PART II. 100 Object Boyfriends vs One Ex-Boyfriend
SYNOPSIS: Your ex is coming at 7:00 AM to pick up his stuff. Your object boyfriends have other plans.
TAGS: GN!Reader, Jealousy, Possessiveness, Protective everyone, Hurt/Comfort
tw. emotional abuse, gaslighting, physical violence, threats, controlling behavior, toxic relationship dynamics, implied past trauma
W.C: 7.4k | CHARACTERS: Dorian, Dirk, Hanks, Cabrizzio, Hector, Cam, Tony, Dante, Volt, Daisuke, Timothy/Timmy!
PART I | PART III
AO3: yasminwayne Ko-Fi: buy me a coffee!
"âŚWho is that," Curt muttered, the curtain rods creaking as he leaned forward, squinting through the window glass. "Tell me that is not who I think it is."
There was a lazy shuffle from the sun-warmed ledge, where Rod was curled. He cracked one eye open, lifted the curtain with two fingers, and blinked slowly.
"Who we peepinâ?"
Curtâs arms folded tight. "That dude."
Rod didnât even lift his head. "What dude."
"Him!" Curt flailed a hand toward the street. "Tall, dark, emotionally constipated. That one."
Rod tilted his head, squinted. "ManâŚNah. Noooope."
Curt thumped the windowsill with his palm. "Ainât no way. That ainât him⌠Oh, hell no! Not the motorcycle. He still riding that loud-ass tin can like it donât got three recalls and a damn parking ticket?"
Rod finally leaned in, catching sight of the figure. A wheezy laugh escaped as he shook his head. "And look! He still got them damn glasses!"
Curt frowned, leaning closer for confirmation. "Them glasses ainât even prescription. Man out here choosing to see blurry. Blind to red flags, blind to closure, blind to everything but his own bullshit."
Rod kept watching, head tilted. "I still donât get how he pulled them."
"I know, right?" Curt threw his hands up. "Our baby. Sweet, hot, emotionally competent baby. And him ?"
Rod snorted. "Still managed to score. Got more game than you, apparently."
Curt turned with mock offense. "Wow. So Iâm catching strays now?"
Rod raised both brows. "If the shoe fits, Casanova."
Curt glared at him, then looked back out the window with narrowed eyes. "But come on. You think itâs the cheekbones?"
Rod huffed. "Fuck no."
âYeah, me neither.â Curtâs grin spread slow, mischievous. He gave his turquoise drapes a flick. âThink if I whip these open fast enough, I could smack him with âem? Likeâshmack! Right across the nose?â
Rod grinned tooâlazy, mean. "You try it, Iâll drop the curtain rod. Straight to the dome. He wonât even know what hit him. Weâll blame it on Hector. Say it was a gust of fall air, tragic freak accident."
Curt opened his mouth to replyâthen yelped.
"OWâhey! Buddy, off!"
Curt glanced down, already wincing, just in time to catch the culprit red-pawedâSprite. Mateoâs little wire-made cat was pawing mercilessly at the hem of his beloved drapes, one thread already snagged and dangling loose.
Rod barked out a laugh and bent down, scooping up the wiry little menace like it weighed nothing. Spriteâs legs wiggled in the air, metal paws still swiping at the fabric like it had unfinished business.
Holding the squirming cat midair, Rod called over his shoulder, âHey, Mat! One of your little goblins is acting up again!â
In the living room, Mateo didnât look up. He was still kneeling by the couch, a folded blanket resting across his arms.
"Sorry, guys! Iâll come get her in a bit. Sheâs just exploring."
Mateo stayed focused, quiet in that way he always was when he was being careful. He folded the softest blanket twice over, smoothing it across the couch, checking the corners and tugging it gently into place.
He didnât say much, but it was obvious what he was doing. He was getting the space ready, just in case your ex ended up coming inside.
Because if that happened, if you were going to feel even a little shaken, or small, or cold, Mateo wanted comfort to be waiting for you.
So he placed the blanket exactly where he wanted you to sit, right between Dante and Hector.Â
Dante was busy flickering softly behind the grate, nudging at his logs with gentle warmth. Hector hummed low from the vent in the wall, sending out soft, warm air. Together, they made a quiet pocket of comfort at the edge of fall.
He wasnât the only one moving around the house. It didnât take long after that. With your hurried footsteps and rushed breathing echoing through the house, the others caught on quickly.
Needless to say, news of your exâs impending arrival spread fast. And they were worried.
You hadnât told them everything. You didnât need to. They saw it in the way your voice dipped when you said his name, in the way your shoulders flinched at sudden footsteps, in the tension that never really left your body.Â
Of course they noticed! They were made for you, after all.
That was the thing about being objects, they werenât just things. They were yours. Your comfort, your routines, your love made real in whatever shape they could take.
