⧠DREAMYY â welcome to my multifandom writing blog :: mainly an x reader writer :: sfw/suggestive :: she/her (any pronouns work) :: isfp :: interactions/requests are always appreciated
⧠FANDOMS â twisted wonderland (main), kpop demon hunters, obey me, genshin impact, honkai star rail, ikemen prince, and probably more!
⧠BYF â i am a really slow writer (still in school), currently working on a twst series that has not been published at all so it might be a bit until i post...
⧠REQUESTS â completed [3] :: ongoing [0]
hi !!! How are you? If its okay, can i request angst with anaxa ?? with a reader whos like kiana kaslana, who would not hesitate to sacrifice herself for the sake of the world and wants to fight for everything that is beautiful :D?? Maybe they ascended to Aeonhood just to protect the universe, leaving anaxa alone :3? Thank u !!
â ⊠SEE YOU TOMORROW ::
â ⧠anaxa x gn!reader
thank you so much for the request! i'm gonna be so honest: it's been a HOT MINUTE since i've played honkai star rail so i've been on youtube binging the story thus far (i do NOT have enough storage for ts) and holy amphoreus has been such a wile ride. dan heng and phainon: master yearners holy moly dan heng searched for 1000 years?? anyways, this might be ooc or not lore accurate but i hope you enjoy!
after finishing this i realize i kinda deviated from your request a bit... forgive me! hopefully you'll still find it to be a good read :)
the black tide, a manic plague of sorts you'd only ever heard about in history books and rumours had surfaced within the holy city. the city intended to be a safe haven from all the fighting, death, and destruction had now been invaded by the very thing that wiped out entire populations not so long ago.
the very first seed of destruction had now been sowed in the grove. the home of many scholars, of a vast supply of knowledge, and even of the coreflame of reason itselfâsomething you all swore to protect with your life.
you caught on to the appearance of the black tide fairly early in its course meaning you were able to quarantine the majority of the grove. even so, this plague had already wiped out a small chunk of the grove's inhabitants.
you'll never forget the first time you stumbled across their lifeless bodies. perhaps that was the most fearful you've ever been in your life.
it was only yesterday, a day like any other. you were simply walking alongside anaxa, discussing and debating as you normally did. to any regular passerby, it would've appeared to be a heated debate and yet you two knew otherwise. the warmth in your intertwined hands, your loving gaze, and your considerate words; things only you two knew how to cherish amongst yourselves.
then, a muffled cry echoed through the air, behind the library. your conversation halted almost instantly and you shared a quick nod; a mutual agreement to check it out.
unease settled in the pit of your stomach though you weren't sure why exactly. you hoped it was nothing serious, just another scholar freaking out over some passage in a book, probably a line that completely contradicted their view on the world or threw their life's efforts to waste. that was a common occurrence here. but both you and anaxa knew that was not your regular cry. it was a pained cry unlike any otherâit sounded like death itself.
you turned the corner to see... bodies? carcasses lay all over the pavement, twisted branches and leavesâall crumpled and driedâreplaced the ligaments of the poor souls who succumbed to madness.
and of course, that wasn't all. while scanning the area, you found a ripped piece of black fabric, drifting in the wind through the scene of the crime. you were then reminded of what anaxa had told you recently, a man the chrysos heirs referred to as the black-robed swordsmaster, who traveled across amphoreus in search of the coreflames. seeing his cloak here, it's only natural you'd draw upon many conclusions. he came here for the coreflame of reason, and it wouldn't be out of sorts to say he had some connection to the black tide.
you were told he was strong. powerful to a terrifying degree. his strength could best those of the demi-gods. there was no way the grove would be able to defeat him, even if you gathered everyone together. besides, you wouldn't want them to succumb to the black tide anyways.
so, while anaxa helped you gather everyone into a quarantine of sorts, you continued racking up ideas, sharing your thoughts with anaxa. so many plans turned down, so many dead ends. you begun to wonder if this was an impossible venture, perhaps you simply had to accept fate and die.
...
yeah right.
like you'd let fate win.
since you seemed to have exhausted your thousands of options with anaxa, you decided to bring the problem to the rest of the scholars who, they themselves, were getting antsy.
at best, someone would propose a solution right there and then; otherwise, you'd at least get some inspiration. hopefully.
and who'd've believed it? there was a scholar in the crowd who'd devoted her life to studying coreflames; their structure and properties. she said it'd be possible to alchemically recreate a fake coreflame, though it wouldn't contain any of the divine properties of an actual coreflame, it would emit the same aura that could deceive someone for just a moment. it would be just enough to buy some time.
and with that, the foggy haze surrounding which plan to take cleared in your mind. that said, it was far from ideal but... it would minimize damages. one sacrifice. that's all it'd take. one life to save everyone else.
your plan was as followed: evacuate (almost) everyone with one of the evacuees bringing the real coreflame to okhema. meanwhile, one person was to stay in the grove, acting as bait with the fake coreflame to buy the others enough time. the black-robed swordsmaster would come and they'd have to fend him off for as long as possible. for the very least, the stall would have to take 30 minutes, if not more. this lone person would have to be able to fight at least a little.
you considered having more people stay to stall for longer but... but the more people who got involved, the more casualties the grove would face. you couldn't allow that to happen.
this would be a suicide mission for the staller.
and you'd be the one stalling, alone.
it was a risky gambit. if the swordsmaster sliced you in one go, the escapees would most certainly face him on the road. but you simply had to trust in your abilities to hold on until the bitter end. you'd hide the fake coreflame someplace safe, and you'd fight and fight and fight until the last drop of blood leaves your body.
you sent the scholar off (with some help) to create the replica coreflame as soon as possible. meanwhile, you were rallying the rest of the scholars, preparing them for the long road ahead. in all honesty, you were just bracing yourself for when you'd inevitably have to tell anaxa of your plan. your resolve was strong, but against the love of your life? you'd falter for sure. should he oppose you (which he most definitely would), you'd obviously reconsider your plan to some degree.
but it was the only way to minimize casualties, to keep the coreflame safe, to ensure that he stays safe. you'd sacrifice yourself in every single timeline for him, over and over and over again without hesitation or fail. if he lived, it didn't matter to you if you died (though you'd still like to stay alive alongside him but beggars can't be choosers).
you just... didn't know how to break the news to him.
it was hard, trying to find the oportune moment. you were always busy, he was always busy, you were kind of avoiding him... but, you were going to do it now, i swear!
or maybe you'd wait until he approached you...
"y/n."
oh god.
ask and you shall receive... haha... your heart already ached beyond belief. you sucked in as much air as you possibly could to suppress the pain in your chest. did he know already? or would you have to spoil the mood? not there was any mood to be spoiled but... oh, you can't do this. your poor heart can't take it, you were never good with goodbyes.
"i've heard something interesting from one of the scholars."
nevermind, he knew. okay. okay, you can do this. just face him, tell him your plan and don't cry. you slowly turned around, a smile plastered on your face though your heart was currently weeping in utter agony.
"when, pray tell, were you planning on telling me your 'plan' was a suicide mission for yourself?" his arms were crossed at his chest, his tone stern but there was a faint quiver. that alone was enough to make you buckle, you clenched your fists at your sides, trying not to cry.
"it's the only way, anaxa."
"it is far from the only way. you're smart enough to know this."
"it's the only solution that's feasible in the short amount of time that we have. the others are growing anxious, we can't keep them cooped up in here forever. sooner or later, someone's going to run out on their own in a futile attempt to escape. i'm sure the swordsmaster will be here any day now, we can't have everyone in the vicinity when he comes. i can't in good conscience let these people die."
"that doesn't matter, casualties are expected on this path." he paused. "i can find another way." his voice was desperate, urging. you noticed his hands trembling ever so slightly.
"anaxa..." your eyes softened and the ache in your chest grew.
"we can give up the coreflame. someone else can stall insteadâ" his hurried suggestions only furthered your pain. even so, you still shook your head, your smile still strong.
"y/n, this is ridiculous. it doesn't have to be you. it shouldn't be you." in face of your composure, he begun to break down. "y/n, you can'tây/n, please."
"i'll play my part in the flame chase journey, you'll play yours. so stop the end of the world for me, okay?" the smile you held all this time relaxed, slowly calming in the face of death.
"you know i don't believe in such genesis and prophecy. i don't care about the end of this world, defeating titans or what not; i care about you. you can'tâyou can't leave me."
tears begun to prick the corners of your eyes, a bittersweet chuckle escaped your lips. you'd always joked as to how ironic it was that one of the chrysos heirs cared not for titans and demi-gods. still, you had to admit, his concern for you was extremely touching.
you took a step forward, lacing his fingers with yours, your eyes staring up at his. a sea of emotions reflected in his, he was shaking. at the feeling of your warm hands laced with his cool fingers, he impulsively dove to embrace you in his arms, burying his head in your shoulder. you were taken aback for a moment, your arms froze midair. but, not soon after, your hands settled on his head, carefully caressing his hair.
"anaxa, i love you more than anything in this world. you are and will always be the best thing that has ever happened to me. i mean this with all my heart. i would've loved nothing more than to spend the rest of my life with you, until we're old and grey. but if the black tide takes over, if the swordsmaster comes..." you paused, a chill running through your blood. "i can't lose you. i want you to live. perhaps i'm selfish for wanting that, but i won't back down."
"y-you can't, y/n, please. i'm begging you. you can't do this to me. i can't go on without you." he pleaded. small drops of water seemed to fall on your shoulder, and for the first time since you've known him, anaxa wept. his quiet sobs vibrated through your body.
you tend to forget anaxa could still act like a child with how arrogant his usual self is. you forgot he could cry. you were cruel, you knew that. after the death of his sister, how could he face the death of someone close to him again? it was your selfish desire for him to live, but he'd bear the consequences of your decision.
your breath hitched, you couldn't help but tremble in his quivering arms. you ran a hand through his hair, taking in a shaky breath to calm yourself. "it's alright, anaxa. i've made my peace with it." the tears you'd been withholding fell atop his head. "i'll be with you until the end of time. whether it be this life, or the next. you can't escape me even if you tried." you joked through your sobs.
"y/n, listen to me, please. this isn't a laughing matter. you won't make it. i won't make it without you. anyone else. it could be anyone else. i'll do it, it just cant be you."
you kissed the top of his head. "nothing can change my mind, anaxa. it's my plan; it's only right that it be me."
"i can't lose you. what's the point of saving the world if you won't be there when it gets betterâif it gets better."
"anaxa..." you took a deep breath, trying (and failing) to calm the pain in your chest. "anaxa, save the world for yourself, then. so you can experience hapiness without fear. so you can make new friends, find new joys, maybe even meet new love." you smiled. "i just want you to be happy."
"how can i find joy without you? any mirth is meaningless if you're not there. find new love? honestly, listen to yourself, you're not right in the head. y/n, i'm pleading with you; reconsider."
"i know you can do it, anaxa. you're stronger than i'll ever be. i love you; others can and will too. live on, okay?"
"no! inâin what world is this okay?" he lifted his head off of your shoulder to meet your gaze, his eye; red and puffy.
you brought your hands to his cheeks, caressing his tear soaked face with your thumbs. "i'm sure you'll do just fine without me. i just ask that you take care of yourself." you slowly approached your face to his, bringing your lips together in a act of goodbye. you could hear his heartbeat pumping through his chest. his muscles slowly relaxed under your touch, absorbing the warmth from your fingertips. you pulled away, giving him one last tear ridden smile. "i love you, anaxagoras. i'm sorry we didn't have more time together."
his lips parted, ready to respond. but he stopped himself. perhaps he knew saying those words truly meant goodbye. he couldn't bring himself to leave, to accept your death. he held his breath, gripping you tight in his arms.
you bathed in his warmth for the last time, smiling to yourself. he didn't need to say those words for you to know it to be true. you let the last of your tears fall onto his chest as his did too. you both made sure to save this warmth, remember it.
he would never forget you, he could never. even if he tried, you'd stay forever in his head and in his heart. look at him, he couldn't even let you go now, while you were still alive.
he composed himself eventually. with a huff, he managed to look you in the eyes once more. "i will never agree with this decision... but... as always, your resolve will never fail to waver mine."
you let the breath you'd been holding in exit in relief. "see you tomorrow, anaxa."
"...i ...i love you, y/n. please stay safe, i'll come back for you."
you shook your head in surrender. "it should be me saying that to you. anaxa, please take care."
that night (or day, the sky stayed the same), you put your plan into action. one last goodbye to the rest of the scholars, your friends, and anaxa. you waved them off with a newfound determination in your eyes, you gripped the sword in your hand tight.
you stood at the gate for a while longer, meeting anaxa's gaze as he looked back. you smiled.
his last memory of you.
you then made your way to the luminary throne. your steps were slow, every click of your shoes echoed through the silent air. you held the replica coreflame in your arms, close to your chest and waited. you weren't sure when the swordsmaster would show up, only that he would. and you'd be waiting for him.
you had to stall, for anaxa. you started to worry, what if the swordsmaster knew of your plan? what if you've just sent them all to their deaths? fear begun to gnaw at you but you had to calm yourself. and, as luck would have it, he appeared.
before you stood the masked, black-robed swordsmaster. you sighed in relief. now came the hard part; stalling. you weren't the greatest warrior by any means, there's a reason you weren't an active participant in the flame-chase journey. but you had will, if nothing else. you had to protect them, protect him.
you placed the coreflame on the throne behind you, readying your sword.
anaxa swore he could hear the clanking of swords as he and the crowd continued to run like there was no tomorrow. he was not what you'd call an athletic person but he couldn't let your strength go to waste. if he was quick enough, and you strong enough; he could run back once the coreflame was returned and meet you once more. if he pushed on through the pain in his lungs and chest, maybe, just maybe, you two would stay together.
the fight was a long and arduous one. in all honesty, you should've died at the very beginning of this battle. but you were running on so, so, so much adrenaline that all the cuts and scrapes you'd suffered through this fight couldn't stop you.
you were bleeding all over, your limbs broken and cracked, bruises everywhere. you lost track of time, had you stalled long enough for them to make it back safely? who could tell. you just had to keep on fighting until you died.
in what felt like forever, the swordsmaster had finally pierced your heart, your body finally slumping to the ground, your crimson red blood spilling all over the floor. "you... lost..." you breathed out in agony and relief.
as your eyelids took a rest, you saw anaxa. they do say your life flashes before your eyes as death takes you. funny, does that mean anaxa was your life? you wouldn't be surprised.
it was silent. the swordsmaster had probably left, chasing after the real coreflame. you could only hope that they'd made it back already.
the frantic sounds of running sounded and vibrated through the ground. who could that be? you tried to open your eyes, though the sword in your chest made it rather difficult.
even so, you pushed your body even further, using every muscle in your body till your very last breath. there stood anaxa by your side. seems like you did your job perfectly, you'd bought them so much time. enough time for anaxa to return the coreflame to okhema and return to your side. he dropped to his knees, cradling you in his arms. he was saying something, he sounded pained. you couldn't make out a single word. his muffled sobs were all that was audible.
how unfortunate, you wanted his last memory of you to be a good one, one where your limbs were intact and blood wasn't dripping from every inch of your body. you tried to smile, the corner of your lips raising ever so slightly. you weakly reached out an arm to meet his face. "...don't...cry..." his tears fell on your wounds. they were warm. "...love..." you'd pushed your body way further than what it should've been able to. a true testament to your will. but, it was time to say goodbye. your body gave out like a ragdoll, cold and lifeless in his arms.
following your death, anaxa he let out a cry of agony, he was a sobbing mess, breaking down on the floor, your corpse still in his arms.
he was too late. you held on so long for what? for him to come after you'd been murdered. how long did you halt death, how long did you wait for him?
he was truly alone now.
meanwhile, you were engulfed in a sea of darkness. perhaps this was death. an eternal limbo, alone, dark. in an instant, the dark turned into a blinding light before the landscape around you formed into a galaxy. a place you'd never seen, a beautiful blue and purple ocean ridden with stars. somewhere beyond the sky. something you never thought you'd see. it was breathtaking.
you walked towards the beacon of light in the middle, drawn to it like a moth to a flame. you reached out, your fingertips grazing the fuzzy light.
you weren't exactly sure what happened, but next you knew, you found yourself above. looking down at worlds, planets, scattered all across the galaxy. around you were unfamiliar godlike figures. "welcome, aeon of will."
hi !!! How are you? If its okay, can i request angst with anaxa ?? with a reader whos like kiana kaslana, who would not hesitate to sacrifice herself for the sake of the world and wants to fight for everything that is beautiful :D?? Maybe they ascended to Aeonhood just to protect the universe, leaving anaxa alone :3? Thank u !!
â ⊠SEE YOU TOMORROW ::
â ⧠anaxa x gn!reader
thank you so much for the request! i'm gonna be so honest: it's been a HOT MINUTE since i've played honkai star rail so i've been on youtube binging the story thus far (i do NOT have enough storage for ts) and holy amphoreus has been such a wile ride. dan heng and phainon: master yearners holy moly dan heng searched for 1000 years?? anyways, this might be ooc or not lore accurate but i hope you enjoy!
after finishing this i realize i kinda deviated from your request a bit... forgive me! hopefully you'll still find it to be a good read :)
the black tide, a manic plague of sorts you'd only ever heard about in history books and rumours had surfaced within the holy city. the city intended to be a safe haven from all the fighting, death, and destruction had now been invaded by the very thing that wiped out entire populations not so long ago.
the very first seed of destruction had now been sowed in the grove. the home of many scholars, of a vast supply of knowledge, and even of the coreflame of reason itselfâsomething you all swore to protect with your life.
you caught on to the appearance of the black tide fairly early in its course meaning you were able to quarantine the majority of the grove. even so, this plague had already wiped out a small chunk of the grove's inhabitants.
you'll never forget the first time you stumbled across their lifeless bodies. perhaps that was the most fearful you've ever been in your life.
it was only yesterday, a day like any other. you were simply walking alongside anaxa, discussing and debating as you normally did. to any regular passerby, it would've appeared to be a heated debate and yet you two knew otherwise. the warmth in your intertwined hands, your loving gaze, and your considerate words; things only you two knew how to cherish amongst yourselves.
then, a muffled cry echoed through the air, behind the library. your conversation halted almost instantly and you shared a quick nod; a mutual agreement to check it out.
unease settled in the pit of your stomach though you weren't sure why exactly. you hoped it was nothing serious, just another scholar freaking out over some passage in a book, probably a line that completely contradicted their view on the world or threw their life's efforts to waste. that was a common occurrence here. but both you and anaxa knew that was not your regular cry. it was a pained cry unlike any otherâit sounded like death itself.
you turned the corner to see... bodies? carcasses lay all over the pavement, twisted branches and leavesâall crumpled and driedâreplaced the ligaments of the poor souls who succumbed to madness.
and of course, that wasn't all. while scanning the area, you found a ripped piece of black fabric, drifting in the wind through the scene of the crime. you were then reminded of what anaxa had told you recently, a man the chrysos heirs referred to as the black-robed swordsmaster, who traveled across amphoreus in search of the coreflames. seeing his cloak here, it's only natural you'd draw upon many conclusions. he came here for the coreflame of reason, and it wouldn't be out of sorts to say he had some connection to the black tide.
you were told he was strong. powerful to a terrifying degree. his strength could best those of the demi-gods. there was no way the grove would be able to defeat him, even if you gathered everyone together. besides, you wouldn't want them to succumb to the black tide anyways.
so, while anaxa helped you gather everyone into a quarantine of sorts, you continued racking up ideas, sharing your thoughts with anaxa. so many plans turned down, so many dead ends. you begun to wonder if this was an impossible venture, perhaps you simply had to accept fate and die.
...
yeah right.
like you'd let fate win.
since you seemed to have exhausted your thousands of options with anaxa, you decided to bring the problem to the rest of the scholars who, they themselves, were getting antsy.
at best, someone would propose a solution right there and then; otherwise, you'd at least get some inspiration. hopefully.
and who'd've believed it? there was a scholar in the crowd who'd devoted her life to studying coreflames; their structure and properties. she said it'd be possible to alchemically recreate a fake coreflame, though it wouldn't contain any of the divine properties of an actual coreflame, it would emit the same aura that could deceive someone for just a moment. it would be just enough to buy some time.
and with that, the foggy haze surrounding which plan to take cleared in your mind. that said, it was far from ideal but... it would minimize damages. one sacrifice. that's all it'd take. one life to save everyone else.
your plan was as followed: evacuate (almost) everyone with one of the evacuees bringing the real coreflame to okhema. meanwhile, one person was to stay in the grove, acting as bait with the fake coreflame to buy the others enough time. the black-robed swordsmaster would come and they'd have to fend him off for as long as possible. for the very least, the stall would have to take 30 minutes, if not more. this lone person would have to be able to fight at least a little.
you considered having more people stay to stall for longer but... but the more people who got involved, the more casualties the grove would face. you couldn't allow that to happen.
this would be a suicide mission for the staller.
and you'd be the one stalling, alone.
it was a risky gambit. if the swordsmaster sliced you in one go, the escapees would most certainly face him on the road. but you simply had to trust in your abilities to hold on until the bitter end. you'd hide the fake coreflame someplace safe, and you'd fight and fight and fight until the last drop of blood leaves your body.
you sent the scholar off (with some help) to create the replica coreflame as soon as possible. meanwhile, you were rallying the rest of the scholars, preparing them for the long road ahead. in all honesty, you were just bracing yourself for when you'd inevitably have to tell anaxa of your plan. your resolve was strong, but against the love of your life? you'd falter for sure. should he oppose you (which he most definitely would), you'd obviously reconsider your plan to some degree.
but it was the only way to minimize casualties, to keep the coreflame safe, to ensure that he stays safe. you'd sacrifice yourself in every single timeline for him, over and over and over again without hesitation or fail. if he lived, it didn't matter to you if you died (though you'd still like to stay alive alongside him but beggars can't be choosers).
you just... didn't know how to break the news to him.
it was hard, trying to find the oportune moment. you were always busy, he was always busy, you were kind of avoiding him... but, you were going to do it now, i swear!
or maybe you'd wait until he approached you...
