Chapter Text
At your break in your shift, you called YB and told him he didn’t have to pick you up. You told him you were going to the movies with TK, so you would be dropped off by them later. YB insisted that he come with you, so he could get to know TK better. You thought about it, but was hesitant. This was the first time you would actually do something fun with TK after the incident, but you eventually agreed to him coming. You couldn’t say no to his begging.
YB said he would meet you at the movie theater, and you informed that you would need to get dressed before you got there. The day was very slow. As the day became darker and the sky was dressed in a stormy grey, a sign of a soon-to-be thunderstorm, there was no one in the diner. After about 30 minutes of no customers, your manager allowed you to close early and left soon after. You cleaned with the help of TK and a few other employees, who seemed just as excited to get out of work early as you.
You said your goodbyes to your parting co-workers, and leaned on one of the kitchen counters. “So what time are you hoping to get there?”
“Hm, around 6:30 or 7:00 should be fine. It shouldn’t be that busy, I doubt anyone would want to drive through this storm..”
“Oh! I just remembered to tell you this.. If it’s okay, YB is coming. He wanted to get to know you better, and he said he would pay for his ticket as well as mine,” you said abruptly.
“...I guess that’s fine,” they said, raising a hand to the nape of their neck and rubbing it. “Anyways.. I just finished cleaning, are you ready to go?” they said with a small smile, pointing towards the door.
“Mhm, pretty sure I got everything,” you agreed, patting your pockets one last time. TK started out of the door, and you followed, making sure to lock the door behind you.
-
TK’s car pulled up into the parking lot of the movie theater. You smoothed your
hair, knowing it probably got messed up as you walked to the car due to the humidity. Spring was an okay time of year, but you still despised the rain that came along with it. You looked out of the window, searching for any sign of YB.
Your search was quickly ended as the familiar blue shirt stepped in front of where you were looking. The door opened, and you smiled warmly at YB as you came out of the car. You gave him a hug and he hugged you back, squeezing a few times. You heard the other door of the car shut behind you, and you pulled away from the embrace.
“Okay! You guys ready to get to this movie? Should be good!” you exclaimed, making your way towards the large building. The other two followed behind you, and you heard them talking, but your listening to whatever conversation they were having was obstructed by the near constant thundering coming from above you.
Almost all at once, rain started pouring from the sky, and you all ran to the movie theater, eager to not get soaked. It was partially unsuccessful, you did get a bit wet. You frowned as you wiped a few raindrops that started to soak through your hoodie.
You heard grumbling from both TK and YB, instantly laughing as you knew they got more wet than you.
"Hah.. anyways, are you guys ready to get the tickets?" you asked, turning to them. They both nodded, making their way to you.
-
You knew you should have gotten a bigger popcorn bucket. The medium was a stupid choice, especially since it was all 3 of you. You frowned as you reached into the bucket sitting in your lap and found nothing but kernels.
"Guys.. I'm gonna get some more popcorn, okay?" you whispered to TK and YB.
They both nodded, seeming very interested in the movie playing on the screen. You stood up and walked down the aisle and stairs, leaving the room.
_________________________________
Peter's nails dug into the cloth of his pant leg. He wanted to be with you so badly, but learning more about TK was important to him at the moment. He needed to know his weakness, how to take him away from you. Jealousy ran through his veins, blinding him of most rational thinking.
He looked around the theater quickly, noticing that there were only a few other people in the theater, them being close to the base floor and near the speakers. They wouldn’t hear if he talked.
"You good, YB?" TK asked, probably wondering why Peter was looking around so much.
"Uh, yeah.. Can I talk to you, TK? I really want to.. Get to know you," Peter asked, smiling. It was fake, he obviously knew that, but he wanted to seem as friendly as possible.
"H-Huh? Right now? Can't it wait?" they fretted, shocked by the suddenness of the question.
Peter shook his head quickly, turning his body to TK’s. The gap between him and the latter made it hard to hear over the loud sounds of the movie, but Peter managed.
“I really want to become closer, I’ve been really rude lately, ignoring you and such. I want to make Y/N happy, especially with what happened. Can we meet up some time to talk, other than here or at the diner?”
TK’s eyes widened at the request, and Peter gave a faked, yet sickly sweet smile. TK mirrored it, gaze softening on Peter’s blue eyes. “..Sure, that sounds fine to me YB. Where at, and when?”
“How about that bakery down the street to the flower shop? On Saturday, 11 am? Y/N told me that’s your day off.”
“Sounds good.”
-
As much as Peter dreaded it, he was the one who asked TK to go to the bakery with him. He was the one who invited them, the one who wanted to ‘get to know him.’ He had to go to the bakery with his one sided rival.
