Chapter Text
“Hey, wait a minute- Where are- HEY! GET BACK HERE, YOU LITTLE-"
Thanos stood there for a moment, frozen in utter shock as Dae-ho practically flew out the door. He quickly snapped out of his state of bewilderment and took off after him, his legs flying fast as they carried him into the alleyway.
"HEY! GET BACK HERE! "
Dae-ho sprinted hard, his heart beating hard against his chest as he darted out of the dimly lit alleyway. He heard Thanos' voice, the ghoul's footsteps fast and furious behind him, but he didn't look back.
He couldn't breathe, his legs pumping hard and fast as he ran. He could feel the sweat already starting to bead on his forehead, his body practically on fire from the exertion.
He reached the central park and darted into it, his legs nearly tripping over each other as he turned a corner and kept running.
Thanos ran hard, his long legs carrying him at a pace that was almost impressive. His eyes were locked on Dae-ho's form, his feet pounding against the pavement.
"Get your ass back here right now, or else!" He called out, his tone a mix of anger and… something else. A hint of desperation, though Dae-ho couldn’t quite confirm it. “I’m not going to hurt you, bro! Just quit running!”
"I don't believe you!" Dae-ho called out, not slowing down for a second as he ran through the park.
He could hear Thanos' steps behind him, the ghoul getting closer and closer. Dae-ho pushed himself even harder, his muscles screaming out for him to stop. But he couldn't. He needed to get away, now. "You're a ghoul! Of course you'll hurt me!"
Thanos gritted his teeth, his breathing starting to become labored the more he pushed himself. "That’s a VERY hurtful stereotypical opinion to have, you know!”
He was growing closer now, his own pace having slowed from the effort of chasing Dae-ho. "You're going to hurt yourself if you keep running, damn you!"
Dae-ho felt his breath quicken, the adrenaline starting to set in, making his heart race. He heard Thanos behind him, the ghoul slowly closing the gap between them, but somehow, even though he could've sworn he'd slowed down, Dae-ho managed to keep going.
"I-I don't care!" he panted out, his chest heaving. "I don't care! Just— just don't come after me! I can't..." He gasped, his lungs screaming out for oxygen.
"Stop for a minute! God damn it, just stop running for a second, will you?!" Thanos was just a foot or two behind at that point, his own breathing getting heavy as well.
"Are you really scared I'm going to hurt you? Do you think I'm some kind of feral animal or something?! Fine! I’ll stop first!”
Dae-ho faltered, the ghoul's words catching him off guard. He came to a sudden, jarring halt, panting heavily, his heart racing. He felt his mind getting all fuzzy, his eyes blurry from lack of oxygen.
He heard Thanos stop a few feet away, the ghoul's own breaths heavy and deep, echoing in the now-quiet park. Dae-ho stayed still, his legs trembling too much to move.
The purple haired ghoul stood there for a moment, breathing hard as he slowly tried to catch his breath. When he was able to form a thought, he spoke. "I'm not going to hurt you." He said, his tone suddenly quiet and low. "Why the hell are you running from me like I'm a wild animal?"
Dae-ho tried to steady his breathing, his heart still racing in his chest. The cool night air did nothing to calm his nerves, his body still on the verge of exploding from adrenaline.
"I...I...I was just... I guess I'm... not used to this," he panted out finally, his voice a strained whisper. "People— people like you... are supposed to be bloodthirsty monsters... aren't you? You all… y-you all kill people. Hell, you ripped the head off of that other guy… like it was nothing!”
"That guy was a bastard," Thanos muttered as he spoke, his voice still gruff from being out of breath. He was still staring at Dae-ho, his gaze still unwavering. Despite his efforts to control his own emotions, rage could still be seen in them.
He exhaled through gritted teeth before adding, "I don't hurt people without a reason. I hurt that man because he pissed me off, and he was asking for it.”
Dae-ho nodded numbly, still trying to get his breathing back to normal. The ghoul's words… they were getting to him, he had to admit. It was harder and harder to stay terrified of him.
"Ok..." he muttered, his eyes darting up to meet the ghoul's gaze for a brief moment. "You… you don't hurt people for no reason… okay. But... but you're still dangerous, right? You have to… eat human meat to survive.”