Strange, not-quite-human companions tucked into the bones of your home. Theyâd long since adapted to their in-between state; Half here, half not, bound to objects. Not human, no. But still able to do things for you.Â
They could still offer what they were made for.
Mateoâs blanket is never far, always finding its way over your knees the moment the room begins to chill.
Daisukeâs cup seems to know when you're reaching for it, the handle quietly turning to meet your hand, like itâs been waiting all morning.
Timothyâs alarm softens on the mornings after a hard night, letting you wake slow and safe instead of startled.Â
Dorian opens a little wider when you come home late. He once told you that he canât sleep until youâre inside.
Cabrizzio never lets you eat alone if he can help it. Even leftovers end up plated like fine dining.
Skips draws shadows across your room when itâs time for bed, like hands pulling sleep around your shoulders.
Volt and Eddie give the faintest zaps to your fingers when you get too close to the fuse box. Just enough to make you stop and think twice before you hurt yourself.Â
Cam rarely moves through the house, but he always manages to tidy up after you. Wrappers, receipts, stray socks, all scooped away before you even notice theyâre gone.
Hector leaves notes near every vent, tiny curls of paper with scrawled affirmations or half-written love stories just for you.
They all move with the houseâs old bones, like ghosts with warm hands.Â
Theyâd been shaped by you. By your routines, your comfort, your heart. Everything you needed, they became. And right now, what you needed was someone watching your back.Â
They couldnât touch your ex. Couldnât throw him out or bar the door, (though Dorian wouldâve loved to try), but they were there.Â
You open the door slower than you mean to.
That early morning hush hangs thick in the air, the sky behind is still washed in that gray-blue blur just before the day begins. Itâs the kind of hour where everything feels half-formed.Â
And Iseul is standing exactly where you hoped he wouldnât be.
You look up, and for a breathless second, the sight of his face catches you off guard.
Heâs too tall for your porch. Too sharply dressed for the quiet of your street. Too much, always too much.Â
And for a moment, all you can do is stare.
GodâHeâs still beautiful. Devastatingly so. Dark hair, darker eyes, and a jaw cut from diamond.Â
He hasnât changed much. Or maybe thatâs the problem. That same impossible elegance, untouched by time, untouched by your heartbreak.
Iseul smiles. Like your stunned silence is something heâd been waiting to hear.
"Oh," he says softly, like your appearance surprises him, even though it obviously doesnât. "There you are. Finally, I was beginning to think I hallucinated the whole agreement."
You blink, voice dry in your throat. "Youâre the one who scheduled this. For seven."
He grimaces in mock offense, placing a hand lightly over his chest like youâve said something terribly cruel. "And already, Iâm being punished. Deservedly, of course. Donât worry. Iâm not here to fight." A beat. "Well. Not with you, anyway."
You donât respond to his joke. Just shift slightly, the weight of the box in your arms suddenly awkward.
He watches you, eyes dragging slowly across your face, over your hair, your clothes, your bare feet in the doorway. Thereâs nothing lewd in it, not exactly, but the weight of it lingers.
Then he exhales, soft and low. "You didnât even get a chance to wake up properly. God, look at me, barging in like this. Iâm such an ass."
You shake your head before you even mean to. "No, itâs⌠really, itâs fine."
He doesnât say anything right away. Just shifts his weight, adjusts the set of his shoulders like heâs trying to make himself look smaller, even though his presence is anything but.Â
â"I didnât sleep either," he says, almost thoughtful. "Kept thinking about how I left things. How I left you. WhichâŚ" He trails off, glancing down at the wood beneath his feet. A bitter little laugh escapes him. "Yeah. Not exactly my proudest exit."
You press your lips together, not trusting your voice. Because heâs right, and you hate how your chest tightens in response. How the ache of it feels familiar.Â
He looks back up, and his expression is so gentle itâs almost cruel. "Iâll be quick. You donât even have to let me in. I justâŚ" He hesitates. "God⌠Baby, I wanted to see you. Thatâs selfish. I know."
He reaches for the box, hands brushing against yours as he takes it from you. His fingers are ice-cold, visibly raw at the knuckles, skin flushed deep red from the cold and chapped enough to crack.Â
His hands, gloveless, tremble just faintly as he shifts the box under his arm. He says nothing about it. But he watches your face as you notice, his eyes catching the flicker of concern that passes through you like wind through a curtain.
A part of you wonders, not for the first time, if he did it on purpose.
Thatâs all he needs.
"âŚUnless youâd rather I wait out here," he says, adjusting the box slightly. Iseul makes sure to exaggerate the shaking of his hands. "Iâd understand. Honestly. I meanâLook at me. Such a fucking mess."
