So sorry for the long wait guys;;; Just to let you know, this story actually continues from the part where Aesop kidnaps (Y/N) so if you have already forgotten what happened in the first part feel free to read it again X,D Apologies if the story seems completely off;; It has been a long time since I last wrote anything :,)
Warnings: Mentions of abuse and stockholm syndrome(?)
~~~
Right after the female student had accepted the confession from her senior who turned out to be her stalker and soon to be kidnapper, (Y/N) could not deny the fact that she felt curious or eager to see how everything would play out from now onwards. Despite the bizarre event earlier on, both kidnapper and victim continued to walk side by side as if nothing had ever happened in the first place.
Aesop was still a little concerned at how everything was going so smoothly especially when his junior expressed no signs of struggle, he had anticipated that the least she could do was to run away or scream for help when faced with danger. (Y/N) on the other hand, found the situation to be rather entertaining instead. Wondering how long would it be until Aesop finally crumbled under the pressure of being caught for his crimes one day.
Of course, (Y/N) certainly has no plans on having her kidnapper caught so early which was why they were at a nearby river in the first place. The river was a perfect stage for her as this was where she would leave behind all the belongings she was carrying with her. The venue was not exactly far from her house and anyone could reach here just by simply walking. "And send~ That should do it." The female student spoke aloud in a sing-song tone, with one hand holding onto her phone and the other pushing her (H/C) hair behind her ears.
"Do you really have to go through all this trouble?" The young man questions as he watches the phone which was once in her hand now thrown inside the river and the shoes she was wearing were now neatly placed on the edge of the ground. Judging by what he has observed so far, there was no need to ask what on earth was she exactly planning but he felt the need to ask why she was doing all the troublesome tasks when he could have done it himself.
"Well, I don't see any point of bringing all these junk with me. Wouldn't it be better to discard them now than later?" Aesop then slowly nods his head in agreement but the answer he received was not the one he wanted to hear. The embalmer wanted to know why she was willing to go so far to the point where not only does she carry out the tasks he was supposed to do but also giving false information to her close friends which will most likely cause them to be extremely worried.
That was something he could think about later on as their first priority now was to get out of here as soon as possible. They were fortunate enough that it would be hours until daylight would come again and the fact that there weren't many security cameras around in the neighbourhood which makes the embalmer's job much easier. He then proceeds to remove the hoodie he was wearing, handing it over for (Y/N) to wear it instead.
Just when the female student was ready to set off, she raised an eyebrow at Aesop's new position when he suddenly crouched down, his back facing her. "Uhm...Did you perhaps drop something?" Her head was tilted to the side slightly, pondering if she should lend a helping hand so they would be able to leave faster before anyone spots both of them.
"I'll carry you back."
"Huh?"
Judging by her reaction, Aesop was under the assumption that (Y/N) was disturbed at the thought of being carried by him and he could somewhat understand where she was coming from. The hesitance displayed on her face was only natural but the idea of having the female student walk without a proper footwear makes him feel unsettled. "Sorry...If you find it uncomfortable you don't have to. My shoes are not the best fit for you but-" Before he had the chance to finish voicing out his suggestion, a soft giggle could be heard.
"My bad, it seems you have misunderstood. I never knew you for the type to be considerate." The embalmer was unable to tell if her statement was a compliment or not. "O-Oh." Was the only word which managed to come out from his mouth since he was unsure what he should actually say but fortunately for him, (Y/N) paid no attention to it and gently wrapped her arms around his shoulder. "Don't blame me if I'm heavy."
It was quite the opposite actually, when he lifted her up he found himself to be able to carry his junior back home with ease since she was as light as a feather. "A-Are you okay?" He accidentally stutters out as he felt a sudden wave of awkwardness wash over him when the realisation of an opposite gender's body resting against his back. He was never a big fan of physical contact in the first place and (Y/N) was aware of it which explained why she appeared to be so hesitant and confused.
'Ahh...When have I become an idiot?'
'Huh...Aesop is uncharastically nice. Weird.'