"I-…. Ugh , shut up about the damn meat—" Thanos ran a hand through his hair, looking agitated. His words were short and biting, but he didn't sound nearly as angry as he had before. He seemed tired more than anything else.
"Look, you don't know me. Stop making assumptions about me and my kind. We're not some mindless monsters, alright? We're just… hungry. It’s our only food source besides coffee and water. I wouldn’t do it if I didn’t have to.”
Dae-ho nodded, his eyes shifting back to watch the ghoul carefully. He was starting to feel a little less panicked now, but he was still wary—and still a lot confused.
"I…" he started, the words getting stuck on his tongue. His mind wasn't exactly in the best shape at that point, the events of the night having a strange effect on his already jumbled thoughts. "I'm sorry," he blurted out, his voice quiet and almost shaky. "…for running."
Thanos huffed, rolling his eyes dramatically while he spoke. "Yeah, you should be. Almost gave me a damn heart attack, you know." He shook his head as his expression got softer. "I was kinda worried that you were gonna snitch on the place, y’know? To the CCG. If they found out about that place, shit would hit the fan pretty quickly…”
Dae-ho winced. He felt guilty now. Like a little kid again. "N-no...! I… I'd never do that! Never! I promise!" His voice squeaked as he spoke, his heart clenching in his chest. He fidgeted, his hands twisting nervously in front of him. "I-I won't tell anyone! I swear!"
Thanos rolled his eyes again, but there was a hint of smile on his face. He didn't look nearly as offended as he did before. "I can see how scared you are though," he said, his tone more gentle. "You're shaking like a leaf. Relax."
Dae-ho felt his cheeks heat up, feeling embarrassed that Thanos had noticed his terrified, panicked state. His heartbeat still hadn't fully calmed down, the adrenaline coursing through his veins.
"I'm… I'm trying," he admitted quietly, looking down at the ground. He let out a shaky breath and swallowed hard, the anxiety slowly fading somewhat. "Everything just feels… a bit surreal, you know? I mean… the only reason i’m out here so late is because I wanted a midnight snack, s-so I tried walking to a ramen restaurant… but ended up finding that club of yours, I guess.”
Thanos chuckled, his smirk growing a little. He looked relaxed, his arms crossed in front of him, staring down at Dae-ho, who was a good half of a foot shorter than he was. "A midnight snack, huh? You picked a helluva weird time to go eat ramen, bro."
Dae-ho's face flushes as a mixture of embarrassment and irritation washed over him. "Hey, don't make fun of me, jerk," he said, his voice a little sharper than before, but his eyes still avoiding the ghoul's gaze. "I'm not a little kid. You don't get to laugh at me." He looked back up to realize Thanos’ kagune had disappeared, or maybe it’s been gone for a while now. “So… does that thing just uh.. retract back into you or something..?” He pointed out, taking a step back to observe the two noticeable holes in the ghoul’s shirt, where his shoulder blades were.
"Yeah, it does that," Thanos responded with a short nod, his arms still crossed in front of him as he spoke, his voice even-toned. "It's just a part of my body, really. Comes in handy when I need it, y’know?"
He tilted his head slightly, his expression becoming more thoughtful as he continued to look at Dae-ho. "Did it scare you?”
"It definitely surprised me… at first," Dae-ho admitted, though his voice was a bit more lighthearted now. "I’d never seen that before, so it was pretty unnerving… to be honest. But I’m not gonna lie, it was also kind of… cool too, in a way."
He chuckled softly, looking back up at the ghoul. “Like, it’s… beautiful.”
Thanos' expression went from thoughtful to slightly surprised. It wasn't an expression he was used to being subjected to.
"Beautiful?" He repeated with an unexpected tone of disbelief. "You- You think a weapon of destruction and death is beautiful ?"
Dae-ho felt his face grow warm again, realizing maybe he had said something to offend him. "Well—I mean—it's just… in a way…." He tried to explain. "It's so... it's so strong, and powerful, but—" He took a step closer, trying desperately to find the right words, a look of sincere admiration on his face.
"It's... so fluid, and graceful," he almost whispered, almost getting lost in his own train of thought. "It moves— it moves in such an elegant and... beautiful way. Almost like… an actual bird soaring in the wind. The colors are very pretty, too…!”