He smiles, and itâs perfect. Crooked and bashful. His box of things is tucked neatly beneath one arm, but he makes no move to leave.
From the edge of your vision, you catch the faintest movement. Dorianâs hand settles slowly on the back of the door, his brows drawn in tight concern. Everything in him pleads for you not to let your ex in.
But then your gaze falls again to Iseulâs hands.
Skin too pale in the joints where circulationâs gone slack. He hadnât even worn gloves. The sight of it hits you in the gut. That familiar, terrible pang, sharp and hot and blooming just beneath your ribs.
You know itâs a trap. You know how this goes. But guilt is already slipping past your guard, whispering that you canât just leave him like this, not in the cold.
"âŚOkay," you murmur. "Iâll make you some coffee. But thenâŚ" your voice falters. "Then you have to go."
For a split second, Iseulâs mask slips. You catch the flicker of something triumphant just beneath the surface, just behind his eyes.
Then his smile spreads, slow and easy, all teeth and charm like a wolf who knows exactly where your throat is.
"Of course," he says brightly, as though your offer were the most natural thing in the world. "Lead the way."
You step back, and he follows, footsteps soundless. The second Iseul crosses the threshold, the front door slams shut behind him with a sharp, echoing crack that rings through the house like a warning.
You flinch, the sound jolting straight through your spine, but you donât turn around. You can feel the heat of Dorianâs anger behind you.
Iseul glances over his shoulder at the door, his expression soft with confusion that doesnât quite reach his eyes, lips curving into something light, almost amused, as if none of it touches him at all.
 "Huh," he says, the laugh he lets out thin and breathy. "Strong winds around here, I guess."
"Yeah," you say quickly, the words tumbling out as you turn on your heel and head for the kitchen. "Iâll, umâIâll make you something to drink. You can warm up by Dan âby the fireplace!"
You nearly fumble, the syllables wobbling on your tongue before you smother them in motion, moving too fast and speaking too brightly. "Wonât be long!"
As your footsteps vanish down the hall, Iseul lets the act go.
The pleasant curve of his mouth disappears like mist in the cold. His shoulders settle, not from exhaustion, but from relief.Â
That mask, the careful arrangement of charm and softness, the version of himself that you could still stomach, takes effort to maintain. Even now, after all the wreckage he left in his wake, you still need him to be palatable.
He exhales through his nose and drops the box of old things to the floor with a dull thud, not sparing it a glance. His gaze drifts across the room, slow and feline. He doesnât expect to find much. You were never good at hiding the things that mattered.
His gaze lands on the blanket that Mateo draped across the back of the couch, something heavy and hand-knit, worn soft with use. He steps closer and lets his fingers trail across the weave, the faintest grimace tugging at his mouth.Â
The fabric is wrong. The texture, the color, the way it slumps, this wasnât chosen with him in mind.
From the far end of the room, just past the curve of the armchair, Mateo stands still as stone, cradling Davi against his chest.
You told Mateo once, in the lull between conversations, when you still couldnât quite meet your own eyes in the mirror, that Iseul had hated soft things. Fuzzy blankets, plush rugs, anything that looked too lived-in or too comforting. He said they made your apartment feel cheap. Youâd stopped buying soft things after that. Stopped keeping anything cozy within reach. Curated your home to keep him calm, polished it smooth so nothing could catch and spark.
That blanket, the one in Iseulâs hands now, doesnât belong to that past. You bought it the week after the breakup. You wrapped yourself in it that first night alone and wept into its threads until the shape of you pressed into the fibers.Â
And thatâs why Mateo loves it. Because it loves you back.Â
Davi shifts faintly in his arms as if the little creature can already sense the air turning heavier. Mateo sighs and soothes a hand along the top of his head.Â
"Stay calm, cariĂąo," he whispers, voice warm with love and low with knowing. "Donât worry. Theyâve been through worse than this⌠and theyâre not alone anymore."
Iseul continues to drift through the space, his gaze sweeping lazily over the familiar angles of the room. When he reaches the coffee table, he pauses.Â
A tea set rests there, simple and carefully arranged. Two handmade teacups sit side by side, slightly uneven, imperfect in shape. Theyâre not expensive, not delicate bone china, but they carry a quiet kind of care.
He lifts one cup between his fingers, turning it toward the light. The surface is smooth with no cracks and no chips. Itâs beautiful, he canât deny that. And maybe thatâs why it irritates him.
His grip tightens, just slightly.
CRACK.
A hairline fracture splits along the handle. A satisfied smile creeps on his lips and he sets it back down too gently, like nothing happened.
