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rainisawriter · 6 months

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The Shadow Man – Tsukasa (PSF #28)

PSF Ficography | H&F Flash Ficography

Genre: Fluff, angst, friendship, supernatural

Prompt: Soothing Touch (@flufftober) / Never have I ever been trapped in the dark (@slumberpartybingo Halloween flash)

Word Count: 3,170

Pairing: Reader, Tsukasa

World: High&Low

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You weren’t fond of the dark, having an irrational fear that something was lurking within the inky blackness, waiting to grab you. Though you’ve mostly overcome this as a teen, it was quite terrifying to you as a child. You can remember the day it all started quite clearly, as if it had only been yesterday.

You had been only eight years old, staying with your best friend Tsukasa because your dad needed to work an extra shift. It was the weekend before Halloween, so the two of you were binging Halloween movies and eating snacks. His mom didn’t allow anything too scary, mostly goofy cartoon movies.

By all accounts, it was just a normal night. Nothing spooky or scary was afoot and yet… you couldn’t help but feel as if something was off. When you observed Tsukasa, he was acting normally, unbothered by anything save for the fact that his mom wouldn’t let him read Goosebumps before bed.

You did your best to ignore the feeling as you climbed onto the makeshift bed on the floor. Tsukasa smiled at you, wishing you a good night before he reached over to turn the lamp off. The sound made you jump, seeming to echo throughout the room.

You were on edge, the silence so heavy that it made your ears ring. You closed your eyes, one arm beneath your head while your free hand gripped the blanket tightly. As sleep started to wrap itself around you, your body slowly began to relax.

Creak.

Your eyes snapped open, breath hitching as the sound echoed through the room. You were scared to move, glancing toward the bed to see if Tsukasa had heard it, too, but he was sleeping peacefully.

‘It’s just your imagination, you’re hearing things!’ you scolded yourself, taking a deep breath and closing your eyes again. Rain started to lightly pelt the window, sounding like someone was tapping to be let inside. Whenever the wind blew, the tree branch, bare from autumn, would scrape against the glass.

You tugged the blanket tighter around your body, swallowing hard. No matter how hard you tried, you couldn’t find sleep again. It was hiding from you, as if scared of whatever was lurking within the darkness of the Takajou household.

Creak.

‘Ignore it, ignore it. If you pretend it isn’t there, it’ll go away!’

Creak.

The sound was getting closer, the hair on the back of your neck standing on end. Goosebumps rose across your flesh as the temperature in the room started to lower, a chill descending upon you.

Creak.

Despite the warnings going off inside your head, you slowly cracked open one eye, looking in the direction of the sound. It was coming from the opposite side of the room, directly across from the bed where the large wooden wardrobe sat against the wall. Was someone trapped inside? Or rather, something?

“Tsukasa,” you whispered, desperately trying to get his attention but he was still asleep, snoring softly. You called his name again, reaching up to shake his wrist.

He just groaned, mumbling something incoherent under his breath before turning over so that his back was facing you.

You bit your lip, unsure of what to do. You couldn’t sleep and you would feel guilty waking him up. One thing you knew for sure, though, was that there was something in that room with the two of you.

The little voice inside your head was telling you to run, to go sleep in the living room with the lights and TV on. You almost gave in, honestly, but you couldn’t bear to leave Tsukasa alone. If there truly was something inside that bedroom, the sleeping seven-year-old would be completely at its mercy.

For his sake, you decided to tough it out. Rather than try and go back to sleep, you would stay up and make sure nothing happened to him.

Creak.

You swallowed hard as you sat up, pressing your back against the bedside table. You could almost swear that something was moving within the darkness, but you would blink and all would be still again.

“Help me.”

Your head snapped toward Tsukasa, heart racing as you scrambled to your feet. “Tsu, what’s-” But the young boy was still sound asleep. The voice had been but a mere whisper, like the soft whistling of wind through leaves.

“I’m trapped.“

Creak.

Your head snapped toward the wardrobe, eyes wide. “W-Who’s there?” Your voice trembled when you spoke, though you tried not to show your fear.

“Help me. Please.“

The voice was so soft, so frail, so scared. You thought about how you would feel if you were the one trapped inside a wardrobe, scared and confused. You would want someone to help you and you wouldn’t be able to understand why someone was ignoring your pleas.

Swallowing hard, you slowly lowered yourself from the bed, a shiver going up your spine when your bare feet touched the cold wooden floor. “H-Hello?” you called out softly, slowly approaching the wardrobe.

“Please help. I’m scared.“

The wardrobe doors shook as if someone was trying to force them open. You felt vulnerable and exposed as you crossed over to the other side of the room. While the right side of the room was lit softly by the moonlight streaming in through the curtains, the left side was pitch black. It was like night and day, even the temperature was different.

You held back a shiver as the cold wrapped its bony fingers around your body. Alarm bells were screaming at you, begging you to turn back, but you had come this far. Slowly, you lifted your hand, fingers trembling as they reached for the handle. You didn’t even realize that there was no lock on the wardrobe, making it impossible for someone to be locked inside.

