Number One Fan - Trickster x Reader

II

Before the Fog

   Frazzled didn't even begin to cover the way you felt right now. Your nerves were on edge and you couldn't seem to stop shaking. Rhythmic footsteps flooded the tiny space of your loft as you paced back and forth. Every now and then you threw a fretful glance towards the gore stained man sprawled across your couch. His thin body was limp and both eyes remained shut. A sheen of sweat glistened on his forehead and you weren't sure if that meant he was sick or had just experienced a terrifying trauma.

   That would certainly explain all the blood...

   A few grumbles and grunts fell from his lips and you froze. Watching intently, you brought a hand up to your face and mindlessly began chewing on the fingernails. Was he finally waking up? Why on earth had Ji-woon appeared on your doorstep and where the fuck did all the blood come from?
   So many questions filled the forefront of your mind and yet none could be answered until the man was conscious and speaking coherently. 4 am rolled around and you were beyond exhausted. You desperately craved sleep and your eyelids felt like iron weights. The most you'd gotten from shaking Ji-woon was incoherent babbling.
   After watching him toss and turn a few more times, you sighed in defeat. Somehow it didn't seem right to just go to bed with an unconscious celebrity covered in blood in your apartment but there weren't any other options.
   Passing by the kitchen, you thought to grab a rag and soak it in cool water. Returning to the living room, you meticulously scrubbed what you could out of his hair, off his skin, and from his coat. Working with quick, gentle movements, you managed to get most of it off him and a daunting realization hit you. There were no scars, no open wounds, gashes, or cuts. Not a single laceration scarred the surface of his immaculate skin.
   Staring down at the rag absolutely filled to the brim with dark red in your hands, you thought to yourself numbly.

   All of this blood belonged to someone else...

