you as beomgyu

The city was hollow: a skeleton of steel and ash cradled in silence. beomgyu and taehyun lived in what once used to be the basement of a used bookstore.

Somewhere above, footsteps dragged across concrete, too slow, too heavy to be human.

Taehyun stood near the entrance, sharp-eyed and still. He hadn’t slept in two nights, not really, but he functioned like someone who didn’t need to. Calculated. Vigilant. His fingers hovered near the pistol strapped at his side, but he didn’t twitch unless he had to.

Behind him, Beomgyu sat curled beneath a moth-eaten blanket, tucked into a corner lined with crumpled books and salvaged maps. There was a softness to his presence, even now, which tugged on Taehyun’s heartstrings.

Beomgyu held an old photograph between his hands. The edges were worn, the colors faded, but it was a reminder of a time when they’d argued over what kind of soup to make, not whether it was safe to light a fire.

Above, the dragging steps paused.

Taehyun grabbed for his knife without looking. Beomgyu exhaled, barely audible, and shifted closer to the wall. Taehyun doesn’t look back at the older, his eyes locked onto the entrance.

“Stay hidden, Gyu.”

Night had fully fallen.