"You're a nice person, mister spider... But I still don't get why you won't tell me your name."

"Shut up. Stop talking."

Baekho pouted and lifted his head to see Minhyun turning away from him. "You didn't want to kill them, did you?"

Minhyun's change in expression was a dead giveaway to Baekho's guess. "What are you saying? I'm not as nice as you think I am! I killed the bat hybrid."

"That's not true. I saw it just now. The dead bodies down there. Each of them had a cracked bone or skull. You were probably just putting them out of their misery, weren't you?" Baekho continued and Minhyun started getting uncomfortable. He wanted to get out but Baekho held on, stopping the spider hybrid from getting up. "A-and you only killed the bat hybrid because it attacked your home! And... And me." 

"Get off."

"No. Why are you trying to run? Why won't you just be honest with me?"

"I said get off!" Minhyun hissed and tried to push Baekho away but he didn't have any strength in his arms to do so. He felt weak, having been read by the other.

"Please tell me. Something must've had happened to you for you to be behaving like this."

"Nngh-" Minhyun froze and gaped at Baekho. He panted and shut his eyes tightly. "Just like you... I was hurt before."

Baekho gasped a little. "How did y-"

"You have nightmares and the only way to make you stop crying or whimpering was to hold you to sleep," Minhyun said in a softer tone. Baekho guessed that was why he would wake up with Minhyun hugging him. "And your habit of curling up was the only way you could think to defend yourself. You didn't retaliate or get angry no matter how far I push you. If you tell me what made you like this... Maybe I'll... Tell you."

"I... Was a kid back then but my friends and I were absolutely mischievous. We entered someone's garden sneakily once and I got caught. I was punished for it, hurt and no one came for my rescue even though I called and screamed... That's why. That's why I always feel safe whenever you're around. Even though you try to be mean sometimes, you still save me... And protect me."

"You're stupid for entering someone's garden in the first place. For me... I... I..."

Baekho waited as Minhyun still hesitated to speak the truth.

"I run and hide whenever something happens... Truth is, I... I came from above."

Baekho was shocked by what the other said. "Y-you mean the surface?"

Minhyun clenched his jaw and nodded reluctantly. "My family used to stay on the surface with the rest of the villagers. But... They were all... They were scared of us. I was so young back then... I didn't understand a thing. I couldn't understand why my grandparents and parents were chased away from the village. Why we had to hide down here in the cave so I ventured out one day with my only sibling... I wanted to see the surface. To see how we used to live. But... They saw us and... And..." Minhyun made a strangled noise as if the memories hurt to remember. "They threw things at us... They called us names. They came after us with fire. I was... Shocked and... Afraid. I ran. I came back here. And I never left here ever since. My family all passed away, leaving me alone."

"Your sibling?"

"He was caught... And probably killed. I don't know. All I could think of was to hide. To run."

Baekho felt awfully bad for Minhyun and squeezed him.

"I didn't want to kill them or eat them. I... Those who fell in here. They struggle but they could never live long enough to find a way out. I could only put those who were in too much pain at rest. And I only ate some of them to survive during the harsh weathers."

"And what about the others who landed safely like me?"

"Most of them... Died falling when they tried to climb out or when they were careless. Some suicide at the mere fear of seeing me and what I might do to them. Some... Tried to find a way out but the only way out is up and not many of them could climb so they starve to death."

"What about... Me?"

"You?"

"I'm still alive."

"You're a weirdo. You were so afraid of me yet you weren't brave enough to actually try to run far away from me. And seeing you cry so much reminded me of my sibling... I-I couldn't leave you alone..."

"And why... Why didn't you help them out?"

"Because... I'm afraid... What if they... They set this place on fire to get rid of me? I couldn't let my home be in danger. This is all I have left. And I didn't want to go through the pain of going back onto the surface so I could only watch them struggle. After so many lives had passed in front of me, I... I unintentionally became mean and... And frightening in hopes it would scare you off. I'm sorry."