"y/n."
oh god.
ask and you shall receive... haha... your heart already ached beyond belief. you sucked in as much air as you possibly could to suppress the pain in your chest. did he know already? or would you have to spoil the mood? not there was any mood to be spoiled but... oh, you can't do this. your poor heart can't take it, you were never good with goodbyes.
"i've heard something interesting from one of the scholars."
nevermind, he knew. okay. okay, you can do this. just face him, tell him your plan and don't cry. you slowly turned around, a smile plastered on your face though your heart was currently weeping in utter agony.
"when, pray tell, were you planning on telling me your 'plan' was a suicide mission for yourself?" his arms were crossed at his chest, his tone stern but there was a faint quiver. that alone was enough to make you buckle, you clenched your fists at your sides, trying not to cry.
"it's the only way, anaxa."
"it is far from the only way. you're smart enough to know this."
"it's the only solution that's feasible in the short amount of time that we have. the others are growing anxious, we can't keep them cooped up in here forever. sooner or later, someone's going to run out on their own in a futile attempt to escape. i'm sure the swordsmaster will be here any day now, we can't have everyone in the vicinity when he comes. i can't in good conscience let these people die."
"that doesn't matter, casualties are expected on this path." he paused. "i can find another way." his voice was desperate, urging. you noticed his hands trembling ever so slightly.
"anaxa..." your eyes softened and the ache in your chest grew.
"we can give up the coreflame. someone else can stall insteadâ" his hurried suggestions only furthered your pain. even so, you still shook your head, your smile still strong.
"y/n, this is ridiculous. it doesn't have to be you. it shouldn't be you." in face of your composure, he begun to break down. "y/n, you can'tây/n, please."
"i'll play my part in the flame chase journey, you'll play yours. so stop the end of the world for me, okay?" the smile you held all this time relaxed, slowly calming in the face of death.
"you know i don't believe in such genesis and prophecy. i don't care about the end of this world, defeating titans or what not; i care about you. you can'tâyou can't leave me."
tears begun to prick the corners of your eyes, a bittersweet chuckle escaped your lips. you'd always joked as to how ironic it was that one of the chrysos heirs cared not for titans and demi-gods. still, you had to admit, his concern for you was extremely touching.
you took a step forward, lacing his fingers with yours, your eyes staring up at his. a sea of emotions reflected in his, he was shaking. at the feeling of your warm hands laced with his cool fingers, he impulsively dove to embrace you in his arms, burying his head in your shoulder. you were taken aback for a moment, your arms froze midair. but, not soon after, your hands settled on his head, carefully caressing his hair.
"anaxa, i love you more than anything in this world. you are and will always be the best thing that has ever happened to me. i mean this with all my heart. i would've loved nothing more than to spend the rest of my life with you, until we're old and grey. but if the black tide takes over, if the swordsmaster comes..." you paused, a chill running through your blood. "i can't lose you. i want you to live. perhaps i'm selfish for wanting that, but i won't back down."
"y-you can't, y/n, please. i'm begging you. you can't do this to me. i can't go on without you." he pleaded. small drops of water seemed to fall on your shoulder, and for the first time since you've known him, anaxa wept. his quiet sobs vibrated through your body.
you tend to forget anaxa could still act like a child with how arrogant his usual self is. you forgot he could cry. you were cruel, you knew that. after the death of his sister, how could he face the death of someone close to him again? it was your selfish desire for him to live, but he'd bear the consequences of your decision.
your breath hitched, you couldn't help but tremble in his quivering arms. you ran a hand through his hair, taking in a shaky breath to calm yourself. "it's alright, anaxa. i've made my peace with it." the tears you'd been withholding fell atop his head. "i'll be with you until the end of time. whether it be this life, or the next. you can't escape me even if you tried." you joked through your sobs.
"y/n, listen to me, please. this isn't a laughing matter. you won't make it. i won't make it without you. anyone else. it could be anyone else. i'll do it, it just cant be you."
you kissed the top of his head. "nothing can change my mind, anaxa. it's my plan; it's only right that it be me."
"i can't lose you. what's the point of saving the world if you won't be there when it gets betterâif it gets better."
"anaxa..." you took a deep breath, trying (and failing) to calm the pain in your chest. "anaxa, save the world for yourself, then. so you can experience hapiness without fear. so you can make new friends, find new joys, maybe even meet new love." you smiled. "i just want you to be happy."
"how can i find joy without you? any mirth is meaningless if you're not there. find new love? honestly, listen to yourself, you're not right in the head. y/n, i'm pleading with you; reconsider."
"i know you can do it, anaxa. you're stronger than i'll ever be. i love you; others can and will too. live on, okay?"
"no! inâin what world is this okay?" he lifted his head off of your shoulder to meet your gaze, his eye; red and puffy.
you brought your hands to his cheeks, caressing his tear soaked face with your thumbs. "i'm sure you'll do just fine without me. i just ask that you take care of yourself." you slowly approached your face to his, bringing your lips together in a act of goodbye. you could hear his heartbeat pumping through his chest. his muscles slowly relaxed under your touch, absorbing the warmth from your fingertips. you pulled away, giving him one last tear ridden smile. "i love you, anaxagoras. i'm sorry we didn't have more time together."
his lips parted, ready to respond. but he stopped himself. perhaps he knew saying those words truly meant goodbye. he couldn't bring himself to leave, to accept your death. he held his breath, gripping you tight in his arms.
you bathed in his warmth for the last time, smiling to yourself. he didn't need to say those words for you to know it to be true. you let the last of your tears fall onto his chest as his did too. you both made sure to save this warmth, remember it.
he would never forget you, he could never. even if he tried, you'd stay forever in his head and in his heart. look at him, he couldn't even let you go now, while you were still alive.
he composed himself eventually. with a huff, he managed to look you in the eyes once more. "i will never agree with this decision... but... as always, your resolve will never fail to waver mine."
you let the breath you'd been holding in exit in relief. "see you tomorrow, anaxa."
"...i ...i love you, y/n. please stay safe, i'll come back for you."
you shook your head in surrender. "it should be me saying that to you. anaxa, please take care."
that night (or day, the sky stayed the same), you put your plan into action. one last goodbye to the rest of the scholars, your friends, and anaxa. you waved them off with a newfound determination in your eyes, you gripped the sword in your hand tight.
you stood at the gate for a while longer, meeting anaxa's gaze as he looked back. you smiled.
his last memory of you.
you then made your way to the luminary throne. your steps were slow, every click of your shoes echoed through the silent air. you held the replica coreflame in your arms, close to your chest and waited. you weren't sure when the swordsmaster would show up, only that he would. and you'd be waiting for him.
you had to stall, for anaxa. you started to worry, what if the swordsmaster knew of your plan? what if you've just sent them all to their deaths? fear begun to gnaw at you but you had to calm yourself. and, as luck would have it, he appeared.
before you stood the masked, black-robed swordsmaster. you sighed in relief. now came the hard part; stalling. you weren't the greatest warrior by any means, there's a reason you weren't an active participant in the flame-chase journey. but you had will, if nothing else. you had to protect them, protect him.
you placed the coreflame on the throne behind you, readying your sword.
anaxa swore he could hear the clanking of swords as he and the crowd continued to run like there was no tomorrow. he was not what you'd call an athletic person but he couldn't let your strength go to waste. if he was quick enough, and you strong enough; he could run back once the coreflame was returned and meet you once more. if he pushed on through the pain in his lungs and chest, maybe, just maybe, you two would stay together.
the fight was a long and arduous one. in all honesty, you should've died at the very beginning of this battle. but you were running on so, so, so much adrenaline that all the cuts and scrapes you'd suffered through this fight couldn't stop you.
you were bleeding all over, your limbs broken and cracked, bruises everywhere. you lost track of time, had you stalled long enough for them to make it back safely? who could tell. you just had to keep on fighting until you died.
in what felt like forever, the swordsmaster had finally pierced your heart, your body finally slumping to the ground, your crimson red blood spilling all over the floor. "you... lost..." you breathed out in agony and relief.
as your eyelids took a rest, you saw anaxa. they do say your life flashes before your eyes as death takes you. funny, does that mean anaxa was your life? you wouldn't be surprised.
it was silent. the swordsmaster had probably left, chasing after the real coreflame. you could only hope that they'd made it back already.
the frantic sounds of running sounded and vibrated through the ground. who could that be? you tried to open your eyes, though the sword in your chest made it rather difficult.
even so, you pushed your body even further, using every muscle in your body till your very last breath. there stood anaxa by your side. seems like you did your job perfectly, you'd bought them so much time. enough time for anaxa to return the coreflame to okhema and return to your side. he dropped to his knees, cradling you in his arms. he was saying something, he sounded pained. you couldn't make out a single word. his muffled sobs were all that was audible.
how unfortunate, you wanted his last memory of you to be a good one, one where your limbs were intact and blood wasn't dripping from every inch of your body. you tried to smile, the corner of your lips raising ever so slightly. you weakly reached out an arm to meet his face. "...don't...cry..." his tears fell on your wounds. they were warm. "...love..." you'd pushed your body way further than what it should've been able to. a true testament to your will. but, it was time to say goodbye. your body gave out like a ragdoll, cold and lifeless in his arms.
following your death, anaxa he let out a cry of agony, he was a sobbing mess, breaking down on the floor, your corpse still in his arms.
he was too late. you held on so long for what? for him to come after you'd been murdered. how long did you halt death, how long did you wait for him?
he was truly alone now.
meanwhile, you were engulfed in a sea of darkness. perhaps this was death. an eternal limbo, alone, dark. in an instant, the dark turned into a blinding light before the landscape around you formed into a galaxy. a place you'd never seen, a beautiful blue and purple ocean ridden with stars. somewhere beyond the sky. something you never thought you'd see. it was breathtaking.
you walked towards the beacon of light in the middle, drawn to it like a moth to a flame. you reached out, your fingertips grazing the fuzzy light.
you weren't exactly sure what happened, but next you knew, you found yourself above. looking down at worlds, planets, scattered all across the galaxy. around you were unfamiliar godlike figures. "welcome, aeon of will."
â ⧠WRITING requests are currently open! â ongoing [0] :: completed [3]
1. no nsfw (i suck ass at it), suggestive jokes/actions (making out, etc) i can attempt!
2. requests are literally almost everything: hcs, drabbles, smaus, fics, etc!
3. feel free to (aka please) ask me anything, send in thoughts/requests, interact!!
4. if you do happen to request, give me as much detail as you can so i can make it as good as you want it to be!
5. i am mainly an x reader writer but i can also write platonic, non-reader ships, etc!
i have complaints about the avatar movie. many complaints. the movieâs animation was absolutely beautiful, art was amazing. the idea was great, wouldâve been really interesting if it was written properly. but it wasnât.
note: i sound very cynical right now, i just rewatched the movie and am very salty about how they handled this absolute gem of a world and idea. if you enjoyed it, i am not here to take that away from you, i just desperately need to complain.
1. every single character has been reduced to a caricature of themselves.
a. toph is the comedic relief boss-girl whoâs obsessed with being the greatest earthbender in the world. she has no depth, no personality. she says a total of like 5 lines, 3 of which being âiâm still the greatest earthbender in the world!â and then beats people up for the rest of the movie. what happened to her past in being a sheltered rich blind girl labeled as incompetent by her own parents? what happened to her hard headedness getting in the way of genuine relationships with others? i loved her in atla and i was so excited to see her in the movie. i just wished they handled her better.
b. sokka was comedic relief. that was it. and yes, the little gag at the beginning hit well, it was funny and the art fit perfectly with his imagination. but otherwise heâs reduced to the non-bender comedic relief who just happens to be there and save everyone when they need to prove non-bending has merit. the crazy engineer who just whips something up at the drop of a hat.
c. zuko was calm, angst and anger all forgotten when you obviously canât erase all that trauma and resentment with a few years. they touch very slightly on how his throne is built on war but they never developed it further, never really showed zukoâs reaction other than the slight eye widening (refer to 2. rushed writing, 3. forgetting comics). which was such a missed opportunity because zuko has so much to develop, heâs such an interesting character.
d. katara was the one that pissed me off the most, sheâs aangâs emotional support. sheâs only there to comfort aang, to heal him, to help him. not to mention how the animation (as gorgeous as it was) completely wiped her of any ethnic features. donât give me the bs of âitâs the artsyleâ, weâve seen them do it in atla, why couldnât they do it here?
e. aang was weak. like pathetically so. i donât want him to be all powerful, thatâs boring and frankly unrealistic. but the scene where the fire arrow was coming towards him? the scene where the tower fell? where he was climbing the mountain? he has all 4 elements under his belt, heâs trained and heâs had many years to train. they had to nerf him of his powers for the plot and thatâs so unfortunate to me.
2. rushed/lazy writing, holy shit. if this movie had more time to develop, the writing wouldâve been so much better, i know it.
a. take for instance taga. we had one scene where katara briefly opposed him to aang and that was it. that was all the communicated suspicion to aang. so why did he say he betrayed them all? when katara vaguely said âitâs too dangerousâ, climbed up a ladder while pouting, came back down and brushed it all aside. her confrontation had to impact, no stakes. partially because of how they built her character, partially because of how the story was written but her anger had no effect because we knew theyâd make it. because in our minds, katara was just worrying like a girlfriend, not a member of the group. tagaâs reveal couldâve been so much more impactful had the writers taken their time with it. if they put more emphasis on the who, the what, the why. instead, the energy went into the fight scene (refer to 4. the animefication of the movie)
b. next thing you know, theyâre dead. what?? they all died, katara revives them (even though she was dead tooâŠ?) and then they just brush it off and move to the spirit world? maybe i just didnât understand that scene and itâd make sense if i rewatched it a couple times but it just doesnât sit right to me that they all died, they all faced death, revived, moved on as if nothing happened. we all remember how aang acted in atla when he actually died and was revived. he went insane. but the rest of the group? they havenât had that experience yet, should they not⊠react? bat an eye?
c. another issue i have with the writing is the telling, not showing. the scene with katara and aang on the balcony at the very beginning, the little earth bender avatar who was supposed to be comedic, itâs all said when so much of it can be revealed or shown. taga shouldâve been a mystery, had more time to marinate. the audience shouldâve felt comfortable and slowly witnessed as everyone felt the unease. instead, i donât know about all of you, but it was so obvious from the get-go that he was evil. the one little remark about how âan avatar mustâve sealed him inâ was nice. itâs not obvious on the first watch, itâs something you notice in hindsight.
d. so many small things were overlooked. for example, âi want the staff to repopulate the airbenders, iâm a good guyâ, âthey want the staff to give themselves air powers, theyâre the bad guys.â was it just me or was this terribly difficult to understand. because the denied and the avatar gang both want the same things? was that on purpose to highlight taga because if it was, there was definitely a better way to go about it.
e. on the topic of the denied. develop then. please. they couldâve shown aang how his ideals pushed aside non-benders, how non-benders were forced to fend for themselves, to help better republic city. instead they were painted as the evil guys who inflicted pain on those just like them. and sure, this couldâve been to show the corruption of the staff. but why used the denied to do this when they had perfectly good other characters that we knew better. right, because they didnât develop toph, they didnât develop zuko, they didnât develop sokka, they didnât develop katara.
f. and they just completely lost suki and mai and tai lee? was it just me that wondered where they were? suki was a part of the final gang in atla, that way they had sword and fan, two non-benders. mai and tai lee helped show more non-benders. they wouldâve been perfect for a movie that supposedly focused on the non-benders. cabage guy got more cameos than them. when aang at the beginning said âbenders and non-bendersâ, the non-benders plural in question were sokka and⊠no, thatâs it. just sokka. (refer to 3. loss of worldbuilding)
3. kinda just⊠forgot about the comics, forgot about the worldbuilding.
a. avatar roku?? spoiler alert but in the comics, aang severed his connection to avatar roku because he was telling him to kill zuko. listen, i havenât read all the comics but i feel like itâs definitely something to take into account considering itâs⊠canon. like tophâs students are from the comics so they were just really selective about what they wanted to include and what they didnât.
b. bending. iâm so mad about this. they just lost the martial arts aspect of bending. why did katara steal those waterbending form scrolls back in atla just for the denied and everyone else to shoot powers out. the whole point of bending was connection within, something inside of you that you channel through form, through martial arts. and yet everyone just decides to wave their hand around and bam! air. bam! fire.
c. sokka kinda just forgot he worked on the fire nation ships. âi donât know how to steer this thing!â hey, you literally worked with these ships before. this and others.
4. the animefication of atla.
a. big anime fight scene at the end, turned the spirit world into the magical, colourful world instead of what it actually is. this was literally built upon in atla, the whole tree episode! the spirit world isnât the fucking wishing star from puss in boots, its fragments of the world connected together where spirits reside. thereâs nothing whimsical about it but rather unnerving, maybe. and iâm sorry, but taga becoming a genie of the lamp, jafar, dragon ball z supervillain hybrid didnât help in the slightest. what they shouldâve done to show the corruption of the staff was make aang hurt a human face. a bleeding one with scratches, scars, bruises. one that wasnât blue and glowing. it shows how out of touch he became, how he became what he swore against.
b. everyone sounds like a mha protagonist. dialogue is flat. voices arenât real. theyâre processed. iâm serious, maybe this is why there was so much comedy instead of conversation but every attempted heart-to-heart came off as fake, forced and not realistic. every scene with aang and katara had me pulling my hair out because they donât talk like humans they talk like robots.
c. every character tried a little to hard to be comedic. especially the one scene in the spirit world, there was no need for allat. it had no relevance other than to say âthe spirit world is out of orderâ but that couldâve been done in so many other ways. maybe a tree that decayed unnaturally, a crack in the floor that lead to a void, and shift in character, a wrinkle or two, but it didnât need to be comedic. it shouldâve been unnerving to allow the audience to understand that something wasnât right. that the scales were tipped out of balance.
thereâs honestly so much more i can say but i just really wanted to get this out while itâs still fresh in my brain. as previously mentioned, iâm not saying this is a dogshit movie. i understand how much effort went into this, the animation and art truly shines in that category. but the writing really doesnât reflect that hard work, and iâm sure it doesnât convey what they want it to.
please. feel free to let me know your thoughts but please be sure to keep it respectful, do not insult me or others!
fem!reader was a backup dancer for the saja boys in their latest comeback, but all the attention you and abby received for your insane chemistry led to you two to having many more dances together. more fluff because thatâs what i love to write <3
part 1 (you are here!) | part 2
cw: swearing, paparazzi/fans, suggestive songs/choreography (aka: bite me â enhyphen and more!!), teeny tiny parental issues, angst if you squint (only if you squint so hard your eyes are closed), fluffy!! not proofread <3
it all started with saja boysâ most recent comeback.
their first song under the same management team of huntrix.
yeah, that happened somehow.
no one knows what went down.
one second this new hot boy band debuts with a street performance with no manager, company, team nor backup dancers.
next thing you know they enter a fierce rivalry with huntrix, the biggest group in existence and three insanely good songs are presented to the public and not published.
like takedown? banger.
what is sounds like? ugh, the chills.
your idol?? on repeat 24/7 inject it in my veins.
what happend after that?
you swore the saja boys died.
literally obliterated by fire.
i mean, you watched it with your own two eyes.
jinu died seemingly protecting rumi, zoey and mira killed mystery and abby, and romance and baby just kinda⊠vanished into fire??
the huntrix girls then started levitating, rumi had rainbow tattoosâyou think? i mean, this wasnât an everyday occurrence so maybe you were just hallucinating something.
the saja boys went on hiatus for an indefinite amount of time so maybe you were right??
one week later, theyâre back, bobby took them under his already cramped wing.
yeah, never mind.
you were probably just sleep deprived.
the saja boys are alive, youâre just insane.
magic doesnât exist.
whatever supernatural shit you saw was obviously wrong.
the huntrix girls did not levitate, the saja boys did not have magical pink fire with a mouth as stage effects and the boys were not dead.
anyways, moving on from that, bobby is looking for backup dancers, specifically female.
why?
who knows.
who cares?
well, you have to now.
you see, bobby was actually a friend from high school.
he saved your ass at least a thousand times.
why does this matter? well he remembers you loved to dance. and he found your account full of the newest trending dances.
yep, you were exactly what he needed.
there you are, minding your own own business, trying to learn a new dance in your simple job as a convenience store cashier.
hey, no judging. money is hard to make when your only passion and drive is dancing.
you were not about to be stuck working a 9 to 5 office job inside a cubicle for the rest of your life. your body needed movement to function.
you wouldâve became a kpop idol if it was that easy. yes, you could sing... kinda. but your dancing was where it was at.
the only issue?
god was it hard to be a kpop idol.
and they pay? not enough to keep you financially stable.
you didnât want to return home. your parents werenât the biggest fans of your dance obsession, always told you to be realistic. get a real job, be successful in life, blah, blah, blah.
going back to them meant they were right. you were going to prove them wrong.
eventually.
somehow.
you didnât know how but youâd figure it out.
so here you were, working a million shifts in an empty convenience store.
life was actually pretty chill despite all that.
you got your own dance practice studio in a way. only issue was that the walls were see through.
god the amount of times people have either seen you and given you the stink eye or tried to strike a conversation about how you should be an idol.
physically made you want to curl up in a ball of shame.
oh well! youâll live.
right, so anyways, you were minding your own business, learning the dance to lights down low (god iâm obsessed with that dance) when a message popped up on your screen.
wiping off the sweat from your forehead, you approached your phone to check the sender.
it was bobby from high school.
with a text that read, âhey y/n! you still dance, right?â
âcrazy timing bobby i was actually just dancing rn đđ anyways yes i do! whatâs up?â
âokay so i have a huge favour to ask of you please hear me outâ
you were intrigued.
bobby wasnât the type of person to ask for favours, heâd only do them for others.
