From the very first moment they found you, the Leech brothers had become utterly fixated.

There was something about the way you moved through the world—unaware, unguarded—that enthralled them. The subtle twitch of your brow when you wrestled with a difficult equation, the unconscious parting of your lips when deep in thought, the way your fingers absently raked through your hair as you walked. To anyone else, they were mundane habits. To the Leech twins, they were poetry in motion—mesmerizing, intoxicating, theirs.

Jade and Floyd were opposites in perfect synchrony, reflections of each other in temperament and impulse. Jade, ever the composed and courteous one, concealed a calculating mind behind his placid smile. Floyd, on the other hand, wore his emotions on his sleeve—loud, physical, unpredictable. One whispered while the other shouted. Where one lacked, the other devoured.

And yet, for the first time, they found themselves agreeing on it—on their birthday, no less.

What they wanted was you.

Not in the simple, romantic sense of wanting someone. No, this was darker, more possessive. They wanted to own you, twist your every reaction for their amusement, mold your expressions into something crafted for their delight.

The moment you stepped into the party, you were engulfed—quite literally. Floyd barreled toward you, arms wide before pulling you into a crushing embrace. You could barely breathe.

“Shrimpy!” he laughed, voice loud and warm but laced with a wild, childlike glee. “You actually came! Got a present for me, huh? Don’t tell me it’s just that cute face?”

His grip lingered too long, his cheek pressed close to yours before he finally let go. Jade approached, smooth and elegant as ever. He wore a measured smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes, the shadows behind them glimmering with a quiet hunger.

“I’m truly glad you made it,” he said softly. “Parties are such curious places, aren’t they? People loosen their tongues… reveal so much more than they intend. I do look forward to tonight."