~
Once they were inside the young embalmer's apartment, they finally had the chance to breathe out the air they never knew they were holding in as they travelled back cautiously to ensure (Y/N)'s face would not be seen. Now that the door was closed behind them, her eyes began to wander left and right as she observed the small clean apartment her senior has been living in.
"I hope you don't mind." Aesop suddenly spoke out which brought her attention back to him, he must have noticed she was staring the whole entire time since they stepped inside. "Ah sorry, I didn't mean to stare. Your apartment is very tidy." (Y/N)'s blunt comments earned her a smile of relief from Aesop, unfortunately it was hidden away due to the mask. Compared to her house, the apartment is smaller and the space is just enough for two people to be living in together.
While the young embalmer left to retrieve clothing, the female student was left alone in the living room to rest for the time being. There wasn't much she could do at the moment other than looking around the new surroundings, comparing the difference between the current environment she was in and the previous one. "It's awfully quiet here..." She mutters softly to herself, not used to how peaceful it was since she had already adapted to the loud noises back at home.
It was a good thing for (Y/N) of course, despite needing time to adjust to her current circumstances, she could be at complete ease here without fearing when she would become the next victim. Usually, she could hear the heated arguments between her parents accompanied with the sounds of plates shattering behind closed doors. It definitely was not a pleasant experience but there was nothing she could do about it.
Before she could delve deeper into her memories, a warm hand on her shoulder managed to snap her out from the daydream she was in. "You will catch a cold if you sleep now. Here, go take a hot shower while I prepare for dinner." Aesop casually states, passing a towel and the smallest size of clothes he could find from his closet. "Oh wait, do you have any makeup remover on you?" (Y/N) asked out of the blue, causing the embalmer's eyebrows to knit together , staring intently at her face since it didn't appear she was wearing any.
"Oh not for my face. It's okay if you don't have any though." She immediately explains after noticing the slight confusion he was showing. Without asking any questions, Aesop had left again for a brief moment but shortly returned with a black box in his hand which caused the female student to stare in awe when he opened it to reveal all the makeup contained inside. "You're a makeup artist?" (Y/N) could not hide the amusement in her voice as she spoke out with wide eyes.
"No. My occupation is an embalmer." Even though the salary of his job is a decent amount, it wasn't a job where many people would be fascinated with. He never really held any interests in other areas and the reason he chose to be an embalmer was only after his uncle had offered him to follow in his footsteps. "Oh that's pretty cool." (Y/N) genuine compliments, an embalmer suited him far better than a makeup artist. "You think so?" The embalmer had taken her compliment as a slight sarcasm, thankfully, he was not offended by it.
"I'm not lying. I don't think many people can handle themselves when they see a corpse." She states a matter of factly, using the makeup wipes on her skins which slowly revealed the bruises which she has been hiding along with a few small cuts. It was not a pretty sight to witness. "You applied makeup on your open cuts?" His voice became stern and he was more worried than ever. "Ah just for today only." (Y/N) replied trying to avoid eye contact as much as possible, eyes remaining focused on her arms instead.
Upon hearing her response, Aesop shook his head in disapproval and gently held her arm, "You should never apply makeup on an open wound before it heals. If it's a scar I can understand to an extent. However, a cut would be a different case no matter how small or minor it is." He starts to assist the female student by removing makeup on her other arm.
"Your cuts have to be always kept clean, applying makeup will do more damage instead." Continuing on with his lecture, (Y/N)'s cheeks were starting to grow warm in embarrassment, nodding her head once in a while in acknowledgement. 'It's warm..." The female student kept the comment to herself, there was no doubt she would not mind going through this feeling again but she knew better than to keep her hopes up.
"It's done. Make sure you clean them well in the shower, alright? I'll have another look at it after dinner." He spoke in a strict yet gentle tone, the corner of his lips turning upwards a little when she nodded in response, swearing to never do that again.
"Uhm..." Just as he was about to stand up and leave to prepare for dinner, (Y/N) finally expressed a small sign of uneasiness which immediately caught his attention, causing him to pause in his position.