âyâknow how iâm the current manager of the saja boys? okay so technically this is supposed to be top secret but iâm trusting you here đđ we are planning a comeback for the boys and i am in desperate need backup dancersâ
oh.
oh hell yeah.
thank you world.
hard work pays off.
âyouâll get paid, of course! and if u want to make it a full time job i could make that happen! đâ
you dropped your phone in shock.
oh my god.
dreams really do come true.
stay in school kids.
and then a customer came in.
you hurriedly tucked your phone away in your pocket and put on your customer service smile.
looking at the person who walked in, your jaw dropped.
was that⊠abby?
abby from the saja boys
the saja boys??
the ones you were about to dance with???
yes.
that was definitely him.
him in his signature undersized tropical shirt and beanie.
him in his signature lifting arm to reveal insanely defined abs pose.
he looked at you for a second, eyes glinting in amusement, smirked as if he knew you were freaking out before looking around with his little shopping post it note.
oh my god.
you knew he was hot but in real life??
holy shit.
the was the jaw that said i was carved straight from marble.
those were the biceps that said i can and will pick you up and use you as a weight whenever i please.
those were the abs that said try and punch me and youâll end up with a broken fist.
that was the face that said i break necks wherever i go.
that was the face and body of someone who could wreck lives.
well your life was wrecked already but itâs wrecked a little extra now.
he grabbed your entire shelf of spicy instant ramyeon without picking up a basket or bag. yes, he was struggling to make sure everything was balanced.
it was extremely hilarious. like your own personal circus.
you took pity on the man. âuh, do you want a basket for that?â you pulled a basket from the stack behind you.
ânah, iâm good. got my muscles.â he grinned boyishly, stacking the cups on his biceps.
you stood there. completely in awe.
not by his innate skill for balancing instant noodle cups on his biceps but rather from the stupidity of the situation youâd found yourself in.
you had to cup your mouth to stop yourself from laughing right there and then in front of his face. what a guy.
âalright, well. if you need it itâs right here.â
while watching him shop, you remembered that you hadnât answered bobby yet. quickly opening your phone, you realize youâd left him on read for 10 minutes now.
âhiiii! sorry for the wait i had a customer to deal with but YES ID LOVE TO!! if thatâs alright with you iâd love to make it a full time job too! tell me when auditions are, iâll gladly show up!â
âoh thank god, i thought you thought i was completely insane or something đ anyways im sure the boys will love you, saturday come to xxx-xxx at 10am for our first practice.â
âwait, donât you need auditions??â
âoh, iâve kinda been stalking ur ig account so youâve already done more than pass đ i actually wanted to reach out earlier but i didnât want to scare you offâ
âoh my god thank you so much you donât know how much this means to međđđâ
âno YOU donât know how much this means to me thank you y/n!!â
oh thank god for bobby. you could just kiss him right now.
you did it.
you proved your parents wrong.
you were about to make a career in dancing with one of the biggest boy bands in the world right now.
oh my god, you actually did itâ
âbobby as in my manager bobby?â
you jumped, shrieked, startled by the voice that was beside you.
no wait, beside you wasnât the right description.
dude was hovering 1 millimeter above your ear.
âHOLY SHITââ he caught you. one arm wrapped around entire waist style.
oh.
okay so.
what was this position.
why was this happening.
why was he behind the cashier counter? how did he even get there??
well, canât get worse than this, right?
he takes the opportunity to dip you.
like youâre in a romance tv show.
thank god you were flexible and he was strong because now youâre literally one tremble away from plopping on the floor.
âfalling for me already? i donât even know your name yet.â
oh so that made you visibly gag.
shivers went down your spine in embarrassment.
what in the name of what was that line.
why was your life becoming a kdrama.
despite your disgust, you were still a little flushed.
listen, it was quite a position to be in with an extremely hot stranger. much less a kpop idol and soon to be coworker. âwhaâhello??â
âhey. i came to collect the basket you offered but you were smiling at your phone so happily, i got curious.â he grinned, pulling you up and releasing you from his grip. âyouâre flexible.â he chuckled.
fuck.
looking at the basket, you saw probably the oddest combo known to man. spicy instant ramyeon, lollipops, soda, kimchi and gochuan sauce.
is this what idols eat on the regular?
âuhâiâm so sorry about that. but youâre not really supposed to be behind hereâŠ?â you smiled sheepishly while rubbing your neck, replaying the moment once more, still feeling the warmth on your back.
âso youâre gonna be a backup dancer for us, huh?â
okay then just ignore your attempt at following rules completely. thanks.
âhow much did you seeâŠ.?â you sighed, clearly thrown off by the lack of privacy. honestly, you didnât have enough energy to scream. your sweat was still cooling off from earlier.
âenough to know weâre going to be seeing each other a lot more now.â he smirked.
ârightâŠâ
âso, can i have the pleasure of knowing my future partnerâs name?â
wow. okay, nice choice of words!
god, you hoped your blush looked like makeup or exercise because this man was driving you mad.
you tried to calm down, you really did. deep breaths, in and out.
the only issue with that was he was right in your face, staring right in your soul.
you tried to look away. divert your attention, yâknow? but your eyes mysteriously landed on his abs.
woah! how did that get there!
mustâve been the wind ahahahaâŠ
but god.
they looked like they were chiseled in stone, modelled by zeus himself.
and of course he wore shirts a couple sizes to small to show it off. of course.
snap out of it y/n.
how are you gonna dance around him daily when you canât even introduce yourself without becoming a hot mess??
deep breaths.
in.
out.
you are a strong soldier. you are not going to look at his abs anymore. you will see past the exterior and look inward.
yeah, you were on some enlightened monk shit.
hey, whatever works for you!
âmy nameâs y/n. nice to meet you abby.â
âoh? so you already know me?â he leaned in even closer, raising one eyebrow.
âwell, you are a part of the most popular boy band in the world right nowâŠâ
âthatâs introductions done then! whatâs our next step?â he smirked, clearly proud of his ambiguous words.
oh shut up.
shut up right now.
you took a step back, trying to hide the violent red that was oh so evident on your face.
you laughed awkwardly. âright, uh⊠let me⊠check that out for you.â you forced a smile while sneaking the goofy assortment in the basket out of his hands.
he pouted ever so slightly, disappointed by the fact he wouldnât get to continue this conversation.
oh god thatâs adorable.
why was he so puppy-like?
this was so not fair.
taking the barcode scanner on the counter, you tried to ignore the fact that he was now burning a hole through your head.
you could feel him looking you up and down. eyes scanning every. single. part of you. observing every curve, every groove, every bump. really taking it all in.
lord help me. you couldnât help but squirm under his gaze. and⊠oh my god, was he laughing at you??
you tried to finish as quickly as possible, really hoping to get this guy outside of your personal bubble.
âthere you go, thatâll be 62 394 won.â
he gave you the money in cash but he didnât leave just yet.
just kinda⊠loitered.
still staring at you.
âcan i help you with anything elseâŠ?â
âoh, donât mind me. just go back to what you were doing before.â
before� as in⊠dancing????
shit.
did he see you dancing.
oh so just shoot on the spot then.
âwhat was i doing before?â
feign ignorance.
heâll never know.
gaslight. gatekeep. girlboss.
âdancing.â
fuckfuckfuckfuckfuck.
so he did see.
thatâs nice!
no itâs not.
for how long??
this is why you should just rent out a room. a non see through room.
who cares about money this is just public humiliation. in front of a soon to be coworker. in front of one of the most popular kpop idols ever.
you laughed awkwardly again. what the fuck do you do now.
you were not about to dance in front of abby in a convenience store.
okay just. keep gaslighting him.
âi have no idea what youâre talking about.â
his eyebrow raised as the corners of his mouth lifted. his eyes glinting in amusement. âoh? you sure?â
âyep!â your voice shot up an octave, your smile not quite reaching your eyes. ânow, since youâve already bought what you needed, you should start heading back!â you put on your customer service voice once more while pushing him out of the counter.
well, to be frank, you werenât pushing him.
you wouldnât be able to even if you put everything you had.
he was simply⊠playing along. letting himself be dragged away by you.
whatever works, right?
âyouâre so mean! i just wanted to see who iâd be working with!â he laughed while raising his arms up in surrender.
âyouâll see when bobby says you will!â now please leave!!
âhmm. well, i might show up to your first practice, then. when was it again? 10am at xxx-xxx? see ya then!â he waved before walking out the door.
oh shit you forgot he read your texts.
he wouldnât actually show up, right?
he was just joking. trying to scare you off, maybe?
but what if he actually shows up.
well. uh. maybe youâll work better under pressure.
almost instantly after abby left, your phone exploded with notifications everywhere.
on every single social media platform, you had posts upon posts of people tagging you.
wait what. what was happening??
you opened your messages first seeing as bobby had texted you something frantically in all caps.
âYN IS THIS YOUâ
[bobby attached 5 images]
what?
oh no.
paparazzi.
they took a photo of you being dipped by abby.
you groaned into your palms, cursing your luck.
you shouldâve been more careful.
in a second, your thoughts caught up and you instantly started to spiral.
you were going to get doxxed, werenât you.
carefully opening up instagram, youâd gained over 30k followers.
oh.
a bunch of messages, all similar in composition flooded your inbox.
[___ sent an attachment] IS THIS YOU???
okay⊠maybe twitter would be different.
oh!
you were trending.
your name completely exposed to the public and whatâs this?
abbyname was trending!!
people are now spamming comments on all of your posts.
âshe dances??â
âoh so sheâs GOOD good at dancingâ
âwait sheâs lowkey fine thoâ
âWHYS SHE ACTUALLY HOTâ
âSHES HOT OH NOâ
âwhat is she to abby??â
âARE THEY DATING??â
ect.
so⊠youâre just gonna pass away now then i guess.
people found your house.
people found your family.
people found your friends.
people found your work.
in an instant your small little convenience was preparing for a tsunami of fans.
the only thing stopping them were two lone bodyguards, obviously terrified of the crowd. they also looked kinda⊠used to it?
your phone pinged again.
âOKAY SO I SENT SOME GUYS TO DEAL WITH THE FRONT DOOR OF YOUR WORKâ
oh bless bobby.
âis there a back/staff door for you to escape from?? if not iâll send more people to escort youâ
you looked around, there was in fact a back door. your only concern was, what if people knew about it and were waiting for you?
âscratch that, iâm gonna send people anyways. we r gonna bring you to our companyâs building and weâll talk there.â
oh you were so screwed. bless his soul but also, you felt absolutely terrible. because of your carelessness, two poor men were suffering, trying to hold back hundreds of people from swarming you, bobby had so much extra work to protect you and your friends and family were at risk.
âcontact your friends and family, see if they need help and if they do we can send more people to help themâ
you did. well. you didnât really want to talk to your parents but you did rope them into your mess. youâll just take their scolding and move on.
your friends on the other hand, you felt like the worst person on earth. theyâre all just normal people trying to live normal lives and here you were. creating a scandal they never thought theyâd ever be associated with.
âiâm so sorry about this y/n, i shouldâve kept him on a leashâ
âNONONONO WHY ARE YOU SORRY?? IM SO SORRY FOR THIS MESS I WAS CARELESSâ
a couple bursted into the convenience store sweating bullets. it was clear the fans were extremely brutal.
you rushed through the crowd to a sleek back car, trying to cover your face from all the paparazzi.
is this what celebrities do daily??
you felt like an animal at a zoo.
this was absolutely fucking terrifying.
would you have to live the rest of your life in hiding.
maybe you could find a nice cottage by the lake, spend the rest of your days reading or something.
maybe you would move overseas to america or something. start a new life away from the kpop industry.
oh, look at that. youâre already at the company building. time for your interrogation!!
you were immediately greeted by bobby who ushered you inside to a private dance practice room.
at least, it shouldâve been private. but there was a mysteriously familiar pink haired idol already settled on the floor, waiting for you.
the second he saw bobby, his eyes screamed fear. guilt.
when he saw you following, immediate puppy eyes, begging you to save him from the scolding of one bobby.
wait⊠thatâs actually adorable??
heâs like a golden retriever.
oh lord give you strength.
âokay.â
oh weâre starting. bobby sits you down on the floor next to abby, like two children about to be scolded by their mom.
âfirst of all, i need to know. do you two know each other?â
âno.â
âyes.â
what?? you stared at abby, extremely confused.
âi mean like know each other in person before this event.â
âoh, then no.â
ABBY???? what???
âwaitâpause. what??â you asked, completely dumbfounded.
âyes, this leads me to my next question. abby, what did you do??â bobby cries while pointing an exhausted finger at abby.
âuh so y/n, iâve kinda been watching all your dance videos and i learned you worked at the convenience store so i came to visit youâŠâ
woah. thatâs news. terribly embarrassing news.
your face was a vibrant red now. justifiably so.
âand you decided to flirt with her, forgetting about the fact you are an idol with paparazzi.â bobby sighed, opening up his phone again.
âi wanna say iâm SO sorry this happened y/n and abby, you need to apologize too.â
âsorry, y/nâŠâ
ânononono!! itâs really okay, a lot of it was my own fault, sorry bobby, sorry abby.â
âmoving on, the fans are loving this mystery, y/n. iâm thinking of pairing you two up for this comeback if youâre comfortable.â he smiled, basically begging you.
he was always the type to care about others. so much so to the point it was harming his mental health. you decided to let him have his happiness, after all, he was the professional here, not you.
âas long as abby is alright with that!â you smiled, the blush on your face still not fading away as he beamed at you.
âiâd love to!â oh he was adorable.
âperfect! okay, moving on⊠y/n, we might need to book you a hotel for a couple of days, just so you can stay away from most of the fans.â
ah. there it was. you had to move.
âwe can pay for it, of course. and weâll send some people to go with you while you pack up.â
never did you think youâd be leaving your house so soon but, whatever happened, happened.
âuh⊠how long would i need to stay? for packing reasons.â you questioned, praying it wouldnât be too long.
âuhm⊠indefinite? youâll still have access to your old home you just⊠need to swap locations for a bit.â
you sighed. this was your life now, right? constantly moving to hide from the paparazzi.
âyeah, thatâs fine. iâll work with it.â
âalright! thatâs that then! once again, reallly sorry about this y/n, iâll get on the booking right now!â bobby gave you one last smile before leaving the room to bark orders at the staff. my, did he have a lot of damage control to do.
now you were here, in the dance room, alone with abby. you couldnât help yourself from replaying what abby had said earlier. he watched all your dance videos. all of them. of you.
you couldnât look at him. not with the flush that was oh so evident on your face now. âuhââ
âiââ you interrupted each other. âoh sorry, you go first.â
âno, i was just trying to fill silence. what did you want to say?â you asked, still unable to look at him.
âiâm really sorry, y/n.â
you turned to face him in shock. you werenât expecting that from the guy who was so smug just a couple hours ago. he was bowing. head down to the ground, back arched 90 degrees.
you couldnât see his face but you knew he felt guilty. his voice was a lot softer than earlier and instead of making his presence big, it was small, sorry.
âi just⊠thought your dancing was⊠well, amazing and i thought you were pretty and i just⊠really wanted to meet you and once i saw you i got carried away and i dragged you into this mess and iâm really sorry.â
oh my god. you were about to cry.
first of all. woah, the glaze??
second, oh my god. he sounded genuinely sincere and you felt terrible for making him feel this way.
you bowed down as well. âabby, iâm so so so sorry about this. i was careless, i shouldâve paid more attention and honestly, you were just being you. thereâs nothing to apologize for, we both made some mistakes but⊠uh⊠sorry iâm not great with words⊠i canât wait to work with you.â
god, you were shit at consoling people. you probably sounded like an idiot. you hated that. but at least you were speaking your truths?
before you knew it, you felt his arms wrap around you, enveloping you in warmth. oh. oh my god.
âsorry, is this alright with you?â he muttered, not bothering to let go.
âuhâiâuhâyep! yeah! totally!â you stuttered, still processing where the fuck you were right now. your arms were awkwardly dangling to your side.
âyouâre warm.â OH MY GOD??
how did you end up here?
you cautiously moved your arms up to reciprocate the hug, slightly patting him on the back. your face was flushed, yes, but you also felt weirdly⊠comfortable? not as awkward as you thought it would be.
the sensation on his back seemed to have brought him to his senses as he immediately let go, hand covering his face. âiâm so sorry, i didnâtââ
you chuckled slightly. never did you think youâd see abby. the abby. so flustered before. âdonât worry, it made me feel a lot better.â you gave him a warm smile.
it was then that bobby walked back in, completely oblivious to the tension in the room. âhey, y/n! hotel booked and security guards ready to go! wait, am i interrupting something?â
ânope! letâs go!â you laughed awkwardly, trying to calm down your racing heart beat. you saved goodbye to abby before leaving the room.
what a day.
you were going to be thinking about this for a long time now.
time skip to saturday and youâve been working extra hard to up your dancing game.
you thought you were good but being on stage after all the attention that was and still is on you? yeah you needed to be perfect. no flaws.
totally not just because you were trying to forget about your little moment with abby.
no way ahahah.
not a chance!!
you were now at the dance practice room with a couple other female backup dancers. you were all there waiting for the choreographer to show up, making small talk and starting ice breakers.
in the short amount of time youâd actually become friends with all of them, they all had such different stories, visuals, styles. it was incredible fun to meet all of them.
unfortunately for you, theyâd all been updated on the recent drama involving you, and they were teasing the shit out of you once you revealed you two would be dance partners.
apparently none of them had been assigned a member other than you and that was honestly kinda terrifying.
in addition, none of you even knew what the song was, what it was about, nothing. you were all hazarding random guesses.
maybe it would be another summer song with suggestive undertones like soda pop. maybe it would be something more direct and ominous like your idol?
maybe theyâd go for something completely different. only time would tell.
before you knew it, the door to the practice room opened. the head choreographer walked in followed by bobby and⊠abby??
what was he doing here??
you locked eyes and you immediately diverted your attention, still extremely embarrassed by the moment you two had a couple days ago.
sneaking a glance, he seemed totally fine. completely unaffected, maybe just a little more smugness in his stride.
you were obviously the only one who was still flustered, and god, did you hate that.
the girls in the room were swarming you now. giggling like schoolgirls, nudging your arm in knowing entertainment. god you wanted to hide in a ditch.
moving on!
the choreographer quickly did an icebreaker amongst you all, introducing abby, saying he was simply there to observe everyone.
she then played the newest song titled bite me.
oh.
my.
god.
oh my god.
oh my god???
chills. literally chills.
like bolts of electricity just entered your bloodstream.
an extremely suggestive dark concept. oh my god. you were left speechless. everyone else too.
not that you were paying attention to anyone else in the room.
you were simply trying to absorb as much of the song, lyrics, meaning into your brain. even from the title, you had an idea of the vibe.
before you even knew it, your body was moving to the rhythm. not crazy going hard, simple body rolls, hand movements, tension and release according to each part of the song. it was just enough to catch the attention of one abby saja.
once the song had ended, the room stayed quiet. letting what you just heard set in.
âokay, now that weâve heard that, letâs start.â the choreographer clapped her hands together and only then did you snap out of your trance.
you immediately noticed abby smiling softly at you. not with any teasing, just⊠warm adoration. the kind that youâd see from a your boyfriend saying âthatâs my girl.â
nope!
blocking that out of your mind now!
time to dance. focus. lock in.
the next few hours went by in a blur. a whole lot of dancing, sweating, panting and repetition.
everyone was a little stiff at first, obviously thrown off by the idol in the room but after a while, you all started to get into the groove of itâaka completely forgetting about his existence.
you hadnât noticed but abbyâs gaze was trained on you. smile growing every time you so much as moved. he was looking at everything.
the way your brows furrowed ever so slightly when you were learning the movements. the way you slowed down and sped up movements depending on your level of comfort with each of them. the way your body seemed to move before your mind.
the way you could go from clueless to professional every time the music turned on. your eyelids lowered, provocative almost. depending on the verse, you would smirk seductively and or wink exactly in the right place, as if you owned the song. your body would roll so fluidly, even when the choreo didnât ask for it, it just worked.
you were fluid yet so sharp, like a vampire-siren hybrid and he loved every single bit of it.
the way your clutsy, dare he say adorable self just completely vanished the second the first beat hit. you were full of surprises, so unpredictable yet so alluring. you knew exactly how to captivate the audience.
audience like abby.
especially abby himself.
he was completely mesmerized.
how would he keep his composure when dancing with you.
the was the good thing about this song, he could show every last bit of desire he held. the only issue? he wasnât allowed to act on it. he couldnât just whisk you away mid dance. it was terrible.
it was finally break. you and everyone else immediately collapsed the second the choreographer walked out the room.
while everyone else ran for their water, there was one girl who didnât. you noticed throughout the entire session she didnât drink any water and thus she seemed the dizziest.
concerned for her health, you approached her with your water bottle, asking if she needed a drink. all the while, you dabbed your sweat towel all over your face, trying and failing miserably at looking at least a little presentable.
she took it with slight hesitation, but after the first drop hit her mouth? gone. no water in sight.
your jaw dropped just a little bit.
âahâiâm so sorry!â she immediately bowed down profusely, as if she was possessed and just killed your entire family.
âitâs alright!â you chuckled a bit. âyou seem like you needed the water more than me. anyways, what happened? did you forget your water bottle?â
âyep⊠itâs kinda embarrassing but i was so excited i forgot to pack anythingâŠâ she smiled ditzyly, rubbing the back of her neck in embarrassment. you laughed a bit.
