diabolical || skz + jisung centric

🕒

chapter three: the taste of fear

§ ---🦇--- §

jisung's nights in the mansion were growing increasingly tense, each one thick with the kind of darkness that clung to his skin, leaving a residue of fear that he couldn't wash away. he was trapped in a place where the lines between nightmare and reality blurred so completely that he could no longer tell where one ended and the other began. it was as though the mansion itself was alive, whispering secrets in a language only jisung could hear.

despite the undercurrent of dread that seemed to flow through the very walls of the house, jisung found that he was drawn inexplicably to its inhabitants, particularly the brothers. they were a strange, enigmatic family, each one with a personality that was both fascinating and terrifying in equal measure. felix's warmth, chan's composed authority, and seungmin's quiet observance offered him some comfort, but it was minho who dominated his thoughts.

there was something about minho—something dark and magnetic—that pulled jisung toward him like a moth to a flame, despite the danger he knew was inherent in that attraction. minho was everything jisung should avoid, but he couldn't help the way his heart beat faster whenever the other was near.

one night, when jisung found himself unable to sleep, his mind consumed by the events of the past few days, he wandered the labyrinthine halls of the mansion. he hoped the walk would help clear his head, but instead, it only seemed to amplify the eerie silence that hung in the air.

it was then that he encountered minho.

the older vampire stood leaning against the doorframe of one of the many rooms jisung hadn't yet explored. his posture was relaxed, almost nonchalant, but there was a sharpness in his eyes that told a different story. the look minho gave jisung was predatory, his gaze raking over him with an intensity that made jisung's pulse quicken.

"couldn't sleep?" minho's voice was a smooth, low purr, the kind of tone that sent shivers down jisung's spine.

jisung's body tensed involuntarily at the sound, but he forced himself to meet minho's gaze, though it was difficult under the weight of that stare. "yeah," jisung replied, his voice quieter than he'd intended. "too much on my mind, i guess."

minho pushed off the wall with a fluid grace, closing the distance between them in a few short strides. jisung's breath caught in his throat as minho approached, every instinct in his body screaming at him to run, but something deeper—something primal—kept him rooted to the spot.

"you think too much, jisung," minho said, his tone a mix of amusement and something else—something darker. "sometimes it's better to just... feel."

jisung's heart was pounding so hard in his chest that he was sure minho could hear it. there was something terrifyingly seductive in minho's voice, in the way he seemed to understand the turmoil that was brewing inside jisung even better than jisung understood it himself.

"minho, i..." jisung started, but the words caught in his throat when minho reached out, brushing a lock of hair away from jisung's face with a touch that was unexpectedly gentle.

"shh..." minho's lips curved into a faint smile, one that didn't reach his eyes. "you don't need to say anything."

before jisung could react, minho's fingers slid down to his neck, the touch feather-light but sending a shiver through jisung's entire body. jisung's breath hitched, his skin tingling under minho's touch, as if his nerves were electrified by the mere presence of the other.

"you're scared," minho observed, his voice soft, almost teasing. "i can feel it."

jisung swallowed hard, trying to steady his breathing. "i don't know what you want from me," he confessed, his voice barely more than a whisper.