Chapter Text
"Tsk"
Hendery's head slowly moved over, his tired eyes landing onto Yangyangs irritable expression.
"Your house is boring. No offense." Yangyang says with a scoff. "Like, it's Halloween, why are we not outside trick or treating right now?"
Hendery grew goosebumps at the mere mention of the holiday. "Are you crazy?" He asked seriously.
Yangyang shrugs. "What?"
"You don't remember last year?" Hendery groans at the sight of the younger's look of uncertainty.
"We fucked up my cousin's boyfriend, to be fair Haechan was following us, but I still got my ass beat for it. So no, I don't want to go fucking trick or treating!" Hendery explained, jaw clenched angrily.
Yangyang nods his head in understanding. He recalled receiving the news while he was in hospice. He'd never admit how hilarious he found it at all.
"True, true." Yangyang sighs. He tapped Hendery's shoulder while he chuckled. "But yo, you remember when you dove for the candy?"
"What about it, man?" Hendery felt the phantom pains on his knee caps from the memory. He blushed out of embarrassment.
Yangyang held back a laugh as the scene kept replaying in his mind. "What about it?” He snickers. “That shit was hilarious. And I know you fucked your knees up on that porch!"
"Hell yeah." Hendery says, pointing down to his scarred knees. "I got boo boos everywhere."
Yangyang moves closer to get a better look, gently grazing his hand over the scars. "You ain't use Neil Sporn on that?"
"Nah man, no sporn."
The younger sunk back into his spot on the couch. "You're fucking up." Yangyang sighs.
Hendery's lips part slightly. "Bro, I nearly tore my ACL."
Yangyang obviously hadn't taken the man's words seriously as he began to joke, "Man, shut the front door, and step out the back, but don't step on the crack and break your mama's back." Yangyang giggled like it was funny only stopping when he noticed the other glaring.
"What I tell you about talking about my mama?" Hendery growled.
"Man, my bad-"
Hendery and Yangyang pause, both scared and peaking over to the next room from the couch.
A man in thick black attire adorned a mask similar to the one from last year's encounter with Haechan. Yangyang felt something was completely off about the man however. He was way too tall to be Haechan, couldn't be Mark either, he had no need to break in.
Hendery could now feel Yangyang's warm breath tickling his neck in a whisper. "Yo, I'm out..."
"Yeah, fuck that..." Hendery agrees, sliding uncomfortably down the couch with Yangyang, managing to remain silent the whole way down.
Both men narrowly avoid the masked man's view. Chests pressed against the cool marble tiles of Hendery's apartment, their bodies hidden in front of the couch.
"Who is that?" Yangyang whispered. "Is that your roommate?"
"Yangyang, you know damn well that Xiaojun is in china."
Hendery could really feel how tense Yangyang is when a hand is placed over his own.
"Look, if you didn’t pay your rent tell me now. Is that your landlord?" Yangyang suddenly asked.
Hendery just lets out a low groan. "No, I pay my rent!"
Yangyang pinches him, suggesting they move to the next room when he believes it's safe.
Hendery bit his lip as they entered the next room. In the kitchen he quickly moves by the fridge and drags Yangyang down behind the island.
"This is why I don't mess with you." Hendery admits. "Every time you come around, something pops off."
"Yet you're still alive, Hendery!" The younger whisper yelled. "You know what, I know what this is.” Yangyang said. “You're just trying to make me forget about that one hundred and forty-nine dollars you owe me. Talking about, 'Oh Burger King got the new ten piece nuggets' and-"
"Man, shut up, you ate forty damn nuggets!" Hendery retorted, their hushed argument growing louder.
Yangyang shudders, just as he's about to prepare a response, a small thud is heard from the opposite side of the island counter.
Yangyang and Hendery crawl their way back out the kitchen and down the hallway, getting up to rush, footsteps muffled by the carpet.
As they reached his bedroom door, Hendery moved to open it carefully, but before he could, a hand seized his shoulder, pushing him further back out the hallway.
"What the fuck?!" Hendery protested.
"Hurry the fuck up!" Yangyang hissed, quickly stepping into the bedroom. Hendery recollected himself and ran in, struggling with his closet's double doors.
"Open the fucking door, Yangyang!"
"Hell no!” He cried. “There's no space."
Hendery gathered all his strength and fortunately tugged the door open. Yangyang looked horrified, grasping his own hand as if it were broken.
"Shut the fuck up!" Hendery says, moving into Yangyang's personal space. The younger reached around the man's waist, shutting the door.
After a few seconds of awkward adjustments, they were in comfortable positions standing beside each other.
Yangyang couldn't find it in himself to feel bad. Hendery wasn't wrong. Typically when something goes wrong he is to blame, but this time, it really wasn't his fault.
"I don't think he'll find us in here -" He tries, only to be shut down by Hendery. "Don't fucking talk to me. You didn't want to let me in."
"There is no room in here!" Yangyang argued.
"Yangyang, I said shut up, this is serious, questions that need answers!" Hendery said, sweating at the increasing heat of the small closet. "Why are you always wearing those camouflage pants?"
Yangyang frowned, with an eyebrow raised, confused by the question. "Bitch?..-Man, I'ma tell you why I wear these camouflage pants, cause I stay ready for war!" Yangyang finished the explanation growing pale. "He's coming!..."
holding their breaths in fear, Yangyang and Hendery's hearts pound, and the cold sweat ran down their faces.
They hear the intruder as he makes his way into the room, closer and closer to them. They both freeze up as they hear the sound of the intruder's knife gently running over the door, mocking them...
Suddenly, it goes quiet, and confusion settles in pretty fast.
Yangyang watches through the doors cracks, hoping the man left the room
"Hendery…like... like, I think he's gone."
As the closet door suddenly flew open, Yangyang is.....
Confused?
A little dumbfounded and completely befuddled.
Yangyang's eyes widened in bewilderment.
Hendery, who was supposed to be quivering in fear inside the closet with him, is now standing nonchalantly right in front of him.
Hendery tore the creepy mask from his face just as concerned. "Chill, It's just me!”
"Hold up!" Yangyang clutched his chest. "How did you? -What?” Yangyang's heart stopped breathing for a moment. Was he dreaming? Was this a nightmare? Or simply a prank?
Memories come flooding back to him.
Everything happened.
Every conversation....
Hendery was never present for any of it.
Reality slowly starts to sink in as Yangyang begins to question his own sanity.
"Did any of that actually happen?" he thinks to himself, "Or was it all just in my head...?"
Yangyang stares blankly into Hendery's eyes while his hands move up to grip the closets open double doors, muttering incoherently.
Yangyang said his last few words before the doors shut.
"Fight club."
Hendery made a desperate phone call that night.
Yangyang had been Baker Acted due to his extensive history of drug usage.
The decision was troubling, considering their on and off sexual interactions. Hendery then realized his growing affection for the man, but it was far too late.
News of Yangyang's extended stay sends the heartbroken Hendery into overdrive. Causing him to lash out and kill his roommate, Xiaojun.