Chapter Text
It all started with space.
Okay, not really. It actually started with an incredibly prestigious astrophysics program, which was like space for people with too many medical issues to be astronauts. The university only let in the best of the best, so Kaito Momota had leapt at the chance to move across the country when his acceptance letter came.
Distance hadn't been a concern, but money...yeah, that had been. And this university catered to rich people, so all the housing around campus was expensive as hell. But what Kaito lacked in funds he made up for in desperation, which led him to his new home.
Something was weird about the one bedroom Kaito was renting, though he wasn't sure what. But there had to be something—one look at the price made that clear, especially when nothing seemed to be wrong with the place.
All the utilities worked, and while it wasn't huge or fancy he still had a bedroom, a kitchen, a decently sized bathroom and some nice closets next to the entrance. The neighborhood was nice and he wasn't even far from a train station, with the university only a few stops away.
("Someone definitely died there," Maki had said, hauntingly casual as she'd taken in the details on Kaito's laptop screen. "Definitely a murder or a suicide. That's the only reason it would be so cheap."
"Do you want me to look into it?" Shuichi had asked, already pulling out his phone. But Kaito had visibly paled at the thought of confirming someone had…died…in the place he was about to move to, and his friends had quickly changed the subject.)
Kaito thought he could force himself to live with it if he just kept up a certain degree of willful ignorance, and for a time he even succeeded. The boxes got unpacked, the nightmares stopped after a night or two, and by the first week Kaito started to forget he'd ever been frightened.
It was almost like the house had been waiting for him to settle in before showing its true colors.
Weird, unexplainable things started happening once he had finished unpacking. It started small at first, simple enough that Kaito thought his mind was just playing tricks on him. Surely he was just tired from adjusting to uni, and that was the reason why objects seemed to move when his back was turned, or why he'd sometimes see things from the corner of his eye.
The noises were harder to ignore. Cabinets slamming when they should have already been closed, the TV turning on when he was in the other room…he’d tried to rationalize it every time, but Kaito couldn’t stop the goosebumps from forming on his skin.
It all came to a tipping point one night as he was drifting off to sleep. He was on the verge of unconsciousness when the sound of the shower turning on broke through the quiet, shocking him awake. Kaito had jumped out of bed in an instant, grabbing a science fair trophy off the dresser as he opened the door and peeked out into his hallway.
The bathroom light wasn't on, but someone's humming carried over the sound of the water. Kaito gripped the trophy in his trembling hands and, wielding it like a club, slowly made his way toward the bathroom.
The voice kept humming in the dark, boyish and cheery and well-at-home. Kaito waited outside the bathroom door for a long time, willing himself to touch the doorknob or simply not faint. He wasn't sure how long he ended up standing there before he forced himself to fling the door open and brandish his weapon.
But as soon as the door was open he was met with silence: no voice, no shower running. Almost like he'd imagined it all. Needing it to be true, Kaito turned the light on and threw open the shower curtain.
Not only was the inside of the shower still wet, but in the steam someone had written a message in a childish scrawl:
HIYA, ROOMIE :)
He'd promptly called Shuichi and freaked out.
"Maybe someone just snuck in!" Kaito finished hopefully, still in near-hysterics.
"I don't think you should be hoping for a home intruder, Kaito," came Shuichi's tired reply, voice stained with equal parts fondness and exasperation.
"You don't understand bro, I'd rather have someone secretly living in my walls than a gh-gh-gh—" he choked on a nauseous breath, too terrified to get the word out.
"Are you sure it wasn't just a dream?"
"I've never been more awake in my life!" Unable to channel the anxious energy any other way, he started pacing. "And I know I was awake earlier, too! I felt like I was about to shit my pants in fear, and I'm still too freaked out to go to the bathroom!"
Shuichi made a noise that sounded like he didn't appreciate having that information. "Maybe you should move out, if it's this bad?"
"You know I can't do that bro, or I never would have chosen to live here in the first place." Pushing a trembling hand through his hair, he tried to even his breathing. "Okay, I can do this. I'll sleep in a manga cafe tonight, and starting tomorrow I'll just spend all my time on campus. I can kill time at the library, eat combini food every day so I don’t have to cook..."
"Kaito, you can't expect to get through all of university like that!"
"Try me!" Energized by newfound motivation and terrified nerves, Kaito started packing a bag. “You just watch bro, I’ll make it through all four years without ever stepping foot in this place again! And I’ll pass with flying colors!”
Shuichi gave a noise of concern, though it quickly tapered off into a sleepy hum. Glancing at his phone, Kaito silently cursed.
“Shit, I forgot how late it was. Don’t let me keep you up, I’ve basically packed all I need for tonight so I can...probably handle getting out the door without you sticking around.”
In a true testament to how tired he was, Shuichi mumbled affirmatively and hung up without commenting on the obvious false bravado in his friend's voice. Kaito was left staring at the phone, already tempted to call Shuichi back as the silence fell around him with the heaviness of an unknown gaze.
But no, he couldn’t just keep leaning on his sidekick for moral support!! Kaito Momota was a man who supported others, he didn’t make them share his sleepless hours! Shoving his phone into his pocket, Kaito hefted his half-full backpack and turned toward the door.
...leaving the bedroom…meant going into that hallway again…
Kaito slapped his face with both hands, forcing himself from thinking about the fear. He’d just turn on all the lights and he’d be fine. And his bedroom wasn't far from the front door, so he’d barely be out there at all. Besides, if there was a ghost it wasn’t like hiding in his room would protect him from it….
...Shivers running down his spine, Kaito suddenly felt no hesitation about flinging open his bedroom door and rushing out of there. He slammed the hallway lights on as he went, careful not to look in the direction of the bathroom, and then turned on the lamp near the entryway as he hurried into his shoes. It took him a second to force his feet into his sandals and then he leapt to unlock the front door, partially proud that he’d managed to not look at anything at all during the whole process.
Freedom close at hand, his fingers quickly twisted at the lock. It didn’t move.
He tried again, harder, but the lock refused to budge. His fear-frozen mind took a few seconds to process he needed to change gears before Kaito grabbed at the door handle instead, yanking until the door rattled loudly.
But all he managed to do was scare himself with the noise, the door refusing to open even as he tugged. “What the hell…? Is it broken?” Finally looking up from his feet, he raised his head to inspect the door only to come face-to face with a note taped to it, the handwriting terrifyingly familiar:
Come back in the morning OR ELSE
Just as he finished reading the last word, the click of the lock turning shot through the silence. The door was open.
Kaito rushed out into the night, cold sweat pouring down his face.