There was no resistance as you pulled the door open, squinting at the darkness. You could just faintly make out the shapes of Tsukasa’s clothes, but you didn’t see anyone inside.

“Hello?” you called out softly, tugging open the second door. There was no one there. You should have felt relieved, but you couldn’t shake the terrified feeling that lingered within your gut. You regretted leaving the safety of your makeshift bed.

Turning on your heel to dart back toward Tsukasa, your eyes widened in shock, body freezing in place. Towering over you was a tall man, his body made of nothing but shadow. He had no features, no face or eyes. He was just darkness in human form. In the blink of an eye, he shoved you back hard, sending you flying into the wardrobe.

A terrified scream ripped from your throat as the doors were slammed closed, encasing you in pure darkness. You were panicking, flailing your arms around as you tried to free yourself. It felt as if the clothes had come alive, wrapping around you in an attempt to restrain you. Your heart was pounding against your ribs, begging to be released and, for a moment, you feared it might actually be successful.

“Let me out!” you sobbed, banging your fist against the door. “Please!”

The door was yanked open, light flooding you. It was so sudden that you fell forward, a long-sleeved shirt wrapped around your wrist and stopping you from holding out your hands to catch yourself. Rather than hitting the floor, you fell against something warm which you clung to as if your life depended on it.

Arms wrapped protective around you, Tsukasa frowning as you sobbed into his shirt. His eyes flickered to the corner of the room where the shadow man stood and he scowled, eyes narrowed at him until he dissipated.

“It’s okay,” he told you softly, resting his head on top of your own. “I’ve got you.”

The bedroom door was pushed open, his mom rubbing at her tired eyes. “What’s going on?”

Tsukasa sent her an apologetic smile. “It was just a nightmare. Sorry, mom.”

The woman grunted, not questioning this as she turned and left the room, closing the door behind her.

His smile fell as he turned back to you, gently rubbing your head. “What happened?”

“I s-saw some-something,” you sobbed, body trembling against his. “There was… was a v-voice, I… I thought so-someone was tr-trapped!”

His grip tightened around you, teeth clenched. Truth be told, he had forgotten all about the shadow man because he stopped showing up a few months back. The shadow man thrived on fear and intimidation, so when Tsukasa stopped showing fear, he lost his power.

It was the first time you had spent the night, but the shadow man had seen you many times during the day. When he realized you would be staying the night, he was elated. Finally, he could feed and regain some of his lost strength before he faded away completely.

Tsukasa hadn’t considered this and he felt annoyed at himself for putting you in that situation. He should have been more cautious, he realized. The last thing he ever wanted was to let you get hurt, especially on his watch.

“It’s okay,” he whispered, hugging you protectively. “I won’t let anyone harm you.”

That was the last time you ever visited Tsukasa’s apartment. Even when it was daytime, you refused to go over there, throwing a fit when your dad tried to make you go over there. The young boy felt sad and hurt, but he understood why.

The rest of your childhood was spent at Fujio’s apartment, though that night never left you. It was always lingering at the back of your mind, keeping you on your toes. As a teenager, you had mostly overcome your fear of the dark but, every now and again, it would creep back up on you without warning.

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“Here,” Fujio smiled at you as he held out a can of your favorite drink before settling down beside you on the couch. He was dressed as a musketeer, complete with a large hat from which a giant feather hung from.

The house was filled with people, loud music pumping through the speakers and rattling the windows. Most of the partygoers were dressed up in Halloween costumes, though some were just happy to be having fun and drinking free alcohol.

You had no idea whose house this was or who was hosting the party, but several Oya students had been invited. No one really cared who was in charge as long as they got to have fun and didn’t have to pay anything themselves.

“Thank you,” you replied, popping the top before bringing it to your lips. The liquid inside was ice cold, making you hum in content. “Where’s Tsu?”

Fujio jerked his head toward the kitchen and you followed his gaze, frowning. Tsukasa was surrounded by cute girls who were clearly flirting with him, swayed by his beautiful looks. They didn’t care that he was a delinquent or an Oya student because he was pretty and tall. It probably didn’t help that he was wearing cat ears, nails painted black and whiskers drawn on his face.

His eyes caught yours and he smiled softly, though you could see the annoyance lingering in his brown eyes. He wasn’t so much of an ass to tell them to fuck off, but he didn’t enjoy the attention either. He didn’t like how he was considered the prettiest boy at Oya or the attention that title brought with it.

“Oi, Fujio.” A large guy approached the couch, his body barely fitting into the school uniform he wore. He was grinning widely, blonde hair in a long pompadour style. “Wanna fight?”

“Yes!” Fujio jumped off the couch, grinning excitedly as the two disappeared through the kitchen, heading out into the backyard.

You chuckled, shaking your head as you sipped your drink. You scanned the room but Tsukasa was the only person you recognized. The loud music and screaming party-goers were giving you a headache so you decided to seek some reprieve by heading upstairs.

The house was so big that you were able to find a quiet spot at the opposite end of the house, the music muffled. The hall stretched on for ages, covered by red carpet and lined with various paintings, plants and busts. You came to a stop in front of a bust of some famous philosopher, but someone had drawn all over with a sharpie.

