pairing: BaekLay
length: 1341 words

“Oh god, Yixing, why did I let you talk me into watching this?!”

“What?! You were the one who wanted to see this movie!” Yixing shot back as he nervously wiped his sweaty palms against the blanket that was currently draped over him and his boyfriend.

“Only because you mentioned it last week! I thought you were subtly trying to get me to warm up to the idea, since you knew I would say no!” Baekhyun yelped as he pressed against the older male even closer and tugged the blanket more securely around them when the ominous crunching of footsteps grew louder and louder.

“I didn’t think you were even paying attention to me when I said that!”

“You dummy, I always pay attention to you!” Baekhyun retorted before letting out a high-pitched squeal when the screen in front of them darkened and the sound of rough, labored breathing wreathed around them. “Oh no, oh no, they’re going to die!”

“Of course they’re going to die!” Yixing shakily said. “They’re absolute idiots for walking into that creepy, rundown house after midnight! And they didn’t even bring a flashlight!”

“Who does that?! How can people have such little sense of self-preservation?!” The younger male clamped his hands over his ears when the coarse breathing turned into thunderous, guttural growls. “And when that tall brunette chick—I don’t even remember their names anymore—purposely knocked down that vase, I can’t believe she had the audacity to say it wasn’t her fault the monster got angry!”

“Right?!” Yixing pulled up the blanket so that his eyes were just barely peeking over the edge as the couple continued watching the shadows of the beast circle menacingly around the group of frightened teenagers. “The writing was on the wall! Literally! No human could’ve slashed the walls of that room like that unless they were Wolverine! And that blonde guy was so stupid! Why did he think it was okay to throw a shard of glass at the monster?! He’s just asking to get murdered!”

Suddenly, eerie minor-key music played as the teenagers bolted from the room while screaming at the top of their lungs. The roars from the beast added to the cacophony and splashes of red painted the dilapidated wooden walls.

Both Baekhyun and Yixing screeched as they grabbed each other for comfort and screwed their eyes shut, unable to continue watching the gruesome scene in front of them as the dying cries of the foolish teenagers filled the air.

As a chilly silence enveloped the atmosphere once more and the camera focused on the sole survivor of the massacre, both males hesitantly opened their eyes but refused to untangle themselves from their hug.

“What d’you think is gonna happen next?” Baekhyun whispered fearfully as they watched the petite raven-haired girl gingerly sneak away from the gory display left of her friends’ remains.

“I dunno,” Yixing whispered back, his hands clasped tightly around his boyfriend’s. “I can’t believe she actually survived. I honestly thought everyone was a goner once the monster caught them.”

“At this point, she just needs to run away as fast as she can and never look back,” Baekhyun said, his eyebrows furrowed with concern as the girl continued to tiptoe around the derelict property. “If she doesn’t get out now, she’s dead meat for sure.”

“You don’t think this’ll turn out to be some twisted version of Beauty and the Beast, right?” Yixing asked, slightly tilting his head so he could look at his boyfriend’s face—which was very pale at the moment, but the older male knew he probably didn’t look any better, given how many goose bumps were raised all across his arms. “With the girl and the monster somehow falling in love or something like that?”

The younger male shuddered in response. “I hope not. He killed all her friends! Which they kinda deserved, to be honest, but still!”

“And she trespassed onto his property,” Yixing added. “There’s no way a relationship would ever work between them. It’d be built on fear, distrust, and who knows what else…”

As much as their brains screamed at them to turn off the television, the couple stayed glue in their spot on the couch and continued watching the film with bated breaths as the raven-haired survivor deftly evaded the bloodthirsty beast. She seemed to be looking for something specific, but because the two males had hid their faces during most of the movie, they had no idea what she could possibly be trying to find.

And the gigantic beast lurked in the shadows, ever-present and on-guard, as if he knew that one victim still existed for him to snuff out.

Just as the girl reached the attic, which was even more dingy than the rest of the house, she suddenly found herself face-to-face with the monster, who had smartly predicted her movements. She instantly shrieked as she tried to jump back down to the fourth floor, forgoing the ladder in her haste, but the monster was ready for her and zipped past her like a puff of black clouds. And his menacing claws were waiting for her as she landed the jump and instantly scooped her up, impaling in the chest.

From then on, it was another gruesome display as the monster tore her to shreds, like he had down with her friends, and both males whimpered loudly as they held onto each other for support.

Once the raven-haired girl’s screams finally came to an end, Baekhyun grabbed the remote control and shut off the television while Yixing flicked on the lamp light next to him. Soothing brightness filled the room, causing both males to exhale loudly in relief.

“We are never doing that ever again,” Baekhyun firmly declared as he slumped against his boyfriend, completely exhausted from the entire ordeal. “I’d rather lock myself in a tank full of ice than have to ever watch another gruesome horror film in my entire life.”

“You’re right,” Yixing agreed as he the younger male’s hair, also too tired to actually move himself and his boyfriend off of the couch. “Next time I ever get a crazy idea like that, I give you permission to throw water at my face like they do in Korean dramas.”

“You sure?” Baekhyun smirked and raised his eyebrows conspiratorially. “That’s a lot of power you giving me,” he sang out as he nuzzled against the older male’s neck.

“Don’t make me regret it,” Yixing teasingly warned as he lightly flicked his pointer finger against his boyfriend’s smooth forehead. “Should we go to bed now or stay here?”

“Let’s just lay here for a bit longer,” Baekhyun answered with a loud yawn. “My body has no more energy right now.”

“Same here,” the older male said, yawning right after him. “Good thing we bought a big couch,” he mumbled sleepily as they shifted on their sides while still holding each other close. “We might never have to go to bed ever again.”

“You’re a silly goose,” Baekhyun affectionately commented as he bumped noses with his boyfriend. “But if we were ever in the same situation as those teenagers, you wouldn’t leave me to die, right?”

“We’d never be in that situation in the first place,” Yixing sensibly pointed out. “We’re way smarter than them. Or at least I hope we are.”

“Hypothetically speaking though,” the younger male reiterated.

“Of course I wouldn’t leave you,” Yixing reassured him with another light flick. “I’d pull you out of there faster than the monster would be able to blink.” He paused for a moment. “Uh, I don’t actually remember if it has eyelids, but you get the point. There’s no way I’d let us stay any longer than we had to if we were forced into a situation like that.”

“And I’d do the same for you,” Baekhyun said with a sweet smile.

With that, they lay comfortably in each other’s arms and let their now-steady heartbeats guide them to a peaceful sleep where no monsters could ever reach them.

♈♈♈