•Y/N: Your Name

•E/C: Eye Color

•H/L: Hair Length

Joined hands swing in unison as Keith and Y/N travel along the sidewalk through a peaceful neighborhood full of colorful houses with lovely, green lawns. The sky above is bright and sunny, and everything in the world just seems right. Days like this were thought to be mere fiction in the birthday girl's mind, but without that terrible beast haunting her every moment of every day, life became infinitely better. A smile is present on both their faces as Keith picks up his pace in excitement, leading his new girlfriend towards his home to spend time with her. It wouldn't be considered an official first date, but the boy did have a surprise waiting for her at his house.

Everything about today was perfect... was. Y/N's feet slow a bit upon feeling a sort of miasma cloud the atmosphere. It made the bright, sunny day feel like one coated with grey, rain clouds that warn of a massive storm approaching. She stops with a frown on her lips as she looks around worriedly. She hoped to be wrong, but this sensation is just too familiar not to question. The blonde, having no clue why the female had stopped walking, turns to her with concern written all over his features, but she does not notice. Her chest tightens as that odd sensation seems to grow stronger with each passing moment.

"Y/N, is something wrong?" He asks whilst she slips away from his grip to bring her hands to her chest. Y/N's gaze does not meet his as tears build up in her E/C orbs.

Something wrong?

Oh, yes.

Something is very wrong.

She could feel her hopes and dreams of peaceful things getting drowned in a deep, dark puddle of black goo that nothing could ever resurface from. The truth of the situation became apparent, and she instantly felt the need to break down and cry, but, honestly, she was too shocked to react.

'He's here. He came back. No... No, it can't be!' She had thought the monster to be gone, but the hairs that rose on the back of her neck begged to differ. From what she could tell, he isn't close, but it won't be long before he finds her. It might already be too late.

"N-N-No," she mumbles under her breath as her legs begin to shake. Unable to help herself, Y/N starts to gnaw at the inside of her cheek.

"Y/N?"

"H-He can't b-b-b-be here." A sharp gasp escapes her upon realizing who she's with. Her wide, E/C eyes meet Keith's in fear. He's the one the monster specifically told her to stay away from. "Go," she demands in a quiet voice, causing her boyfriend's brows to scrunch in confusion.

"What are you talking about? You're not making any sense." He steps towards her in attempts to comfort the frightened female only for her to step away from him with her arms held out to keep him away. If the Boogeyman sees her too close to him, it'll only make things worse. Her reaction slightly angers the male, but he tries his best to keep it contained like Mrs. Williams taught him by clenching his fists to focus his temper there. He opens and closes his hand repeatedly to relieve stress, which helps.

"Go!" She shouts in a firmer voice while stumbling back from his advances with tears streaming down her face. "H-He can't know I'm w-with you. He'll kill you!"

"Y/N, what are you talking about?" Keith's eyes narrow slightly upon realizing what she said. His voice dips some when he asks, "Who can't see me with you?"

"M-M-M-Monster. He's going to kill us. He's going to kill us!" She screams out hysterically, causing some people to peek behind their curtains from the inside of their homes at the couple. She felt she'd faint at any moment, and her hyperventilating doesn't help.

'Pilvrich! I have to go find Pilvrich!' Y/N grips her arms so tightly that her nails leave marks beneath her sleeves. The pain didn't even register in her mind. Everything seemed to be breaking to bits inside of her. That person she had turned into over the past four months had disappeared in that instant, reverting her back into her former self.

"I-I'm sorry," she apologizes before running away to get as far away from Keith as possible.

"Y/N, wait!" He shouts before chasing after her. This frustrated Y/N, since she was trying to help him by running away.

"Stay away!" She demands in a stern voice that makes him stop in his tracks and watch as she disappears from his sight. His expression darkens before he looks around in search of who drove her off. Monster, was all she said. Did that mean her monster had returned?