You didn’t want to think about how much the thing cost or how much it would cost to clean it. Though, looking at just how massive the house was, you felt confident that they had more than enough to have it cleaned. Shaking your head, you turned around only to jump back in surprise, bringing a hand over your racing heart.

“You scared me, Joe,” you breathed out.

Joe was another third-year who didn’t belong to any of Oya’s factions. He used to be one of Tsukasa’s followers but he had been kicked out when he chose not to help you during a large fight that had broken out. He was supposed to have your back, but he never liked you.

He thought you were weak and pathetic and he believed that you not only made Tsukasa look like a joke, but Oya, as well. He wanted you gone and he thought if you got your ass kicked, Tsukasa would realize you were weak and finally drop you. He had done this with Jamuo, as well, though he was better at hiding this than you were.

When Tsukasa found out, he was pissed. He beat the shit out of Joe before kicking him from the faction. Rather than look inward at his own failures, Joe blamed you for what had happened and he wanted revenge. He couldn’t just beat you up, though, especially not with Fujio back in the picture. No, he needed to get creative.

One thing he had learned over the years was that you were afraid of the dark. He had been watching you closely, looking for any sign of weakness. This was something he could use to his advantage.

“Tsukasa is looking for you,” he grunted nonchalantly, stuffing his hands into his pockets.

You frowned at this, shifting your weight from one foot to the other nervously. “Oh, um, thank you.” When you tried to step past him, he held his arm out to stop you.

“I’ll take you to him.”

“Eh?”

“He’s hiding from his fangirls,” he smirked, the action doing little to ease your anxiety.

“Oh… right…” You swallowed as you followed him down the hall, fingers playing with the hem of your shirt nervously. Maybe you were being naive, but you didn’t hate Joe and you didn’t expect the worst from him. To some degree, you still considered him a friend. He had been part of your faction, after all, and had actively helped Tsukasa for years.

He stopped in front of a door, pushing it open before stepping aside to let you in. You slid past him, eyes scanning the bedroom for any sign of the blonde. Behind you, Joe took out a slingshot, aiming it before letting the rock fly. You jumped in surprise when the ceiling light shattered, glass raining down across the floor.

You spun around, wide eyes staring at Joe. Before you could question him, he grinned wickedly, slamming the door. Your heart raced as you were plunged into darkness and you rushed forward, trying to tug the door open but it wouldn’t budge. Panic was beginning to rise within you despite how hard you tried to push it back down.

‘Calm down, you’re okay. Just breathe.’ You leaned your head against the wood, eyes closed as you took in slow, deep breaths.

Creak.

Your body tensed up at the sound and you shook your head quickly. ‘My mind is playing tricks on me, that’s all…’

Thunder rumbled outside, making the windows tremble as if afraid of nature’s wrath. Rain started to fall, pelting the glass roughly. You were seeing flashes in your mind, being taken back to that night in Tsukasa’s bedroom. Swallowing hard, you slowly made your way over to the window because it was your only source of light.

You bit your lip, considering just going out the window but you were on the second floor plus it was raining fairly hard. It sounded like an accident waiting to happen, but the alternative… You swallowed as your eyes scanned the dark room.

Creak.

Your eyes snapped toward the closet and you saw flashes of the shadow man inside your head. Tears stung at your eyes as you slid down the wall, bringing your knees to your chest and wrapping your arms around them. You buried your head against your knees, eyes screwed shut. No matter what happened, you had decided to remain in that position.

You heard rattling and squeezed yourself tighter. This continued for several moments before light flooded the room.

Tsukasa cried out your name, rushing over to you and pulling you into his arms. “It’s okay, I’m here. You’re okay.”

You leaned into him, fingers curling around the shirt he wore. “Tsu…”

The fear in your voice was like a punch to his gut and he hated it. His fingers threaded through your hair, lips against your ear as he offered comforting words to you. His touch was soothing to you, making you feel safe and secure. When he was near, you felt as if nothing could harm you.

“I’m sorry,” you muttered, rubbing at your tears.

“Don’t apologize,” he pressed a kiss to the top of your head, his hand resting against the back of your neck. “Are you okay?”

You slowly nodded, glancing at the darkness of the room before looking at the door. “Can we leave… please?”

“Of course.” Tsukasa helped you up, keeping his arm around you as he led you from the room.

You noticed Joe at the end of the hall, slumped against the wall with blood dripping from his face. You wanted to feel sorry for him but you just didn’t have the energy for it. Perhaps one day you would forgive him but today was not that day.

You didn’t fully relax until you and Tsukasa had made it down the street, the rain pattering against the umbrella. You glanced up at the blonde, biting your lip as you slid your hand into his. He glanced at you in surprise but it quickly morphed into a smile, his fingers lacing through your own.

“Thank you, Tsu…”

He brought your hand to his lips, pressing a gentle kiss against your skin. “I’ll always come for you, no matter where you are or what situation you find yourself in.”

Though you still felt a bit on edge, his words helped to calm you and fill you with warmth. You nearly spoke those three little words that would forever change your friendship, but you managed to bite them back, choosing instead to just return the smile.

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