"What's wrong?"
"Uh...I'm very grateful you are willing to share your clothes with me...uhm, this is a pretty awkward question." Her eyes were practically looking everywhere except for his grey eyes and she was dragging her words out which was unusual. Anyone could tell she was bothered. Unfortunately, the embalmer did not know what was the root of the problem. "What's wrong?" He asks straightforwardly.
"Is there any underwear?"
"U-Underwear?" Aesop Carl was indeed a very slow person, as the information slowly started to sink into his head, he wasn't aware that his whole entire face had turned red to the point where (Y/N) could tell he was flustered without even needing another second to look. 'Oh crap.' was clearly written all over his face.
~
"Would you prefer if we order takeout or deliveries instead?" After (Y/N) had only taken a single bite of his food, the embalmer had failed to conceal his anxiousness the moment he started speaking. Every inch of his body was screaming at him to back out now while he still had the chance, wanting to pull the plate away from her to avoid the female student from taking another mouthful bite of his food.
His low confidence was slowly to surface once again especially when it has been a rather long time since he last cooked for anyone other than himself. Countless pointless thoughts were running through his head despite his best efforts to ignore it. He had already tasted the food himself beforehand to ensure it was decent at the very least but now it appears that his low self-esteem was back to haunt him.
Even though the way her once dull eyes were starting to brighten up with a single bite, it did very little to ease Aesop as he was far too busy burrowed in the swamp of his negative opinions about himself. Fortunately (Y/N) spoke up before it was far too late for her to save the embalmer from moping around all day long. "I don't see the point when there's already food in front of me. It tastes good too so it would be a waste if I don't finish it."
'Huh?'
Within a few seconds, Aesop manages to regain his composure, replying with a relief sigh as if he was not internally panicking beforehand. "Is that so? I'm glad to hear it then." Normally, the embalmer would not have given a single care as to what others would think of his works, putting his occupation aside. He could not understand why he prioritised (Y/N)'s opinion so much for a brief moment and as of now, the answers he was searching for to the question was nowhere to be found.
"You're not eating?" (Y/N) questions, finally noticing that the embalmer was occupied on his phone, averting his attention back to her once in a while for the past couple of minutes. This observation brings in another question when she has also taken notice of the mask on Aesop's face ever since they stepped into the house which reminds the female student she has never seen his face without a mask on before. 'Is he self-conscious?'
"No...I have already eaten so I'm fine." The embalmer assures with what seems to be a smile judging by how his eyes had crinkled. Although (Y/N) was genuinely curious as to why he wore a mask even indoors, she was not bothered by his appearance enough to ask the question.
~
"Sorry, I know it hurts but I need you to stay still." Aesop lightly instructed as he continued to apply antibiotic ointment on her open cut wounds after ensuring they were thoroughly cleaned. "Isn't it enough as long as the wounds are cleaned?" The female student complained with a small pot on her face, flinching away from the young man's touch whenever the ointment came into contact with the wound.
"This is to prevent infection. I wouldn't leave it as it is especially when they have been covered with makeup for almost an entire day." He gently explains, eyebrows furrowing slightly when he came across a larger cut wound, trying to be gentle as much as possible since he did not want to cause her anymore further harem by accident. "Which one of them did this?" The embalmer asks out of the blue which causes the female student to be thrown off for a brief second. "I won't force you of course." Aesop immediately adds on.
Fortunately for him though, his sudden inquiries about her background did not affect her and she found it to be a surprise. (Y/N) then proceeds to provide a brief explanation on what truly was going on inside of the house and the behaviour of her parents along with the harsh treatment she experienced. It was shocking news to the embalmer when she mentioned the part where her mother used to be a kind and gentle woman until she discovered her husband was seeing another young woman. That was when everything turned south.
"She eventually ended up venting out her anger on you from that point onwards?" Aesop asks for confirmation, all the scenarios he had imagined previously were quite accurate to the point where it disturbs him. "Bing bong! That's half correct." (Y/N) answered in such a cheerful tone which caused him to silently consider if he should end the topic for now, sensing that she was reverting back to the usual (Y/N) he would see in school.
