❣ What makes a monster?
Title: What makes a monster?
Rating: R
Pairing: JonginxSehun
Length/Word Count: Oneshot, 1410 words.
Warnings: character death, murder, suspense, violence.
Disclaimer: I own the story, and that’s all.
Summary: Six people are already dead on campus. Sehun knows it’s some kind of monster. Sehun’s boyfriend doesn’t seem to agree. {College!AU, loosely inspired by the Monster teaser}
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“All students must remain indoors after sundown. It is highly recommended everyone walks together in groups of two or more at all times until the police can capture the attacker. Stay in well-lit and well-populated areas until otherwise notified.”
Sehun worried his bottom lip between his teeth as he read the latest announcement that came through to his phone. “Jongin, did you see this?” he asked, glancing to his boyfriend as they walked back toward his dorm.
The other frowned and shook his head, slipping his own phone out of his jeans pocket to skim over the message. “Oh, damn. Is it getting worse? How many bodies are we up to?”
“'Bodies...'” Sehun mocked, giving Jongin a questioning look.
“Well, I mean they are bodies at this point, right? Sorry, how many people have been murdered then? I've lost count after 3,” he admitted, putting his phone back in his pocket and folding his arms around himself.
The sun was just beginning its descent, and Sehun knew that they needed to keep going toward the dorms if they didn't want to get into trouble. Of course, he supposed that academic trouble was secondary to possibly being killed. “I think 6? Remember that last weekend there was a sudden streak,” he offered. It was in his nature to try and remain calm about things, even if it was just a mask that he wore so people wouldn't see the panic that bubbled inside of him.
“Damn. Come on, let's be sure we aren't going to make it 8,” he said with a worried smile, reaching back to grab for Sehun's hand and pull him along faster.
Sehun laced his fingers in his boyfriend's warm grasp, the pit in his stomach starting to soften. He was scared, of course, everyone on the campus was. But the staff hadn't closed the campus down due to exams happening, so everyone was just on extra high alert. It didn't take them much longer to reach the dorms, the sun still bathing the campus in a golden hue that seemed to signal comfort. A part of Sehun knew that whoever was out there could well be just as dangerous in the day, but everything seemed to amplified by the shadows and moonlight that he couldn't bother to think logically.
They slipped into Jongin's dorm, both having an exam to study for the following day. Jongin's roommate was nowhere to be seen, and Sehun felt a strange coldness at that fact. “Where's Kyungsoo?” he asked, though he didn't know the boy well, he didn't want anything to happen to him. “And what the hell is that smell?”
“Don't know. I'll text him and make sure he's okay,” Jongin offered as he plopped his bag down onto his bed, slipping out his phone and texting out a quick message, ignoring the question of the smell.
Sehun slipped onto the bed, curling his legs under him as he reached for his textbook.
Jongin bit his bottom lip softly, “No answer...he's usually good about responding...” he mumbled, more to himself than to Sehun.
“I'm sure he's just...studying or something with a friend,” he offered with a shrug. He didn't want to let on that he was suddenly nervous, that the lack of response from anyone these days was sending him into a tailspin.
“Probably,” Jongin agreed with a faint smile before he joined Sehun on the bed. “Hey, Sehun? Who do you think would do something like this? Why here?” he suddenly asked.
He shook his head, knowing that all of this was getting to Jongin more than him. He saw the worried looks that passed over his face every time he glanced at the window, seeming anxious about the sun setting. “I honestly have no idea. Either way, they're clearly some kind of monster,” he shuddered.
“You think?”
A puzzled look crossed Sehun's brow. “What would you call them? They've murdered 6 students.”
Jongin hummed, seeming to agree before they continued to study in silence. “But what if they aren't?”
“What? What if who aren't what?” Sehun asked, drawing himself out of his notes, completely forgetting what Jongin had been speaking of. A lot of the time Jongin would dwell on topics and would come back to them only minutes later, sometimes hours.
“A monster. What if they aren't a monster? Isn't it worse if it's just one of us?” he asked, dark eyes suddenly watching Sehun intensely.
Sehun felt a chill crawl over his skin. Normally, he loved when Jongin would stare at him so intensely, loved his dark eyes that were always such a giveaway to what he was feeling. This time, Sehun couldn't identify what it was in his gaze, and it made him suddenly uncomfortable. “One of us?”
“A student,” Jongin said, as though that was obvious.
“Oh. Right,” Sehun broke the gaze, looking down at his textbook which suddenly seemed as though it was blurry. Jongin was his boyfriend, they'd been together for months. He had no reason to be suddenly so uncomfortable around him, Jongin was just a quiet, intense boy who thought too much. And he reminded himself that he adored him, possibly even loved him.
“I mean, can you imagine? Someone that we've all been around, that we might have talked to or had classes with or what if it's even one of our friends?” he asked, still not looking away.
“Jongin...you're starting to scare me,” Sehun admitted, his voice catching in the back of his throat. His assurances weren't working, even to himself. Something about Jongin seemed different, and he couldn't put his finger on any of it.
He smiled, but there was a blankness in his eyes and his teeth suddenly looked sharper. “Don't be scared of me, Sehunnie,” he said, reaching out a hand for the other boy.
Sehun glanced over toward the window, seeing the darkness fall completely. He took the other's hand. “I'm sorry...I think I'm just really...uncomfortable about this thing wandering around killing people,” he explained, but Jongin's hand felt cold and it wasn't the usual comforting warmth he'd grown used to.
Jongin shushed him, ignoring his worries as he leaned forward and captured Sehun in a kiss. Normally Jongin's kisses were soft and his lips were pliant, but this kiss felt more intent and rough, teeth scraping along his bottom lip. Sehun gasped softly, trying to calm his nerves as he simply kissed the other back, hand reaching for his cheek to assure him that he was still his beautiful, sweet boyfriend.
“Do you trust me, Sehun?” Jongin broke the kiss to ask, voice a raspy whisper as he remained only a hair's breadth away from Sehun's lips.
His stomach clenched, a hot flush of worry falling over his body at the question. The voice sounded nothing like his boyfriend, much more harsh and something cold inside of it. “Jongin...I think I'm going to go,” he pulled away, beginning to slip off the bed. “Sorry, I'm just...I think I need some rest.” He tried to assure himself that was all, that the next day Jongin would be his same warm, sweet self.
“No,” came a growl from behind him.
The sound sent a shiver up Sehun's spine, and he turned to look over his shoulder at the other. Without saying a word, he grabbed at his things and moved to the door.
“I said no.”
Suddenly he was being spun around and pressed against the door, panic widening his eyes as he looked to his boyfriend. Everything about his demeanor had changed, his gaze was cold and the smirk wasn't its usual playful one, but a chilling, twisted thing. Jongin's forearm came to press against Sehun's throat, trapping him there.
Sehun gasped, dropping his bag from his hands and reached to push the other's arm away from him. “What are you doing?” he whimpered as well as he could, despite his ability to draw breath quickly disappearing.
He received no answer, only a soft snort before Jongin drew his arm back. Sehun's mouth fell open in a silent scream, a knife plunging into his side before he fell to the ground. His eyelids fluttered, gaze falling under the other bed to see Kyungsoo's lifeless stare, sitting in a pool of blood. “Why...” he gasped, but he could feel the blackness already surrounding him.
“Haven't you figured it out yet, Sehun? I'm no monster, I'm simply a man.”