A marionette's dance (Yandere!ShalnarkXreader

a night coloured in red

You didn't think he was serious as part of you thought he was pulling some sick joke but sure enough, he was serious. You sat on the couch playing one of the many games he had bought over the past few months. He always had the newest games and consoles, providing you with plenty of distractions while you waited for the right opportunity. Maybe they worked a bit too well. You didn't know what day it was anymore, instead focused on the best way to eliminate your captor, but you briefly considered if your birthday had already passed. It wasn't necessary anymore. You watched the characters live their lives on screen, smiling as the code representation of your friends held you a birthday party. It was sad how big you smiled when your friends presented the simple cake. You wished it was real. Your thoughts were interrupted as your travel bag was tossed onto the coffee table. You haven't touched it since you first got stuck here and it left a sour taste in your mouth as well as the thrumming of confusion in your head. You looked up to the man you had been forced to stay with and gave him an inquisitorial look.

“What?” you asked, confused as to why he went into the locked room that used to be your cage.

“I told you already. I have a job and I need a date for it. You said you wanted out, did you not?”

You bounded to your feet at the chance to actually see the sun, you didn't know how long it had been but sometimes you wondered if it still existed. You nodded and he gave you an hour. It was only an hour but you didn't have much of anything to pack and the chance to leave overrode any concern you had to look nice.

“You ready?” he asked, leaning against the door.

You nodded vigorously, afraid to use your voice because you felt it wouldn't work. He laughed but looked at you as if you were forgetting something.

“You have to stay near me the whole time okay? The only condition I have for you coming with me is that you need to wear something for me.”

You looked at him with a raised brow. Whatever it was couldn't have been bad enough to make you stay inside so you agreed. He pulled a small box from his bag and you felt your throat close up. Sure enough, out of the box came a small emerald ring.

“Are you sure I need to wear that? It's probably too small by now,” you tried to excuse.

The thing made you feel sick and you found that your mind was suddenly twelve again, standing in that alley and watching your friend’s execution. It was awful. You had long hoped that the foul piece of jewellery had been destroyed but it seemed that your hopes had all failed.

He smiled at you, ignoring your distress, and spoke, “It’s not! I had it measured to fit you recently.”

He knew your ring size? Of course, he did. He knew everything. You stumbled and felt as if you might be sick. How could you have been so dumb as to grow accustomed to that man's presence? He was evil.

He looked at you and tilted his head. “You don't have to wear it if you don't want to go, of course, but you missed me as much as I missed you right?”

Did he know you were putting on an act? It felt as if he was insulting you. Pushing your buttons when he knew you couldn't push back just to see how far he could force your will.

“I wonder how your ‘friends’ are doing now. It would be a shame if they suddenly found themselves in bad health,” he mused pointedly.

He was doing this on purpose. You bit back the insults you had conjured over your stay. Just for now. You just need the right opportunity.

“Of course, I'll wear it. It is a gift after all.”

Your words made him smile and he gestured to the front door. You wanted to run and never stop but you found Kai's words echoing in your head. You needed to kill him. He stopped you before you could touch the knob and looked at you expectantly. You reluctantly provided your hand, him sighing dreamily as the ring fits perfectly around your finger. Your body was racked with chills and you felt that your finger might melt off any second. It burned your skin although you knew it was probably just psychological. He undid the locks one by one and you found yourself fidgeting more, struggling to not toss away the cursed jewellery. He turned to you once the last lock fell to the ground and stepped aside for you to reach the door. The knob was cold under your touch and the metal turned silently, your heart beating out of your chest. The sun shined onto your skin, your eyes squinting to avoid the bright light. It was warm and you took an enormous inhale of the fresh air. It smelled like any rundown city but it was different from the constant, almost electric, air inside the apartment. You walked out of the apartment, trying to ignore the people who looked at you. You saw a group of men standing by a car and you immediately recognized the one wearing a suit as Phinks.