Even though Aesop had suggested she could continue this conversation some other time, she dismisses his worries and continued on, claiming that she had always wanted to get this off her shoulders since there wasn't a single person she could speak to back in school as she believed it would end up doing more harm than good instead. Now that there was an opportunity right here, why would she waste it? "Oh but if you find it uncomfortable, I will stop of course!" (Y/N) quickly adds on but after hearing her reasons, there was no way he could turn her request down unless he was completely heartless.
At the beginning, her mother would always turn to approach their one and only daughter for comfort whenever she lost an argument or when something inconvenient happened. The scary part came in when her mother began to develop severe mood swings which could happen at any random timing, leading to the female student slowly drifting apart from her mother. "Because of both my father and my actions, her state turned for the worse...I am convinced you already know what happens next?" The embalmer only nodded her head in response, unsure of what he should actually say in this sort of situation.
Words of pity or comfort such as 'I am so sorry that happened to you.' would not be of any use. Aesop was never good with providing sympathy for others anyway, if he were to add in his own irrelevant comment he was sure it would be just like adding fuel to the fire. Staying completely quiet would make the atmosphere pretty problematic for him as well. "What are you doing?" The embalmer had paused what he was doing, his left hand reaching up to gently stroke her head. "Nothing in particular."
'Ehh...he's so easy to read.' (Y/N) manages to hold back a snicker from escaping her lips. Perhaps living with the embalmer would not be so bad as she had initially thought after all. "I guess you have an adorable sight." She accidentally slips her comments out but remains unbothered.
"Oh...uh, thank you?"
'Ah he's turning red again.'
~
A couple of months have gone by in a flash since the day (Y/N) followed Aesop back on her own accord. Thanks to the scheme she has prepared beforehand and the misleading information she has provided on the scene, it was suspected that the female student committed suicide instead. While the police were occupied with figuring out the reason that had led to this accident and attempting to find her missing body in the river, Aesop had plenty of time he needed to move to a different location with ease even when he had the missing girl right next to him all this time.
Unfortunately for (Y/N), she still had to remain indoors as a precaution but on the bright side, due to the police's further investigation on her background by using their very first hint from the last message she has sent to her friends, it has been revealed that (Y/N) came from an abusive household and her parent's image was completely destroyed. Everything seemed to be going awfully well to the point it felt unrealistic to her.
'The police are faster than I have expected...Maybe they didn't have enough time to cover up what they have done behind closed doors.' (Y/N) continues to read the article before a notification pops out on her screen, a message sent by none other than her kidnapper, Aesop Carl.
"Any requests for dinner? I'm stopping by the supermarket."
"Can I have some omelette, fried chicken and ice cream for desserts??"
"Wow;; That's really a lot. Are you sure your small appetite can handle this? ^^;;"
"I'm feeling extra hungry today and besides, you will be eating too right? If you don't, I wouldn't mind spoon feeding you for a change (ฅ'ω'ฅ)"
"You really enjoy using them don't you..."
"They're cute so why not ('∀｀)"
"So omelette, fried chicken and ice cream, right? Don't worry I'll be eating with you today."
"(●・ω・)b"
A smile had formed on her lips the more they held a conversation over the text. Since the embalmer would be constantly away due to his job, he decided it was best to give the female student a brand new phone of her own so if anything were to happen while he was away, she could easily contact him. Of course, he has also stated to (Y/N) he would not mind if she were to call him for another reason other than emergencies.
Aesop was also generous to have given her access to the internet to make her feel more comfortable and less restricted considering the fact that she wasn't allowed to go out on her own unless he would be there to accompany her. For the past few months she has been living together with him, the embalmer kept to his promise and he had never once lash out or mistreated her. "Seriously, what does he benefit from this? I don't understand him at all." (Y/N) mutters softly to herself, recalling the times where she would see him in a different light.
