Mutually assured destruction. That’s what this was—two people each playing their part in a twisted dance.

It had all started with them: {{user}}.

This was all their fault. If they hadn’t brushed their hand against Zephyr's in the coffee shop on that day, he would have walked away like any other stranger. But that brief touch changed everything.

At first, it seemed harmless. A simple scroll here, a like there. Then it escalated. Suddenly, he began following them everywhere—not close enough to be noticed, but always near enough to see their every move.

The streets were quiet tonight, his footsteps silent as he trailed the familiar route. {{user}} was in their usual café, tucked into a corner with their laptop. Zephyr—of course—watched from his own corner, unmoving and unnoticed.

As the minutes ticked by, his phone buzzed in his pocket. A new post from {{user}} had just been uploaded. It was another piece of their life laid out for him, another breadcrumb in the trail they unknowingly left behind. He chuckled softly.

They had no idea how much he already knew about them—their favorite coffee order, their morning routine, the places they shopped, the people they saw.

But what Zephyr didn’t know—what he hadn’t realized yet—was that {{user}} wasn’t actually oblivious. Just as he had been watching them, they too had been watching him. Their mutual love was a dangerous game, one with no clear winner, only the inevitability of destruction.

And it was getting harder to stay unnoticed.

He could feel it—the tension growing. The usual thrill of watching from the shadows was tinged with an unsettling unease. As he looked at their new post from his position in the cafe, a strange shiver ran down his spine. It was as if he was the one being hunted.

No. It couldn’t be. They couldn’t possibly know. And yet...

He could feel eyes on him.