Thanos just stared, at first in surprise, and then in complete and utter confusion, as the young man continued to go on a little monologue. The ghoul honestly didn't know what to say, his brain trying to process the bizarre words that came out of Dae-ho's mouth.
"… you're weird."
Dae-ho's eyes immediately flew wide open, the sudden realization of what he said slowly setting in. "W-what?" He sputtered out, "What do you mean, I'm weird?! There's nothing weird about noticing beauty when you see it—it's just a fact!"
He crossed his arms, pouting as he stepped backwards. "You're the weird one, you're the one with flamey bird wings!”
Thanos huffed, a bit annoyed. He had no idea what to say. "You do realize that those 'flamey bird wings' of mine have killed people , right?"
"Y-yeah, I know that! But… that's not the point!" The human protested, crossing his arms, a petulant look on his face. "You can appreciate a beautiful thing and still know it's dangerous, it's not mutually exclusive!"
"…." Thanos was silent, his brow furrowing as he tried to make sense of what the older man was arguing, but he just couldn’t.
"You can't just call a dangerous thing 'beautiful' like that. My kagune is a tool. A weapon. An instrument for killing. It isn't some art project that you find at a museum. You can't just call it pretty ."
"Why not?" Dae-ho huffed, his eyes narrowed defensively. "Just because something's dangerous doesn't mean it can't be beautiful! You're just being mean!"
He stomped his foot, his jaw clenching in frustration. "And just because you use it for killing people, that doesn't mean no one else is allowed to admire it!" Dae-ho retorted, his voice slightly louder than before.
“Like, a gun can be a weapon, but it can also be designed to look aesthetically pleasing, you know? It's the same thing! You just can't see the beauty in it because you're always seeing it as a tool, a part of you that's made for murder and nothing more. But it's more than that, it's…"
He stopped, catching himself.
Dae-ho took a deep breath, realizing he was starting to sound too passionate about something that he maybe shouldn't be. He glanced back up at Thanos, his expression becoming neutral.
"What I'm trying to say," he said with a sigh, "is that I can appreciate something for being dangerous, and also appreciate its aesthetic value. There's a balance there, a delicate fine line that needs to be walked carefully, but the two aren't necessarily exclusive of each other. One doesn't have to negate the other, you know?"
Thanos stood there, bewildered, his arms crossed and his eyes fixed on Dae-ho's face as he spoke with such fervor. The ghoul looked so confused, so lost, that he didn't know how to react. He was so used to fighting and killing and eating that he just didn't know how to handle this. "I…"
He exhaled softly, the words seeming to get stuck in his throat momentarily. "I don’t… understand how you see that, or why you see that. But… I don’t have the energy to argue about it all night.”
Dae-ho’s expression softened, seeing that Thanos might actually be quite exhausted, both physically and mentally. He huffed in resignation, his tone becoming much more calm. "Well… okay, maybe you're just tired," he said with a gentle sigh. "Maybe we could… put this on hold?" He offered a small smile.
"Mmn, I'm… I'm not tired…"
Thanos paused, considering this for a moment, before mumbling, under his breath, "… maybe a little bit tired…"
Looking up at Dae-ho, he let out a long heavy sigh, the words coming out slowly and unenthusiastically.
"Yeah, alright. We can… put it on hold…"
Dae-ho couldn't help but feel a slight sense of relief to know that he wasn't the only one who was getting a bit tired. He let out a soft chuckle, his arms uncrossing, and letting his shoulders slump down. "Sorry, I… I can be a bit pushy at times. Uhm… I’m guessing this is where we part ways, huh?”
Thanos gave a slight nod, slowly uncrossing his own arms, and letting them fall limply to his sides. "Yeah, I think so."
He was surprisingly quiet. He just stared at Dae-ho for a moment, his expression unreadable, his eyes shifting to the side a couple of times.
"… Can I give you my number?”
Dae-ho's expression instantly brightened. "Oh! Yeah, of course! Sure, um… here's…" He rummage his pockets, fishing out his cellphone. "Let me just…"
He yoinked it out and opened up his contacts, holding the phone out to him after. "There ya go!" He said with a small, sheepish smile, trying to hide his excitement.