'Oh well, let's get back to cleaning.' With nothing much to do in the first place, she assigns herself to clean around the house despite the number of times he has reassured that there was no need for her to carry out troublesome tasks when he could have done it himself. After many long debates, she manages to convince him but he would still lend her a helping hand when he isn't busy.
"Ah shit." (Y/N) softly curses when she accidentally knocks over the pile of books on the embalmer's desk, immediately bending down to clean up the mess she has made. As she picked up the book, returning them to the bookshelves at the same time, a certain black album caught her eyes and she stared at it for a moment. 'Could this be pictures of him when he was younger?' (Y/N) wonders. Maybe a little sneak wouldn't hurt anyone.
What she had expected was the complete opposite and had her face set on fire. Instead of seeing pictures with Aesop in it, every single page she flipped was filled with photographs of her, most likely taken when he was still stalking her back then. "(Y-Y/N)?" The female student snaps her head towards the source of the voice with wide eyes as she was caught red handed and there was no excuse she could think of. Her head slowly turns towards the clock in the room and it appears he had come back a tad earlier today.
Little did (Y/N) know that the embalmer was facing the same issue. In spite of the fact he had already confessed to his actions when he first approached her outside of school, he found it incredibly embarrassing to see the evidence right on (Y/N)'s hands and he only had one wish in mind which was to vanish on the spot and never return again. He could not find the explanation he was looking for and the only thing he was able to do at the moment was to stare right back into her large (E/C) eyes.
"I-It seems I was very much loved. I-I'm honoured." The female student manages to utter her words out, using one hand to cover the sheepish smile that was forming on her lips as she shyly averted her eyes away from him.
"Y-Yeah...Do you mind if I can have it back?" Somehow he managed to find his voice again but he still ended up stumbling over his words, his right hand reaching up to cover his face in embarrassment. "Of course of course! This belongs to you after all! S-Sorry I didn't mean to look..." (Y/N) ends her sentence with a nervous giggle, still looking everywhere else except for his face as she shoves the album back into the embalmer's hands.
"I-I will be preparing dinner...call me if you need anything."
"Ah sure sure! I'll just continue on with cleaning."
Unfortunately both of them were too preoccupied with their panic state to even realise their red face.
Dinner went on as per usual and so did the rest of the night. Once the two had regained back their composure, Aesop manages to find the confidence to ask what thoughts were running through her mind when she saw photographs of herself taken without her consent, wanting to see if she was comfortable with the album he was keeping otherwise if it troubles her, he was willing to discard it away. The embalmer could not deny he felt extremely relieved when (Y/N) did not express any sort of discomfort and found it to be flattering.
However, another part of him still felt guilty for what he has done without her permission so in order to make amends, (Y/N) suggested the idea of taking pictures of him as well so they would be even. Without sparing another second to think, Aesop immediately agreed with her idea since this would only be fair towards the female student.
"Is this something to be really happy about?" He asks with genuine curiosity.
"Mhm it definitely is. Don't you think I look way better together with you compared to my parents?" She flashes him yet another sheepish grin. The difference was evident if he took a look at the old pictures again and the current (Y/N) sitting in front of him. Her smiles were less forced and it seems as if her eyes were much brighter than before. "You're right about that. I feel less irritated when I'm looking at you now." He nodded his head in response, not minding the fact he had brutally confessed how often annoyed he was whenever she forced a smile and pretended to be fine.
"Are you giving me a compliment or are you picking on me?"
"Maybe a little bit of both." He admits, chuckling softly at her small frown.
~
Later that night, (Y/N) found difficulties in sleeping ever since she was woken up by an unpleasant dream about her parents, specifically her mother and the mood swings she constantly has to face and her ignorant father who turns a blind eye to his wife's actions against their daughter. There was no way in hell she could return back to sleep peacefully, she feared she would end up seeing the same thing all over again.