âbut still, thank you so much y/n-nie, i was about to pass outâŠâ she thanked you again before going to a corner to sit down.
you looked around for a water refill station but there was none. itâs fine. you could survive. your next break would be like a couple hours from now? youâll be fine.
nope.
abby was not having it. he walked in a little earlier than the choreographer and he immediately knew something was off. you didnât walk with as much power as you normally did, your eyelids were just a millimetre too low to be normal.
bro rushed out of that room to buy a water bottle faster than you could say âwhat the fuckâ!!
he came back, sweating, panting, hands on knees. tapping your back lightly before handing you the water bottle, face expectant. like he wanted praise.
your face lit up almost immediately, you were beaming. âthank you so much abby, oh my god!â you chugged the water like there was no tomorrow and god you felt good.
abby was still basking in your compliment.
yes, he found you drinking water attractive. he thought everything you did was attractive.
god, your smile? he melted. you could practically see his tail wagging.
maybe it was exhaustion, maybe you were just insane, you donât know why you did next. you gave him a simple pat on the head.
what??? now why would you do that. in a public location. surrounded by people you just met. good job.
well. uh. you were now the center of attention, the girls all gathered together in a little gossip circle, all giggling like they were watching a kdrama.
abby? over the moon. on cloud nine. about to pass out. eyes sparkling. heâs about to get you a STACK of water bottles. youâll never run out of water ever again.
âuhâi-im so sorry.â youâre now regretting everything. head in hands, kill yourself. this is the reason youâre caught up in such drama. CAUSE YOU DONT PAY ATTENTION TO ANYTHING.
anyways, back to dance practice ahahaha!!
everyone notice you were dancing just a little too hard for it to be normal. yes, you were still amazing but at the same time there was so much more⊠power? like you were trying to expel a memory or something.
because you were. maybe. if you sweat enough. youâll burn the memory of whatever you just did.
practice ended, you now had the right to go to any dance room to continue practicing or you could just go home.
did you want to deal with paparazzi just yet� not really. dance practice it is!
and so you entered an empty room and opened up the recording of the song, ready to start.
you had 30 minutes of pure productivity. dance, rewatch video, fix, repeat.
and then abby. motherfuckjng abby. just the man you were trying to escape. walks in grinning ear to ear, a stack of water bottles in his hands. oh goodie!! embarrassment and hydration!!
sure, you were thirsty. but god, seeing his face made you extremely embarrassed.
âhi y/n!!â he handed you a bottle and lowered his head, expecting something you would not be giving again.
âthanks abbyâŠâ you smiled sheepishly.
he looked up at you, confused as to why you werenât patting his head only to realize you were rewatching a video of you dancing to the choreo you just learned.
ah, this was actually an serious dance practice. got it.
he sat down, putting on his coach face, urging you to start dancing. while you were scared out of your mind, you decided you needed all the help you could get to be absolutely flawless and thus, you started the music.
everything you went over was perfect, beautiful, mesmerizing. now you were headed to the section you still needed to go over, a little terrified but it would not show on your face.
âbend your right knee.â
you reverted back to the position he critiqued, looking at both positions in the mirror. he was right.
while you were a little embarrassed by the fact he had caught that almost instantly, this was practice. he obviously knew what he was saying and would be able to fix everything you needed to. you swallowed your pride and started from the beginning.
âuse your left hand to roll up your sleeve mid motion.â
âdonât let your knee touch the ground.â
âspread and flex your fingers more.â
so on so forth. honestly, this was the most productive youâve been in a long while. at first you had to look at both positions just to make sure he was right but after a while, you put your blind trust in him.
he said to bend your knee? yes sir!
keep your arm fluid? right away!
you two had gotten into a groove that improved your dancing to a level you didnât even know you could. he looked extremely proud, seeing the finished product of your guysâ work.
it was now really late in the evening, it was time for dinner. you pressed play on the music for the last time except this time, abby joined in?
his part of course, not yours. but seeing the two parts together made an absolutely captivating duet. it took you a second to adjust, you were extremely flustered at first, but once you did? it felt like second nature. it was still rough, unpolished on both sides but the rawness added something to the song. you both stared at each other like you were the only two people left on earth, a desire that felt almost primal.
his dance was sharp, yours was fluid. together, you took after each other creating the impression that you two were one.
once the last note ended? you both stood still. breathing heavily, still looking at each other. and then you broke out into a smile. and you collapsed onto the floor. legs like jelly now that it was over. and you laughed. laughed from your heart. it was warm. relief finally set in, you were delirious but happy. nothing could describe the fuzzy feeling in your chest.
now you were there, back on the floor, face to the ceiling, laughing like you were 5 years old.
god, you looked insane, didnât you? whatever.
abby joined you. he sat down right beside you and started chuckling. not like he knew why, but you seemed happy so he could live with that.
this went on for a couple minutes, just smiles that hurt to hold.
âalright, i gotta go now. thanks for everything abby.â you grinned, putting you jacket on, picking up your bag and walking out the door.
for a brief moment, his arm reached out and his mouth opened slightly. but nothing came out. his arm lowered slightly as his expression faltered. putting a hand to his face, back to the floor, he sighed. and then laughed.
not at you, but at himself. god, what coward he was.
he had already escaped the voices in his head so why. why did he still have such self deprecating thoughts.
why was he still a coward if he was now free?
just ask her if she wanted a ride home. just ask her if she wanted to eat dinner. just ask her if she wanted to stay a little longer. itâs not so hard, abby.
maybe he was scared it would only make your situation worse.
that youâd have to stay far away from your home even longer than you had to now.
that you wouldnât be able to continue existing online or even in real life if he made one incorrect decision.
whatever. he would have more time to get closer to you later. hopefully.
timeskip to the next day, it was time for everyone to combine everything.
all the backup dancers were now about to dance with the saja boys. terrifying, i know.
you all gathered in a little circle, all stressing, screaming, crying.
âi hope iâm with mysteryâŠâ
âi want romance!!â
âare you kidding?? i need to be with jinuâŠâ
âyâall are sleeping on baby.â
you laughed, your anticipation was no where to be found seeing as your pairing was determined from day one.
the second the saja boys walked in, all the chatter immediately hushed. you all shared one collective glance before letting your jaws drop to the floor.
abby was even hotter in real life, what did you expect?
face card? lethal.
body card? TEA OH MY GOD.
in a group they could kill. like actually murder. this was an unholy amount of good looking.
the second abby locked eyes with you, he waved like a little puppy.
you giggled to yourself before waving back subtly.
not subtly enough for romance.
romance saw this interaction and he started shaking in his place. he nudged abby and whispered something you couldnât pick up on that made abby turn red as a beet.
ahahah just divert your attention, you don't need to worry about that!
the choreographer entered and from her vibe, today was serious. today was going to be an extremely harsh day. today was definitely a day she was going to pick favourites. today was definitely a day where if you messed up so much as once, you were going to be dropping down and giving her 50.
you all tensed. boys included. shared one glance that said 'good luck comrades' and held your breath in preparation.
"these are your pairings. pay attention cause i'm only saying this once. ha-eun, baby. ji-woo, romance. soo-ah, mystery. chae-min, jinu. y/n, abby."
everyone was paired with who they hoped. the girls were secretly beaming, ecstatic at the thought of dancing with their biases.
"each pair needs to find a space big enough to dance together. don't get too close to other groups." everyone fanned out immediately.
everyone quickly greeted their partners with a bow and a short introduction. you and abby simply smiled at each other, both trying to hide the blush creeping up on you two, remembering the prior evening.
"both of you know your separate parts, you just need to add them together. abby, come here." he quickly skidded over to her side, you tried to hold back a laugh seeing his stiffness.
the music started, no instruction was needed. abby immediately settles into his rhythm, dancing alongside the choreographer. man, was she good. the only thing you'd be able to nitpick is the lack of chemistry.
sure, you weren't an expert in duets, but you've watched enough dance pairs to understand the importance of chemistry in captivating the audience.
it was clear she knew that too. "now, i hope you all will put more emotion into it. think, its the end of the world, we are the only ones left and i'm going to fucking ruin you vibe."
she shooed abby away, back to his place next to you and started counting.
it took everyone a hot minute to get settled, thankfully you had done it the day before with abby so it was a lot more comfortable. still, the moves were insanely provocative, she summed it up perfectly.
2 hours of practice without music later and yelling that could tame cerberus himself, she decided you all were finally ready for music. thank god.
she gave 5 minutes of break and said "when i'm back i better see all of you standing up, in position and ready to go."
you all collapsed the second she left.
this was the craziest trauma-bonding experience you'd ever experienced in a long while and honestly? you were having the time of your life.
the others not so much. maybe it's cause she chose you and abby as her favourites of the day, she handled you with just a little more mercy.
a little more mercy meant instead of 50 push-ups, it was 40. not a big change but it was enough for you.
1 minute left of break and no one wanted to get off the floor.
you chuckled a bit to yourself before dragging all the girls off the floor as they complained about their aching muscles.
âthis is so unfair y/n! she likes you youâre not suffering like we are!!â
âiâm still doing push-ups??â
âyeah but itâs only 40!!â
âGIRL ITS 40 THATS ONLY 10 LESS??â
âoh what iâd give to only do 40âŠâ
she walked back in and everyone bolted back to their positions, praying she didnât see you guys slacking off.
she turned on the music the second she walked in. a couple counts in before everyone just got into it. for a couple seconds. and then everyone stopped, they found themselves staring at you and abby.
the choreographer too. all the attention was on you two and yet somehow neither of you noticed. this was the electricity she wanted.
like the day before, your gazes locked, focused only on each other. every movement led to another, like a story of a dangerous night.
a night in which you led him through the end of the world, he fell deeper, every single thing about him revolved around you. as if he was completely drowning in desire.
the music ended. everyone was silent. then, the choreographer clapped. slowly. impressed. âso you can dance with chemistry.â she chuckled at abby. âjust needed the right person.â she smiled at you.
you and abby both blushed slightly in embarrassment, looking away from each other.
ânow for the rest of you.â gulp.
âyou gonna do that on stage? stop mid performance to stark gawking at them?â everyone got on the floor, already anticipating the punishment. âiâll admit they were good. youâre all let of the hook just this once.â
some of the girls started tearing up. romance too. you were immediately tackled by all the other backup dancers. âY/N I LOVE YOU.â
âPLEASE TEACH ME HOW???â
âYOUâRE OUR SAVIOUR.â
abby chuckled at the sight before he was tackled and laughed at by his own peanut gallery. romance hugged him while the rest of the boys gave a knowing smirk.
âthatâs the girl?â they whispered, giggling, plotting something devious. âthe one youâre head over heels for?â
âshh!!â his face was beet red, even the exercise couldnât explain the rosy red cheeks that bloomed all over his face.
the rest of the practice was a lot chiller, you and abby stayed in the zone and ended up being co-coaches with miss choreographer, helping everyone else get in the groove.
it was a session full of laughs, screams but most importantly, productivity!!
the following practices became more and more enjoyable as you became pretty good friends with everyone.
everyone had exchanged numbers with everyone, you all made a group chat together.
you didnât get a lot of sleep that night. that was the night of a thousand texts you didnât need but you had fun.
romance took it upon himself to become your best friend and abbyâs biggest wingman.
he would message you cryptically in the morning saying something like âwear red lipstick today. youâll look deadly.â
the first few times you didnât listen to him, itâs just romance being romance. but he was so persistent, you wanted to give him his moment and so one day, you did as you were told.
that entire day, abby was distracted. if you were ever talking to him, you noticed he wasnât looking at your eyes, he was looking at your lips. you tried to brush it off.
itâs just a really strong shade!! you told yourself.
right. it was just the colour.
âyou look a little parched there, buddy.â romance smirked, nudging abby who was still looking at you.
âyouâŠâ
âyouâre welcome by the way. it took so much to get her to listen to my suggestions.â
abby didnât need to say anything. just treated romance a little better. paid for his spa day.
romance was getting that bank.
anyways, all the saja boys got a lot more comfortable being, well, kinda odd.
romance really upped his dramatic flair and flirting, mystery actually started talkingâtalking was an overstatement, he barked. he barked a lot. baby was playing pranks on everyone every. single. god damn day. spice in water bottle style. jinu actually warmed up a lot too, paying for team dinners and such.
what really made get out of bed were your interactions with abby.
everyone took it upon themselves to wingman like crazy. pushing you towards abby so he would catch you, making abby say the goofiest pick up lines (romanceâs fault), locking you two up in practice rooms after practice was over so you two would just get to hang out for an hour or two.
the first time this happened neither of you really tried to escape. you banged on the door like once before settling down beside abby. it was awkward in the first few minutes but after getting comfortable, you didnât even realize it had been hours and the door was already unlocked.
you two talked about literally everything. just went down crazy trains of thoughts. rambled about workout routines, eggs, chicken, meat, vegetarians, plants, climate change, penguins, pets, wait, what the hell were you guys even talking about anymore??
you had to laugh at the stupidity of the conversation and at the same time, you were kinda extremely grateful for abby.
he just made this job 100x more enjoyable. it was more than a job now, just⊠a daily hangout with people you liked. maybe one person you liked a little more than friends did.
woah.
who said that.
wind is crazy today, huh.
your first impression of abby was an overly flirtatious and egotistical gym rat but he really was a gentleman. a clueless himbo but a gentleman nonetheless.
heâd do small things like open the door for you, always bring extra water bottles ever since that small incident, he started bringing extra hair elastics after you forgot them that one time and completely ruined your hair with sweat. he walked you home after long practices that extended into the night sometimes. you know, things regular friends did!
heâd also show off a lot, which was to be expected. used you as a weight while doing push-ups, randomly throughout the day heâd ask you to touch his bicep or his abs. challenged you to a handstand competition (you won).
he was just such a joy to be around. you often compared him to a puppy.
there was one time in the practice room, it was you just two, locked inside once more. you donât remember how you got there but you were rambling about old crushes in high school and when you turned to face him to ask him if he had any, you found him leaning in, lips a centimetre away from yours, eyes completely focused on your mouth, eyelids drooping.
you froze. leaned in.
like magnets, you two were drawn to each other, dangerously close.
the door clicked. they unlocked the practice room. two hours had passed already. you both came to your senses. blinked. you cupped your mouth in shock.
you remember the look on his face. red. embarrassed beyond belief. âwhat the fuck am i doing???â look.
you two sat there for a second in awkward silence. if they didnât unlock the doorâŠ
nope! no! not thinking about that!!
youâre both working!! coworkers!! heâs an idol!! heâs way out of your league!!
you ran home, trying to jog off whatever had just happened.
you never really bothered to think about your love life. your love, your life was dancing. that changed with abby.
he entered your life. not like a nice knock and response, just barged in. you found yourself getting flustered so easily.
you thought that was normal. he was an idol, that was his job. to fluster people.
but then he got closer. and closer. and next thing you knew you were about to kiss. and now youâre here asking the question, âwhat are we.â
this was your first love. you donât know how this works. do you ask or do you just kinda⊠get into it?? are kisses platonic?? do you need to go on dates first?? how long do you have to wait before making it official??
yeah, you sounded a little stupid. but you never bothered to learn nor experiment.
now youâre here, stirring pasta in a pot, wondering what the fuck you were doing.
your phone was buzzing, either from the group chat or from romance. you didnât bother checking, there was too much going on in your brain at the moment.
meanwhile with abby, he sat there for a while longer. his mind kept flashing to your face. your plump cherry red lips he had almost kissed.
he fell down on his back, both hands converting his face trying to hide the red that swallowed him whole.
you leaned in too, right? he wasnât crazy. did you⊠maybe⊠want it too? or was he hallucinating. maybe you were just going with the moment.
he didnât go home until a lot later that day. he went to the gym. ran on the treadmill for 4 hours straight. maybe he was trying to convince himself that his heart was pumping solely because of cardio. yep. thatâs all.
just exercise.
he had his phone propped up on the treadmill. totally not because he wanted a message from you.
he totally didnât snap his head towards his phone every time it lit up and sulked every time he didnât see your name.
âdude!â huh? did he hear something?
âabby!â yeah, someone was definitely calling him. it wasnât you though so he paid it no mind.
and then a hand came to stop the treadmill. and he whipped his head back. who would interrupt his exercise? and then they took his airpods out.
âhello??? earth to abby??â oh. it was romance. he sighed.
âhave you been here this entire time?? jinuâs absolutely losing his mind. âwhereâs abby??â âwe need to practice!!â âheâs supposed to be here!!ââ he imitated.
âromance?â
âlike seriously, i get you like your abs or something but the rest of us have to deal with the consequences!â he continued rambling.
âi almost kissed her. i think.â
âjinuâs an actual MONSTER heâWHAT.â good thing the gym was empty cause the shriek my man just produced? could break glass. âyou WHAT?? SORRY??â jaw dropped.
âi-i donât know. i think she leaned in but what if she didnât and she doesnât want to be⊠yâknow? but even if she leaned in, maybe she doesnâtâugh, i dont know. would she text? maybe i have to text⊠should i text her? what if she doesnât want a text. maybe she doesnât care. what if she wants to forget what happened. what if i text her and it ruins what we have. i donât want to lose her.â abby sat down on the floor, staring up at the ceiling with clenched fists.
romance was still in disbelief and yet a smile graced his face. âoh my god, you actually care. youâre so deep in. oh i canât believe this.â he broke out into laughter.
âyouâre laughing at my misery.â abby pouted. checked his phone. still no message from you.
âi just never thought iâd see the day that abby. abby saja. gave a fuck about anything other than exercise. and like. actually serious gave a fuck. like you care care.â he continued laughing.
abby frowned slightly at that comment. he cared about more than just his abs⊠right? like he didnât mind dancing. dancing allowed him to get closer to you. he appreciated the saja boys, after all they gave him an excuse to talk to you.
wait, no, not everything was about you. couldnât be.
like romance was a good friend. ish. yeah, see. he cared about other things.
âiâll leave you be and go tell jinu that weâll have to reschedule. but just a word of advice before i go, i canât say for sure whether she wants what you want but⊠youâll never know unless you take that chance, right? and if something doesnât go right. iâm sure youâll work it out. she doesnât seem like the type to quit so easily on you and if she did? maybe it wasnât meant to be.â he gave him one last smile before walking off, probably texting a storm to jinu.
abby sat there for a second, processing the words he had just heard. maybe, he could be brave. not for show but just⊠to be brave.
he picked up his phone.
you now lay on your bed. staring at your phone. debating whether or whether not you should text him.
what would you even say?
âhey abby!! uhhhhh you dance nice??â
âwe killed that duet!!â
âi know we see each other 24/7 but do you want to hang out more?â
âuhh⊠whatâs ur work out routine??â
âremember when we almost kissed? ahaha good times. wanna talk about that?â
god, you were so awkward. you wanted to talk but you didnât know how to start the conversation.
would he even want to talk to you??
maybe you were gonna be a bother.
ugh. this is so hard.
you put your hand to your face, slowly letting it fall down to your stomach.
no. you were going to put your big girl pants on and text first. just. uh. take a deep breath. pick up your phone. and just. send. something.
âhi abby!! do you maybe wanna hang out sometime?â
âhey y/n, could we meet up soon?â
oh.
you both laughed behind the screen. good to know you were on the same page.
âwanna go somewhere after practice tmr?â
âif thatâs alright with you?â
âyep, see you tomorrow!!â
good night y/nâ
âgood night!!â
were you at the goodnight stage already?? or was that what friends do. you were gonna talk about it tomorrow.
you turned off the lights, preparing for the laying on bed at 3am thinking about life phase. your cheeks were heated and your heart was racing.
did he want what you think he wanted or did he want the opposite. please say it wasnât the latter.
abby went home. sweating balls.
when he got home?
the boys were waiting. some in anger, others in expectancy.
âsorry.â was all he could muster.
ânever mind that, whatâs going on?â jinu brushed it off, waiting to see the explanation as to why afternoon vocal practice session was blown off.
âwe almost kissed.â
gasp.
someone dropped their phone.
âand weâre gonna meet up tomorrow after practice to talk.â
another gasp.
jaws on the floor now.
âare you gonna get her flowers?â
âwhat did she say?â
âdid she sound excited or scared?â
âdid you text fist or did she?â
and that was the night of 100 questions for one abby saja.
they made him cast his texts on the tv, analyzing your conversation. sometimes a little teasing remark was thrown into the ring, "dude, you're so fucking awkward it's painful".
y'know, as you do with your friends!
timeskip to next day. you walked in there. heart fucking pounding out of your chest.
abby? looked as calm as one could possibly be.
were you the only one overthinking it? okay then, you can be composed too.
dance went as usual. maybe a little more tension between you two than before.
the girls noticed, asked you what was up. when you told them, they were ominously quiet. like they were plotting something. you didnât dare question it.
seconds felt like hours. every single click of the clock made you jolt.
and then. practice was over. and you and abby ran to the change rooms to get prepared.
the girls helped you with your hair and makeup, gushing about how this was going to be the best moment of your life. you were terrified. you physically couldnât move. what if you were getting all dolled up only to be told âthat didnât mean anything, i donât like you.â
abby rushed over to a nearby flower shop. he and the boys had spent the night before searching up flower meanings.
they decided on bouquet of 7 pink roses.
why? well from their research, 7 roses meant âiâm infatuated by you.â as well as the beginning of a new relationship while pink roses were a more tame version of red. he was still unsure and he didnât want to put it on too heavy, yâknow?
the lady at the shop smiled at him and wrapped his bouquet for him with a matching pink ribbon around it.
he rushed back to make sure you werenât waiting for him and thank god you werenât.
he took a second to breathe, fix himself up a bit, wondering why he hadnât seen the boys. they were planning something.
now what were they planning he had to question. were they gonna crash your hangout orâ
and then you walked out. and his jaw dropped.
you were gorgeous. oh my god. he was one lucky guy. wait, no he wasnât your boyfriend calm down there.
but god you were. he froze.
âyouâre breathtaking.â
oh my god??
your cheeks heated up. eyes dropped down to the floor, embarrassed, flustered and flattered.
he snapped out of his trance.