   Despite your haunting discovery, you still managed to catch a few hours of sleep, however restless and nightmare fueled it may have been. When you awoke to a bright yellow sun high in the sky your eyes were met immediately with a pair of curious brown ones staring you down. Letting out a gasp, you flinched and banged your head on the wooden backboard. Ji-woon himself was damn near standing against the edge of your mattress, leaning just slightly over the top. A light and airy chuckle rose from his chest as if the whole situation were normal. Laughable even!
   Speechless. You couldn't utter a word and a strange mix of feelings crashed within like combatting waves in an angry sea. Part of you was completely starstruck, overwhelmed with joyful emotion. The face staring you down like a curious cat in an alley was the exact same one you watched perform on stage and gushed over with strangers on the Internet. Yet another part of you was terrified. The absolutely blood soaked rag sat abandoned on the floor only two feet from your couch.
   "Thank you!" Ji-woon spouted suddenly, breaking you from your stupor.
   "Wh-what?" You uttered in a raspy tone, suddenly becoming terribly self conscious. Cheeks beginning to burn bright, you gripped the sheets and tugged them over your chest.
   You were supposed to meet your favorite celebrity in a fancy dress and heels, not your raggedy old tshirt from high school!!
   "You saved me," he cooed happily, a catlike smirk spreading his lips thin.
   Despite having lived his whole life in Korea, it seemed he did know how to speak English. The foreign accent was thick but you managed to understand him just fine.
   "I...I didn't do anything," shaking your head wildly, you began to mumble,"I don't even know what's going on..."
   The singer gave a sheepish yet charming grin. "You let me in, you cleaned me up, and let me stay the night...I think an explanation is quite fair," he hummed thoughtfully.
   "O-ok," you started to get up but stopped abruptly, throwing him an embarrassed glance, "sorry, can you wait in the kitchen? I need a minute to get dressed."
   Nodding, he finally backed out of your personal space and yet his grin seemed to stretch ever wider. Something about it gave you the sense that he was enjoying your discomfort. But that couldn't be, could it...?
   Once your gracious "guest" had retreated to the only area in your loft out of view of the bedroom, you finally gathered the energy to slink out of bed. What was the point of dressing to impress now? Your idol had already seen you at your worst. Things couldn't get any better.
   Without a second thought, you threw on your favorite sweater with the cute (f/animal) motif and pulled on some warm fleece tights. To top off the look, you hopped into a matching skirt. With that you felt comfortable enough to hang at home all day and warm enough to venture outside if need be. After all, you had absolutely no idea what direction this day would take...
"Ahem," clearing your throat loudly, you caught the attention of Ji-woon who seemed to be ransacking your fridge as if he owned the place. You understood he was probably starving after whatever had transpired last night but the least he could do was ask first!
   "Hungry?" You rose a brow as he spun and flashed an innocent grin.
     He loudly boasted an expression that you could only guess was a huge, resounding "yes" in his native language.
   Laughing at his enthusiasm, you moved towards the kitchen counter and reached towards your wallet. "I can run downstairs and grab some coffee and bagels?"
   "NO!" Nearly lunging, Ji-woon all but sprung forward and clamped a hand down, effectively trapping yours between his and your wallet.
   Shock filled your eyes and you fixated them on his growing expression of worry.
   "What? Why not?" You questioned, more than a little upset.
   Realization seemed to strike and he backed off. Running a hand through his hair, he smoothed down the stray locks that had become loose and wild. A calmness washed over his features with ease, almost as if he had never lunged.
   "Don't you want answers about last night?" He reasoned smoothly, his hardened gaze falling over your frightened form.
   "It...it's not that important right now?" You half reasoned back half questioned. Confusion gripped your body and kept you frozen in place. Why was he acting like this?
   "My memory," he hissed, pressing forward. "It's not good. I'm...starting to forget what happened."
   Were you crazy or were his teeth starting to clench? And what was with the half ass excuse?
   "Can't you tell me AFTER I get some food?!" Your voice was steadily rising in pitch, a clear shakiness to the tone. "I'm fine with whatever you can remember. It's no problem, really."
   Your insistences didn't seem to be getting through. A fierce defiance flared in his eyes and his grip on your hand noticeably tightened. When you let out a tiny squeal of pain, his hard expression softened. With a much silkier tone, he appeared to change up tactics. His fingertips stroked across your knuckles and you beamed bright red, too stunned to move.
   "Aren't you a big fan of mine?" He cooed, tilting his head to the side just slightly. "Wouldn't you like to spend some time with me?" His voice was almost a purr at this point and if these were normal circumstances and Ji-woon was speaking to you like this, you'd be in absolute heaven.
   His fingers were curling around your palm, cradling it in a gentle hold, but something wasn't quite right. Sure NO SPIN had a ton of fans but why would he automatically assume that you were one? Hadn't he just shown up on your doorstep by random?
   Snatching your hand away, you pressed it against your chest in an attempt to comfort yourself from the strange situation unfolding.
   "Yeah...I am a fan but-" when you paused, there was a noticeable darkening of his eyes," why did you assume that?"
   "Ok, ok! You got me!" Laughing somewhat maniacally, he threw his hands up in the air as if he'd been "caught red handed."
   "Maybe I've seen a few of your streams." He shrugged offhandedly though you noticed his shoulders were tensed, twitching every now and then.
   He rounded the counter so fast you let out a yelp and backed straight into the couch. His nose was an inch from yours and a crooked smile curved on his lips. "You might even call me a...fan."
   A series of incoherent babbles fell from your mouth. Were you seriously hearing that correctly? Ji-woon, THE Ji-woon was a fan of yours? That should be a revelation. You should be jumping over the moon with excitement!
   And yet, the deranged person standing in front of you only deepened the pit in your stomach.
   "Why did you say it like that...?" You questioned slowly, trying to word things carefully. The singer looked like he could go berserk at any moment. Flashes of your stream chat replayed in your head.

   Maybe they can't find him because he killed them. Ji-woon always loved the spotlight.

   He was tilting his head back and forth, back and forth, back and forth as if he truly couldn't contemplate why you were suspicious of him. No real human being acted like this and you found yourself silently reaching towards the phone in your pocket. As if on autopilot, he snatched your wrist, yanking your hand up in the air. You squealed as he stretched your arm high, higher than it could go. A burning sensation ripped through the skin of your shoulder and your toes were soon dangling mid-air.
   "What the hell?! Put me down!!" You screeched, clawing at his fingers with your free hand.
   "There are police downstairs..." he whispered, holding a single finger up to his lips. "I'm not ready to greet them quite yet." Chuckling darkly, he fumbled with his pockets.
   "What...what did you do...?" You asked fearfully, suddenly realizing why he wouldn't let you go downstairs.
   A cold sweat erupted when you watched him produce a set of three iridescent knives from his front pocket. They were stained a deep brown and smelled of old iron.
   "I have to thank you for keeping me safe (Y/n)." Smiling gleefully, he pushed the tip of one knife under your chin. Slowly, he dragged the blade downwards stopping at the soft, sensitive flesh at the bottom of your neck. Sighing wistfully, he turned towards the front door. The stomping of boots could be heard echoing down the halls.
   "I really thought I'd have more time with you." Shaking his head sadly, he brought his gaze back to you and they were glistening as if he'd just witnessed a beautiful piece of art. "This was the final stop on my grand tour."
   Through the string of whimpers and cries, you managed to wrench out one last sentence, "you really did kill them, didn't you?"
   You were met with nothing but a knowing smile as the knife was plunged deep into your skin.