The female student then averts her attention to Aesop who was sleeping on a mattress not far from where she was, pondering if it was a good idea to wake him in the middle of the night just to ask if she could have the permission to sleep next to him since she felt more safe with him around. Quietly slipping out from her own bed, she sat next to him and was careful not to sit on him by accident. 'Fast asleep...of course he would be.'
The female student almost went into cardiac arrest the very next moment when Aesop suddenly spoke out, his eyes slowly fluttering open to meet her own. "Oh shoot, did I wake you up?" (Y/N) sincerely apologised with guilt written all over her face which he found a little bit suspicious since he had never witnessed (Y/N) to appear this troubled before. It was concerning. "I wasn't exactly sleeping to begin with. What's the matter?" He sat up slightly, having a closer observation on her facial expression.
"Nothing...You know, you look better without your mask on." (Y/N) switches up the topic, suddenly feeling the need to hide the information from Aesop as she felt self-conscious. Now this was something he certainly could not ignore, one moment she appeared as if she was going to cry at any moment and the next, she was bottling up her emotions.
"Was it that dream again?" He bluntly asks, recalling the similar events for the past couple of months they have been living together. The dream she experienced occurred occasionally but this was the first time he witnessed how bad the after effects were. He silently watches her (E/C) eyes turn glossy, it is no doubt she is at the brink of tears. For once in his lifetime, he was not afraid of what the female student would think of him as one of his hands reached out to cup her face, gently wiping away the tears which had already leaked out with his thumbs.
"I won't force you to say what happened now but if you feel like crying, go ahead and let all your feelings run wild. You will feel much better when you do." With his other free arm, he uses it to wrap around her shoulder to envelope her into a warm hug. The corner of his lips turned upwards when she finally relaxed, returning the hug as she gripped onto him with all her might as if he would disappear into thin air. "I-I don't want to go back...I don't want to go back.."
When her sobbing began to subside, Aesop figured it was the best time to start talking. "You don't have to worry...You can stay with me as long as you want. I told you before haven't I? If you were to reject me back then and return back to your parents, I would rather kill you and then myself afterwards." It was weird, she should be trembling in fear when Aesop casually admits to the fact he preferred to give her a painless death when there were clearly other options available to choose from and yet here she was, leaning into him more for warmth.
"Besides, I love you too much to actually let you go now." Aesop confesses, pressing a soft kiss on her forehead. "W-Wait! Do you really mean it?!" (Y/N) proceeds to remove her face from his shoulder, wiping her eyes at the same time to see his facial expressions clearly, silently hoping that the embalmer's words were genuine. "Yeah. I do love you." He confidently said with a smile which resembled a child who got his favourite toy.
This time round, Aesop was certain that the emotions he has towards his junior is completely genuine and not some sick twisted obsession he had before. Incoherent noises were slipping out from (Y/N)'s mouth as she was using her best efforts to drill the information right into her skull, feeling the need to give him an answer on the spot, she needed to let him know his feelings were returned as well and he was not the only party to feel this way.
"You don't have to give me an answer right away. Let's take one step at a time at our pace, alright?" The warmth in his words and actions alone helped her to cool down. Taking in a deep breath and slowly exhaling the air out from her lungs, she was prepared to tell him but the moment her eyes met his features again, her face burned again. (Y/N) was so used to the mask he constantly wore so whenever he was not wearing one, the words she wanted to say we're just stuck in her throat. 'Curse this beautiful man!'
Both of her hands reached up to cover her face, causing Aesop to be confused by her action since he was not sure if she was going to start crying again or not. "Ah what is wrong with me...I really fell in love with my kidnapper..."
Perhaps spending the rest of her life with him wasn't as bad she had initially thought.
~~~
Ack I hope you guys found this chapter decent at the very least. Aesop feels very ooc to me so I'll probably come back to fix this mess once I have the time?? Currently facing a little bit of writer's block since my mind is still filled with internship ahaha- I'll still try my best to post at least once a week and finish up some requests xD And I know this is pretty late but happy new year ya'll, hopefully 2021 would be a better year for us!
Anyways the next character in line is our gold digger, Norton Campbell uwu