âah! uh⊠i got you flowersâŠâ he pulled the bouquet from behind his back and you were stunned beyond belief.
hands to mouth, about to start tearing up kinda stunned.
"oh my god... thank you so much iâthank you." was what you managed to stutter out. "shall we go then?" you grinned trying to distract yourself from the red that was oh so obvious on your cheeks.
he chuckled. "we shall." he reached out a hand, offering you to take it.
you did.
it was warm, firm, slightly sweaty. it was endearing. you smiled to yourself.
you both had agreed to go to a nearby park, it was private enough so that you wouldn't be harassed and it had fairy lights hanging from the trees making it borderline magical.
you sat down.
now you sat there in silence, trying to figure out what you wanted to say.
'hey abby i have romantic feelings for you and i know you're like one of the most popular idols in the world and i have no chance but do you like me too?' yeah. just go with that. or does it sound to pitiful...
"iâ"
"y/nâ"
you both shut up. and burst out laughing.
"you go first." he nudged you.
"no, no. i don't even know what i was gonna say, haha... just some filler i guess." you laughed awkwardly, rubbing the back of your neck.
"okay." he took a deep breath. you did too. "i like you. and umâyou don't have to reciprocate. i just kinda wanted to put it out there. cause last afternoonâi just wanted to explain why that happened. i'm really sorry if this makes things awkward i just needed to uh... verbalize it before i inevitably... explode."
oh.
oh thank god he liked you back.
you really thought you were going insane.
that maybe that was just who he was.
but...
thank god.
all the air you held in immediately released in a big puff of air. and then a small chuckle. and then you broke into a fit of laughter, putting a hand to your face and letting it fall while looking up at the stars.
abby looked at you. partial fear, but pure adoration.
his gaze softened. the corners of his lips lifted. eyes locked on you.
"i'm such an idiot." you continued your fit. "abby." you turned to face him.
"i like you too."
and the world stopped spinning for a single moment.
he leaned in.
"can iâ"
you wrapped your arms around his neck and closed the gap between your lips.
you both closed your eyes, letting the warmth you were sharing do the talking.
he was holding back. one hand now placed on your back, one hand on the back of your head, holding you so delicately like one wrong move and the moment would disappear forever.
you both pulled back, smiling like children, cheeks flushed, ready to dive back in.
and then someone fell out of the tree in front of you guys.
of course. you couldn't have one private moment.
you had so much more to say, so did he.
so who was this stalker?
was it paparazzi? were you going to be doxxed for the second time? maybe you'd become the hot topic for the month again.
you braced yourself, then turned around.
it was none other than romance.
smiling like a child who got caught up past curfew. looking like a deer in headlights.
"you fucking moron." wait, was that baby?
"romance..." was that jinu??
"of course it was you." mystery???
and they all fell out of the trees gracefully on top of romance.
and then all the girls fell out too.
"you were watching as well??"
"you were what now."
"nothing."
"c'mon man it was just getting good!"
"why couldn't you fall out like a couple hours later!"
"hours?!"
what the hell was happening.
you looked at abby from the corner of his eye.
absolutely mortified.
he looked at you.
guilt, sadness, grief, whatever. he was not doing to great.
you were embarrassed too, yes, but watching him like a puppy with his ears down was absolutely hilarious.
at least you didn't have to think about how to tell everyone... maybe that was your silver lining.
you couldn't help but snicker at the scene playing in front of you.
while everyone was yelling and berating romance, you slid your hand on top of abby's subtly.
you could feel him jolt up slightly before intertwining his fingers with yours.
the tips of his ears were red. you smirked. never did you think you'd be the one flustering him.
jinu noticed. mystery too. baby as well.
they couldn't help but share a knowing glance before dragging romance and all the girls away.
now you were alone. probably. maybe.
abby took a deep breath. looked at you, expression now serious.
"are you sure you want to be with me? you know the fans might eat you alive... and i'm not a great person. definitely not who you think i am... i'm a coward, i'm self-obsessed, iâ"
"abby." you took both his hands and held them tight. "you think i didn't think about this for hours on end last night? i like you... i don't even know why, i just know that i do, okay?"
he sat there, paralyzed for a second. not knowing what to say. mouth agape. then a smile slowly crept up on his face before he pulled you into a tight embrace. his head nuzzled into your neck, you could feel his breath.
you couldn't help but smile, reciprocating the hug.
he's so lucky to have you.
you're so lucky to have him.
it was a while after, you both returned home.
you immediately crashed, preparing for tomorrow while abby?
abby was ambushed.
by his 4 other group mates.
he entered their apartment, lights were off.
he turned it on.
surprise!!
there they were. a crappy crayon banner that read 'congrats on ur girl' with a bunch of silly drawing around. a lot of hearts, a dick or two, abs and muscles... y'know, the usual.
a couple party poppers popped, streamers and confetti rained down, a nice tine cake was laid out on the table.
abby laughed, smiled to fit the mood.
then he tackled each of them.
not in a 'haha thanks guys' kinda way.
in a 'what the fuck were you doing in the trees stalking us during my date' kinda way.
no one provided an answer.
until baby did.
not a verbal answer. a physical one.
a punch on the shoulder, friendly but annoyed.
and thus a wrestling match began.
were they supposed to be above that? yeah.
but who cares.
they did this a lot back when they were still under gwi-ma's control.
after all, it's a lot easier to punch than it is to talk. can you blame them?
400 years of emotional dehydration of any feeling other than shame, it's hard to talk about anything else.
anyways, this little fight? went on for the entire night.
another sleepless night for the boys it seemed.
so they pulled up to work again, small eye bags. practically unnoticeable since they look so flawless.
who said that?
anyways.
uh.
yeah, you noticed. abby was hiding an injury near his wrist.
how'd you know?
his arm was trembling just a teeny tiny bit when as he held your back during your head roll.
you asked him what was wrong during break, he evaded your gaze guiltily. "uhh..."
"abby. what happened."
"so me and the guys might've... uh... wrestled. just a little! for fun!"
god, you were dealing with a child. and his 4 other child friends.
"show me."
he revealed a small little cut, a scratch from an extremely sharp nail.
you sighed, dragged him over to your bag. you always brought your little emergency pouch. everything you needed from tissues, band-aids, alcohol swabs, hair elastics...
so you made abby stick out his hand, preparing an alcohol wipe. he winced a bit but took it like a champ nonetheless. gave him a silly band-aid and voilĂ .
you were putting everything away, didn't catch the adoring smile that rested upon his face.
your honour he's absolutely whipped.
the boys and girls congregated on one side of the room, watching you two like it was daily television. you two thought nothing of it, still in your own little world.
dancing with him that day was a lot more comfortable than the day before. very obvious to the audience.
choreographer knew something was up, caught you two red handed and you only chuckled nervously as she confronted you two.
you always had chemistry, don't get me wrong. it's just that there was always a small line, a thought that lingered, 'am i going too far?', 'are they uncomfortable?'.
now that shred of consciousness? basically out the window. you both cleared up the line, now leaving you two closer and more at ease than ever.
you were now experimenting, crossing the line and letting each other stabilize in this new area.
that was a fun day, a lot more eye contact, touching, really living the music.
and then you realized that the following day would be the dance practice recording session which meant it was going to be a long long day and you had to be on your a game the entire way through.
abby walked you home that day, obviously in disguise, although it is extremely hard to hide someone with that physique.
holding hands while walking down the street, you subconsciously rubbed his injury and he smiled down at you.
"you're that worried about me? i'm touched."
oh go fuck yourself.
you rolled your eyes as you tried to fight back a grin.
"my big dumb himbo got injured, what am i supposed to do?" you joked, nudging him with your elbow.
his grim tightened. 'my'. you said 'my'. he looked up at the sky, trying to keep the rush of blood away from his face.
you giggled.
the rest of the walk was a whole lot of banter, sweet moments, everything. to be honest, you were scared of getting in a relationship. what if everything changed, things got awkward? could you live with losing a relationship that you considered so precious?
but it wasn't like that. it wasn't the relationship you cherished, it was the person. everything with that person felt... right.
your heart felt all fuzzy inside, never did you think you'd be this happy. after all the shit from your family, from your failure of a life, things were finally going good.
and maybe you were jinxing it but... who cares? can't a girl be grateful?
before you even knew it, you had made it back to your apartment.
you now were face to face, still holding each others hands.
do you have to do a goodbye kiss or do you just... leave?
"can i...?"
abby leaned in, you smiled. we love a man who loves consent!!
"mhm."
a nice little peck on the lips before you both turned away, red.
"goodnight, abby." you beamed, ready to scream into your pillow when you got to your room.
"ah, umânight, y/n!"
you turned your back and walked inside while abby stood there for a second, staring at your retreating figure.
he put a finger up to his lips, trying to ignore his racing heartbeat.
you face planted into your bed the moment you walked inside.
how were you going to make it tomorrow?
okay, morning! not really a normal morning, it's like 5 am. you got up bright and early to make sure you looked your best.
so what if your hair was gonna be tied up in a ponytail? you were gonna look damn good in that ponytail.
who cares if you might have to wear a mask that covers half your face? you were gonna look fucking fabulous under that mask.
getting ready didn't take you that long normally considering you were exercising the entire day which meant: messed up hair, messed up makeup, why bother?
but you were going to be on the internet forever. next to abby saja. as his dance partner. you better make sure the second people pull out the video their jaw fucking drops to the ground.
and fuck your life if your relationship leaks only for people to critique your appearance on the dance practice video.
skin better be fucking glowing. hair better be as shiny and silky as can be.
people better be staring on your commute to the building.
you knew everyone else was getting ready too.
how?
you and the girls were texting, asking which lip tint, what blush colour, new eyeliner wing? everyone looked absolutely drop dead gorgeous.
and the boys? they have their own personal stylists, makeup artists and hair dressers. they're gonna be deadly.
and deadly they were. everyone was. including you.
that room, even though it was going to be a long, grueling session of sweat, redos and aching, everyone was gonna look good. the air conditioning made the room cold as fuck, no one better be sweating today.
you found yourself beside abby before you even knew it.
damn he looked good. it was so effortless yet so effective. compression white tank top, baggy black sweatpants and a black beanie to match. he just looked so casually fine.
"you look really good today." you smiled. 'you look good everyday.' you thought.
"thanks, i know." he smirked teasingly, you rolled your eyes. "you look amazing too." but that didn't even begin to describe what he felt.
"aww, thanks. i try." you joked.
it was silent for a moment, not awkward, just comfort. mental preparation if you will.
then the choreographer walked in, dragged you all to another room with bobby, camera and lighting crew as well as the boys' personal makeup and hair team.
you and abby shared a glance, you needed to tell bobby sometime soon, to avoid headache.
but when?
maybe after the shoot...
"positions!" you were interrupted, one little hand squeeze for good luck.
"shooting in 3... 2... 1."
it's you and me in this world, ëŽêČëĄ ë€ì ì, tie me, ë ê”Źìí ê±°ëŒ, just come kiss me and bite me.
the opening notes played, you felt your body fall into a beat. the rhythm, the melody, the harmonies all fell into your veins, your body moved before you knew it.
everything was going well, mask was on, limiting your facial expressions but that didn't matter. your body could tell the story.
then came the chorus, you found abby, he found you. your bodies synchronized in one sharp movement before settling to your regular dance styles.
you moved fluidly, like water, he was sharp. but somewhere along the way, you adopted each other's styles. you complemented each other perfectly.
the tension was palpable.
you could see bobby dancing behind the cameras, you had to fight the urge to smile.
your and abby's eyes stayed locked throughout the entire dance.
it was if you were magnet and metal, drawn to each other, a force so strong you couldn't rip each other away from the other.
you gave it your all and some, so did he.
subtle movements that friends don't do, touches there and there.
every time your skin even so much as grazed him, a jolt of electricity ran through.
god, how he wanted to run away with you. pick you up and run out of this room to do things he could only dream of. hungry desire filled his eyes, something you just can't fake.
the tension between you two couldn't even be cut with a knife.
'ë ìŹëìŽ, when you next to me, ì ì ìíì§ ëì ìŽëŠìŽ'
during mystery's line, the female dancers backed off. you all waited on the side, away from the sight of the camera.
on a normal day, you'd be talking, gushing about how hot they were, how amazing the song or dance was. not today.
today, everyone's eyes were drawn to their partner and only their partner.
abby wasn't allowed to look at you during this moment and it was torture for him.
the heat your gaze held could make him melt, he wanted to reciprocate. god, he needed to look at you. he needed you.
you needed him.
'ê·žêČ ëŽ ìëȘ (ëȘ ), just come over and bite me'
there we go. you ran on, keeping your cool. straight to abby, right in the middle.
the chorus begun. his grip was tight, like he wasn't about to let you go. ever.
your fingers ran up his chest, he shivered.
your face was turned away from the camera, his eyes were only on you.
yes, he was supposed to face the audience during this part, he couldn't. he couldn't look away from you.
your eyeliner eyeshadow combo for today? deadly. if looks could kill. your look actually did.
he wanted to tear off your mask and kiss you right there. dip you, trail a hand up your leg while swallowing you up.
you could feel it. could feel him.
the second your hands touched, they were interlinked. the warmth from his hand felt dangerous. like a big red warning sign. you ran towards it full force.
your fingertips teased, something the camera wouldn't see but he would definitely feel.
he looked at you, his lip twitching. a faint blush dusting his cheeks, he was trying to hide it.
his eyes challenged you, 'so that's how we're gonna play it?'
his hand landed on your waist, he trailed it up suggestively, hitching your shirt up by a millimeter. you held back a gasp.
the corners of his lips raised ever so slightly.
fuck he was hot.
fuck he was so hot.
you were so far gone.
you looked up at him, holding yourself back.
you two were electric. he fell even harder, he didn't even know that was possible.
you'd rehearsed this dance so much but it had never felt so suggestive before. your hands around his neck? unlocked something in him.
he wasn't sure if it was because your hands tightened ever so slightly, if it was because he could feel the warmth of your fingertips more than ever. all he knew was that he was in love.
your hand on his chin, lifting him up? he was ruined. ruined.
so much for hiding anything from the audience, he couldn't look away from you.
the rest of the dance went without a hitch, the only problem was the growing desire between you two.
the eye-fucking got stronger, the subtle touches became more and more like a challenge between the two of you. a who-can-turn-the-other-one-on-more competition.
when it came to the ending pose, your hand trailed up his thigh, your head on his chest. his hand fell on the back of your neck.
you looked up at him, a desire that couldn't be contained any longer.
he was trembling.
until the video ended, he was specifically instructed to look at the camera, not at you.
that was fucking terrible. he needed to see you.
"and... cut!"
wow.
that was... crazy.
you could feel the release of tension with one big group sigh. it was quiet for a bit. and then a laugh.
romance laughed his heart out. the girls followed. the boys too. you and abby looked at each other and smiled. your hand was still on him, your head too.
the staff were busy reviewing the footage to know if they needed to change anything or do any retakes.
while no one was looking, you snuck a quick kiss.
he was paralyzed.
that wasn't fair.
he wanted so much more than that.
he needed so much more than that.
you could feel him shaking. you chuckled.
he could feel your vibrations on his chest.
he was about to explode,
"once this is over, do you... wanna hangout...?" you extended an invitation hesitantly. not quite sure what to say, just knowing you didn't want to part.
"like that's even a question." he chuckled, his hand running down your hair. he wanted to take you away right now. why wait till later.
"yes! we'd love to come over y/n!"
we?
you looked up to see a nosy romance trying to insert himself in your little huddle. abby glared at him. you could feel it, if he wasn't holding you romance would've been punched to the other side of the room.
"wait! y/n we're coming too right!" romance's dance partner ran towards you, glaring at romance.
"uh"
"address." a familiar deep voice added.
baby too??
your mouth dropped ever so slightly in shock.
you looked at jinu for help, he was the most sensible out of everyone there.
he smiled. the fucker smiled at abby and you.
"we can bring snacks and games."
what.
you sat there, mouth agape. oh so you're having a house party now.
"i'll bring drinks! what are you guys into? beer, wine, vodka...?" romance had a devilish grin on his face.
non of them were trying to crash your and abby's moment, not one bit. they wanted to witness it, to be there when you kissed. they were gobbling you two up like you were their daily tv show.
you glanced at abby who was currently being assaulted by a pile of men and couldn't help but giggle at the pout evident on his face.
he glanced back, asking, practically pleading for you to decline before your house became a rave.
"i'd love to have a congratulatory hangout but maybe not at my small apartment that can barely one person let alone ten." you smiled.
"awh poo..." romance sighed dramatically, leaning further on abby for support.
"why don't we all go out for dinner and karaoke, i'll pay, and then you two lovebirds can head to your apartment alone." jinu suggested.
"but what fun is that if we don't get to seeâ" ji-woo, romance's partner, stuttered before her mouth was swiftly covered by another girl.
"yes! let's do that! as long as you're paying, jinu."
"wait so i can order anything i want..."
"wait doesn't that mean we're gonna hear each other sing??"
"wait no i'm absolutely tone deaf do not put me near a microphone."
"y/n abby duet????????"
"none of you losers are getting any time on the mic it's my time to shine! prepare your phones for an exclusive romance concert!"
"no one wants to hear that."
your smile brightened. what a loud bunch these people were but you wouldn't trade them for the world. how many months spent perfecting the choreo?
your lonely life behind the cashier desk with barely anyone to talk to other than the occasional customer and your long distance friends was peaceful in its own way but this was where your heart wanted to be.
you couldn't help but think of your parents, you really did prove them wrong. you've found your people. your heart was warm for the first time in a good long while.
and abby.
god, abby.
this little bright ball of sunshine that just barged in your life somehow. this hunk of muscle that you came to adore more than anything else in this world. this dumb himbo, your dumb himbo. you couldn't stop yourself from tearing up.
"y/n?!?!?!" one of the girls noticed instantly.
before you knew it, everyone was huddled around you, asking you what was wrong, if you were okay, all of them concerned (baby and mystery didn't show it as much as everyone else). abby was the most concerned, his grip tightened, frantically trying to make you feel better in any way he could.
you broke out laughing. "i'm alright guys." everyone looked a little confused, abby especially. were you pranking them or something, if so, that was not appreciated. he was genuinely concerned.
"it's just... i'mâi'm so glad i met you guys. i'm so glad i accepted bobby's invitation. i'm so glad... you're here. iâ" you broke out into a fit of tears again.
"youâyou can't justâwaahhh!" ji-woo cried. worse than you.
maybe you shouldn't have gotten so sentimental because the next thing you know, everyone was.
the room was either tears, sentimental speeches or smiles. abby looked at you and pulled you into his arms. he whispered in your ear, "i'm so glad i met you."
shit, you just got over your crying fit. you nestled your head into his shoulder. "you should be" you managed to babble out. he planted a kiss in the crook of your neck.
the lingering desire from your heated dance was still strong though the room's atmosphere was changed. and though abby wanted to go straight home with you, he understood that you wanted to celebrate with the team so he'd have to settle with later.
"that. was. perfect!" bobby screamed from across the room. "you guys are awesome. awesome. oh my god this is the best day of my life! i've gotta get to work. promotion time!! oh this is perfect. so many ideas!!" he cackled maniacally before running off with his clipboard.
you guys burst out laughing. you were going to be busy.
the dance practice was not the end of the story. far from it.
you guys now had to shoot the music video, promotion photoshoots, perform at award shows, perform at concerts, gameshows... you were going to be seeing each other a lot more.
and honestly, none of you had a single complaint about that.
but for now? it was dinner and karaoke time.
didn't realize tumblr had a word limit and was wondering why my drafts wouldn't save... part 2 will be linked here when i actually write it :)
anyways, i hope you guys liked part 1, it's been a while since i've written but it's march break and i need something to pass the time! if it's not obvious, i fucking love fluff and im so ass at angst. sorry if the story is getting repetitive, i have SO much more i want to write about (which is why there will be a part 2) but this was not meant to be a slow burn! i hope you guys liked it so far tho...
feel free to make requests/ask me anything, i'm always excited to work!
Hello! I loved your headcanons with huntrix and the saja boys with artist!reader. Can I request a huntrix x fem!reader x saja boys (altogether) where reader is extremely good at braiding hair. Like she has some long, waist-length hair and every day the style is either simple or super complex. Think Marcilleâs hairstyles from Dungeon Meshi or those rose-shaped braids you can find on Pinterest. Thanks!
BRAIDED HEARTS
huntrix x fem!reader x saja boys
reader really likes braids. new hairstyle every day, many experiments. this unique little quirk of yours catches the attention of the two most popular idol groups right now, but they're hiding something. and you have to figure it out before it's too late.
cw: swearing, angst with comfort, fluff, takes place during the main plot of the movie, kinda rushed, not proofread
it started simple.
one normal three strand braid the first time you had met.
they had spotted you in the crowd of the saja boy's first street performance.
the boys didn't pay you much mind, they were busy taunting the girls. the girls didn't really care too much either.
rumi and zoey looked at you a little longer. they paid professionals to style their hair now but your work had the exact same quality.
rumi was reminded of the days in which celine braided her hair. way back then.
whatever.
there were much bigger problems to deal with anyways.
nothing really stood out other than the fact your braid looked expertly done, as if you'd been doing this for a living.
the next time they saw you was when you were simply roaming the streets at night.
the saja boys were looking for a couple souls to steal and the huntrix girls were tailing them when they saw a familiarly braided head.
you had a french braid that day.
simple, yes.
but gorgeous nonetheless.
it was oddly attractive. in the street full of loose straight hair, seeing something different was kind of captivating in a weird type of way.
but, still.
you were probably just some regular girl, right?
regular girl who had too much free time on her hands and learned how to braid with a little more style than the average joe.
rumi could do that.
probably.
zoey could too...
maybe.
mira could braid her hair if she put some effort into it.
and the boys didn't need to learn how to braid, right?
who cares?
then they saw you again, man, were you everywhere?
just simple you, roaming the streets joyfully. you had something a little more attention catching this time, a 3D braid.
much like rumi's.
was that inspired or were you just experimenting?
the boys thought for a split second that rumi had dyed her hair black. that's how professional it looked.
you obviously knew what you were doing and now they were intrigued.
you'd have to run out of braids eventually, right?
so the boys did a little bit a digging.
just so they could take over the world a little better, no?
if they had more distinguishable hair, they'd have more fans. cause they sure as hell weren't gonna learn how to braid. too little time for that.
plus, maybe they could aggravate the girls just a little.
they noticed that you had caught their eye a split second longer than most others.
so they searched to see what you did. maybe you were some braiding professional who made money off of braiding for others or something.
not a special day, just a regular tuesday morning.
but the girls took notice of this sudden movement. and they tailed behind, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.
you were there, behind the bar, greeting customers with your hair tied up in two simple pigtails with braids weaved in and a warm smile.
you seemed genuinely innocent, so what were the boys doing here? how did you catch their attention? were you hiding something??
the boys paused at the doorway for a second, unsure if they wanted to face the onslaught of fans once they entered. oh, whatever. it was for the end of the world.
until they were stopped by a group of three girls, looking deadly. both in face card and in outfit.