But, she had told him he was gone. Well, regardless, he is now pissed. Not knowing where to direct his anger, he stomps his foot on the ground like a child before rushing home. There's a punching bag in his room for a reason. His temper would only drive him to make rash decisions.

Meanwhile, Y/N hurries towards a motel near her house, where her dark-haired tutor resides. He wasn't sure how long he was going to be helping her, so it made sense that he chose to live in a place he could leave anytime with ease. Y/N, having been there before, ran across the parking lot to room 106 in hopes that Pilvrich will be there. She pounds her fist against the door frantically while peering over her shoulder every now and again to check if the monster was stalking behind her. She could feel his presence getting stronger and stronger with each hit to the wooden door.

"P-P-Pilvrich, open up! P-please, open up," she cries before sinking to her knees and sobbing hysterically. Moments later, the door is pulled open to reveal her tutor, whose silver orbs widen at the sight of his kneeling student. He opens his mouth to ask what's wrong only to be pushed back inside by the smaller person before the door is slammed shut behind them. Y/N hurriedly locks it before wrapping her arms around the man tight enough to make it difficult for him to breathe.

"H-He's back! I f-f-felt him close by! He's here! H-He's here! What's are we gonna do? He's g-going to kill me! I think he saw K-Keith too! I wasn't supposed to be near him! What if he gets hurt because of m-me?"

"Y/N, shh. Take a deep breath," he orders softly while smoothing out her hair to calm her. The poor thing tries to calm down, but her trembling only worsens. More tears descend her cheeks as she falls to the floor while breathing heavily and tugging at her H/L locks of hair.

"W-Why'd he have to c-c-come back? I wish he'd just die!" A deep frown appears on Pilvrich's lips as he kneels in front of the frightened girl. He'd help her in any way he could.

"Shhh, come here." He hushes her whilst taking her into his arms to show she'd be safe with him. She clings to his black jacket as he lifts her up to seat her on the bed. She didn't weigh much to him. Though she did gain some weight back after the monster's disappearance, she still had a long way to go to be at a healthy level. With his student kept in his arms, he squeezes her closely as she cries against him. When she starts to settle, he turns his head towards the door before pulling away to look outside only for Y/N to snatch his arm with frightened eyes.

"N-N-No, don't!"

"It'll be okay," he assures while opening his jacket to reveal the gun and holy water flask on his belt. Her grip loosens before her hands retract from his slowly. Pilvrich then opens the door a crack to stick out his head and scope out the parking lot. As far as he can tell, no one's outside. "Do you still sense him?" He asks in a soft voice without taking his eyes off the outside. Y/N nods her head while messing with the sheets on the bed to keep her occupied.

"V-Vaguely."

"Then, he might be nearby searching for you." He pulls away and shuts the door before meeting her nervous gaze. At that, her face pales and a hand slaps over her mouth as she gags.

"I- I feel sick." She jumps off the bed before racing into the bathroom to vomit, catching Pilvrich off guard. He races after her to pull back her hair as she heaves into the toilet bowl. He frowns while rubbing soothing circles on her back with his free hand.

"Shh, it'll all be okay, Y/N. I'm right here." When she pulls back to breathe, she cries heavily, while Pilvrich sits beside her on the tiled floor. One arm wraps around her, while his other rips off a piece of toilet paper to wipe the vomit off her quivering lips. He holds up her chin while delicately wiping the gunk before using another piece of toilet paper to clear her eyes. After that's done, he hugs the girl to his chest before petting her hair as she sobs against him. "We should get you home. That'll be the safest place for you."

"I- I t-thought you were b-busy today?"

"You are more important. Now, come on, we should hurry before he finds us." He stands slowly while lifting his student up by her upper arms. He keeps his hold on her after seeing her legs tremble like a fawn trying to stand for the first time. "Can you stand?"

