Beneath Their Devotion (Yanderes x Reader)

1.24. Dear Ol' Dad

Y/N scrunched her nose.

The walls of the clinic were too white. Way too white. It felt more like a waiting room for ghosts than a nurse's office—the kind of place where silence was too loud.

Y/N sat on the padded table, her legs swinging slightly above the floor. The paper under her crinkled with every movement she made, and the fluorescent lights buzzed faintly. It was not an entirely flattering light. Her fingers curled and uncurled in her lap as she waited.

Apparently, the check-up was routine protocol after fainting, twice, without warning. It was just a precaution—nothing serious.
At least, that's what Y/N told herself.

The doctor, an old man with kind eyes and a clipboard, flipped a page and clicked his pen. "Okay," he said, his voice warm but practiced, like he'd said the same thing twenty times today. "So, you've been eating regularly?"

Y/N nodded.

"Sleeping too?"

"Yes."

"Do you feel any nausea, lightheadedness, or loss of appetite?"

"No."

The doctor hummed under his breath, jotting something down, and then glanced up again. "Any flashes?"

Y/N blinked. "...Sorry?"

The man tilted his head. "Flashes," he repeated, still mild still friendly. "Do you witness any spots in your vision, bursts of light, or have headaches?"

"Oh." Y/N shook her head slowly. "No. Nothing like that."

But something in the question stayed with her. Flashes. She didn't know why the word settled heavy in her mind. Something just slightly... off.

Before she could think too hard about it, the door creaked open.

Ren stepped inside. His coat was half-unbuttoned and a little crooked and his hair was slightly ruffled—like he'd rushed here without really planning to. His eyes scanned the room before settling on her. He smiled at her and gave her a small wave.

Y/N raised her hand in return, mouth tilting upward just enough to be polite.

Ren crossed the room and leaned against the wall. He didn't speak, nor did he interrupt. He just watched the rest of the appointment unfold with that same expression he always wore. If the doctor minded, he didn't say anything. He didn't seem surprised to see him. He wrapped up the usual protocol, blood pressure, pupil response, a few more questions about her hydration and diet, and then scribbled something on a form and handed it to Y/N with a reassuring nod.

"All done. I'll let you know if anything shows up in the follow-up tests, but so far everything looks normal."

Normal.

Y/N gave a small smile. She wasn't sure what normal was supposed to feel like anymore, but it didn't seem worth pointing out.

———

As they stepped out of the office,  Y/N spotted someone in the typically empty waiting room.

One of the twins, the ones who had harassed her in the courtyard, sat alone on a bench near the window, legs drawn close, and hands clasped between her knees. It took Y/N a second to recognise her—the girl, not the boy—though it was honestly hard to tell at first.

She sat on the bench like she didn't want to be seen, shoulders hunched, hands tangled tightly in the hem of her sweater. But it was the bruises that caught Y/N first—the swelling around her eye, the blue and purple flush that spread across her cheekbone. A fresh cut stretched from the corner of her mouth to her jaw, barely scabbed over.