Beneath Their Devotion (Yanderes x Reader)

2.1 Resolutions

Part Two

It started with stillness. The rain outside had long given up its rage, reduced now to a lazy patter against the dormitory windows. Streetlights bled their amber glow across the wet pavement outside, distorted by the droplets clinging to the glass.

Inside, the small living space glowed with a single lamp, its golden light pooling over the couch and the tangle of limbs atop it. Y/N was sprawled across the cushions, her feet resting comfortably on Ren's lap.

The blanket half-covered them both, with only her toes peeking out. Ren sat back, looking completely at ease, with a mystery novel in one hand. His other hand alternated between turning pages and lightly tracing circles on her ankle—casual, thoughtless affection.

He was wearing his usual loungewear—dark, loose sweatpants and a cream hoodie with the sleeves pushed up to his elbows. His hair was slightly tousled, a lazy curl falling over his forehead, and his eyes, those eyes, moved slowly across the page. He looked good like this. Way too good.

Y/N had a pencil in her hand and a frown on her face. A crossword puzzle lay in her lap, already mostly filled out, but one blank was driving her mad. Her brows furrowed deeper the longer she stared at it.

"...Eight letters," she muttered aloud, voice thoughtful but tinged with frustration. "Describes the perpetrator of an unforgivable act, like... something you can never undo. Starts with an 'M'."

Ren didn't respond right away. He licked his thumb and turned the page of his book with a soft scrrrt, as though he hadn't heard her. She turned her head slightly, watching him out of the corner of her eye. He had that look again—half-amused, half-insufferable—like he knew something she didn't and was delighting in the delay.

She nudged his thigh with her foot. "Hello? Earth to Ren. Help me cheat."

He chuckled without looking up. "What's the prize if I get it right?"

"I'll give you a self made cookie."

He finally lowered the book, just enough to peer over the edge. "Tempting."

"Ren."

He closed the book slowly, and then tilted his head with a smile that was just a little too self-satisfied. "Murderer."

She blinked. "...Seriously?"

He shrugged. "It fits."

"You've been reading way too many mystery novels."

"You'd be surprised how many people fit the definition," he said, his tone breezy but his smile too knowing.

She rolled her eyes, but wrote the letters in the boxes. It was a perfect fit. "...Huh. That's weirdly satisfying." She leaned back with a stretch and glanced at him again. "Thank you."

Ren hummed. "You're very welcome."

And then, soft as breath, the moment shifted. Their eyes met and didn't let go. His fingers trailed up her leg, stopping at her knee, and she didn't move to stop him. Something warm and heavy settled in the space between them. She tilted forward. So did he.

The kiss was inevitable.

It started slow, a brush of lips, then deepened as his hand curled around her waist and pulled her toward him, careful but firm. She smiled into the kiss, barely able to keep her balance as she found herself straddling his lap, leaning to sit against him.

There was nothing hurried in the way he held her, no urgency, just that easy kind of confidence that made you feel like there was all the time in the world.