𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐯𝐞. | 𝗁𝗈𝗐𝗅 𝗉𝖾𝗇𝖽𝗋𝖺𝗀𝗈𝗇

𝗳𝗼𝘂𝗿. | 𝖿𝗎𝖼𝗄 𝗍𝗁𝖺𝗍, 𝖻𝗎𝗍 𝗂'𝗅𝗅 𝗐𝖺𝗂𝗍 𝖿𝗈𝗋 𝗒𝗈𝗎

𝐓𝐑𝐈𝐆𝐆𝐄𝐑 𝐖𝐀𝐑𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆 !
𝐌𝐈𝐋𝐃 𝐒𝐄𝐗𝐔𝐀𝐋 𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐒𝐒𝐍𝐄𝐍𝐓 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐆𝐑𝐀𝐏𝐇𝐈𝐂 𝐃𝐄𝐒𝐂𝐑𝐈𝐏𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 𝐎𝐅 𝐆𝐎𝐑𝐄

"WHAT DO YOU mean Mrs. Armando has passed away?"

You exclaimed as you heard the devastating news.

Hand on your mouth, you stood there trying to process everything. This isn't real, you thought. It made sense considering her age but it was still very sudden.

Reina Armando was your boss at the library you worked at. There's about 3 employees that worked under her, including you. She used be a very kind old lady with a big love and passion for books and literature. You still remembered all the stories she'd tell you lot of her younger years and her adventures. She was like a grandmother to you who watched over you.

"Well, I think it was simply because she was very old. I mean, she was 79 years old," Your colleague told you, releasing a long sigh after that. "Oh and, I remembered she told me, that if she ever passed away, that her wish was to close the library. So we're basically jobless right now,"

You let out a sound of frustration at that, trying to calm down, "I'm not mad about her decision but damn this is inconvenient," you messaged your head with your fingers.

"Yeah I know... it sucks..."

"Do you already have an idea where to work?" you questioned as you took a sip of your (f/d).

She didn't say anything at first before she hesitantly answered, sounding unsure, "I dunno... waiter perhaps? I saw some restaurant needed back-up, so I'll take my shot there,"

A hum left you at that, feeling happy for her but now you were stuck badly.

After a while you both bid your goodbyes and you sat there in your house, stressed out of your mind and heartbroken after Mrs. Armando.

You had such a pleasant income working under her and you were surrounded by the only thing that still kept you human and grounded, which was your beloved collections of books of all kinds but now you may never see them ever again. While you were there for a few years, you never really had ever asked yourself the question of another job if this one didn't work out anymore. There wasn't really anything else that would be satisfactory.

As you were deep in thought, the notification sound went off indicating someone had sent you a message.

When you picked it up to see who it was, you were met by Howl's contact.

howl ♡
hey beautiful

You only rolled your eyes annoyed at that, reluctant to go to the chat and answer him. Staring at the message a little while longer, you just gave in and replied to him.

you
hey
you texted me first huh?
simp ;)

howl ♡
tch i'm the simp?
you're talking to the mirror, right??

you
nope
talking to you

howl ♡
pfff well anyways...
wanna meet up again today? :D

You grimaced at that but you reminded yourself that you had to win his trust in order to kill him. On the other hand your boss had passed away and you were mourning over that, your heart stinging for her.

You bit your lip, re-reading his message over and over again.

He gently took your hand and pecked it before speaking, "Thank you, sweetheart," he paused for a moment.

A smile tugged your lips faintly as your eyes met again and stayed put for a while longer. His lips copied yours and his eyes became crescents, shining because of the lights surrounding you.

You believed him, his eyes shone like the ocean glistening because of the sun, and they formed to crescents which you didn't see very often. That sight of him was actually pretty wholesome and perhaps for you to save in your brain.

All these moments suddenly flashed through your head, which all happened on your date with him that day.

"Why the hell am I remembering these things? Ugh, get him out of my head," you hit yourself with your hand, brows in a frown.

With all the sudden stress you just received, you thought it wouldn't be bad to hang out with him. And as you already told yourself, you had to get him to fall head over heels for you.

you
sure let's do that :)

And so you got ready with your casual clothes and got out for your home. You guys agreed to meet at a café and do some café hopping after that since you two didn't have any big plans for that day.

