Chapter Text
Shen Yuan squinted at the small cup sitting innocently on his table.
It was the best he could do at this hour of the morning, the instant coffee powder as solvent to the small amount of milk he had left as solute. Had he not pulled an all-nighter and went grocery shopping on time, he would not have been left with such a choice. But he needed to be awake for today's lecture, and if a sketchy internet advice was what he had left, then he would take it.
Alright,he braced himself.
He blocked his nose and swallowed it down like a shot. Then tried to cough up his throat at the bitter taste that assaulted his sense of taste.
But he did feel more awake than a couple of hours before, so he counted it as a win and went on his way.
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Wrong.
Shen Yuan stared at the towering shadow behind his professor, whose eyes seemed to glow whenever the lights dimmed even slightly, or shadows fell on it.
He tried not to look too bewildered, and play it cool. The girl next to him gave him a pitying look and offered him some of her choice drink, and Shen Yuan accepted it gratefully.
After all, it wouldn't do to tell the professor he was hallucinating at 8 in the morning. It simply wouldn't do! Nor could he nap on his desk. The caffeine burned through his veins, even though he could not sense it physically.
He could not sleep, he could not speak, and if he lost his hearing now, he might as well disintegrate!
He sipped his drink quietly, and observed.
The illusionary figure seemed to be made of darkness and ashes, appearing to continuously leave a trail of disintegration and smoke in its wake. Shadows emanated from its being, like it was what kept him together.
Shen Yuan also got the distinct sense that it was tethering to him. Even as it seemed to look at the professor, it's real focus of attention was him.
Also the distinct feeling that “it” was a man.
But why bother with pronouns? It wasn't even real, just a vivid post all-nighter hallucination.
Said hallucination suddenly looked straight at him from it's perch on the professor’s table, its eyes casually scanning the students and pausing on him. His lax posture leaning against the table, and his cool stare, made Shen Yuan feel a prickle beneath his skin. It didn't seem so ‘not real’ now. He stopped staring and instead focused on his notes.
….
When he looked up again, the illusion had disappeared, and his professor stood alone on the dais. He felt slightly disappointed, but he wasn't sure why. Maybe it was because his drink was finished.
He'd ask for the name later…
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No.6…0…9.., He pressed the digits on the vending machine. And pressed the ‘OK’ button.
It whirred to life,the sound shaking Shen Yuan up from the daze of thoughts he had fallen into. He suddenly felt like making sound for the sake of it, but Shang Qinghua wouldn't be around until the next couple of hours, and he didn't wish to embarrass himself in public. He remained silent.
The drink fell into his hands as he kneeled to pick it up, it's coldness a welcome change to the humid weather.
He stood up and opened the can, relishing in the sound of the cold drink cracking open, and took a long, well deserved sip.
Only to look up and meet eyes with who had to be…the shadow from the morning lecture!
His eyes strayed to its face, and felt a sudden urge to grab it. Those eyes were vibrant, unnatural red, but yet they did not make it seem ugly or abhorrent in the slightest.
His heart stopped, the fresh influx of caffeine in his system giving him energy and making every color more vibrant than before. Red on his lips fuller, his hair a dark and mesmerizing shade. He nearly spewed a parade of praises then and there.
But he didn't, because he recognised it. Why was his subconscious coming up with such unrealistic illusions?
He wasn't actually standing in front of Shen Yuan. He just stood beside the vending machine, staring at him. Shen Yuan stared back, not really focusing.
Someone tapped on his shoulder. Shen Yuan turned to check,and the illusion dissapeared once more.
This time, he felt uneasy. His heart was racing and his knees felt weak. Why was he feeling scared?
Weird.
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This time, he decided to not take any chances; the moment he was done for the day, he caught a taxi, cancelled his plans with Shang Qinghua, and headed home. He had already been seeing the same hallucination for most of the day; he'd rather be in tip top shape for next week, even though he had to sacrifice his only actual social interaction for the day.
Again, something felt off. He kept pinning it on sleep deprivation, but even he was starting to doubt how much of it was his imagination. He looked out of the window.
He'd rather not take chances.
As he driver drove up to his apartment block, he began to feel eyes on his neck again. This time he leaned back on his seat, and turned around slowly.
He very nearly jumped out of his skin.
Once again, the vibrant eyes stared at him. Their owner seemed relaxed, but something about his posture suggested that he could easily be done with Shen Yuan if he wanted to.
“Again?”, Shen Yuan felt himself mutter.
His only response was silence.
On the other hand, this was probably his vivid and exhausted imagination, so he doubted there was much to be done. He continued to sit in silence with this unexpected, imaginary, passenger.
It was gone once more when he left the taxi.
Huh. Felt like a weird urban horror story.
He climbed up the stairs to his apartment. The lights flickered, which was unusual, but Shen Yuan tried to pay no mind to it.
The climb felt long and arduous. He kept feeling chills down his back. He would look behind, and there would be no one, but he would continue to feel stares on his back.
He was being stalked. By a ghost. Maybe.
Fear made its way through his throat, but swallowed it down. He was just being paranoid. Maybe Shen Jiu was finally rubbing off on him. His nerves must be frayed from the long day.
He opened his apartment door, and closed it just as quickly. He kept feeling increasingly uneasy. He felt scared, like he was a kid in a dark room.
He put his dinner take-out on a plate and ate it. Once he was done, he lay down on the couch and switched some random dramas to lull himself into sleep.
He felt eyes on him all the same.
he wants he wants he wants he wants he wants he wants-
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“…..errrgh….” Shen Yuan groaned, as he stretched.
The warm sunlight filtered into the room, casting it in a warm glow. Shen Yuan rubbed his eyes, not feeling as exhausted anymore. The lights were off, he must have switched them off before he fell asleep on the couch. The tv was still on though, and something old timey was playing on it.
He rubbed his eyes a little more. A dark shape looked at him from its seat on the other end of the couch, ready to attack him.
Shen Yuan moved.
Suddenly, he didn't feel so sleepy anymore. He jolted from his relaxed poise on the couch, holding his remote in defence,but the man had disappeared with an angry hiss, and a glare.
What the fuck.
…
Okay.
…
What the fuck,, he thought, still trying to process the morning fright. Also, How the fuck did I end up with a ghost haunting me, but it was more of a background noise compared to his groggy mind trying to understand anything.
He decided that once he got ready, he was definitely calling Shang Qinghua.
Something really weird was going on.
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Also, who the fuck had posted that shit advice? He was gonna tear them a new one.