He begrudgingly made his way to the bakery after parking down the street. Peter knew that TK was always one to follow a schedule, so he would be there early. He glanced at his phone that he absent-mindedly pulled out of his pocket. The time read 11:08. God damnit, he thought he had plenty of time, considering he had woken up earlier than he normally did. He was luckily just down the street, so his pace quickened into a jog as he tried to get there faster.
He came into the bakery, breathing slightly hitched as he tried to keep composure. He looked around the busy bakery, instantly eyeing the person he had come for. TK didn't seem to notice Peter as he walked to the table and sat down. They jumped as they looked up from their phone.
"O-Oh! YB!" Tk stammered, clutching onto their dark green shirt. Their surprised face changed to a slight frown. "You're late, it's 11:10," they complained, glancing down at their phone again.
"It's only 10 minutes, it's not that big of a deal," Peter shrugged, looking towards the counter. The strong smell of coffee and freshly baked goods had flooded his senses, and his stomach rumbled. "Wanna order something? We can talk while we're waiting."
TK let out a small sigh, sitting up in their chair. "Sure, why not," they mumbled, standing up. Peter followed them, looking down at their smaller stature. He squinted at them, burning holes into the back of their head. He didn't like being so close to them for so long, at least when you weren't around. He could normally keep his cool when you were, but his jealousy levels were through the roof. Their feelings for you were obvious, even when they knew you were dating him.
Peter’s attitude quickly changed as they made it to the counter, the both of them ordering their food and drink quickly.
“S-So.. What do you want to talk about, YB?” TK asked, rubbing the nape of their neck.
“Hm, well we don’t have much in common by looking at things..” Peter started, tapping his finger on his chin. “But, we both take an interest when it comes to Y/N.” Peter smiled as he saw the person glance to the side, a blush creeping on their face when he mentioned Y/N.
“Uh- I was hoping we could talk about, like, our hobbies?”
“Well it seems like you’re really close to Y/N.. So I thought they would be someone you would like to talk about,” Peter grinned, enjoying how uncomfortable TK seemed. He wanted him to suffer, regarding that they still had feelings for Y/N, regardless of their relationship status of dating him. Teasing was something he could do without much suspicion.
“Okay then.. Yeah I guess we could talk about them..” TK finally gave in, smiling nervously at the floor. “As you might know, I’ve been friends with them a while, and we work together. I feel like they’ve been really happy with you as you guys started to uh.. Date. I’m glad, they always seemed so overworked and sad.” TK remarked, eyes moving from the floor to Peter and back again.
“Oh, I see. I’m glad you feel that way about them, I have noticed their mood improving ever since I did.. I try my best, you know? I’ve actually been trying to convince them to move in with me entirely. I can be of much more help, but they like their.. ‘Freedom,’” Peter told TK about what he was trying to convince you. Their mood changed drastically at the comment.
“You’ve been trying to get them to move away? What for?” they wondered, thick eyebrows now furrowed.
“Like you said, they’re stressed and overworked. I’m hoping to get that weight off of them, to help them more.. I can completely provide for them, but they don’t seem to like the idea,” Peter shrugged, looking over to the counter as he heard his nickname called. “Anyways, it seems like our food is ready!” He chirped, brushing the conversation off. He went to the small counter and grabbed the containers and paper cups, bringing them to the table they originally sat at. TK followed along, clearly upset.
They both sat and Peter took a sip of his coffee, opening the styrofoam container to reveal a sugary cake slice. TK did the same, poking at the sandwich he ordered while in thought.
“Why are you so adamant about getting Y/N to live with you?” they finally asked, voice much quieter as they looked at the table.
Peter smirked, eyes narrowing once again. “Well, we’re dating, and have been for a while.. I thought it would be more convenient, hm? Especially with the bitch herself, Lucy being out of the picture now..”
TK stopped poking at the sandwich, looking up at Peter. “YB, what do you mean by that?”
Peter rested his head on his hand, chuckling coldly. After a few moments of thinking before he said that, he realized he wanted to tell TK. Maybe they would tell you or the police, but you would be on his side no matter what. Excusing him of being Innocent, of being safe. “I thought you were smarter than that, TK.” Peter lowered his voice, frowning slightly.
“YB, what are you talking about?”
“Anyways, I’ve gotta go. It was so great talking to you, TK,” Peter asserted, standing up and grabbing his cup and container. Only about 30 minutes had passed, but he decided that he had enough of TK for a day.
“YB?!”
_________________________________
You finally were on break, enjoying the small amount of time you had from the screaming children and complaining adults. You hated Saturdays, it was the busiest day of the week. It didn’t help that it was TK’s day off, meaning that the kitchen was slower. They were always the one to be organized and quick in there, compared to the other cooks.