The sun shone softly, a gentle breeze moving people's hair and clothes as they walked side by side, chatting amongst themselves. Nobody was in a rush either, the day felt all calm and slow.

The delicious scent of coffee beans reached your noses as you stepped into the shop, standing in line and waited. Whenever you were beside Howl, you'd feel so small, him always towering above you with his broad shoulders and well built physique.

You'd notice the way women - given or not - would stare at him as if he was a shooting star one would discover in the dark sky. And you would describe him as such. A shooting star. Even if you get to see him for so long, it's not enough for your eyes and he's gone the next second, to be seen again when the time's right.

"What do you want to order?" he asked you by leaning down a little, only for you to hear. (E/c) eyes wandered over to the menu displayed above the cash register and halted on (f/d).

"That one," you pointed to your drink you craved the most as he nodded and pulled out his wallet.

Quickly you moved your arm to block him from paying anything, "Please don't. I can pay for myself," you stared into his eyes with a fake desperate look, him having stopped his actions, not saying anything yet.

Howl gently pushed your arm away from him and pulled out some money from his wallet before stuffing it back in his pocket and stared at you smugly. His eyes had an annoying glint to them that you so badly wanted to pierce with a knife.

"Not a chance. I was the one who suggested that we hang out and the gentleman that I am, will pay for anything you wish for. It's the least I could do," he spoke with a smile.

This shut you up. You couldn't exactly say anything to refute, so you just went along with his plan. You learned from past bickering with him that it was just no use.

Plus, if you did actually get closer, he might become your sugar daddy, who knows? If he'll keep his promise with buying you everything, then you most certainly wouldn't say anything fo refute.

You made a perplexed face, Sugar daddy? Are you stupid?

After a few more people, it was finally your turn to order.

"Hey," you both cheerily greeted the female cashier.

"Hi, welcome. What would you like to have today?"

"For me latte macchiato and for her (f/d), please."

She typed in your drinks, the end price showing itself on the small screen. "That'd be 7.40 for the cute couple," she winked at you two knowingly.

In a panic, you two stared at each other and spoke simultaneously,

"Oh no we're not dating!"

"She's not my girlfriend!"

Again, your eyes met and you two breathed deeply in agitation.

The woman blinked a few times, giggling at your antics, "Oops, I apologise. It's just you two would look so cute as a couple. You got the vibes,"

You didn't say anything and just smiled at that, not amused in the slightest.

You waited just a bit more before Howl handed over the money, took the drinks and walked to an empty spot near the windows to sit down.

For a long while, you two didn't talk at all, only silence filling the atmosphere. It was as if that one comment by that cashier altered the whole mood you had and occupied your minds.

Howl hadn't touched his drink ever since you had sat down, only focusing on his hands.

"I don't stand in line, I don't pay for clubs, fuck that, yeah

But I'll wait for you

I don't like to drink, I don't like to think, fuck that, oh-ooo-oh

But I ponder you, ohh"

After a few moments he travelled his gaze to your direction. He saw you looking out of the window right next to you, emptiness covering your eyes.

"I'm bending it over

You're my four leaf clover

I'm so in love, so in love"

Even if he couldn't fucking stand you for a bit, you were so so very gorgeous, so hard to look away from. And he hated that so much.

"So... How was your day like?" he broke the uncomfortable silence and stirred his hot drink, throwing short glances your way, face rather bitter.

A pout left you, making a few hair strands fly away from your face. "My boss passed away,"

The man in front of you almost choked on his drink and quickly cleared his throat, fist on his mouth and eyes focused on you with a surprised face.

"Oh well... fuck uh... I'm sorry," he muttered, at a loss of words because he absolutely did not expect that. "Are you feeling any better or...?"

You shrugged, "I mean... well, I received the news like 20 minutes before your message so... I'm still kinda processing it,"

There was genuine sadness on your face as you spoke, eyes downcast, tone almost flat.

"What does that mean for you? Are you still gonna work there?" he questioned carefully, fingers tapping his cup in a specific rhythm.

"She mentioned that if she ever died, she'd close the library. So I'm jobless right now."

He scratched his head, blue eyes darting around him. The male took a deep breath before speaking.

"Well, let's not think about it for too long. We're on a date right? I'll make you forget your worries for a while. How does that sound, hm?" you turned to look at him, seeing him form a smile so warm, you had goosebumps.

