Chapter Text
Nicholas is not someone who would stick his nose in other people’s business. So, in retrospect, it’s very natural that he doesn’t question it when a new face appears in the bio lab. He only pauses at the door, recalibrating. No one is usually here past 11pm, which is why Nico likes to come at this hour in the first place.
Yet, there he is, some brunette student bent over a station in the back corner of the sterilely lit room. Nico knows he doesn’t know this guy because the only two other guys that use the lab both have black hair and are much shorter than him. This guy, from what he glimpses, is tall and lanky. Probably cramming in a late night session before an assignment is due.
No big deal though, he’ll just have to put up with company for today. He sets his bag down at his favorite station, the one beside the door that leads out to the dock, and starts tossing his pens and papers out onto the workspace. He gets to work, retrieving his water samples from last week from his locker.
He quickly loses himself in the motions, his assignment on crayfish making him forget anything about the other student in the room. Come to think of it, he hasn’t heard the guy move around for a few minutes.
Nico glances over his shoulder at the guy, and immediately jumps out of his skin.
The brunette is still sitting at the corner station. But he’s staring. His eyes are trained on Nico in a way that makes him think that he hasn’t blinked in a long time. He doesn’t look away when he’s caught. It may just be because it’s dark and creepy outside but it makes Nico’s skin crawl.
Nico swallows thickly, suddenly feeling like he needs to say something to ease the tension. He gives a nod and a slight, awkward wave.
“...Hey, how’s it going?” He’s not truly asking.
The guy finally blinks, which somehow eases Nico’s mind enough to unclench his butthole. The other’s face is round, and he has a sharp nose. Nico could admit now that he isn’t so apprehensive that his eyes are… almost beautiful, they're so shiny and dark. He has tan skin, and wears what Nico considers to be a few too many layers for a warm summer night.
“I’m good.” The brunette’s voice is warbled, in a way, but deep and curious. He tilts his head to the side. “Who are you? I haven’t met you.”
Nico sighs to himself, suddenly realizing what’s going on. This guy is some goody two shoes that just wants to make sure that he’s authorized to be there. Annoyance bubbles in his stomach.
“I’m Nicholas. Freshwater bio.” He tries to sound indifferent but he practically sneers, “Who are you?”
The guy looks away, at last. “Nicholas,” he parrots. “I’m Euijoo.”
“Nice to meet you.” Nico can’t even tell anymore if this guy is trying to be an asswipe or if he's just not neurotypical. “Well, I’ve got some traps to check, so…” He stands, cutting off the conversation as he heads outside to the dock.
He shakes his head, deciding to move on from the strange interaction. Euijoo will probably leave soon anyways, it’s so late. Nico turns on his penlight and bites it between his teeth so he can use both hands to pull up his crayfish traps. He’s actually caught one this time. He knew the bait just had to be fresher.
He carefully picks up his specimen, pinching it gently behind the head, and puts it in the little tupperware container he carried along with him. He gleefully takes his catch back inside, examining it at his station to collect data on its size and health. Nico finds it quite cute, with it’s funny little eyestalks and little claws that it waves around.
At some point, he has to take a piss. He puts the crayfish back in the tub on his workspace, and heads off to the toilet. While washing his hands, he decides he’ll wrap up for the night.
When he makes it back to his desk, he’s frozen in his tracks by the sight that greets him. The lid of the tub is open, and all that remains of the crayfish is its torn up tail, laying in a small puddle of pink juices and river water on the workspace. Nico glances around. Euijoo is nowhere to be seen. The door to the dock is ajar.
Nico leans out the door, suddenly wary. His eyes adjust, and he’s startled by the silhouette of his fellow student, standing out on the dock in the moonlight. It looks like he’s come out for some air, since he’s shed his jacket now. His back is to Nico, and his head is lowered as if he’s staring into the water. Although, it would be too dark to see anything in there.
Nico clears his throat, shoving aside his growing unease, to call out to Euijoo.
“Hey, man! You left the door open.”
Euijoo doesn’t turn around. Nico huffs, and stomps over to the other. He puts a hand on Euijoo’s shoulder. The brunette gasps and whips around, as if he didn’t hear Nico walk up to him.
Nico rolls his eyes. “A fucking otter or a bird or something got in and ate my specimen, dude! Pay attention to what you’re doing, you’re lucky I already got my measurements.” He crosses his arms, glaring at the other.
Euijoo only stares. His eyes look even shinier in the moonlight. Nico shifts uncomfortably, waiting for an answer. Euijoo steps forward, immediately too close for comfort. Nico subconsciously takes a step backwards. Euijoo steps forward again.
It takes Nico a moment to register that what he’s doing is stupid. This guy isn’t scary. Nico could take him, he’s confident in that. So why does he keep stepping away? Why is his heart hammering in his ears? And why isn’t Euijoo blinking?
Nico’s heel catches on the doorstep of the lab, and he lands on his back with a thud against the tile. Adrenaline is slamming through his veins, and not just from the fall. He’s getting the sense that there is something really, really wrong.
“E-Euijoo?” he stammers, voice quivering.
