Ensnaring Darkness

XXII. In which he was fed with fluff

"Are they-?" A young woman breathlessly spoke, gazing at a certain direction near the entrance of the haunted house. Her boyfriend looked over to where she was looking and saw two men approaching the registration booth.

"What?" The two men were eye-catching indeed with their good looks - one was tall and looked even-tempered while the other one looked young and soft with bright blue eyes, but he is a man as well so he didn't know what's special about them.

His heart was sour when he saw the sparkle in his girlfriend's eyes. Could it be that she fell in love at first sight? He held her hand tighter.

"Kayla...you can't-"

"Don't you think they're a cute couple?" Kayla dreamily said and looped her arm around his.

"But...they're both men?"

Kayla pouted and showed him the recent manga she was reading. The young man was stunned for a long while. He knew his girlfriend likes reading but didn't know of her interest in boy's love!

Julien had no idea they've caught the attention of the couples queueing up. It was not until they reached the registration booth did he understood why there were only couples as visitors today.

The person in charge of registration was a bubbly woman in her early 20s. Once she spotted the good looking pair, her mood brightened up and she sat straighter, plastering the sweetest smile she could muster. Not many pairs from the same-sex had come, and this one is probably the best looking of those who did.

"Welcome to Sans Soleil Haunted House!" Her eyes glittered as she pulled out a pink-colored flyer from a towering stack and handed it over.

Julien accepted it and once his eyes fell on the words "Special Couple Discount Promo!", his heart did a somersault and heat rushed to his cheeks like waves crashing by the shore. He opened his mouth to speak but closed it again, feeling his cheeks burn even more.

"Sans Soleil celebrates love of all kind but more so -romantic love and if you are proven a couple, you will get a 50% discount!"

The more the woman spoke, the more Julien wanted to disappear on his spot. Her voice was loud and her passionate pitch attracted some of the passersby. That and there were both men she was talking to!

The flyer was suddenly taken away from him. His eyes widened and he glanced at Knox who was perusing the details as if he was reading a company document.

"How do you prove it?"

The woman's smile grew wider. In her mind, she had come up with all sorts of scenarios like confessing their love to each other or even kissing! Her cheeks felt hot just thinking about it!

Julien pulled at Knox's sleeves. His baby blues had gone misty from extreme embarrassment. He looked both pitiful and lovely at the same time. "W-we shouldn't. It-it's not necessary..." he stammered.

Mumu who was a bit far from them and looking over the haunted house from a shade of an oak tree came rushing back to Julien as if feeling his uneasiness. It jumped to his shoulder, rubbing at his red cheeks.

Seeing the embarrassed state of the smaller man, the woman's heart squeezed and all sorts of background story had formed in her head. It must be an unrequited love! Her gaze turned pityingly towards them. Sure enough, same-sex relationships are difficult to maintain.

"Oh, you don't have to prove it to me! There's no need. Here, fill up this registration and equip these wristbands. They have GPS trackers in them in case you get lost and stray from the right route."

Julien was surprised at the sudden acquiescence of the woman. But he was quick to fill up the forms and received the wristbands. "Thank you very much!"

"Don't mention it! Good luck! Stay strong okay!"

Julien could only stiffly smile and nod his head. He had an odd feeling that the woman might have misunderstood something but he didn't dwell on it. He quickly walked towards the queue and took a deep breath.

It was too early for him to relax, the moment he and Knox queued up, he received encouraging smiles from the girls and even their partners glanced at them. It wasn't even done conspicuously but so openly that Julien didn't know where to look at.

Just then, a slightly cold hand grasped his. His heartbeat stuttered as he glanced at Knox who was looking down at him, his stormy gray eyes unreadable.

"S-Sir?"

Knox gestured at a medium-sized banner that said. "Rule: In this special day, couples must always hold hands!"

Julien was speechless. Why did they come up with this rule? He felt that his poor heart couldn't take it. It was already racing a mile per minute that the flush in his cheeks wouldn't even subside.

Mumu who was perched on his shoulder whined, seemingly displeased with it.

They were fourth on the line and couples enter the haunted house at a fifteen-minute interval so it was quite a long and uncomfortable wait. On the bright side, he got to hold Knox's hand!

When they were the second to enter, the girl in front of them turned back and smiled. Julien returned the smile politely.

"You look really good together!" she exclaimed and was about to say more but they were ushered in by a grumpy looking man.

Julien helplessly bit his lip. Do they really look like a couple? Standing very close to Knox like this, that their sleeves were touching, hands held together that the heat between them send waves of warmth to his heart. A warm smile unconsciously blossomed in his face.

It was at that moment when he made eye-contact with the grumpy guy at the entrance. Julien noticed the dark shadows under his eyes as well as his thin and lanky form, that the park's uniform seemed so big for him. But what made the smile in his face froze was the vicious glint in the man's black eyes as well as the malicious grin that stretched his thin lips. The man winked at him and Julien felt downy hairs rise all over his body. Even Mumu emitted a low sound akin to a growl, its tails swishing so fast that the ringing of bells sounded like a warning.

Julien's eyes flickered to the entrance of the haunted house blanketed in shadows. Just as he faintly heard a scream, they were ushered inside.