a flutter of unease mixed with irritation settled in your stomach. secret admirers were supposed to be sweet, leaving anonymous notes and perhaps a small, thoughtful gift. yours, however, had a penchant for morbid humor, a twisted fascination with possessiveness that sent shivers down your spine. "if anyone even looks at you wrong," a recent note had threatened, scrawled in elegant, chilling script, "they'll find themselves swimming with the fishes."

you groaned, slumping onto the worn cushions of your favorite café booth. "it's not even romantic anymore, cyno," you complained, stirring your lukewarm tea. "it's just... creepy. like, 'i'll bury you in my backyard' creepy."

cyno, ever the stoic listener, raised an eyebrow, his expression unreadable. "have you considered reporting this to the authorities?"

"and say what? 'my secret admirer threatens to murder people?' they'd think i'm making it up. besides," you sighed, "they're always careful to leave no trace. no fingerprints, no return address, nothing."

little did you know, the source of your anxieties was much closer than you thought, hidden in plain sight, masked by a facade of calm and normalcy.

the next thing you knew, the world tilted, and a rough fabric muffled your scream. you awoke to the dim glow of a single lamp, the air thick with the scent of dust and something metallic. your wrists burned, bound tightly behind your back with coarse rope. panic seized you, a cold, suffocating wave.

a soft, familiar voice broke the silence. "don't move too much. you'll graze your hands."

your eyes snapped up, widening in disbelief. it was cyno, standing in the shadows, his face illuminated by the dim light, his expression strangely serene. the very person you'd confided in, the picture of unwavering composure, was now your captor.

he stepped closer, his eyes, usually so calm and analytical, now held an unsettling intensity. he reached out, his fingers tracing the line of your jaw, sending a jolt of fear through you.