You managed to return the smile in a shy manner, earning a laugh from him. "That's my girl. There's the smile I missed,"

This time you laughed, covering your mouth.

"Thank you, Howl. I really appreciate it," you said with honesty.

"Yeah yeah, no problem. Now drink your (f/d), it's getting cold," he pushed it closer to you as you grabbed it and brought it to your lips.

㋡

Right now you were at your fifth café for the day and it was probably also the last one. You two would order different and new things each time you went to a new café. You had tried a cookie or a muffin or a cold drink, whatever looked pleasing to your eyes.

And Howl would pay for everything each time. You thought that he was doing too much and you even felt slightly guilty, that's why the café you were at now was the last for today.

As you entered the café, you noticed how long the line was. You guessed it was because the café was right in the center and the most expensive one in your city.

"Hey."

You turned your head to the side at Howl's voice.

"I gotta head to the bathroom, you keep waiting, okay? I'll be right back," he pointed behind him, taking slow steps backwards.

"Okay," you nodded smiling at him. "Good," he turned around and left, disappearing from your sight. You pulled out your phone to keep yourself busy as you neared the cash register slowly bit by bit.

Four minutes had passed and there was only a man who was separating you and the cashier as he was about to receive his drink. You were slightly anxious that Howl still hadn't returned yet.

He sure is taking his time, isn't he?

The man in front of you was gone in a second and you were left alone to order something you weren't even sure of. Usually you'd talk it out with Howl what you should eat or drink since he would suggest you things or give tips, but right now you were on your own without him on your side. You quickly shook your head.

Pfff, he's not my boyfriend that I need to depend on or anything, you thought, thinking you were being too dramatic right now.

A smile decorated your face, greeting the male cashier as you started to look through their menu.

The man in front of you was quite handsome, you had to admit and as you stared at the options you had, he couldn't seem to remove his eyes from you, dark brown eyes drinking in your very existence.

"Did you decide on something yet, love?" he'd ask leaning his forearms onto the table that separated you both.

Darting your eyes to him, you were slightly taken aback by the tone of his voice. "Um no. I've never really been here and I wanted to try something different than ordinary coffee,"

"Hmm I see," he licked his lips as his eyes flickered down your body, "I definitely have something for you that you might like sipping at,"

The choice of words and the tone of the cashier made you think he was talking about something way far from a hot drink. A face of disgust made its way onto your features before you raised your eyesbrows in annoyance, your bloodthirst rising higher each second.

"Great," was all you said in a monotone voice, trying to show him you had no interest in him whatsoever.

Not taking the hint, he changed the topic entirely, "Do you have a boyfriend?" he smirked, seeming to be oh so confident with himself, thinking he could honestly pull bitches.

Opening your mouth to say something, you suddenly felt a strong arm wrap around your waist and your other side being pushed into a broad chest.

"Yeah that's me. Got a problem?"

His deep voice rang into your ear as a shudder crept up your spine.

The cashier's eyes went wide as he saw Howl's tall frame standing next to yours, his blue eyes throwing knives at him, being slightly intimated by the sinisterness that radiated off of him.

"N-No not at all."

"Good," he said before he turned his attention to you, his gaze softening. "You okay?" Your eyes met and you let out the breath you were holding.

"Yes... yes I'm okay," his hand was still glued onto your waist and it seemed like he wasn't going to remove it any time soon. "I'm glad to hear that... I'm sorry it took me so long to get back. The line was also very long there," he chuckled.

"Oh that's why," you were still not mentally present since that one sentence kept repeating in your head.

"Yeah that's me. Got a problem?"

It was just an act in order to save your ass, nothing else... then why did a small blush creep up your cheeks as he said that and him being this close to you?

"Are you sure you're alright?" Howl noticed your distant look, eyes wandering around your face.

"Y-Yes, let's order."

He mumbled an "okay" before his eyes landed on a specific drink, "Is that drink good, baby?" he slid his hand down to your hip to let it rest there and kept his mouth close to your head yet still letting the cashier know everything you were talking about.

You took a deep breath to keep your composure at the petname and moved your eyes onto the display, seeing it was a flavour that you didn't like that much.

He's used that word on you before, so why the fuck are you acting this way?

"Not really, I don't like the flavour that much."

