Beneath Their Devotion (Yanderes x Reader)

17. Coffee Date

The first thing Y/N noticed was the mist—soft, curling tendrils of grey that wrapped around her ankles and wrists like they were alive. It wasn't cold, but it wasn't warm either. It felt strange, pressing against her skin, clinging to her like it had purpose. She tried to step forward, but the ground beneath her feet felt unfamiliar, neither solid nor soft. It didn't make sense. None of it did.

"What's happening...?" she murmured, her voice barely above a whisper. It echoed faintly, as though the mist itself had swallowed her words.

She turned her head, trying to see through the haze. At first, it seemed endless, an expanse of swirling grey with no beginning and no end. But then, faint shapes began to emerge. Shadows, faint and wavering, like distant memories coming into focus.

She took a hesitant step forward, her heart pounding in her chest. The figures ahead were still blurry, their outlines indistinct, but something about them felt familiar. Her feet moved again, the mist parting with each step as though guiding her toward them.

The figures became clearer with every step she took. Five of them, standing together, their postures unmistakable now.

Her breath caught. The figures were staring at her—or at least it felt like they were. She couldn't see their eyes, but the attention on her was unmistakable, sending a chill down her spine .

She stopped walking, her chest tightening. She knew them. She couldn't explain how, but she did. Their presence was both familiar and alien, comforting and unsettling all at once.

"Who..." The word caught in her throat.

They didn't move, didn't speak. They simply stood there, waiting.

The pull in her chest grew stronger, an ache she couldn't ignore. She took another step forward, then another, her hand reaching out as if to bridge the distance between them.

But just as her fingers brushed the edge of the mist surrounding them, they vanished.

Gone.

The air suddenly felt heavier now, pressing down on her. Her outstretched hand dropped limply to her side, and she stood there, frozen, staring at the empty space where they'd been.

"No," she whispered, her voice trembling. "Wait... come back."

The mist swirled again, shifting like a restless tide, and a sound broke the silence—a laugh, high-pitched and melodic.

Y/N's eyes widened, her breath catching as she spotted a small figure standing where the boys had been. A little girl.

The girl looked no older than eight or nine, her long hair falling in messy waves over her shoulders. She wore a white dress, and her bare feet barely made a sound as she shifted her weight from one to the other.

"Who are you?" Y/N asked, her voice unsteady.

The girl didn't answer. Instead, she laughed again, a soft, tinkling sound that felt oddly familiar. She smiled at Y/N, her eyes bright with mischief, and before Y/N could say another word, the girl took off running.

"Wait!" Y/N called, instinctively chasing after her.

The mist seemed to part for the girl, but it clung to Y/N, slowing her movements. Still, she pressed on, her footsteps echoing in the eerie stillness. The girl glanced back at her, giggling as though this were a game. Y/N couldn't help but laugh too, her earlier fear melting away with each step.

They ran together, the laughter weaving through the air like a melody. For a moment, Y/N felt weightless, as if the mist had lifted her worries and replaced them with something pure and joyful.