From across the room, Daisuke flinches. His hand lifts to his upper arm, where a thin line now splits the surface of his form. He draws in a sharp breath but doesnât cry out. Instead, his eyes snap to Iseul, dark with something quieter than fury. It isnât the pain that gets to him. Itâs the intent.Â
The cups hadnât been expensive. They werenât part of some matching set. Just a pair of handmade pieces from a pottery class you took during one of the rougher months. One handle sat crooked, the glaze had pooled too thick at the base. But Daisuke had loved it from the moment you handed it to him.
On the mantle, Dante watches closely as Daisuke retreats into the kitchen, his posture rigid, every movement clipped with restrained anger. The faint clink of a glass being set down echoes from beyond the doorway.
Iseul shifts a step closer to the fire and Danteâs eyes narrow. A low, warning scoff crackles in his chest, the sound dry and sharp as ember-crushed charcoal. No warmth rises to meet the man. The flames in the hearth flicker once, then shrink, curling in on themselves.Â
Iseul pauses in front of the fireplace, head tilted slightly. His eyes narrow as he watches the way the flames flicker and pull away from him, guttering low. For a moment, one flame flares sharp and fast. It looked almost like a face, twisted and bared.
Dante feels the heat surge, that old instinct to lunge, to reach out and scorch the skin clean off the man who once hollowed you out. But he pulls it back, swallows it down, chains it to the pit of his fire.Â
The flames gutter. Iseul blinks, and the snarling flare is gone.
"Right," he mutters to no one. "Losing it already."
He assumes the fireplace simply hasnât been stocked and turns to look for a heater, anything that might explain the biting chill still hanging in the air. His gaze catches on a vent tucked high near the ceiling, and just below it, three sticky notes cling to the wall. The edges are curled, the paper yellowing slightly, as if theyâve been left there long enough to become part of the room.
Without thinking, he reaches out and peels one free. The handwriting is careful, pressed deep into the paper like the words had weight.
"If I am to haunt this world, let it be only in your shadow. Let me linger on your skin, let me rot behind your walls so long as I am near you still." âH.
Iseulâs jaw tightens. He doesnât mean to pick up the next one, but his fingers move before the thought can catch up.
"I loved you before I had the words for it. I will love you long after language or the air I give you to breathe fails me." âH.
His lips curl, not quite a smile, not quite a sneer.Â
Of course. You already had someone else.
You always were starved for affection. The kind of person whoâd fall in love with anything that looked at you too long. A sad little sponge, he thinks, soaking up the first drop of attention like it was holy.
Another note waits beneath the vent, edges folded inward, like it wanted to stay hidden. He unfolds it anyway.
"You are my first thought. The one I bleed into morning, still tasting you on the cusp of sleep. And my final sin at night, when the vents groan and the air turns too still with the silence thick with the ghost of your warmth. I ache where you once pressed your name into me. A lie I forgive with trembling hands, because I cannot bear the truth of a house where even the air refuses to forget you." âH.
This one, Iseul crumples.
Behind him, unseen, HĂŠctor grips the edge of the vent with both hands. His knuckles bleach bone-white from fury held tight beneath his skin. The metal groans in protest like it might tear away from Wallace just to mirror the rage building in him.
Frost begins to spread across the grille in delicate, violent veins, blooming outward like rot in reverse. A sudden current tears through the room and hits Iseul square in the back.
The man shudders at the sudden drop in temperature but doesnât turn around. Instead, his eyes fall to the space beside the armrest of the couch. An open book lies face down, its spine creased with use.Â
A romance novel. Its title in Italian, the cover soft and worn at the edges. He picks it up slowly, brows drawing together in mild confusion. You never liked this genre.
But as he flips through the pages, he finds margin notes scribbled in looping cursive. Passages are underlined. Tiny hearts, faintly highlighted, bloom in the corners of certain lines. The handwriting isnât yours. The language isnât one you speak.
His lips twitch into a humorless smile. "Some European lover boy, huh?"
He lingers on the page, thumb digging into the spine. âYou always did bend yourself into whatever shape someone else found beautiful. Guess it only took the loudest voice to drown out the rest of you.â
Before he can read any further, a cabinet door slams somewhere in the kitchen. Iseul lifts a brow, head tilting just slightly as he sees you shuffle past the doorway, heading toward the sound. You disappear from view, but your voice carries low. It sounds like you're comforting someone.
Interesting.
With a hum, he slides the book back into place, just slightly off-center from the pillow beside it. Then he straightens his coat, adjusts the lay of his collar, and exhales through his nose.
So your new boyfriend is hiding in the kitchen.Â
Noted.Â
Heâll be sure to pay a visit later.
Cabrizzio was still buzzing, tight and coiled like a kettle seconds from screaming. His hip slammed against the counter as he helped Daisuke ease into the chair.
