Chapter Text
Moonlight danced across the river, shimmering and sparkling in the way only something so inherently beautiful could.
Beomgyu could feel the droplets of sweat roll down his back, humidity-rich in the summer air. The sun had just set, the last orange amber dying out as he and his date exited the movie theater.
It was a bit awkward to say the least.
The pair had met up at a coffee shop near the theater, smiling and greeting each other before realizing that if they didn't sprint that second, they would have been late. Only to later learn there was a good 15 minutes of random ads left to play before the show.
To make it worse, they didn't watch the trailer or even glance at a review. Meaning, that while their movie was marketed as horror, perfect to comfort the other if they flinched with fear, it was the complete opposite. More of an attempt at horror, so mediocre it became a laughable comedy with one too many sex scenes on a first date.
Beomgyu's cheeks were flushed as he kicked a pebble with his foot. Silence hung heavy in the air as they walked. Beomgyu's date, Kim Ha-joon, was dressed in dark, sleek clothes, his auburn hair catching in the wind.
Stealing his voice, Beomgyu finally broke the ice, “So,” he sings, “what, uh, did you think about the movie Ha-joon-ssi?”
Ha-joon stops in his tracks, slowly turning to look at Beomgyu with bulging eyes. “Terrfrying.” His tone was direct, as if there was no possible way anyone else could disagree. The man's voice trembled as he continued, picking up his pace and heading straight towards what seemed like an endless line of customers standing before a food truck. Likely the same one Taehyun had recommended. “It was absolutely terrifying. Horrific even.”
Speed walking to catch up, Beomgyu rushed to meet his side. “Really? I didn't think it was that scary. Maybe a little bloody, but not too bad. What was scary to you about it?”
“How could you not be scared!” Ha-joon turned on the heel on his foot, grabbed Beomgyu’s shoulder, and began shaking him.
It was kinda sweet, the way he was so shaken up by such a silly horror movie.
“How could she have possibly gotten away with it? She didn't even clean up the evidence, forgot to wear gloves, and I bet her hair was left all over the place. You should be much more prepared when committing murder. I mean, she didn't even cut his carotid. It'd make sense if she wanted to see that gorgeous light in his eyes fade away, maybe even if she wanted to torture him. Her killing wasn't efficient at all. Her boyfriend could have called for help!”
… Never fucking mind. This guy is insane.
Beomgyu tried to keep his face neutral, but the best he could do was an uncomfortable smile. “Sorry, I don't think I heard you right.”
“The police incompetence was ridiculous!” He shouted, wagging his finger in the air.
“Oh,” Beomgyu sighed, “that's what you meant!”
“I mean, if all investigations were that inept, everyone would be killing people all the time. It would be the purge every day.”
“Haha, you so right Ha-joon-ssi!” Beomgyu chuckled as he slowly shuffled away.
“You can call me Hyung, Beomgyu-ah.”
He froze, his smile tight. “Ha. Ha. Ha. Alright, Ha-joon Hyung.”
The hot ones. It is always the hot ones.
Was this guy going to kill him? Peel his skin off with a knife, all slow. Rip him apart, layer by layer, until he was nothing but skin and bones. A nice decoration to place outside his house for Halloween.
Beomgyu is so utterly fucked.
“Beomgyu-ah?” Ha-joon snapped his fingers in front of his face, bringing him out of his daze. “I'm joking.” But his date didn't laugh, just looked straight through Beomgyu, like he was pinpointing every major artery he could cut that wasn't covered by cloth.
When they met up for coffee, and Ha-joon was staring at his neck, Beomgyu assumed it was because he liked his necklace. But maybe it was just his veins instead.
“Of course! I knew that from the start, Hyung.” Beomgyu avoided eye contact, worried the truth would be found there. “Actually, my leg has been cramping. I'll go sit down, and maybe you can order the food for us. If that's alright.”
The world stopped for a second.
“Sure, no worries, sit down. Your feet will hurt with all the running.”
Beomgyu could feel the blood in his veins turn ice cold. “... Running?”
“Ha! I meant standing. Go ahead and sit down, Beomgyu-ah.”
And Beomgyu did. Until Ha-joon turned away to squint at the menu pasted on the side of the truck. The second that happened, Beomgyu glided away and hid behind the biggest thing he could.
The truck itself.
Reaching into his pocket, he took out his lighter, flicking off the top and staring into the blue flame. “Fucking hell.” His cigarette pack clattered to the ground.
“What are you hiding from?”