Baekho was stunned that Minhyun was apologising for what he had done before. He wondered if Minhyun had always been a sweet person but because of his experiences and past, he had been forced to be this way to survive. "I... I accept your apology."

"But... But I know you can't stay here."

"Huh?"

"I'm willing to bring you back if you still wish to go back," Minhyun said and Baekho gasped. It made him sit up in fact.

"You'll... Let me go?" Baekho asked and Minhyun nodded.

"You don't belong here. Keeping you here was the wrong choice. It has made me soft and... Weak."

"That's... Not true. You're not weak."

"I am. What if I can no longer help those in misery because killing them would make me think about you?" Baekho was surprised without a doubt from what Minhyun said. "What if I can no longer do anything... Without you here?"

"Then why are you pushing me away?"

"It's better this way. You have a family up there... Don't you?"

Baekho pursed his lips. He did. He had his grandparents, his parents and his siblings. His friends. "But you're alone."

"It doesn't matter. You have a future. Something I don't," Minhyun spoke in a distant tone. Baekho didn't like that. He didn't want Minhyun to sound so sad. The mean threatening male he had once known was no longer before him. "Trapping you down here was a stupid thing... You're constantly in danger of plunging straight to your death and...rats or bats."

"But... What would I do without you?"

"You could go back to your life before this. Pretend you don't know I ever existed. Pretend none of this ever happened."

"You know I can't! You've changed my life. I can't just go back there and resume life as if nothing ever happened.Can't you come up to the surface with me? I'm sure my family will accept you."

"That's impossible. Nobody in their right mind will accept a spider hybrid back to their home."

"Can't I at least come back and visit? We could be frien-"

"We can't be friends. No one can know about me." Minhyun pulled himself out from Baekho's hold as the other loosened his grip. "This is... My decision."

"No! You can't just decide this on your own! You can't just keep me here and now throw me away!" Baekho yelped as they both stood up. Baekho clutched onto Minhyun who tried to brush him off.

"You will have a better life up there."

"What if I don't want a better life?! What if I want you?" Baekho blurted out and the both of them froze. Minhyun blinked in disbelief.

"Huh?"

"You... I... I feel... What I...," Baekho muttered, unable to construct a proper sentence. "I... I want. I want you."

Minhyun's legs visibly curled up behind him as if they were shying away from Baekho. "What... There's... There's no way that can be true. I was... I was horrible to you."

"But you were nice to me too. You didn't hurt me. A-and you kept me alive and... And you try your best to keep me safe. And... I just! I feel, I... I like you. I want to stay here with you."

Minhyun stopped breathing and his heart might have skipped a few beats. He couldn't believe his ears. Baekho... Liked him? It was impossible. "No... You're just... You're being delusional. This is... This is just... Stockholm syndrome! Yeah. You don't actually..."

Baekho growled and wasn't sure what overcame him but he grasped Minhyun by the back of his head and pulled him in into a kiss. Minhyun gasped as their lips crashed together. He wanted to push the tiger hybrid away but he knew his heart was already far too soft for the other to keep up the cold act any longer. Baekho's tail curled up tightly as well before they parted. Baekho gulped and eyed Minhyun shyly. "Please don't invalidate my feelings..."

Minhyun could only gape at Baekho whose lips squirmed to keep a straight face. He blinked, breathing in and bringing himself back to reality. He twitched and moved closer to Baekho who froze up this time. Closer. And closer until their lips were again barely an inch away. Baekho closed the distance and they kissed again. Slow. Sensual. Loving. He moved away but not too far. "You know this is unbecoming, right?"

"Oh. Just shut up and kiss me again," Baekho grumbled in disapproval and their lips met again. Baekho's tail wrapped around Minhyun's waist and pulled him closer while Minhyun's legs clutched onto Baekho as well. This time, the kiss was a little more needy and a desperate attempt to show how they felt towards one another but Minhyun pulled away again, placing a hand onto Baekho's chest to stop him from closing in again. "What now."

"I... I want you to stay too."