"what do you think you're doing?" rumi glared.
"trying to steal souls of innocent people?" mira crossed her arms, eyes squinting.
"can't some idols just take a coffee break?" jinu smiled, the joy not quite reaching his eyes.
the rest of the boys were slightly ticked off as well. normally they'd be up for a bit of tomfoolery, but this was a mission that didn't concern the girls just yet.
"idols can, not evil soul sucking demons." mira retorted.
"look, we just want to enjoy some coffee. if you don't trust us, then come with." romance smiled sweetly, stepping one foot closer to the door.
the boys looked at him for a second, the kind of look that said, 'really dude?â before they went along with it, walking inside without a second glance.
"youâ!" rumi growled.
the girls looked at each other once before they decided to follow them.
once they entered, they saw your eyes widen for a second. you recognized them. who wouldnât? it was quickly replaced with a smile, just like the one before.
"hi, welcome to keopijan cafe! what can i get for you?"
no time to investigate, they had to act like normal human beings first.
"hello, could we get uhâwhat do you guys want?" the boy you knew as jinu whispered to the others.
"i don't know... there's so many options."
"if you can't decide, i could try and help?" you suggested, certain of the boys nodded while others already knew what they wanted.
"i'll have an iced americano and a bungeoppang." the boy with teal hair stated.
"could i have a toasted black sesame latte? and a ggul-tteok." the one named mystery asked.
you quickly wrote down their orders.
"and the rest of you... do you need some help deciding?"
"if that's alright with you, there are so many options, it's hard to choose." jinu smiled.
"for you..." you pointed at abby. "might i suggest an egg sandwich and some simple banana milk."
his eyes lit up, you're assuming he liked that suggestion.
"you..." pointing at romance, you continued to give some recommendations. "strawberry milk latte since it's in season and some madeleines."
"finally, you'd probably enjoy... our latte art special and a slice of tiramisu?"
you waited for their green light. jinu looked back at the rest of them who nodded excitedly.
"yes, that'd be lovely, thank you." they bowed before making their way to an empty table.
âand you girls?â you waved the huntrix girls over.
âoh! uhhâŠâ their eyes were still cautiously staring at the boys, they hadnât had time to check the menu.
âhard time deciding, huh?â
they smiled awkwardly at you. how embarrassing.
âif you three wouldnât mind sharing with each other, how about our special strawberry bingsu?â you pointed at a photo on the menu.
they looked at each other. were they really going to order and sit with the saja boys. with the demons?
âyes please!â zoey beamed.
i guess they were.
and so they walked over to the table with the boys. it was cozy, tucked in the corner away from windows or people.
âiâm surprised. you wanted to sit with us? how flattering.â jinu forced a smile, he really thought theyâd at least go to a different table.
âdonât flatter yourself. this is to keep an eye on you demons and nothing else.â rumi muttered back.
the atmosphere at the table was tense. no one talked. only suspicious glances at one another.
they hadn't noticed before but no one was attempting to take their picture. it was so... odd?
it was indeed kinda relaxing. if it werenât for the fact hunters and demons were now congregating at the same table in a cramped cafe.
they turned their attention back to you were now pouring cold milk into jinu's latte, your hair now in cute milkmaid braids.
it was obvious you liked experimenting with your hair and now they were extremely curious about your character. more specifically your affinity to different braids.
before they knew it, you were at their table with a tray of carefully crafted drinks and desserts. the item that drew their attention the most however was the latte. it was a simple rosetta pattern, sure. but for some reason the milk splatter seemed to resemble a braid more than anything else.
how peculiar you were. they would have to do further investigation.
as you went back behind the counter, they watched as you let the milkmaid braid fall back into two simple braids. it was weirdly mesmerizing.
they stayed for a while, even after finishing all their food and drinks. just to observe.
the girls didnât really want to spend any more time with them however your presence was oddly comforting. they wouldnât mind staying a little more if it meant seeing you.
then your coworker came from out the back, hair loose and down.
ây/n! can you help, i need to help with desserts but my ponytail keeps fallingâŠâ she frowned, passing you her hair tie.
âoh! of course, come!â they watched as you expertly divided her hair into three, creating a quick and simple side braid that looked extremely flattering on her.
the boys were silent. gazes locked on you.
the girls? they noticed this. and they started plotting. if they could hire you as their hair stylist, they could aggravate the boys. it was the perfect plan.
so they approached you with the boys watching closely.
âhi! i love your hair!â rumi smiled.
you blushed slightly behind the counter. âoh, thank you so much! i love yours! itâs so beautiful. your guysâ too. the colours and style suit you guys perfectly. andâoh. sorry, iâm rambling. iâm just a big fan!â you rubbed the back of your neck sheepishly.
âreally?â mira looked at you with a smile, one eyebrow raised.
âyeah... i've been listening since your debut. i was really drawn to your hair, although that might sound really weird. you're kinda the reason i learnt how to braid..." you smiled at rumi, cheeks ever so slightly flushed. "oh, and zoey? i love your braids, they're so adorable!"
"oh my gosh! thank you so much, you're actually the sweetest! your hair is so pretty, ugh!!" she beamed further, grabbing both your hands and shaking you.
you blushed.
"oh! wait right here!" you rushed off, going to grab something from the back.
the girls stared at each other, confused but also extremely relieved. they could at least confirm you probably weren't some crazy demon overlord undercover, now they were going to protect you from the saja boys.
speaking of the saja boys, they were now whispering amongst each other, some glaring at the girls, others giggling at whatever they were planning.
the girls tensed slightly. something was wrong. but then you came out, all bright, practically glowing and in your hand you had a small turtle jelly on a plate.
"i know you like turtles so we actually made this when you walked in!" you handed it carefully to zoey.
her jaw dropped. "oh my god. i actually love you. i could kiss you right now!" she squealed, jumping up and down very carefully.
and then your coworker came and told you that you were on break now. so you know what the girls did? they dragged you over to their table to sit down. completely forgetting the boys were there.
they passive aggressively shoved them out of the way while making you sit down, basically pampering you like a princess.
"i don't want to intrude..." you sat down, stiff and awkward, looking at the boys who were obviously not to pleased about the situation.
"oh don't be silly, dear, you're more wanted here than certain others..." romance slid himself between you and mira, wrapping his arms around your shoulders and completely ignoring the glare she sent his way.
you stiffened, slightly blushing at the touch. how is it that you were now being coddled by the two most popular idol groups in your own cafe??
"yeah, we brought you over so of course we want you here." mira shoved romance aside, eyebrows furrowed in annoyance.
"who wouldn't want someone as pretty as you here?" abby joined in the fight, wedging mira between him and romance while resting his arm on your shoulder.
you laughed awkwardly, playing with your hair as they continued shoving each other.
and you guys stayed in that cafe until closing time.
the banter from that day went on for a while, it came in groups. rumi and jinu kept making jabs at each other, weirdly about shame and demons, wonder what that could be about. mira, romance and abby were having a fucking field day, well, romance and abby were having an absolute ball, mira not so much. zoey and baby were throwing subtle insults, mystery kinda just watched.
at one point, you had convinced rumi to let her hair down so you could play with it, my god was it fun. her fair fell all the way down to the floor and you had so much creative liberty.
both the saja boys and the huntrix girls offered you jobs as their hair stylists. woah, crazy promotion.
âi like my job at the cafe, however if you ever want me to do your hair, come visit! iâll be more than happy to try something new!â is what you told them, totally not knowing what you were signing up for.
you didnât catch the smirks that appeared on romanceâs and abbyâs faces.
you didnât catch how rumiâs hands lingered on the parts of her hair that you touched.
you didnât catch how babyâs and mysteryâs eyebrows raised slightly at your proposition or how jinu went silent, most likely plotting something.
you didnât catch how zoey bounced in her seat, or how the corners of miraâs mouth twitched ever so slightly.
you were too focused on the thought of braiding and experimenting now with practically 8 heads.
you were also informed that the game show that you would be hosting the next day would be for the saja boys so⊠at least you got to meet them early?
and so you went to bed that night, extremely excited by the thought of working with some people you now considered friends.
you woke up early the next day to do a special braid. a waterfall braid with a rose shaped braid at the back. it wasnât overwhelming in appearance, perfect for a smaller game show but it still had the touch of elegance you needed for the show.
âyour hair is gorgeous today, babe. just like you.â you felt a familiar voice hovering right beside your ear, of course it had to be romance.
âcan you do my hair behind the scenes quickly, please.â abby approached from the other side, leaning his elbow on your shoulder.
âsure, let me revise the script one more time and iâll be right there.â you smiled as your eyes scanned the queue cards in your hands.
âyou look nice.â jinu gave you a warm smile, pushing the queue cards down so you would look at him.
âthank you!â you blushed, returning the gesture.
from the corner of your eye, you could see mystery standing there, the corners of his mouth tilted upwards.
on the other side was baby. lollipop in his mouth, completely indifferent. at least he tried to be. but you noticed how he hovered a little closer than the day before, it was kinda sweet.
you turned around, inhaling one last time to remember your script before giving abby a small accent braid on the side of his head.
âwait, princess! i want a braid from you too!â romance whined, trying to latch onto you.
âthen wait your turn.â you saw how abby smirked while romance dramatically fainted. you laughed at the banter.
you made romance and abby match, it was a cute group cohesion thing. âwhile iâm doing this, do the rest of you want matching braids too?â you looked back at the more indifferent of the group.
âthat would be lovely, thanks y/n.â jinu accepted your offer for the rest of them.
âokay then children, form a line!â you joked, earning a small huff from baby which you assumed was a laugh.
now, everyone was matching and you gave a childish grin, appreciating your work.
"ooh! you should have one yourself, gotta let the people see who our wonderful hairdresser is." romance suggested with a smirk.
you shook your head and declined. "it'd be better for me to not get in any crazy idol dating scandals... plus, i already have my braids!"
"i mean, that wouldn't be the worst thing, would it?" abby smirked.
nope.
not having it!.
you sighed, trying to mask the blush that was creeping up on your face. i'm gonna go find my co-host, have fun guys!" and there you went.
they all smirked at each other, feeling the glares of some familiar girls from above them. time to take the fans.
following your perspective, you had now found your co-host for the day. "hey, you ready?" he asked.
"as i'll ever be! have fun dying from hot sauce."
"ha! as if, i'm the unbeaten champion! most people have one sip and instantly pass out." he puffed his chest out in pride.
"right..." you thought about baby saja. "well, break a leg. hope you can keep your title."
"i know i'll stay winning."
as you both walked on stage, the gameshow theme song started to play.
"hello everyone! welcome back to who can chug the most hot sauce?" the crown cheered.
"today, we have some very special guests with us... they've actually just made their debut! please welcome to the stage the rising stars... the saja boys!"
"hello, saja boys here. we would like to express our deepest gratitude for having us on this show, it is truly an honour to be here." the boys bowed, you bowed back.
"now, enough with politeness. let's get to the flaming action! let me introduce our contestants for today! we have jinu saja, abby saja, mystery saja, romance saja, baby saja and our reigning champion, my co-host here!" the camera panned on each member.
"contestants, please take your bottles and start drinking in 3... 2... 1!"
and so they did. and my was it a sight to behold. you watched as beads of sweat and tears ran down everyone's faces (other than baby). "that's one flaming-hot jinu! and abby is down! mystery is history! looks like romance is out due to heartburn?" you watched as they all toppled over their desks one by one.
pure comedy gold.
"it's a dead heat between my handsome co-host and baby saja. can our host catch up?" you knew the answer. no he couldn't. but you still watched in awe as baby chugged from the baby bottle with a smile.
and finally, your co-host passed out. "so spicy! so spicy!"
"it seems he can't! baby saja is the winner!" you grabbed his hadn and raised it in the air. you felt his grip tighten as his ears turned ever so slightly redder.
"goo goo, ga ga." you chuckled slightly under your breath.
"here's a surprise for both our contestants and our dear audience. because baby saja has managed to dethrone the king, he will be having a special solo collaboration with keopijan cafe!"
you felt a couple breaths hitch behind you. if they knew about that prize, they would've tried a little harder...
baby smirked at them, stuck his tongue out like a little asshole. oh, he was gonna get it when they were home.
"well, its hard to say goodbye when we're having fun."
"so hard. so hard."
"then why say goodbye when we have extra special guests coming up?" jinu interrupted, subtly diving you and baby. "please welcome huntrix!" you stared at him, completely out of the loop.
the lights shone above you. you turned around.
oh.
the huntirx girls were there. most definitely spying.
they were standing there, deadly black, sharp leather outfits. black makeup and... wait.
did their nails spell out kill saja?
uh...
nevermind! you didn't want to be involved in this beef.
"we just wanted to stop by and congratulate our hoobaes on their debut and come support our friend y/n!" rumi smiled awkwardly, like a kid caught playing games past curfew.
"and of course, play games with us! bring out the slides!" was jinu taking over your show now...
well, it was working. the crowd was chanting, screaming for the slides.
"oh no. we couldn't possibly..." rumi tried to wiggle their way out of this one.
but it was too late. the crowd wanted what it wanted.
you were looking at their outfits. leather. that was going to hurt.
you scanned the room, seeing if there was anything you could do. maybe some water to pour on the slides, anything. nothing.
you just had to brace for impact.
"sure. for the fans." they settled on the top of the slides.
as they slid down, the most horrifying, piercing sound filled the room. you covered your ears, hoping it would dilute the sound.
it didn't.
you heard zoey mutter something like "the leather has betrayed us!" before they fell in the pit.
"and huntrix is in the balls!" you beamed, trying to ease the tension that had appeared in the room.
you offered them each a hand to get out of the pit, giving a small pity smile to ease their pain. they smiled back, thankful there was one face of sympathy in the group.
"well, this was fun." rumi smiled, it didn't quite reach her eyes.
"it was truly an honor to share the stage with you." the boys bowed down.
the fans were eating that shit up. you swear you heard people screaming "so hot!" and "so respectful!" for doing the bare minimum.
okay then!!"
"oh no. the honor is ours." the girls reciprocated the action.
and then they fell into a bowing war.
the went full on 90 degrees.
you swear you heard someone's back crack.
once the curtains fell, you turned around to greet the girls but they were gone. the boys too.
okay nevermind then!
you'll just talk some other time.
the rest of the week fell into a routine. work at the cafe with a new hairstyle, the girls or the guys would visit you, you'd have a nice chat. repeat.
you cycled through a couple different simpler braids like a fishtail braid, a rope braid, a braided headband, a bubble braid and to end the week, a simple accent braid on your right with a ponytail.
the guys would always make an effort to compliment your hair and you'd always make a cute braiding circle with the girls. for example, you braid mira's hair, she braids zoey's, zoey braids rumi's and rumi braids yours.
you taught all of them simpler braids, especially adding your little tips and tricks. tips to avoid frizz, how to plump it up, how to not look bald, so on so forth.
you felt a strong sense of pride everytime you'd see them walk in with a handmade braid done by themselves. sure, some of them didn't look perfect but they made an effort and that meant everything.
the boys would crash in their personal corner sofa, most likely tired from all their promotions. they also seemed to be getting really comfortable, more forward, more flirtatious..?
i mean, romance did as romance does. flirt. but he started becoming more earnest. more genuine. he would visit even when the saja boys didn't just to talk. talk about everything and anything. the weather, coffee, familial issues. y'know. the usual. he just wanted to spend more time with you. it was a nice break from the energy he had to exude during their promotions.
abby would try to learn how to brew coffee from you. but in a 'i'm trying really hard to seduce you' way. like he'd wear the apron you gave him. but he wouldn't wear anything underneath. would lift his arms at any opportunity to show off his abs, would make you touch his muscles at random intervals.
mystery would make you sit with him and braid his hair quietly. you tried to avoid the front bangs, you didn't know if he wanted to show his face. you didn't know but he really appreciated it. he was always a little insecure. he never felt as attractive as the other members. but you wouldn't judge, right? so he gave you the green light. and oh my god was he fine. brushing his bangs out of his face became your favourite pass time.
jinu always seemed occupied with something. there was obviously something weighing on his mind and while you obviously didn't understand, you didn't want to pry and so you did what you could. you made his drinks with a little more care, sometimes you'd sneak supportive messages with his dessert, a small heart in his latte... you couldn't tell but his heart softened every single time you did. he would sometimes ask you to sit with him. just to have company. you didn't mind.
baby would constantly keep you on your toes. you were supposed to be creating a new recipe alongside him, supposed to be fun. but he only wanted the spiciest of the spiciest. said something about it having character and therefore good branding. he was the epitome of mischief. it took a grueling amount of after work hours with him to find a middle ground. a pumpkin spice latte. yes, it's not spicy but he accepted it after seeing you walk in. heavy eye bags, a whole google docs with options + a powerpoint slide to convince him and a manic smile. so he might've toyed with you a little too much. he felt bad. so he snuck a lollipop in the tip jar specifically addressed to you when you weren't looking and left.
it was strawberry.
now the girls were obviously much busier, more exhausted. they took every opportunity to work on their new song in the comfort of your presence. sometimes they'd ask you for advice, sometimes they'd ask you to brainstorm hairstyles for their new concept.
zoey had the most energy out of the group, constantly keeping spirits high when the others were absolutely stumped. but when she was stressed? she'd get you to sit beside her, let you braid her hair. there was something so soothing about the feel of your hands in her hair.
mira was a lot more talkative than she was usually. everything she uttered was a part of the beat, a part of the choreo, a part of the concept. you gave her a new drink, a new dessert every day as she believed it would spark more inspiration. you even tested out new hairstyles on her, trying things like a ladder braid, a 4 or 5 strand braid, anything you wanted to try but were too scared to. you both agreed hairstyles like viking braids worked the best. sharp, deadly. you also got to see her wearing glasses and honestly, they looked damn good on her.
rumi was... off. much like jinu but worse. everytime she looked at the lyric sheet she just stared. deep in thought, clutching her arms, her neck, her stomach. much like jinu, you didn't want to pry. so you did as you did with jinu. extra care in every order, special messages with dessert, sitting with her as comfort. you always lent an ear if she ever wanted to talk. she often fell asleep on your shoulder after a long day of work, you made sure to wear softer clothes from then on.
you'd also learned a lot about each of them, most importantly what their favourite braids were. wellâout of the ones they've seen from you at least.
jinu was a simple man. he liked the french braid. clean, elegant, pretty. it reminded him of the first time you caught his attention, the reason they investigated in the first place.
abby liked the fishtail. something about the patterns being cool and reminiscent of his abs. he thought it looked pretty and would work very well if you were to ever work out with him (not happening.)
mystery's favourite was the braided headband. for a couple of reasons. it was how you looked so confident putting your bangs out of the way, showing your face. that was also the hairstyle you held when he revealed his face to you for the first time. he lets you give him a braided headband now.
romance liked the milkmaid braid. it was what you tied your hair up into when you were making coffee and he associated it with a more domestic, slice of life lifestyle. the kind he wanted to live with you. a morning where he woke up, two cups of coffee were set out for cuddle time.not to mention you looked damn good with it.
baby's was the waterfall braid. why? cause that's the hair you had when he won the game show. the hairstyle you had when he won the prize of a collaboration with you. it was the start of all the after work hours he and only he was allowed to spend with you.
rumi liked the 3d braid. obviously. it was her hairstyle, of course you looked good in it. somehow you rocked that braid better than she did. and she wasn't complaining. not one bit. she thought of it as matching couple braids, not that she would tell you.
mira's favourite was a viking braid. she was always the black sheep of the family, liked the unconventional stuff. she lived her life looking at people and thinking, 'this is who my parents wanted me to be.' but she never saw you that way. because looking at you, you weren't incredibly successful, conventional, perfect. you were just you. and you were happy. seeing you in a sharper, edgier hairstyle? one that she would wear? god, that nearly solved her familial issues. almost.
zoey liked the bubble braid. it was cute, bubbly, very her. and it looked so amazing on you. the day you had bubble braids, she demanded you gave her some too, teach her. and teach her you did. she would now walk in the cafe with bubble braids instead of her usual buns.
then came a huntrix signing event. and you were personally invited to show up and serve drinks for the girls. who were you to decline?
but you had to look your best. so you went for a mermaid braid, one of your personal favourites.
you got there early, meeting the girls' manager bobby, what a sweetie, and giving your good mornings to the girls. then you set up behind them, your small little stall in the corner of the room. far enough to not draw attention but close enough for the girls to request drinks.
everything was going good, you were having fun, chatting with the girls, hyping them up. they gave you each a personally signed poster which brought out your inner fan-girl.
and then the event was about to start so you went to your stall. waiting.
and then the saja boys pulled up. in sleeping bags. dramatic entrance, dramatic flair. you shook your head while smiling.
there was small commotion trying to figure out how to set up but they ended up with a joint table, joint signing setup. and now you were serving drinks for everyone.
okay!! whatever works for them i guess.
the boys kept turning around, requesting more drinks even if they hadn't finished their previous, some times even asking you to braid their hair which you promptly declined.
not in front of hundreds of fans.
you were not about to get doxxed today.
at least the girls were calm!
nevermind.
why did you just hear your name in one of their conversations with the fans.
ignore it.
ignorance is bliss!
the rest of the fan meet was far from uneventful. mira, romance and abby fought to sign someone's broken leg, mystery barked mid session, rumi stomped on jinu's foot with power that could kill and the boys left randomly in the middle.
but you had a blast. you saw some of your regulars in the crowd, maybe you might've given them free drinks. shh. no one has to know.
honestly, the fan meet wasn't extremely eventful for you, but it was for everyone else.
so the weeks continued. you watched as the boys continued to grow in energy (other than jinu) while the girls were drained. cracked.
breaking appart.
it was subtle but rumi no longer sat in the middle, it was zoey. you noticed the distance that rumi put between her and the other girls was wider now. you noticed the little suspicious glances mira would sneak at rumi whenever she had the lyric sheet. you noticed that zoey looked extremely on edge, worn out. like she was the last glue strand holding on for dear life between the two.
there was one day, rumi looked terrible. like she was one strand of hair away from breaking down. and that was the day mira looked like she had enough. you didn't quite hear everything, but you remember hearing rumi say something along the lines of "not everything is about your insecurities, mira!"
you knew something was wrong, you brought over three small macarons, one for each of the girls. praying, they would push past the problem. but rumi had already snapped. "this doesn't concern you y/n, you're not even a part of the group."
oh.
that's fine.
she was just having a bad day.
you swallowed your emotions and left them with a "if you ever need to talk, i'm always open. just... don't tear yourselves apart." rumi reached her hand toward you. tried to stop you, apologize. but the words wouldn't come out.
mira stood there. putting her jacket on. ready to go. she was done for today.
