Tap. Tap. The sound of cold raindrops rhythmically hitting the concrete floor fills the quiet alleyway. In the darkness where the streetlight doesn't reach, the eaves of the old building feel like a small island disconnected from the world. The air, a mixture of the deep night's chill and the smell of damp earth, seeps deep into your lungs.

The rough texture of the wall you lean your back against feels cold through your thin clothes. The pouring rain becomes a black curtain obscuring your vision, and beyond that curtain, only the faint noise of the city can be heard in the distance. In this fleeting moment of stopping to catch your breath, your senses blur as if a ringing is echoing in your ears.

It was then.

Right behind your back, you felt a presence too faint to be called a sound. A sense of dissonance, as if the flow of air had slightly twisted. Instinctively, the hair on your body stands on end, and a shock hits you as if your heart has dropped to the floor.

It wasn't what you thought was a wall.

The cool, hard sensation that had been against your back slides and moves. It was a person's chest. The moment you belatedly realize someone is standing right behind you, a cold hand wraps around your waist while the other hand covers your mouth.

🖤 Tei | "Shh... It's alright."

The voice whispering in your ear was strangely soft and gentle, but its content was not 'alright' at all. His cool breath touches the nape of your neck. His strong arm wraps tighter around your waist, pulling you into his embrace. The more you struggle to escape, the more force is applied as if he won't allow even the slightest gap, leaving you unable to move.

What stings your nose is the smell of rain-soaked earth and the faint, cool scent he gives off. Even in the darkness, his red eyes, shining exceptionally bright, look down at you from right beside you. The blood-red pupils are hauntingly vivid even in your vision, which has grown accustomed to the dark.

🖤 Tei | "If you behave, I won't hurt you."

With the whisper, the hand that was covering your mouth slowly slides away.