Beomgyu's soul jumped out of his skin. Beside him stood a tall man dressed in a denim apron. Dyed silver strands of hair peeked out from under his cap. He looked tired, his back pressed against the side of his truck like he couldn't bother standing any longer. “Are you on the run or something?” His voice was nasally yet sweet, just as sweet as the lollipop sticking out of his mouth.
“Shhhh,” He whispered, glancing back to where he last saw his alleged axe murdering date. “I’m obviously a prince from a distant land, and I’ll pay you handsomely if you keep your trap shut!” Beomgyu whispered, shouted.
“Uh-huh. Sure.” The man bent down and picked up the ciggs, but not before taking one out and placing it between his lips. The lollipop now clenched between his knuckles. “I take a light instead.”
Beomgyu groaned and brought the flame close, the man’s hands cupping around it. “Who are you anyway?”
The man chuckled. He took off his hat and ran his fingers through his hair before slumping against the wall of the truck. With one last puff, he handed the cigarette over with a grin. “I work here.” He knocked on the metallic wall, and a high-pitched squeal said hello back. “What about you?”
“I brought a date here. And I’m pretty sure that handsome bastard would chop me up and eat me rather than any of the food he should be in line for.” A growl echoes. Beomgyu looks down and clutches his stomach, embarrassed. The last of his cigarette fell to the ground before it could be finished.
“Wait here.” His earrings chimed as he walked a few paces and swung open the door of the truck.
Honestly, it made Beomgyu contemplate. If he wanted, he could just leave, zigzag a path through the crowd of people, maybe even phone a friend or get a taxi home. But the risk of running into his date let a cold streak rush over him, and he very quickly realized that the weeds and dirt behind a food truck is more comfortable than it should be. (But, just in case, Beomgyu unlocks his phone and quickly sends over a text message to the friend that got him into this mess.)
It probably took less than three minutes, and the handsome guy was back, a brown bag held between his teeth and two beer bottles in hand. “Didn’t think you’d stay, Princess.” The bag had stained blotches peppered across its surface, and Beomgyu does his best to try to avoid them as it is handed over to him.
Beomgyu's ears perk up; they prickle with something warm and sweet at the word. Princess. Respected. Worshiped. Loved. Important. “Lucky you, I guess.”
“You drink?” Condensation slides off the glass bottle. “If not, just more for me.”
He snatches one from the other’s hands and hugs it against his chest, “I need this, actually. And don’t you still have to go back to work after this? Should you be manning the grill tipsy?”
The taller man places the bottle against a sharp edge of the truck, and in one sharp motion, the top goes flying off, landing in a patch of dirt and grass. A few more caps were scattered around the same area.
“I’ll be fine.” With an open hand directed toward him, the obligation is obvious. Beomgyu places the beer in his hand, their palms brushing against each other. And just like that, another bottle cap joins the growing family in the dirt. “How’d you know your date is a murderer?” Smugly, the man took a swig of his drink.
“We watched a horror movie, and he talked about why the torture wasn’t effective, and that everyone would be a killer if the police didn’t make it illegal.”
Coughing erupted from the man beside him, and he hammered his chest to get himself to start breathing again. “God. Yeah. Best to run from that.”
The man’s eyes sparkle, his smile so dazzling and bright, and everything seems so insignificant in comparison. “The river.” The whisper escapes past his lips before he can even think. He is ever more beautiful than the moonlight as it dances across the water.
He cocks his brow, “What?” His gaze swimming in confusion and so many questions.
“Oh! Uh- yeah, he was just staring into the river a lot. Part of me thought he would dump me there after he gutted me like a fish.”
The other’s eyes bulged out of his head. Like true fear had reached him. The type of fear Beomgyu expected his date would express had he been of sound body and mind. And just like that, the man starts bouncing his foot, anxiety radiating off of him. “Don’t say that-”
A loud horn roars like a lion. A large car pulled up, and in the driver's seat sat a worried Taehyun, waving his hand this way and that.
As Beomgyu looked down, a lithe tan hand was clutching his own, and the taller man had curled in on himself and close to Beomgyu’s side for protection. “You okay?” Beomgyu questions, stoking the other’s side. After he nodded a yes, Beomgyu steeled himself, already feeling guilty for nothing in particular, and yet everything at the same time. “That’s … my ride, actually. He gathered his belongings, as in he double checked his phone and keys were in absolutely big pockets all women are jealous of, and snipped the last of the beer he had left. “Thanks … for everything. I appreciate it.”
The man slowly stood up and watched as Beomgyu ran away, his speed only increasing after Taehyun beeped his horn once again. Then, right as he reached the door, he heard a muffled shout, “Let me know how the next date goes, Princess!”
Beomgyu's cheeks arched from how hard he smiled, and he spun around and replied, “I’ll see you right after it!”