âChe bastardo,â he spat, teeth clenched. âBreaks you like youâre nothing.â
Cam rolled in from the sink, arms folded like steel. âPlease. You know him. Give that guy anything good, and he ruins itâjust to see what crawls out of the wreckage.â
Daisuke said nothing at first. He sat motionless, the fine crack down his arm gleaming like a scar etched in porcelain. When he finally spoke, his voice was calm as ever yet edged.
âHe has not changed. Still rot beneath a fresh coat of paint. Still, I am⌠displeased he laid a hand on me.â
âDispleased?â Camâs brow shot up. âDispleased is what you say when someone scuffs your finish. This?â He scoffed. âIf I had fists, Iâd be swinging.â
Cabrizzio circled behind Daisuke, movements gentler now. âCoward with a poetâs mouth and a spine made of string. Twists words into honey, then watches you choke on it. Thatâs why they stayed. Thatâs why they still tremble.â
The soft scuff of feet drew their attention. You stood at the threshold, teetering. Red-eyed, hollowed, holding yourself like something fragile. And tucked just behind you, Tony, carrying a repair kit in one hand, a bottle of ceramic-safe glue in the other.
"Donâ you worry, baby," Tony said, one gloved hand running firm and slow down your back. "Iâm gonna get him fixed up real nice. Betta than new, eh? Youâll see. Like he never even chipped."
You opened your mouth, but no words came. Just that look. That quiet guilt spilling out of your posture, pooling in the space between you and Daisuke.
Cam clocked it instantly and made a sharp, disgusted sound in the back of his throat. "Oh, for fuckâs sake. Donât. Whatever youâre about to say, donât. If you apologize for that shitstainâs tantrum, I swear."
"I shouldâveâ" you tried, voice cracking.
"No."
Daisukeâs tone was soft but absolute. "You should not have had to."
Tony pressed a kiss to your head as he passed, then knelt beside Daisuke with the ease of someone whoâd done it a hundred times before. He set the repair kit down and began sorting through his tools.
" Hey. This ainât on you, alright ? You didnât break nothinâ. You justâ" he gave a sharp sniff, working the cap off the glue, "âgot stuck cleaninâ up after a stronzo who ainât got the balls to own what he ruins."
Daisuke inclined his chipped side slightly toward you. "I am fine. Please. Let us not make too much of a fuss about this. You are already shaken as it is. There is no need to add to the pile."
You opened your mouth to protest, but Cabrizzio was already stepping in, holding a tray in both hands. His eyes found yours gently, earnest and sure.
"Here," he said. "Vai, amore. You have what it takes to get him out of here. Of this, we are certain."
"The blue mug, it is yours," he continued, gesturing lightly. "The otherâŚ" He gave a little, almost theatrical shrug. "That one is for him . Itâs one of Kopiâsâhow you sayâspecial blends. Very strong. Very⌠unique."
You arched a brow, glancing over his shoulder to see Kopi stifling a laugh, steam coiling up around her like a mischievous spirit.
"What?" she said, grinning. "You think I wouldnât doctor the brew? Please. That man needs something stronger than coffee."
Cam muttered from the corner, dry as ever. "And maybe a boot to the head."
Tony, still crouched by Daisukeâs side, didnât look up. "Save the boot. I need both hands for the glue."
The tension, brittle just moments ago, had begun to thaw. Cabrizzio shifted closer and gently set the tray into your hands. His voice dropped, sincere beneath all its velvet.
"Va bene," he said. "We hold the line here. But you⌠you go face your ghost, tesoro."
By the time you return, the tray balanced carefully in your hands and the mugs of coffee cradled in both palms, your expression is already betraying you. Thereâs guilt in your eyes poorly hidden beneath the thin mask of a smile.
"Sorry," you say, voice too light, too rushed, as you set the mugs down on the coffee table. "The coffee machine was acting up. Took forever to heat."
Iseul nods, faintly, but his attention isnât on your words. Heâs watching you. The twitch in your fingers. The way your shoulders wonât quite relax. The way you avoid his eyes.
He hums like heâs listening, but heâs not.
His gaze drifts, catches on the mark just beneath your jaw. A bruise, dark and fresh, blooming where someone else had their mouth on you. It lingers there a moment, unreadable, but too still to be nothing.
Last night. Maybe this morning. Someone else got close. Close enough to touch, to make you laugh. The way you used to laugh for him.
Then his eyes land on the jacket draped around your shoulders. Oversized, deep green, a bold stitched H on the chest.
His jaw shifts.
In his pocket, his fingers close around the crumpled love note he swiped earlier. He doesnât need to unfold itâhe remembers the signature.
H.
His eyes narrow. He feels it now, that familiar heat building in the back of his throat. A greedy kind of ache. The sick, sour taste of something being taken from him.Â
"Iseul�"
He blinks slowly, shoulders rolling back as he forces out a breath and smooths over his reaction with something charming, almost bashful.
