Beneath Their Devotion (Yanderes x Reader)

2.6 Opinion Piece

Mika had barely slept the past few weeks.

The days blurred together—an endless cycle of digging, reading, cross-referencing, scraping every corner of Thornebridge's twisted web for something, anything, she could use against the Circle.

Her phone was full of screenshots, half-written notes, highlighted PDFs, each more disturbing than the last.

But the worst part, the part she hated thinking about, was that it was getting easier. The longer she spent looking into the Circle, the clearer it became that there were plenty of skeletons to uncover. And yet, every revelation only made her feel more exhausted.

Last night, she had stumbled into the common area half-dead with research, only to see Y/N sitting there, cross-legged on one of the armchairs, reading under the lamplight.

She had looked so peaceful, so focused, her hair falling into her face, a tiny crease between her brows where she frowned at something she was reading.

Mika had stood there frozen for probably a full minute.

It gutted her, the aching urge to go over, to sit beside her, or to lean her head on Y/N's shoulder and just exist with her for a while. To hear her voice again. She hadn't heard it in weeks. And she missed her, missed her in ways she couldn't put words to.

But she hadn't gone over. She hadn't even said hello. She couldn't. Not after what had happened.

Not after him.

Mika shuddered at the memory—the last real conversation she'd had with Ren. The way he had smiled that cold smile of his, and told her not to engage with Y/N anymore. Not to so much as look at her unless given explicit permission.

It had felt like her soul was being pulled out of her body.

Maybe, Mika thought bitterly, it was for the best. She hated lying. Hated pretending.

She pulled her hoodie tighter around her shoulders at the memory as she made her way down the quiet dorm hallway, a towel slung over one arm, ready to grab a shower before bed.

She barely registered the footsteps coming from the other side of the hall before she collided straight into someone.

Mika stumbled back, heart leaping into her throat.

And there was Y/N.

Speak of the freaking devil.

Still damp from the shower, her hair was wet and clinging to her face. She was wrapped in a white bathrobe. She looked fresh.

Mika's heart twisted painfully.

For a moment, neither of them spoke.

Y/N stared at her, guarded and wary.

Mika swallowed, "Hey."

The word came out weak and pathetic.

Y/N gave her a small, careful nod. Not rude or cruel. But unmistakably distant. Like a door closed and locked between them.

It hurt. God, it hurt. But Mika didn't blame her.

She forced a small smile, shifting her towel awkwardly between her hands.

Part of her wanted to reach out, wanted to explain everything, but she couldn't. She couldn't afford to.

So instead, Mika stepped aside, giving Y/N a wide berth, pretending not to notice the flicker of sadness in her own chest as Y/N brushed past without another word.

She didn't try to make Y/N say anything bad. Didn't try to trick her into conversation. She couldn't bear to.

Some betrayals were too big to even pretend around.