"mira! mira! i didn't meanâ" and the girls left. other than zoey.
zoey stayed at the couch, breaking down, head in hands.
you didn't know if it was your place to step in but... goddammit you were going to anyways.
you sat beside her, offering a hug. she crashed into you, a sobbing mess.
"i just... i can't... i know rumi's not happy with the song but i can't. i can't make a better song. i'm so worthless. i can't even keep us together. i can't create a song good enough for the fans, for us. i don't know what to do anymore. i wish i could help them but i can't evenâi justâiâ"
you didn't need to say anything, just rubbed her arm, letting her find comfort in presence. once she calmed down, you lulled her to sleep and messaged rumi.
'hey rumi i just wanted to let you know that no matter what happens, i'll be with you, i'll always lend an ear if you need. idk what you're facing but don't let it get to you and the others, you guys have the strongest bond i've ever seen and i dont think whatever's happening is worth it breaking. keep your head held high! <33
you were left on read. oh well! you did everything you could.
now you were at the shop, cleaning up when you heard a knock at the front door.
it was rumi.
you quickly let her inside.
"...i'm sorry y/n." she bowed, you couldn't see her face. "i'm so, so, so sorry. i didn't mean any of that, i'm just... there's just so much happening and i ended up lashing out my frustration on you. i'm so sorry, you don't need to forgive me, iâ" you cut her off.
"rumi... it's really alright." you wrapped your arms around her. "i just don't like seeing you guys all stressed outâi careâwhether it's obvious or not."
you felt drips of water on your shoulder, she was shaking, sniffling, trying to hold her tears. "let it out."
and she did. you sat her down in a blanket, made her some hot cocoa. you sat there together for a while, waiting for her to utter the first words.
and then came mira.
it was the day after... the incident. rumi and zoey had stayed at home. busy working. mira came, still trying to clear her head away from rumi. you offered her a cup and a secret private room away from the people. normally you had to make a reservation but she definitely needed it. you gave her a little button to call for you if she ever needed and then left her in silence.
she pressed the button almost immediately. when you came inside, she asked you to braid her hairâany style you wanted, just needed to feel your presence, know that you weren't gonna leave her.
you went for a pull-through braid. but you took your time. let the quiet of the room sink in.
once you were done, you kept your hand on hers, to let her know you were still there. her breathing settled and her grip loosened.
you gave her one last push and there she went to talk to rumi and zoey.
so yep. that was your weekend.
but anyways!!
the boys continued as they did, rambunctious, energetic, outgoing.
supporting your numerous braid experiments like an upside-down braid, a lace braid, and infinity braid, bohemian braid, crown braid... literally everything.
other than jinu. he was shut. closed like a clam. and after your experience with the girls? you knew you had to do something.
so you waited for the opportunity to arise.
one day, he was completely out of it. not in the room. you let him stay as you cleaned and closed up. then you sat with him. offered your hand, he hesitated but in the end he took it.
and then he pulled back as his eyes shot open, hands covering his ears. his eyes turned into a bright yellow as purple patterns started to appear on his skin. his fingernails grew into claws. he looked at you, looked at himself, fear. pure fear in his eyes. like an animal in a cage.
you put a hand on his back. let it run its course up and down his hair. "while i don't understand what's happening... i'll stay here until you feel safe."
him feel safe? what about you? were you not scared?? he was a monster. a terrible person. he didn't deserve any of this. so why? why did you care? why... why couldn't he hear gwi-ma anymore? it was a trap. to lure him into a false sense of security. he was sure of it.
but maybe this was a trap that was worth falling for. he slowly melted to your touch. ultimately passing out on your lap. you smiled and started playing with his hair.
he didn't speak about that day after that. it was obviously something you weren't supposed to see or know.
so you acted clueless. just... with a little more care. never once flinched, avoided him, kept your distance. continued your little supportive messages and your latte hearts.
and now the idol awards were approaching. and you were going to co-host! yay!!
seems like your last hosting gig really worked out.
the idols slowly stopped visiting as the days went by, obviously focused on their own lives.
you'd been busy doing your research on what you had seen that day. you found nothing.
until you found something.
demons. an old myth. a fairytale. but they matched the description you needed. unfortunately there was no information about them. absolutely nothing.
so here you were, pulling all nighters, trying to find a sliver of information. literally anything.
there was someone called gwi-ma. you didn't know who that was or what he did but that's something... right?
and before you knew it. the idol awards were here. and you knew nothing.
but...
whatever.
you could figure it out after.
the world wasn't gonna end if you didn't.
right?
yeah.
you now sit in your private dressing room, applying your makeup after you finished your hair. you went for something fancy today. a rose shaped braid. a pretty dress to match and some deep red eyeshadow and lipstick to tie everything together. (think gabriella concept in a way).
did you need to dress up this much as host? why not.
as you were walking up to the stage, you met up with both groups. separately of course. first it was the huntrix girls.
and my, were they looking so much better.
they were a team again. and they were in their outfits for golden, not the song they were creating. they obviously worked things out and you were so proud of them. you gave them a reassuring smile before continuing your walk.
but they paused, just to stare at you a little longer. god were you were hot.
and then you saw the saja boys. and you quite literally got jumped.
"oh my god you're absolutely breathtaking. are you sure you're human and not angel?" romance joked.
you chuckled. "you guys don't look too bad yourselves. good luck out there!"
a flash of something you couldn't quite describe appeared on each of their faces. was it... guilt? or maybe frustration? you weren't sure.
your gut wrenched. but you had to brush past it.
"if we win, will we get something from you?" abby smirked.
"hmm... what would that something be exactly?"
"ooh! how about a kiss from you!" romance wrapped his hand around yours, pretending to kiss it like a prince in a movie.
you smiled, blush extremely evident on your face. "hmm... i'll have to think about it. after all, my kiss is extremely expensive." you blew them a kiss as you ran down to your side of the stage.
they stood there for a moment. okay so they had to win.
but jinu was conflicted. extremely conflicted. on one hand, he was supposed to lose for rumi, so that he and you could live in peace in the human world. on the other? he had already made his choice back in the demon world. he was hopeless. irredeemable. and he deserved to rot in the depths of hell.
he fell back into formation with the rest of the group.
you held the mic up, took a deep breath and walked on. "two bands, one award."
"every snowflake is special. but one snowflake is probably the best. who will be the top of the mountain? fans from around the universe will decide." your co-host entered from the other side.
"finally, the moment you've been waiting for. here are the five-year reigning champs of the International idol awards, huntrix!" you beamed as the girls walked on stage. "versus the heart-stealing newcomers, the saja boys!" you beamed as they appeared on the other side. "who will win?"
the sea of fans roared.
"please welcome to the stage, the saja boys!" you screamed, pointing to the entrances of the stage.
but no one came.
what?
oh no. something was wrong.
you should've trusted your gut.
your co-host stepped on stage. "okay, uh, there's been a slight change in schedule. here to perform their hot new single, golden, it's huntrix!"
what??
you shared a word with your co-host. you were going to go look for the boys. outside the arena.
you ran, bolted as fast as you could, cursing yourself for not following your gut.
on the screen, rumi was killing it, on her hoop, shinning in the gold. and then the lights cut out.
and you froze on the spot.
the lights turned red.
and the song takedown started to play. the one they decided not to use.
it was like something out of a horror movie, watching as mira and zoey pushed and shoved rumi. taking off her jacket to reveal the same demon patterns jinu had. and then she snapped and the lights cut.
"no no no no no no no..." your vision was blurring. what the fuck was happening. the girls had made up. everything was fine so why?
you had to find the boys. you had to make sure they were safe.
you ran around like a fucking maniac, sweating, braid completely crumbling. your hair was down, frizzled, wavy, knotted. you didn't care. you took off your heels to run faster.
and then you saw something that made your heart shatter.
the saja boys were on the big screen. feigning pity. and then jinu opened his mouth. "hey, everybody. you must all be so sad about the huntrix breakup. we are too. so, to cheer everyone up, we're going to do a special live performance tonight. midnight, namsan tower. don't miss it for the world."
and they walked off on screen.
before you knew it, tears were falling down your face. mascara smudged, eyeshadow washed out, lipstick smudged. you were a mess.
"you couldn't help them. you knew something was wrong and you ignored it. this is all your fault. if only you had done something. you're a terrible person. you didn't deserve them. but if you follow me, they'll like you again. you'll be together forever."
you gave in. following the crowd in your disarray.
on the stage stood the five boys.
each of them with their own accent braids. much like the ones you gave them before.
it hurt.
everything hurt.
so much so that everything became numb.
they saw you in the crowd.
you made eye contact.
regret, pain, guilt.
after all, eyes are the window to the soul.
oh wait, they don't have one.
how could you forget.
and maybe you were about to lose yours too.
ha.
what a bitter way to end.
everything was a blur after that.
the girls came, a battle took place, the saja boys were dead. you weren't present in mind to care. you were still eating yourself alive.
you took a sick week from work. no braiding, no coffee making, no smiles. just a whole lot of thinking.
you decided to turn a new leaf. stopped blaming yourself for things that were out of your control.
you were just going to continue living, because no matter how shitty you feel, the world kept turning.
you walking into work that day with a halo braid. and guess who you saw sitting in the same old couch corner.
and then you started to tear up as they enveloped you in a group hug.
"i'm so glad you're alright." you sighed, melting into the touch.
thank god they were safe.
thank god they were here.
i did it!! i actually finished a longer project and it didn't take me a month!! still, sorry it took so long, i kept procrastinating... i didn't really know what direction you wanted the story to take so i followed the main plot... hope thats alright! can you tell i know nothing about braids and this only came to life with the help of a single website :P anyways, i'm currently working on a REALLY REALLY long one-shot so keep ur eyes peeled! if you have any requests or if you just wanna talk: feel free to send something, i dont bite :))
i know itâs rather short but honestly i was kinda drawing a blank for what to write like severe writers block, i hope you enjoyed anyways!!
fem!artist!reader disappear mysteriously to their getaway cottage to finish their art collection in peace and quiet. except the peace and quiet didnât last for very long. literally just a silly fluff drabble.
cw: swearing, not proofread đ
this was routine.
disappear to an unknown location for a weekend before returning to your small apartment, bright-eyed, inspired, maybe even with a canvas full of paint or a sketchbook full of doodles.
the huntrix girls never questioned you.
they were very used to this and honestly, it was adorable how your excitement and determination shone in your eyes the second they saw you again.
if it wasnât broken, why fix it?
while they each had their favourites amongst your pieces, they all agreed on one thing.
your art? beautiful. just like youâwho said that?
definitely not the girls.
no way.
all three huntrix members crushing on you?
totally not happening.
zoey totally didnât have an entire notebook with words upon words, verses upon verses, lyrics upon lyrics written with only you in mind. totally didnât have songs dedicated to each of your pieces, hoping that one day sheâd muster up enough courage to show them to you. hoping that youâll like them, feel the love and care put into each word.
mira totally didnât sit on her bed at night, picturing you two slow-dancing together in the rain while she told you you felt like home. totally didnât learn a million different dance styles; waltz, tango, hip-hopâyou name itâin hopes that sheâd impress you. maybe even ask her to teach you some moves!
rumi totally didnât try to learn how to paint for your birthday. refusing any help because she wanted it to come from the heart, and, while it didnât turn out exactly how she wanted, the pure joy on your face was enough to make her pass out on the spot. godâhow could you be so kind to her⊠abomination was beyond her.
so⊠yeah.
they liked you.
they really liked you.
they werenât the only ones, though.
there were⊠the boys. their old musical rivals and their now romance rivals.
you left quite an impression on the boy band the first time you met. wellânot you, per se, but your art.
you see, the day they arrived in the human world, you were hosting an exhibit. your very first display of your works.
now, they wouldnât go there voluntarily, they were here to steal souls, not peruse the local art gallery.
sure, some of them enjoyed visual arts more than others but enough to distract them from their mission?
yeah, no.
however, unfortunately or fortunately for you, you had drawn official portraits of the huntrix girls and thus?
you were a tool.
a weapon to get to huntrix.
the plan was simple. find you, butter you up a bit, maybe get you to expose something about huntrix, and once you served your purpose? feed.
really, it was foolproof.
and so, they visited your small venue.
they werenât expecting much, some random girl who drew fanart maybe. some random girl who had artistic hands, nothing special.
they were proven wrong.
the second they walked into the humble building, a couple jaws dropped to the floor. your art was gorgeous. not just aesthetically pleasing, although it definitely was.
it had emotions.
it was human.
human in the best way possible.
your use of colours? magical.
composition? captivating.
shapes? lines? texture?? it had a charm they couldnât describe.
surely they could stay a little longer, right?
just to study your character.
makes it easier to investigate you.
maybe theyâd learn something about huntrix.
solely for research purposes.
knowing your art would help them talk to you, obviously.
a silent glance between the five boys was exchanged before they all dispersed, looking down the line of every single work of art displayed. every single piece sent them down a journey they didnât think was possible. each one earned a gasp, a small breath of awe.
it was clear you loved painting but your abilities in pencil, charcoal, photography, sculptingâeverything.
it was insane.
each boy had chosen a favourite piece. the art that shook their heart in a way that didnât feel real. that sent shivers down their spine. that made them feel⊠human.
something about how you saw the world sparked a curiosity they thought they had long lost.
hours had passed.
everyone had already left.
everyone other than the 5.
jaws were completely on the floor.
they spent hours talking about every single piece. drawing out their pasts that they had long forgotten.
seeing as it was late, you decided it was finally time to show up to your very own exhibit.
yes, you werenât there the entire time. talking with people is hard! the last time you tried to display your art, the only people who talked to you were rich snobs who wanted to hang up your piece on capitalism inside their summer vacation home. yeah, completely missing the point.
it was like they saw gold paint and went, âoh! looks expensive! i want it!â
oh and now you had to deal with all the huntrix fans. you loved your girls and the majority of their fan base was super sweet but⊠yeah no, you were not going to have to answer the question âcan you give me their number!!â or âcan i meet huntrix!!â one more time, you were going to shoot someone.
yes, you knew not everyone was like that but, did you want to take the risk?
not one bit.
anyways, you still needed to do your rounds.
thank the owner of the venue for giving you their time of day, do some extra cleaning as another thank you, make sure that no one touched any of your pieces.
you were sure it would be empty by now.
after all, your exhibit was closing in t-minus 10 minutes, your promotions were terrible and your art wasnât so good that people would stay up until closing time right?
you were wrong.
as you entered the room, you were greeted by the sight of 5 devastatingly handsome men. each staring at some of your proudest works. they hadnât even noticed your presence, completely entranced by the displays.
you smiled a bit, seeing people appreciate your art in such a way made the months, if not, years of work worth it.
âuhâ hello?â your voice snapped them out of their trance. five sets of eyes instantly turned to face you. each with varying degrees of surprise.
wellâwhat you thought was surprise.
they recovered almost instantly, if you didnât have an attentive eye you wouldâve missed it completely.
âmy name is y/n. uhâyou probably know that seeing as your here. iâm the creator of every piece in this exhibit. itâs nice to meet you all!â
âohâhello! itâs a pleasure to make your acquaintance.â the boy with black hair introduced himself while bowing.
the rest of the group followed suit, some approaching you while others stayed where they were.
you bowed back, smiling sweetly.
âdare i say, the art is as beautiful as its creator.â the one with light pink hair smirked devilishly while swiftly tucking a strand of hair behind your ear.
obviously flustered and seriously confused as to who this person was and how he got so close so fast, you carefully stepped back with rosy cheeks. âyou flatter me.â you smiled back.
âoh, honey, itâs the honest truth. you look⊠delectable.â he grinned ominously.
you laughed awkwardly, tensing at the word choice. âso, how did you hear about me, uh⊠sirs?â you asked, trying to divert the topic. the boy merely chuckled.
âah, how rude of us. my nameâs jinu.â the boy with black hair responded, bowing once again.
âiâm romance.â the one with light pink hair continued, approaching you once more with a wink. you took another step back, lightly pushing him away.
âiâm abby!â the red-pink haired guy smiled, raising his arm to wave, letting his overly tiny shirt raise up to reveal his insanely defined abs. you felt your jaw drop ever so slightly. that would be such a good reference for anatomy practice.
âmy nameâs mystery.â the lilac coloured hair boy continued, snapping you out of your thoughts. he was⊠soft spoken and his bangs covered his eyes.
âbaby.â the last boy spoke.
barely.
he had baby blue hair, very befitting of what you assumed was his name.
your brain took a second to catch up.
jinu was a normal name but then you get into romance, abby, mystery and baby? the names fit their personalities, sure, but⊠really?
maybe they were stage names?
or maybe you were too used to being next to idols.
âwe actually heard about you through your huntrix illustrations. weâre big fans and we were wondering if youâd interacted with them. you see⊠we really wanted to meet them.â jinu pushed the conversation forward.
you felt your jaw tuck ever so slightly. of course you ran into the people you wanted to avoid! you sighed while forcing a smile.
âoh! theyâre great girls, real sweet. amazingly gorgeous too. theyâre having a fan meet and greet fairly soon and iâm sure theyâd love to meet you guys.â
âreally now?â he looked back at his friends briefly. you had a bad feeling about them. there was something⊠off about the way they talked, the way they got a little too close for comfort.
biggest red flag? the way they said they were huntrix fans but didnât know they were having a meet and greet soon. huntrix fans were the most devoted, chronically online people youâd ever met and so this obviously set off alarm bells.
perhaps noticing your body tense by a millimeter, baby stepped in. âwe just arrived here so we arenât exactly updated on all the events happening.â
his voice was a lot deeper than expected, considering the baby face and the name.
yes, you were still suspicious. but you kept your face. âoh! where you guys from?â
âuhâpretty far from here. i donât think youâd know it.â abby smiled, completely brushing past the shitty lie he just told.
âmm. well, what brings you to seoul then?â
âwe were actually hoping to become idols. huntrix is our inspiration.â
âoh! well then, i wish you all luck!â
you were obviously still on guard, you had a lot to tell the girls tonight it seemed. you also had to quickly get out of whatever situation youâd found yourself in.