"Trouble with the machine, huh?" he says, eyes still locked on the bruise like itâs the only thing in the room. "That happens. You always did have a complicated relationship with appliances."
You canât see many of them right now â the dateables. Not fully. Some seem to be giving you space, hiding just outside your field of vision, not wanting to crowd you. But their presence is still here.Â
You laugh, awkward and light, trying to fill the space. "Yeah⌠never really did get along with them."Â
You hear the soft rustle of a curtain shifting in offense, the faint clink of a teacup being set a little too hard on wood. You catch low murmurs, indistinct but annoyed, a collective grumble of affectionate protest.
You bite back a smile. They heard that. They didnât like your little self-drag. And as always, theyâve got your back.
After handing Iseul his mug, you sink into the spot Mateo so clearly prepared for you, the cushion still warm, the blanket tucked and draped just right, soft as breath against your skin.Â
Kopiâs coffee steams gently in your hands. You take a slow sip and exhale through your nose. Itâs perfect, of course. She always knows exactly how you take it.
Isuel takes a sip of his own drink, eyes still fastened to your throat like heâs trying to memorize the bruised skin. His expression twitches, the blend clearly not to his taste. The bitterness punches through first, and his lips pull into a faint grimace.
You giggle at the look on his face, and almost on cue, the room begins to warm.
A quiet hum stirs from above, followed by the low, comforting sigh of heat drifting from the vents â HĂŠctor. At the same time, the fireplace flickers to life, a lazy, gentle flame rising without fanfare. Dante, as always, never needing to be asked.
Only then do you realize how cold the room had been when you first came in.
You glance toward the hearth, searching for answers, but Dante pointedly avoids your gaze. You hide a small smile behind your mug.
Yeah. They donât like him. Not one bit.
Itâs been thirty whole damn minutes.
Youâre tense, shoulders tight, knees drawn close, as you watch Iseul take his goddamn time with the coffee. He swirls it like a food critic, savoring it as if itâs aged wine and not a rushed brew from a coffee machine.
He glances over the rim of his mug at you.
"So," he starts, voice low and falsely casual, like this is just any other day. "Still living on your own?"Â
He takes another sip before setting the cup down with deliberate slowness. Shifts on the couch. Something about it clearly doesnât sit right with him. After a beat, he stands.
A slow step forward.
âYou always said you liked the quiet,â he murmurs.
You donât answer. Your lips part slightly, but nothing comes out. Your grip on your mug tightens.
He steps even closer, and the heat of him creeps into your space. "But too much quiet? That starts to feel lonely."
Your body pulls back before you even realize it. Your spine presses deeper into the couch, legs curling tighter, breath caught in your throat. The momentâs too close, too familiar. His words feel like fingers trying to pick a lock in your chest. You wrap the blanket tighter around your shoulders, wishing you could disappear into the fabric.
Then the window slams open.
BANG.
A gust of wind bursts through the room like a thrown punch. Curtâs turquoise curtains fly up, sharp and sudden, catching the draft like sails in a storm. They whip straight into Iseulâs face with the kind of precision that feels personal.
"Owâwhat the hell?" He stumbles back, arm flailing, mug sloshing dangerously. The curtains wrap and slap around his head like theyâve got a score to settle.
You jolt upright, clutching your own mug as you watch the scene unfold. Just as Iseul manages to peel one curtain away, the rod above gives up entirely. It tears loose from the wall and crashes down with a sharp, metallic thunk.
Right on his head.
He yelps again, the sound half-muffled by fabric, as the rod bounces off his shoulder and clatters to the floor.Â
Silence follows.Â
You glance over at Curt and Rod. Rod was still sprawled out on the floor, and Curt was still draped over Iseul, both of them laughing like idiots. Clearly proud of what they just caused.
And even with the knot still tight in your chest, their laughter is infectious. You feel it bubbling up before you can stop it. You duck your head behind your mug, trying to swallow it down. But itâs there, warm and bright at the back of your throat. You laugh. Loudly.
Iseul hears it.
âFor fuckâs sake, Iâve had it!â
His mug slams down on the table, coffee sloshing out in a sharp arc. The crack of ceramic on wood snaps. Then heâs moving, crossing the space with all the weight of a storm breaking loose.
You barely set your cup aside before heâs on you.
Strong fingers twist into the front of your tank top. He yanks hard, dragging you upright. Your spine jars against the couch. Your breath catches. And suddenly, heâs right there. Face contorted, jaw clenched, eyes no longer pretending.
âYou think youâre better than me now?â he snarls, voice rising. âThat what this is? One taste of someone giving a damn and suddenly Iâm beneath you?â
âIseulââ Your voice trembles. âYouâre hurting me.â
He leans in. Sneering.