"Hmm okay..." he trailed off, trying his best to find a better drink for you. As he did, you felt how his large hand was messaging your hip bone soothingly. You desperately tried not to squeal and bit your lip, hands clutching your bag against your body and accidentally turning your head to his chest which immediately made you feel intoxicated, because of his addicting cologne that you remembered.

"How about that one?" he spoke after a while.

This time you agreed, "Yeah that one is fine," your voice was slightly shaking because he pressed you against him even further.

"Alright," he grinned, face dropping right as he had eye contact with the cashier and told him both of your orders.

The cashier took Howl's money and went to put together your drinks.

As you waited Howl could feel the heat radiating from you, the uneven breaths that left you because of the grip he had on you. All according to his plan.

You looked like a helpless lamb under his gaze, making him smirk in secret.

Not long after your orders came and Howl had finally removed his hand from your hip and held both of your drinks while you quickly walked out of the place. Again, you took in some fresh air, free from the intense moment you just experienced.

Still in a daze you mentally slapped yourself at your actions as you seemed to have slipped terribly from your usual calm and collected persona. No man that you had met made you behave this way, only he did, and that really fucking pissed you off. You were angry at yourself to show this side to him, knowing how fast he picked up things and took advantage of them.

You both had agreed to just walk around the city as you were finally finished with café hopping for the day. The streets were still very busy and filled with people as the city became more alive when the night was coming closer.

When you kept walking, you went by a shop that sold TVs, TVs with different sizes showing different content, but there was only one which had its volume turned up.

"A body of a young woman was found at Porthaven Street, at approximately 4.46 pm. Her name was Rachel Watts who was only 26 years old."

This made the both of you stop in your tracks and turn your full attention to the news report.

"An elderly man found her lying on the grass near the Prince Justin Park. Her head was still attached to her body, however her neck had multiple cut wounds on them but was never intended to be decapitated. Watts' organs were oozing out of her body because of a deep cut across her stomach. Some body parts were chopped off, like her hands for example. There were mostly stab wounds all over the body. The police also found an axe hidden in the bushes near the corpse but had no luck in finding any fingerprints. However, it seemed like the body was previously dragged to the park and killed at another location, the murderer had planned to drag the body further but most likely left Watts there because they might have been caught."

"Damn..." you faked a fearful face as you kept listening. Of course you were devastated that a woman had to be the victim for this but the graphic description didn't faze you, obviously.

"Yeah... poor, poor woman," Howl's voice was laced with sarcasm and was perhaps even mocking, which you didn't notice.

It was his kill from a day ago in which he severely fucked up because some drunk people stumbled over to the Prince Justin Park and he had to be quick and drag it to his house which was nearby but couldn't make it in time and just left her there, slightly hidden from the people so they couldn't find her just yet.

"Man that killer is pretty stupid," you commented out of the blue.

The tall man just stared at you with a confused face, feeling slightly offended. "And why is that?"

You turned to him, "Well why does he even kill someone in a park? And leave his weapon nearby? Doesn't he know that even doing the smallest mistakes will give the police hints on how he kills and what he uses? Must be a newbie," you chuckled.

It was pretty dumb of him to kill her late at night at a park yes but he was deprived of murder since he hadn't done so ever since your date from Friday. But she had to die, because what the news left out was the fact that she was a very abusive woman and he had heard her beat her children and as she went out for a walk he decided to attack her.

He let out a scoff, "Tch that's pretty judgemental of you. They're also capable of making mistakes y'know," he crossed his arms, getting all defensive.

You rolled your eyes, "Well yeah but still it was very foolish of him,"

That made Howl even more furious but he still calmed down his nerves. "Yeah whatever... since when do you have so much knowledge about serial killers?"

Tensing up for a second you relaxed again, "I dunno... I'm just interested in true crime..." you lied but also not really. "Do you know Buzzfeed Unsolved? That show is absolutely amazing," your lip corners twitched upwards as you talked, your mood having changed immediately.

Howl scratched his scalp, genuinely clueless, "Uh no... not really,"

A loud gasp escaped your mouth, making him flinch, "You don't?! Dude you're missing out on a lot then," you said dramatically. "Next time we meet you better had watched some of their videos, got it?" you pointed your finger to him in a "threatening" way.

He raised his hand in surrender, "Alright, fine, I'll watch it," he chuckled.

"Good," you smiled, sipping at your drink.