She gives the man a shaky nod before hesitating to part from the safety of his arms. He goes to stuff a small bag of things including clothes, his phone, and a bible. Y/N could hear her heart pounding in her head as she waits for him to finish. As soon as he's done, he holds out his hand for her to take, which she graciously accepts. The two cautiously yet swiftly make their way to the poor girl's house. With her constantly looking around in paranoia, their pace would sometimes slow, so Pilvrich would have to console her to prevent too much lagging. It felt like forever had gone by when they reached her front door. The instant they step inside, Y/N jumps when her mother frantically shouts,

"Y/N, sweetie, if that's you, don't come into the dining room!" The woman wasn't sure if it was one of the party guests or her daughter, but it was important that the setup of the girl's party wasn't ruined. It had been a long time since they were able to have an enjoyable birthday party for her, so they wanted to make it extra special for her. Sadly, they had yet to learn of the devastating news. The female's grip tightens on the male as she buries her face against his arm.

"I-I won't."

"Come on. We're almost there," he whispers softly as to not be heard by the girl's parents. They make their way upstairs, and he seats her on the bed that's still surrounded by the flowers he gave her. She wipes her teary eyes with the sleeves of her velvety, lilac shirt, while Pilvrich goes to close her bedroom door.

"N-No, p-please, don't close it," she begs, causing him to stop.

"Your parents will question why I'm here with a gun, Y/N. It's best that they don't see me. Here, I'll leave it open a little bit, okay?" He closes the door, leaving only a sliver of it open while removing the gun from his belt to check if it's loaded. "Just stay on the bed. I'll protect you." She could only bring herself to nod before wrapping herself up with one of her blankets to feel comforted. He quickly notices her severe trembling and how tightly she's holding her arms.

"Still feel him near?" He ask while sitting beside her, gun in hand. The weapon is currently pointed at the floor to avoid accidents. She nods with a light sniffle before leaning against him. Pilvrich smiles gently while wrapping an arm around her shoulders to keep her close. She flinches with every touch, but quickly melts into his hold like always.

"Don't l-l-leave me alone. P-Please, don't leave me w-with him." He silently pets her hair before scooting a little closer to the traumatized girl.

"I plan to stay the night again if that's okay with you. I won't leave your side for a moment. I'll be right here. Don't worry." With a nod, her arms wrap around his torso, while her face hides against his side so that he wouldn't look at her as she cries.

"T-Thank you. Thank you so much." She wipes her eyes before looking up at him, causing his stomach to tighten at the sight. It had been a long time since he's seen her afraid. "Won't my p-p-parents notice you s-staying all day?" He shakes his head at her.

"No, little one. I'll pretend to leave after the party, then I'll sneak in just as I have before." Her grip hardens on his clothes.

"B-B-But, that means y-you'd be separated f-from me."

"I'll stay close to the house. When you can, come to your room, and I'll be right here waiting."

"A-And, if they come up here?" She knew the party likely wouldn't be ending late at night, around when she'd normally go to sleep, so they'd likely come up to tell her goodnight at the very least. They still don't know about his secret visits, and she doesn't want them to find out, especially now, when it's important. They'd probably fire him as her tutor and ensure that he can never see her again.

"I suppose I'll have to hide, then."

He looks around the room and hums softly. "Not many places to in here, though, huh?" He jokes, seeing how the closet, which would've been the most comfortable place to hide in, doesn't have a door.

"U-Under the bed. T-That's where he usually h-hides, though."

"It'll have to do. Might be a tight squeeze, so, hopefully, they won't come up here." He sets the gun down on the mattress to hold her with both arms. "He won't hurt you, I promise."

"You s-sound so sure."

His grip strengthens protectively, which she did not mind. His arms were the first place she had ever felt comfortable in since this whole fiasco started. Her parents were tired of her fears by this point, and Pilvrich seemed to be the only one confident enough to defeat the Boogeyman. The expression in the man's eyes went blank while staring at the wall before responding truthfully.

"I am."