You slumped against the brick wall of the back of the diner, enjoying the serenity you were able to receive. You pulled your phone out of your pocket, surprised to see 11 missed calls from TK from earlier that day. You called them back, wondering why they called you so many times.
They almost instantly answered it, to your surprise. “Y/N, finally! I-I have something to tell you, and you have to believe me! It’s about YB, I think he might’ve done something.. I’m not completely sure about it, but by the way he talked to me, it might’ve been true!” they urged into the phone, quick with their words.
“Woah, woah, woah, TK, calm down! What do you mean, what did YB do?” you shouted, trying to overcome their frantic tone.
“I think YB was the one who killed Lucy.. I’m not completely sure! But he said ‘Especially with the bitch herself, Lucy being out of the picture now..’”
You were shocked by the accusation. Why would TK say that YB did this? He couldn’t have done it, he was the sweetest man you could ever lay your eyes upon. Then you remembered the looks that TK always gave you. You knew that they liked you, there was no doubt about it. They were always so lovesick, but you brushed it aside. You wanted them to stay as a co-worker, you didn’t want any tension between you two if you ever broke up.
“TK, you do understand that this isn’t funny, right? If this is some sort of sick attempt of trying to make me break up with YB, it’s not gonna work. Listen, I know you like me, okay? It’s obvious, but now that I’m dating you’ve been scolding me about YB. Now you’re trying to frame him with Lucy’s murder?” you ranted, pinching the bridge of your nose as your eyebrows furrowed deeply.
“N-no, that’s not what’s going on here, Y/N, I promise. I actually have a hunch he might’ve done it-” they tried to continue before you cut them off with a loud tsk.
“TK! I don’t want to hear it! YB has done everything for me after the incident, I don’t think he would have done it to begin with, okay? I’m so sorry that you’re blinded by your own stupid crush over me that you can’t see how he treats me so well. You’re getting tiring, TK. I’m sorry, but I have to go,” you yelled, frustrated and fed up with the accusations.
“Please, Y/N-” was all you heard from the other side of the phone as you hung up.
You looked up towards the sky, closing your eyes as you held back tears of anger. How could TK do that? YB did nothing, you were sure of it. He dropped you off from work and went back home. Right?
Your hands shook as you looked down and turned your phone on, opening YB’s contact. The picture of the two of you smiling covered most of the screen as you called him, wanting to know when Yb was even talking to TK. And if it was true.
After a few moments of waiting the phone was picked up.
“Hello darling!” the familiar chipper voice sounded as you pulled the phone to your ear.
“Hey, YB.. Did you talk to TK at any point today, by chance? I just called them after seeing missed calls from them, and uh.. They said you might’ve uhm.. I know it sounds silly.. Killed Lucy?”
There was a short silence on the other side. “Oh, you’re right, that is pretty silly,” YB chuckled.
“Hah, yeah. I don’t know what they were thinking, and I kind of yelled at them for it..” you trailed off. Maybe you were a bit harsh with them? Way too harsh. You would have to apologize.
“Good, it serves them right,” you heard YB nearly snarl.
“Huh? What for?”
“I saw how they looked at you, my love. They like you, not in a friendly way. So maybe it’s for the best.”
“I guess you’re right.”
“I’ll pick you up later today after your shift and we can talk then. You get off early today, right?”
“Yep! At 7, thank god.” You already felt a lot better than a few moments before. There was something about YB, always knowing exactly how to make you calm. Maybe it was the way he phrased things, or his soothing voice. “Anyways, my break will be over soon, I’ll talk to you later, okay?” you told YB, smiling.
“Goodbye, darling, I’ll talk to you later.”
You hung up, stuffing your phone back into your apron pocket. You might’ve been calmed down by YB, but you were still on edge. You were upset that you had to yell at TK in the first place.
The accusation TK made against YB stuck in your mind for the rest of your shift. It couldn’t be true, YB would never do anything so horrible. However, you had noticed his attitude towards Lucy. He was always distant, ignoring her. He would hate how stressed you got around the time you had to pay your rent, having to work double shifts for more money in order to pay Lucy’s side of the rent. But that was the only thing that he showed. Just slight hatred for her.
Lucy was tangled up in some deep sh*t, however, so maybe that’s what happened to her. Maybe she didn’t have the money for the weed she always bought, and that’s how..
You didn’t want to think about it anymore. You shook the thoughts aside. All you know is that YB didn’t do it.
The rest of the day went by pretty quickly, and you were even more patient when handling annoying customers. You wanted to talk to YB about this issue, and being optimistic through the rest of the day seemed to help it go by faster.
