The funhouse of murder • Stray Kids X reader

115 ☠️

48 hours both felt too long, and not long enough at the same time. It wasn't nearly enough to actually get rest, especially when both my body and mind felt completely broken, but the excruciating silence made it unbearable. Chan had since not said a word, and Hyunjin couldn't be bothered to try to talk him out of his bad mood. He was probably still holding a grudge over him being gone so suddenly in the last zone when we nearly got killed. I didn't even dare to utter a word, knowing fully well that the first thing said would probably the start of another fight.

Still, what Chan said truly bothered me. What did he mean when he said Hyunjin was being blinded? It was clearly connected to me somehow, because ever since the last zone, his demeanor had completely shifted. Every time he looked at me, I could see the disgust in his eyes. What once seemed like pity, maybe even a search for closure, was now nothing but contempt. Whatever it was he thought I'd done, he surely seemed convinced. I didn't want to think about it too much, and yet it still got to me. It couldn't be much longer for the ending of this stupid game came, so I couldn't have everything go sideways in the end.

It seemed logical, right. Nine players must mean there were nine rooms, right? Nine games to play. It took a while to figure it out, just why they were so adamant on having nine people, but I guess it made sense. So far, we'd had six, so three more to go. The deadly mist, the desert, the arcade, tribe, elemental room and haunted house, that had been the challenges so far. What they could possibly bring more, I couldn't think of yet, but with those few hours left, most of it had been spent on thinking everything over anyways. That, and sleeping most of the time. That was probably the only thing making time pass by.

I turned around, feeling Hyunjin's warm breath against the nape of my neck as he pulled me closer to him again. It didn't matter that there were multiple rooms and king sized beds; only a few minutes after I had laid down here, Hyunjin already joined me. He didn't say a word, but simply held me tight, not letting go for even a moment. My eyes were open ever so slightly, still small and red from all of the silent cries. Maybe he heard my sniffling, maybe that was the reason he'd come here. Maybe he simply needed someone to stay with, or maybe he was backing down on his word, giving in rather than staying away from me. Whichever it was, I was actually relieved he backed out of his word.

So many memories were running through my head, memories with Seungmin, memories of Jeongin crying in my arms, Changbin who so effortlessly picked me up when we only just met, memories with each of the teammembers who weren't here anymore. How we fought, cried, even laughed together, and how in the end, it all seemed to be for nothing. How they broke down my walls I had put up, and yet gave me a reason to never get close to others again anymore. I would just simply lose them again. And yet I didn't want to let go of the feeling. The feeling of having people there that actually cared for you, no matter how painful it seemed.

I must have let out a heavy sigh, since Hyunjin finally broke the silence. "Were you able to get some sleep?" he whispered softly, despite being awake not showing any intention of letting go. I solely let out a hum, not trusting my voice to not break if I said a thing. "We should probably start gathering stuff soon. I think it's best to leave a bit early. It's probably best to just get this over with, isn't it? Procrastinating on the inevitable won't help us either." Yet another hum came out, finally making me sit up straight, rubbing my eyes to adjust to the light.

What I didn't expect was Chan looking me right in the eyes as I opened them again. Had he been watching us? "Yeah, probably," I answered Hyunjin, not letting my eyes waver from Chan's gaze. "Let's get this game over with for good." I got up, still letting our eye contact break. I wasn't going to give Chan the satisfaction of winning this silent treatment. Hyunjin too must have sat up straight, grabbing my hand as he pulled me back on the bed, wrapping his arms around me from behind. "Can we please stay like this for five more minutes?" he asked, laying his head on my shoulder. Even though my heart was beating faster and faster, I still couldn't look away, my entire body frozen.

Thankfully Chan was the first to break contact, turning around, disappearing into another room soon after. "Finally," Hyunjin muttered under his breath, letting go. Rather than just now, he stood up, patting my head before getting out of the room. "I'll start packing the last things, so you rest out a bit more okay?" As he was about to leave, he turned around once more. "Oh, and don't worry about Chan. Just ignore him for the time being, okay? I'm sure it'll all go away soon." I finally cracked a smile, nodding to him. "I'll try. I'll pack things over here."

"Oh, and Hyunjin? Before you go... Thank you for staying with me. It's good to know I can always count on you. Let's do our best to stay alive, shall we? I don't think I can handle losing anyone else."