The ghoul looked at the phone, for a moment, his expression unreadable.
He looked back up from the device and exhaled, a small sigh escaping his lips. He slowly took the phone from Dae-ho and typed his number into the contacts. "Mm, there..." He looked at the screen, as if he felt the need to confirm that it was his own number, before reluctantly handing the phone back to the human.
Dae-ho took the phone back, looking at the screen. He smiled to himself as he saw the new contact, feeling a sense of warm fluttering in his chest.
"… thank you," he murmured quietly, his expression softening. He looked up at the ghoul, the corners of his eyes crinkling as he gave a small smile. "And, um… thank you for not eating me, too."
Thanos had an almost sheepish smirk on his face as he raised his shoulders nonchalantly. "Mm, no problem. I guess..."
He looked at Dae-ho for a moment, his gaze slightly softened. "You're… not that bad. For a human, I mean. Pretty chill if you ask me.”
Dae-ho felt his face warm, a small smile pulling up his cheeks. He chuckled softly, his heart fluttering in his chest. "Oh? Am I like, the… coolest human you've met?" He teased, raising his eyebrows jokingly.
Thanos let out a soft huff. "Yeah, yeah, yeah… Maybe. But it's not exactly a difficult title to win," the ghoul muttered with a slight eye roll. He paused, thinking for a moment, staring at Dae-ho with intense eyes. "… You are a little weird, though."
Dae-ho playfully stuck out his tongue, his face reddening further. "Pffttt—" He let out a short laugh, feigning to be offended. "Oh shut up, I'm not that weird. I'm a very normal person, okay? Just because I'm a bit… intense… sometimes, doesn't make me a weirdo."
Thanos rolled his eyes again, crossing his own arms. "Hah. Yeah, sure. If being too weird is totally your normal," he deadpanned. "But… I guess it's not terrible. You seem…"
He almost said 'kinda nice', and quickly changed the word to something less affectionate. "I guess I could deal with you for a little while, I guess."
Dae-ho frowned, “And what exactly does ‘a little while’ mean?? Am I gonna bore you eventually!?”
"… Probably," Thanos deadpanned, his expression unchanging. "You're annoying."
"Hey!" Dae-ho protested, his expression becoming indignant. "I'm not annoying! I'm… fun! And cool! And—and nice, even!"
“-And i’m going home.” Thanos announced, turning on his heels and walking in the opposite direction. “Walk safely, and don’t be a stranger!” He waved behind him without looking back.
"Hey, wa—-!" Dae-ho sputtered out, his expression turning panicked as he took quick strides to catch up. "Where do you gotta go in such a hurry?!"
"Home," Thanos grumbled over his shoulder, not bothering to slow down. "I'm tired, and I'm getting hungry. You don’t need to see me when i’m hungry.”
"Oh, uh…" Dae-ho slowed down a bit as he caught up with him, a sheepish feeling appearing in his chest.
He glanced down at the ground, suddenly embarrassed for some reason. "Right… yeah, go home and rest, then. And… and eat something. I mean, don't… don't die or something from being hungry, okay? Don't—don't get like… weak or…"
He stopped himself, realizing he was babbling.
"Ghouls can go for ages without eating. I'm not just gonna keel over and pass on, you know…" Thanos mumbled tiredly, looking over his shoulder. “Go home, bro. Someone might see you as a free meal.”
"That… uhm," Dae-ho paused, a slight blush appearing on his cheeks.
"That actually makes perfect sense, yeah! I should definitely get home before someone sees how… tempting I look!" He laughed awkwardly, forcing himself to stop following. "I'm—I'm gonna go, then. Good-uh, good-bye."
"Mmn, yeah… good-bye, i guess…" Thanos huffed faintly, his shoulders drooping tiredly. His face was unreadable, so it's hard to tell if he's actually disappointed that Dae-ho was leaving.
"Walk safely."
"I will," Dae-ho promised, waving back. He watched the ghoul walk forward with a small smile, his heart fluttering in his chest. Once Thanos was completely out of sight, he let out a soft exhale, his shoulders relaxing.
He took out his phone to check the new contact, looking at the name "Choi Su-bong", and a small spark of excitement ignited inside his chest.
‘What a great night to go out for a snack run…’