"Did you enjoy the day with me today?" the blonde haired man questioned, changing the topic.

You nodded as you looked at him, wearing a smile. "Yeah... you did get my mind off of things. And thank you for uh... protecting me back there I guess?"

Another chuckle escaped from him, "Oh well.. that was nothing," he gazed at you, "Did he perhaps say something... to you?" he asked slowly.

You rolled your eyes at remembering the pathetic cashier, "Yeah well... when I answered his question to whether I couldn't decide what to order he said 'I definitely have something for you that you might like sipping at'" you then stared ahead of you with a straight face.

You could hear a snort coming from your side, twisting your head to the man who made the sound. "What?" you grinned.

He laughed, "It's just... does he honestly think he deserves someone like you?" he locked eyes with you, stopping you both in your tracks. You furrowed your brows at his words, listening what he had to say. He stepped closer until your noses almost touched, "I mean... look at you," he took in your unique features, every detail, bringing up his free hand to brush away a lose hair strand of yours and then the supple skin of your cheek, letting it linger there a while longer as neither of you looked away.

Again, he did the same thing as before, trying to get every opportunity to touch you somehow and making you flustered at doing so. Everything he did was overwhelming you, hating the way your body acted on its own. He was your target, your enemy, someone you want to murder.

Look at you... the pretty face I want to slice open with my knives right here, right now, Howl thought, attempting to control his desires just for now.

You wanted to stop blushing so you played it cool, "Falling for me now are we?" you wiggled your eyebrows, earning a roll of his eyes as he let you go.

Mission completed successfully.

His whole warmth disappeared from you, giving you some air to breathe while you drank the last bits of your beverage.

"It seemed more like you were flustered by the proximity we were having," he teased back and threw away your cups in a nearby trash can.

"That's not true!" you retorted, pouting as you walked a little faster now.

Howl let that pretty laugh of his out again at that. "You're so easy to tease, sweetheart,"

You growled annoyed, "Shut up will you!" Another laugh erupted from him.

You certainly weren't as amused as he was and just kept speed walking ahead. Howl tried to catch his breath from giggling as he ran after you.

"Hey! Come on, slow down!"

㋡

A few days had passed and you both texted more frequently and met up sometimes.

You were getting to know each other better and getting used to every little antics of the other. It wasn't anything new for you both but it was still thrilling since it was you two and no one else.

Howl was at work, being the much loved Professor he was, wearing a white shirt with his sleeves folded up, tugged into his black dress pants and matching spectators and a pair of glasses finishing his look. His hair, however, was tied up in a ponytail. And you guessed right, all the female students would always fawn over him when he did that.

He had a free lesson where he had no lectures to give and was allowed to do whatever he wanted until he was needed for art class at the more late university lectures.

His students loved him. It was impossible not to. He was glad to give people a chance to let them study what they loved which some people back in his youth weren't able to. He thought, despite his murderous nature, that some people deserve to live in peace and live out their dreams. Just like he did. Nothing hurt him more than shitty parents telling their children they couldn't be anything once they grew older. Just like he was told by his mom.

The handsome man chose to head for their library to get a new book for him to enjoy since he had gone through all the books he bought and borrowed already and needed something new. His hand grabbed the handle which would unlock the door that led to his university's huge library.

He went past the librarian's desk to head to
the section of literature of the mid 17 hundreds. They had all kinds of books from all over the world translated into the language he understood.

His intuition led him to Russian literature and thought that finally checking out Dostoyevsky's literature wouldn't be a bad idea. Howl immediately picked out Crime & Punishment and read the small summary at the back, nodding satisfied at the information received and made his way back to the librarian.

People kept recommending him to read Dostoyevsky's works and always praised him for so many reasons and he was excited to say the least to finally try a world known author who seemed to never disappoint.

As he was more of an impatient type, he flipped open the first page and began reading the first few lines whilst walking.

He already knew the library like the back of his hand so he was pretty confident not bumping into anything.

When he reached the desk, he placed down the book after shutting it and prepared his usual smile whenever he visited the place.

"Hello Miss Hatter, it's nice to see you again."

The woman before him turned around only for his smile to drop.

"Howl?"

He stepped back a little because of so much shock.

It was you.

It was you.

You?

But why you?

You weren't as surprised as he was but you wore a grin that went from one ear to the other.

"It is indeed good to see you again."