Euijoo towers over him, standing just at the doorway. He’s hunched over in a manner that is nothing short of menacing. He opens his mouth, and for a moment Nico thinks he’s going to say something, but then his plush pink lips pull back to reveal a row of tricuspid* teeth.
*trident shaped teeth made to latch on to prey, the kind that leopard seals have.
The staring, the clumsy blinking, the strange way of speaking. Each horrifying, inhuman detail that he should’ve noticed hits Nicholas over the head like a two-by-four. But most of all, how had he not noticed how impossibly large Euijoo’s pupils are?
Euijoo leaned down, nose wrinkling into a snarl that had Nico squirming to find his footing, to somehow get away. The fluorescents hit the creature’s arm, now bare, making visible his shimmering, pale-gray scales. His webbed fingers slowly reach out for Nico, but Nico can’t keep a handle on his nerves anymore. He scrambles to his feet.
Big mistake.
In his defense, when you have a human-mimicking river creature looming over you, making a face like it definitely wants to eat you, then you can judge his decision-making skills.
Before he can even fully right himself, Euijoo slams into him with unbelievable power, smashing him into the station behind him. Nico yelps in pain at the harsh landing. Then Euijoo is grabbing him, pupils now just pinpoints. His sharp teeth snap in Nico’s face, and the human throws his arms up to protect himself.
Sharp teeth sink into Nico’s left arm. He shouts a string of curses. Euijoo twists away, yanking the injured arm at a somehow more painful angle. Nico whimpers pitifully, realizing he’s about to die. This thing is going to drag him into the river, and he’s going to drown and/or be eaten alive.
Then the will to fight, to survive, surges up his throat. Or, maybe that's his dinner, but either way. He grits his teeth, grunting as he kicks out at Euijoo. The creature holds on, barely flinching at the blow. The face, Nico, the face, he thinks, as he recalls all of the shark and alligator safety videos he’s watched. He brings his right arm up, and drives his elbow into Euijoo’s head.
The creature seems dazed, bite loosening enough to allow Nico to rip his bleeding arm away. Nico rolls, shoving Euijoo off of him, and springing to his feet. He makes to run, but a hand around his ankle brings him crashing to the floor once more.
In the split second Nico has after falling, he simultaneously takes account of the half-eaten crayfish that’s landed beside him, and remembers another fact about predators. They’ll take an easy meal over a hard one.
Nico grabs the shredded crayfish tail, and rolls over to face the creature just as it lunges for him with gnashing teeth once more. He pulls his knee up into Euijoo’s side, knocking him off balance. Euijoo lands on his side, and, before he can move, Nico shoves the crayfish against his lips.
The creature seems frozen for a moment, before snatching the dead thing from Nico’s hand, and shoving it in his mouth. Nico sits up, intending to run, but he only sits, and watches Euijoo eat. He chews with his mouth open, bits of flesh sticking to the corners of his lips. Blood, Nico’s blood, is dripping down his chin. He swallows the snack quickly, licking the exterior of his mouth with a long purple tongue.
“...Euijoo?” Nico is just as startled as the creature when his mouth decides to speak with a mind of its own.
Euijoo, seemingly back to a coherent state now, gives him a look that could have possibly been apologetic.
“I-I’m sorry, Nicholas. I didn’t mean to eat your specimen, I- when I get hungry, I get, uh….”
Nico takes a deep breath, heart still pounding. “It’s okay. Call me Nico.”
Euijoo looks highly confused. Nico is confused too, but he can’t even question what he’s doing anymore.
“Okay… Nico. Oh, your arm.” Euijoo looks extremely distressed at the blood pouring down Nico’s arm. Nico figures he should probably also be extremely distressed, but this seems like the least of his worries at the moment.
Euijoo moves to take his arm, but Nico flinches away. Euijoo beckons for his arm, hand outstretched. Nico reluctantly lifts the injured limb. The creature leans down, and swipes his long tongue over the bite, licking up the blood. His tongue is rough, and almost slimey. It sends a shiver up Nico’s spine. Maybe not in a bad way
“What… are you?” It finally occurs to Nico to ask.
“Well, I guess you’d call me a river monster, or something like that.”
Nico purses his lips. “Well that’s helpful” He snarks. “What are you doing here?”
Euijoo eyes him carefully. “You won’t… tell anyone, right?”
Nico nods dutifully.
“My pod is dying. We’re starving. There isn’t enough fish, and the water is sick. So, I decided to leave, and try to be a human. I want to learn about what humans do to the water, and fix it.”
“Whoa, there are others? That’s…” Nico can’t help but feel the story tug on his heartstrings. He can see the loneliness that’s etched on Euijoo’s face. “That’s very brave of you. It must be hard doing this by yourself.”
Euijoo nods solemnly.
“Would you mind if I help you? I want to study the water too, and help keep the river healthy.” Nico leans back against the floor, suddenly feeling weak.
Euijoo’s face blossoms into a sharp-toothed smile. “Do you mean it?”
“Of course,” Nico chuckles. “But first, I’m gonna need you to help me. I need the first aid kit, ‘cause who knows where you’ve had those teeth.”