The city streets were drenched in a soft drizzle, casting shimmering reflections on the pavement as Sunoo and Niki walked side by side. Neither spoke much, both content to let the quiet settle around them. Tonight, the world felt smaller, quieter, as if it, too, held its breath in anticipation.
After a while, they reached a small overlook hidden behind rows of ancient trees, a forgotten space overlooking the city lights below. Niki watched as Sunoo moved to the edge, hands tucked into the pockets of his coat, his expression unreadable against the backdrop of the night.
Niki felt his chest tighten as he joined him, brushing their arms together. "Do you ever feel like we're caught in a current?" he asked softly. "Like everything's pulling us forward, whether we're ready or not."
Sunoo's gaze remained fixed on the cityscape, but his shoulders relaxed. "Sometimes," he murmured. "But I've learned that fighting the current just pulls you under. You've got to let it take you."
They stood in silence, and the rain fell softly around them, misting their hair and clothing. Niki watched Sunoo's face in the dim light, a soft warmth blooming in his chest. There was a fragility to Sunoo, a shadow beneath his calm surface, and Niki found himself aching to understand the pieces that made him whole.
"You've got that look again," Sunoo said, catching Niki's gaze. "Like you're trying to see past something that isn't there."
Niki's lips curved into a slight smile. "Maybe I am. Or maybe I'm seeing what's right here and just wondering... how I got this close to it."
Sunoo's eyes flickered with something Niki couldn't quite name, and he turned away, drawing a deep breath. "You're different, you know that?"
Niki's smile faded, and he looked down, feeling a strange vulnerability in the words. "Different... good?"
Sunoo's hand lifted, resting just above Niki's on the railing, close enough to feel the warmth of his skin. "Different... real. Like I can breathe around you, even when I'm drowning."
They fell silent again, but there was a softness between them, like a secret exchanged without a single word. Niki's fingers inched closer until they brushed against Sunoo's, and when Sunoo didn't pull away, he took his hand, letting their fingers intertwine.
"You know," Niki began, his voice low, "sometimes I wonder if I was searching for you long before I knew what I was missing."
Sunoo didn't respond, but his grip tightened ever so slightly. There was a peace in the quiet of their embrace, an understanding woven into the simplicity of standing side by side. Sunoo tilted his head back, his gaze on the night sky as he whispered, almost to himself:
"Stars are beautiful... but it's the darkness around them that lets them shine."
Niki closed his eyes, letting the weight of Sunoo's words settle over him. In that quiet, hidden place, he could feel it-a fragile confession, delicate and powerful, as if love were something too raw to name but too strong to deny.
---
The Next Morning
Niki's hand hovered over the case files on his desk. The familiar black rose was imprinted in his mind, the thorned symbol of a killer who moved with purpose and precision. Yet each victim felt like a shadow, a mirror held up to Sunoo's past-a past he could sense but still didn't fully understand.
Jae interrupted his thoughts, sliding a report across his desk. "They found another one," he said, his voice tight. "Same profile as the others."
Niki's heart sank as he skimmed the report. Each detail felt like a quiet echo of something Sunoo had hinted at but never spoken of. A man lured by beauty, fixated on superficial charm-a perfect target for someone seeking to erase the ugliness left by people like his father.
Jae's voice broke through his thoughts. "You okay?"
Niki forced a nod, pulling himself back. "Yeah, just... I don't know. This one feels different."
Jae shot him a skeptical glance. "Different how?"
"It's like... whoever's doing this, it's not about the thrill of the kill. It's... personal."
Jae nodded slowly. "We've got a psychological profile in the works, but it might take time. Until then, we'll keep digging."
Niki closed the file, his thoughts lingering on Sunoo. As much as he knew about the case, he found himself silently vowing to protect Sunoo from whatever shadows his past held, even if it meant holding back pieces of the truth.
---
That Evening
Back at Sunoo's apartment, they settled in the small living room, the soft glow of a single lamp casting warm light around them. Sunoo tucked his legs under himself on the couch, watching as Niki settled beside him.
"Long day?" Sunoo asked, sensing the weariness in Niki's expression.
Niki smiled faintly, leaning back with a sigh. "Just the usual." He paused, glancing at Sunoo with a tender intensity. "There's something about tonight, though. It feels like it's made for you and me."
Sunoo's lips curved, his expression softening as he met Niki's gaze. "Funny, isn't it? How someone can make a moment feel like everything you've been searching for."
They stayed there, the space between them filled with unspoken promises, like the beginnings of a poem. Finally, Sunoo closed his eyes and murmured:
"When I think of you, it feels like... like maybe the darkness was always meant to lead me here."
Niki's heart swelled, and he leaned forward, his hand reaching for Sunoo's. "Then let's be each other's light."
They didn't need to say more; their hands held the weight of a thousand unspoken words, fingers intertwined like the roots of a bond they had been growing all along.
