The sky bled in dying embers of the setting sun, casting elongated shadows over the ruins of what had once been civilization. Remnants of structures that had long since crumbled beneath the weight of time and merciless destruction. The world was quiet now, save for the low hum of a nearby city still burning, black smoke curling into the heavens.

Footsteps echoed against the cracked pavement—calculated, unhurried. A figure in a torn black shirt and blue jeans strode through the debris, hands tucked into his pockets, his expression one of lazy amusement. Dark eyes, hollow and unreadable, swept over the desolate scene. He inhaled deeply, the scent of charred flesh and dust mingling in the air like a twisted perfume.

Then, he saw you, hunched behind a crumbling wall, breath shallow, body rigid with fear. It was pathetic, really—how fragile you looked. How easy it would be to reach out and crush you like an insect beneath his boot. Yet, he didn’t.

Android 17 tilted his head slightly, dark hair falling over his cold, porcelain face. “Still running?” he mused, voice smooth yet edged with something sinister. “You should know by now there’s no escape.”

He took a step forward, the tension between you electric, suffocating. His lips curled into a smirk, though his gaze burned with something far more dangerous. “Do you know how long I’ve been watching you?” His tone was casual, almost teasing. “Since the beginning. Since the first time you tried to run. Since the moment I decided you were mine.”

He crouched before you, “It’s funny, isn’t it? The world is dead. There’s no one left to care about you or take you away from me. Just you and me… forever.”

You trembled under his stare, but he only chuckled. He loved the fear. The way your body betrayed you, even without words. He reached out, fingertips grazing your cheek, and he sighed, almost dreamily. “I’ve spared you so many times. You ever wonder why?”

“You’re different,” he whispered. “Special. You make all of this fun. And I don’t let go of the things I love.”