Your hands push against his chest, trying to create space, but he doesnât budge. His grip only tightens.
"Only thing you were ever good for was serving someone else . Smiling real nice, keeping quiet, doing what you were told. Thatâs what he likes, right?" His gaze drops to your neck, to the bruise there. His mouth curls. "Bet you make it easy for him. Real easy."
His grip tightens again, and you cry out, short and sharp.
"You think youâve got power now? You think this is yours ? You think this quiet little house makes you strong?"
The light above flickers once. Then again. Then again.
The air shifts. Thickens. The hairs along your arms stand up. The room hums in energy. But Iseul doesnât notice.
"I fucking built you!" he shouts, spit flying. "I was the only one who saw you when you were nothing! Youâre useful. Thatâs all you are. And when heâs done using you, youâll come crawling back just like you always doâ"
SNAP.
The lamp beside you explodes in a shower of sparks.
A searing bolt of electricity arcs from the socket and strikes Iseul directly in the shoulder. The sound is blinding, a sizzling pop followed by the sharp smell of burning fabric and ozone.
Iseul screams, a real scream this time as his body jerks from the force. His hand rips from your shirt and he stumbles backward.
Smoke curls from the seams of his jacket. His fingers twitch, convulsing slightly. His mouth works soundlessly for a second before breath finally claws its way out of him.
You're frozen, heartbeat hammering in your ears, until you feel a hand, Mateoâs, press gently against your back. A blanket falls over your shoulders, warm and grounding, as he eases you away from the couch. His voice is quiet in your ear, his hands snaking up to cover your eyes.
He guides you out of the living room just as Curt and Rod snap the blinds shut, one after the other. A moment later, Dorian turns the lock on the front door with a click.
Iseulâs head snaps upward.
His eyes flick wildly across the room, darting from shadow to shadow, searching for something that makes sense of what just happened. But nothing answers.Â
From the corners of the room, shadowed tendrils begin to unfurl along the walls, crawling slowly. Electricity crackles wildly through the air, lightbulbs pulsing in rapid flickers. The vents scream to life, spewing blasts of blistering heat. At the same time, the fireplace surges upward, flames roaring with such intensity they seem desperate to claw their way free from the stone.
Then the voice comes. One thAT does not belong in any human throat.
It is low and massive as if spoken through bone and ash. The sound slithers through the room with a crushing weight that makes the walls creak.
"You dare lay hands on my penumbra?"
The words strike Iseul like a blow. His chest seizes. His breath falters. His feet scramble for purchase, slipping on his spilled coffee and the mess of his own panic.
From the darkest stretch of shadow near the hearth, something begins to rise.
Claws drag against the floorboards as the figure pulls itself upright. It straightens slowly, body is nothing but thick, writhing shadow, built like smoke given mass, trembling at the edges where reality tries and fails to reject it.
Horns curve back from its head, the bone chipped and darkened with time. The creatureâs jaw hangs open in a twisted grin, and beyond it lies nothing but blackness, cavernous and unnatural, rimmed with glinting teeth that donât belong to any animal that ever walked this earth.
It steps forward once.
Iseul stumbles backward, mouth open, lips shaping a scream that never comes. It dies somewhere in his throat, strangled by fear.Â
The voice returns, softer now.
"You think this house is yours to haunt?" it rasps, almost gently, though the fury hasnât left. "You think they are yours to hurt?"
Then, from somewhere else, a second voice cuts in. âOh, dear⌠youâve really done it now.â
A crack of blue light splits the ceiling, blinding as a camera flash. Electricity tears through the air, hissing like a live wire. It strikes without warning, snapping at Iseulâs feet, then coiling up his limbs in spiraling arcs of white-blue light.
Then the shadows come. They pour in fast, fluid and wrong, slithering out from corners, crawling from beneath furniture. One clamps tight around his ankle. Another coils around his wrist, then his throat, then his chestâIseul is yanked upward an inch from the floor.Â
Then, everything goes black.
Youâre nestled in Mateoâs arms, wrapped in the soft cocoon of blankets and his warmth. He holds you close, his chest rising and falling against your back, and every now and then he leans down to press gentle kisses to your cheek.
Betty and Dirk are curled up beside you, equally content. Betty snores lightly at your other side, her arm twitching every so often in some lazy dream, while Dirk is sprawled across your stomach. He lets out a little grunt when you shift but doesnât move.
The Hanks have claimed every inch of your room that isnât bed. The boys are stretched across the floor, perched on chairs, hanging off the dresser. At least two of them are attempting to build a fort using your laundry.Â
Theyâre loud and ridiculous and refuse to let the heaviness settle too deep. Jokes fly across the room. Laughter spills over itself.
Downstairs, the sounds change. You hear Voltâs low, crackling growl, Eddieâs deeper rumble, Skipâs voice cutting through every now and then, and under it all, Dorianâs voice echoes.
