ANIMAL | a yandere!mental patient x doctor!reader

Chapter One - Prey

Your hands were shaking- all of you, really- from both the cold and the anticipation. It was 5:56 in the morning on a foggy day in February, and you were sitting in Andie's car, an old maroon convertible from the nineties that, as you discovered, did not have the best heating.

"I told you I should've bought some tights," you complained, rubbing your exposed legs. Andie had insisted on a tweed blazer-and-skirt set for you that was undeniably fashionable but provided no insulation, especially since you wore the thin blazer unbuttoned. Suddenly, you felt thankful for the black turtleneck you had on underneath.

"Don't worry," Andie reassured you. "I can always buy you a pair after work if you get too cold."

You smiled and leaned over, laying your head on his shoulder. He pulled away slightly, and you inwardly facepalmed. You forgot he didn't like physical contact. "Sorry. You're the best, babe, and I don't know what I'd do without your styling help." Andie didn't like any term of endearment other than babe. You only figured this out because he had made fun of you when you called him cutie, which was a little disappointing, but no big deal to you.

"It just comes naturally," he said in an proud tone, making a swatting motion at you. "Now, get out, before we're both late."

You glanced over at the digital time display- 6:01- and frantically opened the car door.

The large brick building that was Forrest Psychiatric Hospital was a little drab in person, you admitted to yourself. Two glass doors in the front led into an artificially-lit lobby, complete with uncomfortable plastic waiting-room chairs. Your Mary Janes made a muffled clicking on the white linoleum as you walked up to the main desk, which connected to the wall on either side. The walls were white, too, along with almost every surface, besides the wooden accents. A tall pile of papers stacked on the desk hid the person behind, until they were pushed aside to reveal a young woman, her dark hair pulled back into a sleek ponytail.

"Hi, do you need some help?" she asked, masking her clear exhaustion with a flawless smile.

"Yes, um, I'm here to see Dr. Monroe for my first day."

"Oh, so you're the new psychiatrist, huh? First door on the left."

You gave her an awkward grin and thanked her, heading in the direction that she pointed in until you reached a glossy door labeled 'Dr. Abel Monroe, MD, PhD'. You took a deep breath to compose yourself before knocking. A warm male voice answered from inside, inviting you to come in.

The office was a deep gray mixed with a warm blue, and the only source of light was the floor-to-ceiling window that took up the entire back wall. A man in his sixties sat at the heavy oak desk in the far side of the room. When he heard the door close behind you, he swivelled his chair to face you.

"Miss Y/N! Excellent to see you," he called out in a honeyed voice, the lines around his eyes wrinkling as he smiled. He gestured to a set of daffodil-yellow armchairs in front of his desk. "Please."

"Thank you, sir. It's an honor to be working at a place like this." You took a seat and set your leather satchel down on the carpeted floor. "So, why did you want to see me before I started today?"

"Ah, about that-" he cleared his throat, his cheerful expression faltering for a moment- "I just wanted to personally tell you how impressed I was with what you wrote on your application, and how much I'm expecting from you."

You clasped your hands together, looking down at them humbly. "The whole 'Why do you want to work in psychiatry' part?"

"That's the one."

"You're too kind, sir. I honestly thought I'd be rejected because..." you trailed off, realizing it probably wasn't a good first impression to show your employer that you weren't confident in yourself. You had thought you'd be rejected for both your lack of work experience and the rant you had gone on in that very part about just how dedicated you were to your patients that bordered on sounding unprofessional.