You finished wiping down the empty diner tables and walked out of the diner. Thank god for an early shift. You made your way around to the front of the diner, eying the familiar white van.
You walked to the side of it, hearing it unlock as you reached towards it. You opened the door and climbed in, smiling at YB.
‘Hello, darling~” YB cooed. He grabbed your chin, moving your face towards him and kissing you tenderly. He pulled away, a strand of saliva breaking midway. He looked at you with heart shaped pupils, just like he always did.
As much as you loved these moments with him, you needed to talk to him about what happened earlier that day.
“Hi, YB.. Can we talk?”
“Oh! Of course we can, my love,” he snapped out of his lovesick trance, turning towards the wheel in front of him. He started the van and shifted out of park, starting to drive out of the small diner parking lot. “I’m ready when you are.”
“Okay.. Well uh- Did you talk to TK this morning? Before 12? That’s around the time they called me,” you started, looking down and fiddling with your fingers. You were nervous about the situation, for some reason. Maybe because it was such a harsh topic.
“Yeah, I actually did. When we were all at the movies we planned to meet up at the bakery down the street, and that's what we did. I wanted to get to know them. But when I got there they seemed really out of it and kept snapping at me. I left after about 30 minutes, didn’t want to deal with whatever problem they had..”
“Oh, so they were in a bad mood? They actually told me that you like, called Lucy a bitch and said you were glad she was gone. Like I said earlier, pretty silly,” you sighed in relief with a chuckle.
“..But I did.”
What? What did he mean he ‘did’? ‘Did’ as in he did say that? “Huh? Why’d you say that then?”
“Well, I’m glad she’s gone because she was leeching off of you, my love. She was making you stressed, tired, upset. I didn’t like seeing you like that.”
You glanced to the side. You saw the side of YB’s face, a smile spreading wildly on it. This wasn’t his normal smile, is what you instantly noticed. There was something more sinister to it. “YB, what do you mean you’re glad? She was murdered, that’s horrible!”
“It’s not like she can be revived from the dead, love. We can’t just sulk about her death. I’d rather be glad about it. She drained you of your money, leaving you to have next-to-nothing. You could barely survive!” he started to shout, voice echoing off of the walls of the van.
“God, YB! That’s not the point!” you yelled in response, a lump forming in your throat. You held back tears of anger yet again. You didn’t want to argue with anyone else today. First TK, now YB. You looked to your side, outside the window.
The anger in your face melted when you didn’t recognize your surroundings. “Where are we going?” you muttered, suddenly out of breath. You looked over to him.
“..Y/N, darling. You’ve been so stressed lately, even with Lucy being gone for good. I thought her being gone would help you, but now you’re just in some sort of depressive state.. I hate to see you like this, I really do. I stopped by your apartment and packed you a bag, we’re going to my house.
“W-what do you mean?! I have work, YB!” you stammered. You repeated what he said in your mind. ‘I thought her being gone for good would help you,’ was what stuck. Your face went white as you thought the unthinkable. Was TK right?
“Peter..” you said his real name, seeing as he recoiled. “Did you do something to Lucy?”
An erupting, cold laughter, one you didn’t recognize from the time you spent with him, rang throughout the now cramped van. “Honey, I love you, but you’re seriously not that bright,” he giggled, wiping a tear from the corner of his eye. “What does it sound like? I’m actually surprised you didn’t listen to TK.. I mean they’ve been your friend and co-worker for how long now? I guess that just shows your loyalty towards me.. That’s why you’re so perfect, darling.”
YB’s fingers drummed against the steering wheel as he looked ahead of him. You stared at him silently, not noticing how a few tears fell from your eyes until you felt them hit your collarbone. This man, who you.. Thought you loved, killing your friend and roommate?? You couldn’t bring yourself to believe it, yet at the same time, he had sort of confessed to it. Not in exact words, but he still did.
You were in this man’s van, on the way to his home. He had told you it was 3 hours away.. God, why was it so far? That didn’t matter, however. You needed to get out of that van, now. You were dating and sitting next to a possible murderer!
You decided to go along with the idea of a road trip up to his house. You quickly wiped away your tears before he noticed them, if he already didn’t. “Okay.. I guess I’ll go up to your house with you for a couple of days.. Let me just call-”
“No.”
“Huh?”
“No, there’s no need to call anyone, darling,” he said, smiling sweetly as he looked at you. He reached over the center console to grab your hand, which was balled up in a fist, resting on your thigh. He rubbed over your knuckles gently, looking back at the road. “I love you, honey.”
You didn’t want to say it back. So much had gone on in the past month, and you had learned that it was all possibly his fault. Who knows what else he could’ve done in the time he had known you.
“..I love you too.”