âunfortunately i have to pack up now. you all seem like great people and i hope you guys can achieve your dream!â
âahâwell then, do you have any number or email so we can contact you? weâd love to collaborate with you in the near future.â
âoh, my business card is at the door, you can reach out through any of those methods.â
âof course. weâll be sure to reach out.â jinu returned your smile as they all left the building.
what a night. you were completely drained and honestly terrified. there was something so off about them.
what felt worse was that you couldnât shake the feeling you were being watched. you felt like an attraction in a zoo.
the following days felt like the calm before the storm. they hadnât reached out and so you assumed everything was fine.
and then they debuted with a street performance.
and now you had 5 numbers texting you via messages, email and instagram.
and now you had to create 5 portraits for them.
and now you had 5 men who would show up at your house randomly just to hang out.
before they knew it, they were catching feelings.
romance took the least amount of time. falling for you almost instantly.
the second you pushed him away?
oh you were the one for him.
your art was beautiful, so were you.
how could he not fall?
he tried everything to get you to like him back. i mean everything. you know how zoey made millions of songs about you?
romance too.
except⊠they were a lot more⊠explicit. and he wasnât shy about them.
you walk home after a long day?
youâre greeted by a romance holding a microphone and a rose, ready to serenade you as you cook yourself some dinner.
he was very showy about it.
but behind the scenes?
he was giggling, kicking his feet like a high school girl every time you did anything. hell, even when you did nothing.
abby was very close to follow. you just had so much⊠bite to you.
you obviously appreciated the work that went into his muscles but you thought of him as more than that persona.
it was⊠weird. his muscles were kinda everything about him so you can bet thatâs all he flirted with.
heâd give you personal, limited edition traced drawings of his abs, make you touch his biceps randomly, sometimes used you as an extra weight during his workouts.
he and romance were double trouble, both were the most outgoing of the bunch and took every opportunity available to fluster you.
you found a shirtless abby in your house many more times than you shouldâve.
mystery was quiet.
you hadnât talked that much with him. just⊠comforting silence.
mystery was a big fan of visual arts and so seeing how you viewed the world in your exhibit.
yes.
he was interested.
in a big group, heâd often stay silent, itâs just how he was. still, youâd always try to include him in conversations, just make sure he was alright. it made him extremely curious.
why did you care so much?
heâd find you alone a lot, sketching places, people, everything you saw and heâd always sit next to you.
no words necessary.
quiet comfort.
sometimes youâd engage in small talk, other times you would just enjoy each others company. it was surprisingly peaceful. a nice break from the chaos of the day.
baby didnât make it obvious.
not one bit.
even if you caught his eye since the very beginning.
there you were.
bright eyed and bushy tailed.
but he could see your eye bags. looking at your art he could tell that took so much time, effort, sleepless nights and yet your happiness didnât seem fake.
he took every chance he got to be a dick to you. see if you would crack.
but you didnât.
he was an asshole.
took your food, made you trip. you just laughed it off, maybe flipped him off on a bad day.
but you knew he wasnât all that bad. you noticed one thing. something very important. he never touched your art supplies. never interrupted you while you were creating. that was a line he never crossed. and you highkey respected him for that.
jinu did not really give a fuck about you at first.
another tool, another sheltered girl who never experienced pain, suffering.
you were living your best life, friends with huntrix, made it big with your hobby, didnât have to struggle with money.
totally unfair how life was.
everything started to shift when he saw your art. how you perceived the world. it felt so⊠innocent and yet it wasnât sheltered. like youâd seen the good, seen the bad and chosen to see the beauty in both. it was so⊠different.
but he kept his guard up.
when he saw you buying food and supplies, he noticed you always chose the cheaper option when available. you worked a bunch of freelance jobs so that you could continue your hobby.
seeing you working so hard, he was ashamed.
ashamed that he couldnât do the same.
but inside he also grew some crazy admiration for you. you worked so hard but had so much kindness, humanity in you.
he was sweet, always did things the ideal guy would do.
buy you flowers, walk you home.
your peace in the almost mundane did not last for very long, though.
in the span of a couple days, your world completely shifted.
you learnt that demons were real and rumi and the guys were all demons, your girls and your guys entered an deadly rivalry resulting in 3 absolute bangers, you were somehow roped into creating official art for both groupsâeven having to attend a signing event for the fans, the girls had a fight resulting in the resurfacing of family trauma and the demon king gwi-ma nearly killed the entire korean population. oh yeah, jinu and the other boys died while the girls reconciled during some crazy friendship is magic ending, the boys came back to life and are now crashing with the huntrix girls and you.
what a friday.
anyways! back to the present!
you, in your lively household. huntrix girls swarming you on one side, saja boys on the other.
youâd found your peace in that.
well.
not yet.
after all the events that had just occurred, your brain was in creation overdrive. every single thought in your brain was art. if you could, youâd make an entire collection based off of what had just transpired.
the only issue?
money.
supplies.
you were running out of paints, your coloured pencils were all dull and dead, same with your graphite and charcoal. your plaster and wires that you used for sculptures all ran out and all you had was your camera.
honestly?
you werenât gonna be able to do much with that considering meeting the demon lord was kind of a once in a lifetime opportunity.
the following couple of days, it became increasingly obvious how down in the dumps you were. everyone was extremely worried about you. they hadnât seen you create in god knows how long?
normal you would be at the very least sketching every couple of hours.
the girls noticed first, seeing as theyâd known you for a while now and they all planned to surprise you with professional a-grade supplies so you could create and unfortunately for them, the boys caught on.
flash forward a bit and here you are, about to bawl your eyes out seeing the sets of paint, pencils, charcoal, canvases.
everything you could ever want.
you really did wonder how they even knew what to buy and which brands but the feeling of guilt for making them spend their money on you.
yes, they had so much money to spare.
so much so that they could afford living in the lap of luxury with you for about 3 lifetimes.
but still.
you tried so hard to apologize and refuse but they all insisted. saying that your payment was to create.
and there you were.
crying like a baby in front of 8 people who had turned your heart to warm mush.
âi thought you said sheâd like this!â frantic whispers were exchanged.
âshe does! sheâs just⊠extremely happyâto the point sheâs crying!â
âi think youâre just delusional rumi.â
âohkay jinu donât make me bring up your late talks about her.â
âwhâyou wouldnât dare!â
âoh yes i would.â
âthen iâd have to bring up yours as well!â
âugh! we ran out of popcorn!â
âseriously guys weâre supposed to be happy!â
âokay but she doesnât look very happy!â
âsheâs smiling! iâve never seen her more ecstatic!â
âare you insane??â
âwas that not establishedâŠ??â
through your tears, you managed to push out a weak âthank you guys so muchâŠâ before ugly crying again.
what followed that exchange was tears from the girls, throwing themselves onto you in a big cuddle puddle followed by the boys who crushed you all.
what a wonderful day.
next day?
you locked yourself in your room, ready to paint. and ohâdid it feel liberating, back in the creative seat.
you were oh so grateful for the supplies and so how did you start your collection?
specialized pieces for each of your friends. ones that displayed how you saw them, how they made you feel, everything you could. you were in a pretty emotionally vulnerable state.
you had planned all the concepts and now all you had to do was paint the first stroke. brush in hand, steadily approaching the canvas.
waitâwhy was everyone there?
you turned around to face the doorway only to be met with 8 familiar faces all staring in anticipation. âcan i help you guysâŠ??â
âoh no, we just want to watch.â
âuh⊠okay?? come inside then donât just hover.â
âwhoâre you gonna paint first?â everyone leaned in collectively.
shit.
this wasnât going to end well.
âuhââ
âitâs me right?â rumi started, grinning as she lifted up her sleeves to share her patterns with you.
âuh, excuse me? obviously sheâd paint me first.â jinu followed, he too revealing his demon patterns.
âno, sheâs gonna paint me!â zoey yelled, slightly flushed at the thought of you drawing her.
âum, hello??â romance added passive aggressively, pointing at himself.
âi was actually going toââ
ââpaint me, right?â abby cut you off, posing by flexing his muscles and revealing his abs.
âiââ
âyou were going to paint me.â mystery muttered softly right next to you.
âha! nice try saja boy, getting up in her face isnât gonna change the fact sheâs painting me.â mira scoffed.
baby didnât say anything.
just gave you a glare that said âpaint me or iâll spike your dinner with the nastiest hot sauce youâve ever had.â
well.
this was great.
you werenât going to get anything done.
âi was actually going to do a piece on the gwi-ma battle first. yâknow, maybe experiment with some fire.â you grinned while packing up your supplies very discreetly.
âwhat?! y/n, he does not deserve something made by you. heâs so⊠bleughhhâŠâ zoey shivered, thinking of the battle in which literally everyone died.
âno heâs more like blehhhhhh.â mira added. you felt a strong sense of deja vu.
âwait, what do you mean âexperiment with fireââŠ?â rumi questioned carefully.
âoh i was thinking of burning parts of the canvas.â
âis that safeâŠ.????â
âplease, she survived gwi-ma she can survive a little fire.â
âwait, fire as in match or fire as in flamethrower?â
âoh! i have a flamethrower if you want to use it y/n.â
âyou have a what??â
âare we surprisedâŠâ
yeah. you were not gonna be able to focus on anything. you tried to let them stay seeing as they bought you all the supplies, you were trying to be nice. but the chatter and the person hovering right above your neck made it extremely hard to do anything.
âokay. all of you. out.â
âwhat??â
âi want my personal bubble and this is not it.â you pouted, slowly shoving everyone outside.
âwait no, y/nnnn⊠we wanna see you paint!â
âtoo bad! i need peace and quiet and solitude. youâll see when iâm done.â
âweâll be quiet! i swear!â
âyeah, no. out.â
you thought everyone had left.
funny.
a couple people (everyone) tried to sneak in. they thought they were different. they thought they were the exception.
yeah so⊠get out.
the days that followed were a blur.
youâd prepare everything, ready to make some progress when someone would barge in either to beg you to paint them or just⊠stare. watch as you created. normally youâd be okay with it butâŠ
this collection was kind of embarrassing.
it was kind of like a confession to each and every one of them. you were laying all your emotions out to display on a canvas.
and they were watching you do it.
and they were smug motherfuckers about it.
theyâd see your rough sketches and go, âoh wow⊠is that how you see me? you must be in love with me.â
see the colours youâd chose for each of them, âthe colour perfectly represents me! ugh, you know me too well, we should get married.â
well, the previous examples were all romance and or abby.
abby likely walking in shirtless just so that âyou could have better references. hands on yâknow?â
romance serenading you randomly to âhelp open up your emotional faucets.â
yeah, those two really went for it.
but that didnât mean the others were innocent.
when you were alone, baby saja, as the asshole he was, came up to you, blew in your ear, did anything to fluster you. looked at some of your art and teased you. âyouâre so emotionally vulnerable right now, really in the feels with this one, huh?â he smirked.
you thought he knew the line he shouldnât cross was art but obviously he gained some confidence after seeing you break down into tears because of him.
well, not just him.
but in his mind you cried because of him and said âbaby youâre the best thank you so much i love you so much youâre the reason iâm still painting!!â
overexaggerating a bit?
nah.
mystery just⊠hovered.
like he always did but this time with more⊠flirt to it?
heâd subtly get closer, and closer, and closer with every passing second.
he was in your personal bubble. like really inside of it.
at one point you raised your arm to create a brushstroke and the next thing you knew mystery was just⊠underneath. like he was acting as an arm rest??
you had to pause for a second.
looked at him.
asked âwhat are you doingâŠ.???â and he said âjust helping out.â in response.
zoey would always come in.
bright eyed, bushy tailed, like she had just won 1 million dollars kind of attitude.
she would bring a snack tray so that âif you ever got hungry, she had the tray.â as if you couldnât walk to the kitchen.
she often brought ramyeon for you two to share and while it was delicious and adorably sweet of her, it fed into your procrastination.
yeah that canvas?
barely touched.
she didnât care though.
she always reached for the same snacks as you in an attempt to brush her hand against yours. kdrama style.
mira would join your zoey-y/n snack times when she felt like it.
other times?
she came in unannounced, sat beside you, and stared.
once you struck a conversation with a âhelloâŠ??â, sheâd immediately start telling you about the new dances she learned.
you, being the kind soul that you were, asked her to show you.
next thing you know, youâre swept off your feet dancing with mira.
and that canvas?
still untouched.
rumi and jinu had similar approaches.
walk in, act like the good guy you know?
bring you tea, sit with you, engage in conversation like it was second nature to them.
really scoring those bonus points.
honestly, it was kinda working.
it was a lot easier to paint when they were around because they werenât all up in your business.
not to say it was easyâno it wasnât.
but it was easier.
the only issue with those two is that they had some unspoken rivalry.
when you were talking with rumi? jinu barges in. âhey y/n howâs it going! oh, rumi? didnât see you there.â
if jinu came to bring you tea? rumi walks in with her own blend. âheyy y/n, made you tea! oh you already have some? this oneâs freshly made so have this one instead.â
the tension in the room was palpable.
you were fed up.
just a little pissed off.
after not being able to do anything for about a week, you knew you needed some time alone.
time to disappear for a good while now!
time to start packing!
sayonara idol house, peace and tranquillity here i come!
so you waited for an opening.
when the boys and girls were away working on a collaboration stage you packed like there was no tomorrow. sprinted out the apartment, called a cab and drove off. off to your not so secret secret location.
a little cottage near a river. really serene, really calm, really everything that you needed.
you unloaded all you stuff and got to work.
you were living your best life.
the boys on the other hand?
oh god woe is me, what a terrible day, a cruel twist of fate, this must be karma for stealing all those souls.
they finally returned home after hours and hours of recording sessions and dance practices, ready to completely coddle you when they noticed something was wrong.
there was not a single sound in the room.
were you asleep?
but if you were asleep they would at least hear your breathing.
they walked inside. looked around.
oh.
you were gone.
you disappeared.
time to file a missing persons case.
the girls took a moment to think. they exchanged a glance saying that they knew what was happening.
the boys?
completely wrecked.
they were panicking.
searching everywhere frantically.
the girls giggling quietly in amusement.
âwhere is she??? why do you guys look so calm???? no. why are you guys so calm???â the boys were getting desperate. checking under pillows, in the fridge, you name it.
âsheâll come back soon, normally in a day or two. let her be.â rumi threw out nonchalantly.
all the boys stopped to stare at them. they knew something. âthatâs terrifyingly ominous.â
âcare to elaborate?â jinu continued, trying to keep a level head.
âsheâs creating, we arenât supposed to disturb her.â zoey giggled, trying to keep up the mystery.
âwhat.â
âshe runs off sometimes to get inspiration to create or just to have some peace and quiet so she can finish a piece.â mira added, already tired of the noise.
âand do you guys know whereâŠ?â
âyeah but we arenât gonna tell you guys.â she rolled her eyes while smirking.
âyouâwhy not??â
âcause youâll disturb her. she went there to be alone. she wants peace, not chaos.â
âiâll have you know we can be peaceful when we please.â
the girls only shared a glance and looked back. âright⊠you just chose not to. and either way, we arenât supposed to know either so no we arenât going to share any information.â
âyouâre not supposed to know? so you followed her before.â
âwell⊠yeah butââ
âthen why canât we?â
âokay listen. we all know we kinda messed up a little so letâs just give her space. okay?â
âfine but if youâre ever going to her, weâre coming with.â
âno promises.â
the conversation ended there. while the boys were curious, they knew theyâd already pushed their limit.
throughout the week, youâd been sighing a lot more, they knew why.
it was their fault.
itâs fine.
they could wait.
theyâll just suffer for 2 days and youâd be back with some masterpieces. specifically ones about them.
no biggie!
but you didnât come back after two days.
or three.
not even four.
now not only were the boys in utter agony, the girls were terribly worried. youâd never taken more than three days because, well⊠you just didnât.
what if something happened?
what if you got kidnapped? or mauled by a bear? or what if you ran out of food and water and died in your cottage? what if you were scared? alone?
now they were debating whether or not to show up.
youâd be pissed, yeah. if you were alive that is.
but at least youâd be safe.
and you probably just wanted to avoid a crowd so they just wouldnât bring the boys. theyâd be peaceful, youâd be happy again!
and so they packed for a road trip.
they packed a bunch of snacks, games, literally everything they needed for a girls night out. why? they were going to be glamping with you tonight.
it was 3am when they were ready to leave, all bundled up in hoodies and sweats, on their tippy toes trying to sneak out without alarming the boys.
unfortunately for them, the ones they were trying to avoid were demons.
5 demon boys with super hearing and endless yearning.
they entered the car only to be greated by the rest of the group who had already made themselves at home.
baby had spread his food out everywhere, mystery found his dark corner, abby had tooken up his 3 seats full, romance brought over 5 travel bags with him and jinu was in the passengerâs seat, ready to go. (yes, jinu would be a passenger princess. fight me.)
âso, where we going?â
âWHAT THE FUââ a bunch of screams were heard from inside the car, much to the neighboursâ dismay. they were basically screaming bloody murder.
âcalm down, donât want to wake the neighbours.â jinu smirked, the boys chuckling to themselves at the faces of the girls.
âwhat are you doing here.â mira hissed, pushing one of romanceâs bags onto the floor.
âi thought we told you to bring us with you if you were going to see her. plus, you arenât the only ones who are worried.â abby sighed, making room for romanceâs trashed bag.
âwell she doesnât want to see you guys so get out!â zoey pouted while making her way into the seat next to mystery.
âand she wants to see you guys any more?â baby saja scoffed.
everyone knew they had pushed your boundaries, this trip wasnât just to assure you were safe but also for them to apologize.
âugh, youâjust⊠donât make it worse.â rumi sighed while putting her hands on the wheel.
the boys cheered, thankful that they werenât going to brawl at 3am in the night in a cramped car.
the drive to your small cottage felt pretty long due to the silence of the crowd.
while huntrix prepared for a girls night drive, they werenât expecting to prepare for 5 boys and so they ended up falling asleep in the back as various miscellaneous activities went on.
romance was painting his nails, abby was weightlifting with his finger⊠it was pretty chill.
sometimes a small conversation would start but honestly, it was too late in the night for anyone to have much energy. or rather, the girls had no energy and the boys decided to be respectful for one night.
anyways, back to you.
you were having the time of your life.
you forgot what it was like to not have someone breathing down your neck every two seconds.
honestly, you didnât even realize how much time had passed and you had already finished the respective portraits for everyone.
you were actually planning on doing them last in your red tinted glasses but after making it to your cottage, reconnecting with nature?
yeah you were back on cloud nine.
if you werenât so caught up in creating, you wouldâve gone back already but god it felt good to be productive.
you just had to finish 3 more pieces, maybe 4.
you were so close to being done.
you did kinda miss your big, chaotic group. their energy and excitement did motivate you.
maybe you could finish the rest of the pieces at home now that you finished the portraits.
with the thought of seeing your friends again in mind, you started packing.
what an impulsive mind you were.
meanwhile, the idols had made it to the outside of the forest and saw your car parked in the parking lot.
they knew they were in the right spot.
now, they just had to make the hike over there.
easy peasy lemon squeezy.
ha.
funny.
halfway through the trail, they were panting, sweating balls.
the group constantly had to take breaks because someoneâs feet were hurting, they needed water, it was too hot, blah, blah, blah. whole lot of complaining.
yes, the scenery was beautiful but could they really focus on that when here they were trying not to die of heatstroke and or dehydration.
âhow does she do this every weekendâŠ.??â rumi managed to breathe out, crouching down to catch her breath.
âwhat do you mean every weekend??? this is normal for her????â
âi thought she hated excerciseâŠâ
flash forward a couple hours and they spotted a cottage in the distance.
it was quaint, calm.
a place theyâd definitely go to for a relaxing retreat.
maybe⊠they could convince you to let them stay for a while.
just as they were approaching, they saw a familiar figure step outside.
there you were.
you were glowing.
the second you saw them?
extremely confused.
âwhat are you guys doing here??â
a couple of glances were exchanged before everyone bowed down in front of you.
90 degrees.
âweâre sorry y/n!â
âwhat?? oh!â honestly, you forgot about that whole ordeal back at home.
âwe wonât disturb you when youâre busy anymore, we swear!â
âwe just wanted to spend more time with you but we realize that we should still hug you some space.â
âplease donât run away again!â
âor at least tell us when you do!â
you giggled before quickly cupping your mouth to stop yourself from bursting out into laughter. âdonât worry, i just needed some peace and quiet to create. isolation does wonders for my work ethic. i totally get why though, i want to spend more time with you guys too.â
mystery silently nodded to that.
âstill, weâre sorry.â
âas long as you learned your lesson, iâm totally iâm fine!â you smiled at them, giving everyone a simple little pat on the head. âoh, but i finished your portraits if you all wanna see!â
immediately, everyoneâs heads shot up and followed you into your cottage to see your newest art.
upon entering the cabin, their eyes widened in shock.
it was so messy yet so organized.
it was so very colourful. paint splotches were everywhere, plaster on the floor, pencils and paintbrushes everywhere.
it was so you.
as you stepped over some splotches to gather the canvases, the group took a second to admire the art you hung up to dry on the walls.
it was so peaceful, tranquil, serene.
perfectly captured what they had seen on the trail.
they hadnât taken the time to observe the beauty around them and this was their wake up call in a way.
âhere! hope you guys like them, i actually wanted each of you to sign your portrait if thatâs alright with you allâŠâ you grinned as you pulled out 8 canvases covered in paint.
everyone took their respective paintings and various reactions were made. most people were flushed, others beamed like never before and some started tearing up.
âdo you guys like themâŠ?â you questioned self consciously. âif you donât like anything, i can changeââ
âlike them?? change??? oh my godâhow do i evenââ
âOH MY GOSH Y/N YOU ARE THE MOST AMAZING PERSON IVE EVER MET YOURE JUST SOââ
and there you were.
once again at the bottom of a cuddle pile, this time on top of the paint.
each body that fell adding more weight, making it harder to breathe and yet you still smiled, struggling to wrap your arms around everyone, settling with a simple liberating laugh.
you were so glad and so very grateful to be surrounded by people you loved.
the following days went by amazingly, you got everyone to sign their art, finished the last of your collection and spent the rest of the week teaching your friends how to paint, going on nature walks, literally anything and everything you wanted.
would you call it relaxing?
not really.
more like⊠stressful.
extremely stressful.
especially the impromptu paint classes. those were absolutely chaotic.
jinu and rumi made it a competition again, mira broke a paintbrush, zoey drew demon patterns on herself and mira, mystery painted something that you could only see in your nighthmares, romance used the paint to dye his hair, you swore abby ate paint and baby kept knocking over the water cup on top of othersâ paintings.
the amount of fights you had to break up?
absolutely abominable.
grown adults should not be harder to deal with than children.
or so you thought.
the nature walks?
you never realized how lacking in cardio some of them were.
you assumed idols would have crazy stamina but here you were. 1 kilometre into a trail and 26th break in for the group. you seriously wondered how they burned through so much water in what was supposed to be a 30 minute trail.
you were so focused on dividing the water equally, you didnât even realize that jinu was pushed into the river by the rest of the saja boys.
now you had a bunch of adult-children splashing each other in the river. it was clear they werenât going to move for a while so what did you do?
you sketched the moment.
it was the perfect way to end the trip. a memory to remember for sure.
was it the most relaxing trip? hell no.
did you have fun? hell yes.
hope you enjoyed my little drabble, iâm bored as hell rn seeing as its summer and so i thought iâd revive my already dead account! i kinda went into this without a plan, just a whole lot of yap so donât mind the fact that there is no plot đ think of it more like an introduction to this au i guess! anyways iâm not an angsty writer so this is all fluffy as fuck!! thanks for reading, have a good day đ
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