the knights almost fall over. Jay saw you in the distance, walking towards them. But you didn’t look like yourself. You were covered in blood. Blood splatters on your face, dress and on the sword you were holding. Wait, sword? Where the fuck did you get a sword from?

“Y/N, what are you doing?” Jay asked, walking towards you slowly. That’s when you spoke up. Except, it wasn’t your voice. “It’s too late. Y/N is gone”, your voice- which wasn’t your voice- sounded demonic. You lifted your arm, putting your hand out. Black mist appeared from behind you, and you pushed your hand out, making the knights behind Jay be thrown backwards, some of them being thrown into a tree, knocking them out. The sound of thunder roared in the distance, lightning lighting up the sky. Rain came pouring down from the sky, making it hard to see in front of you.

“Time to die”, you said, a smirk on your face.

You lifted your bloodied sword, ready to strike. Jay ran forward, holding his sword up. Both swords came into contact with a clang, the force causing vibrations to run through your bodies. You both fought, clashing swords. You sliced Jay’s arm, making him hiss as blood marked his arm. You fought for what felt like hours, losing track of time.

“I will rule the kingdom! It should have been me, not that stupid king. If he didn’t kill me, I would have ruled the kingdom and become Queen! Guess the King isn’t as innocent as everything thinks he is”, you said, smirking at Jay, making him stop in his tracks. “What do you mean?”, Jay asked, lowering his sword, letting his guard down. 

“Ah, he didn’t tell you, did he? He had a wife years ago, who was going to become Queen but become the King was fucking jealous of that, he murdered her in the woods. She thought that they were having a nice day in the woods, going to have a picnic, but he grabbed his sword and struck her right then and there, her body falling to the ground. That was me, I was the wife”, you said, your voice becoming more and more demonic the angrier the spirit got. Suddenly, the King ran out of nowhere from behind Jay, standing in front of him. 

“Guinevere, stop this please!” the King bellowed, hoping that she would stop. But unfortunately for him, that made her more angry. All of a sudden, the King gasped and fell to the ground until his body came to a stop. Blood trickled out of his eyes, nose and mouth. Shit.

“Guess I’ll be Queen after all”, you smirked at Jay, raising your sword, getting ready to strike. Out of nowhere, Jake’s body stepped in front of Jay’s, raising his arms. He grabbed the sword, yelling as the blade dug into the palms of his hands. “Stop it, you bitch”, Jake yelled, managing to grab the sword out of your hand. You screamed like a banshee, making Jay and Jake hold their ears, the sound too painful to listen to.

Jake looked at Jay, giving him a look that said ‘you know what you need to do’, to which Jay nodded. Jake threw the sword to Jay, and Jay ran up to you. He turned you around, putting the sword to your throat. You held onto Jay’s arms, digging your nails into them. “Y/N, if you’re still in there, I’m really sorry for what I’m about to do”, Jay said as he closed his eyes. You chuckled evilly, the spirit inside you preparing for what’s about to happen.

“You can do what you want to me, you’re not going to get Y/N back. She was already dead before I possessed her”, the spirit said, taunting Jay with her words. Jay let go of her and turned her around to look at him. He grabbed the sword with both hands as he yelled, striking the sword right into your chest, a scream leaving you. The spirit possessing you let out a screech, making Jay’s and Jake’s ears bleed. Black mist came out of your mouth, heading towards the sky before it disappeared completely, evaporating. 

Your body dropped to the ground with a thud, the sword still in your chest. Jay wrapped his arms around you, tears staining his cheeks as he sobbed. Jake stood there, not knowing what to do or say. Jay stayed like that for what seemed like hours, just holding your lifeless body. Some of his tears dropped onto where the sword used to be, falling into the wound on your chest. All of a sudden, the wound in your chest started to disappear, the colour in your skin now becoming more full of life. You gasped as you opened your eyes, startling Jay. 

“What happened? How did I get here?” you asked, looking around you, wondering why you were in the woods, and why Jay was holding you. He started crying again, of happiness this time as he hugged you, wrapping his arms around you. “You’re alive, I thought we lost you, oh my god”, Jay cried of happiness. You were confused but wrapped your arms around him, melting into the hug. 

--------------------------------

You laid in Jay’s bed, looking up at him as he explained what happened to you, and you felt awful. You killed all those people? Including the King? You knew that it wasn’t actually you as you were possessed, but you still felt awful. You started crying as the guilt started eating you up, the whole kingdom is probably going to be scared of you or hate you for what’s happened. Jay was startled as you started crying your eyes out, not knowing what to do. You voiced your feelings, feeling like you were at fault for everything that has happened, even though that it wasn’t you and you shouldn’t feel like that, but you couldn’t help it. 

“Hey, if anyone says anything to you about it or tries to make you feel like shit then, they will have me to deal with, ok?”, he said, smiling softly at you. You returned a smile, smiling up at him. You leaned closer to him, lifting your head up. You gave him a soft kiss on the lips, holding his cheek, rubbing your thumb along the skin. Jay smiled into the kiss, melting into you. You’re not sure what’s going to happen now but what you do know is that you're most definitely in love with Park Jongseong.