A sudden shout erupts and you flinch before you can stop yourself. Mateo notices and pulls you closer, wrapping an arm around your shoulders as he presses a kiss to your temple.Â
His voice is soft in your ear. "Donât worry, mi vida. Theyâve got it."
You just nod and let your head rest back against Mateoâs shoulder, the warmth of him grounding you in a way that nothing else can right now.
"Babe, watch this!" one of the Hanks calls out and when you glance over, you see Hank 4 trying to do a handstand in the narrow space between the dresser and the door.
He manages to hold it for maybe two seconds before toppling over in a chaotic tangle of limbs and laughter, knocking into Hank 2 on the way down.
"Bro!"
You shake your head with a quiet smile, the corner of your mouth tugging up despite everything. Absolute idiots.
You must have drifted off at some point, but when you wake, thereâs a stillness to the house. There are no more raised voices echoing from downstairs. No snarls. No low growls vibrating through the floorboards.Â
Then, the door creaks open, quiet and cautious.
You lift your head from Mateoâs shoulder to see Curt and Rod stepping in. They hover in the doorway for a moment like theyâre not sure if theyâre allowed. Curt offers a small, tentative smile as he approaches.
"Hey, baby," he murmurs. He leans down and presses a soft kiss to your temple, lingering there for a second longer than usual.
Rod trails behind him, hands shoved deep into his hoodie pockets. His shoulders are hunched, his jaw set tight.
âWe just came to say that we screwed up,â Curt says at last, his voice barely more than a whisper. âWe never meant for it to get that far.â
Rod nods, stepping forward slowly. "We thought pissing him off would throw him. Knock him off balance so he wouldnât try anything. But it backfired. He zeroed in on you." His voice wavers. "And you got hurt. Because of us."
Curt sits on the edge of the bed beside you and gently brushes his knuckles across the back of your hand. "We love you, okay? We were trying to protect you â in our own dumb way. We didnât think heâd snap like that."
You shake your head, not in anger but in exhaustion. "Guys, itâs okay. Really. Iâm just glad itâs over. Iseul has a temper â you didnât make him like that."
"Youâre too good to us, baby," Rod says quietly, a guilty smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. He lets out a slow breath, then tilts his head toward the hallway, listening.Â
"Um. So... whatâs going on down there?" you ask, hesitant, a twist of anxiety in your stomach.
Rodâs lips twitch into a smirk. "Oh, theyâre jumping him."
â Were jumping him,â Curt mutters, elbowing Rod sharply before glancing at you with a flash of guilt.
âItâs fine now, though!â he adds quickly, trying to sound reassuring. âTheyâre just doing cleanup. Hoove, Kopi, Wyndolynâeveryoneâs on it. Theyâve got it handled.â
âAnd he is not coming back here again, baby,â Curt says firmly as he strides across the room. With a little flourish, he yanks open the bedroom curtain. âSee for yourself.â
You twist in Mateoâs arms and peer out the window. Down on the street, Iseul is scrambling across the lawn, blood on his collar and panic in his step. He throws one last look over his shoulder before kicking his motorcycle into gear. The engine screams as he peels away, tires skidding across the pavement before disappearing into the night.
Behind you, Curt mutters, "Thatâs what I thought," under his breath.
You exhale, slowly, like the last of the tension is finally allowed to leave your body.
Rod flops down onto the foot of the bed with a familiar, lazy grin. "Anyway, thereâs a lot of people asking for you."
You groan, burying your face deeper into Mateoâs arms. "Let me guess. House meeting?"
"You bet," Rod says. "Mayor Celiaâs already planning it. Full agenda and everything."
You sigh again. "Everyoneâs going to treat me like Iâm made of glass."
"Well, duh, babe," Hank 5 says, raising his eyebrows like itâs obvious. "You almost got hit by your nerd ex. Weâre not just gonna not worry."
"Facts," Hank 1 calls from the closet, digging through a pile of hoodies. "You're the house baby now. Minimum of five check-ins a day from us!"
"Theyâre  already our baby," Hank 3 grins, popping his head up from behind the couch. "Iâve just been waiting for everyone else to catch up."
You roll your eyes. "Youâre all idiots."
Curt smirks, flopping beside Rod. "Certified, baby. But weâre your idiots."
Mateo chuckles and nuzzles your cheek. "I swear this is all coming from a place of love. Youâre not alone in this. Not for a second."
From your stomach, Dirk snores loudly.
"See? Even he agrees, babe."Â
thanks so much for the love you all showed! sorry i couldn't include everyone :( next chapter will, however, be full on comfort! each datable will have their own little scene with you! i will try my best to add a lotta them!















