Fandom: Kpop Demon Hunters
Timeline: Pre-Canon
Rating: T - dark themes, canon-typical death
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Jinu had known that the deal he'd made had been a mistake ever since he'd walked through the palace gates. But the true horror hadn't revealed itself until his body had been fully consumed by the demonic patterns and he lay crumpled upon an altar of fire, damning whispers and anguished cries ringing in his ear.
"This is what you deserve for your selfishness, Jinu. But I am a benevolent king. Do as I command, earn my favor, and I can ease your suffering. Don't, and the voices will be loud enough to even drown out your own screams."
All Jinu could do was gasp out promises of loyalty as his lungs burned and body shook. It would be a mere few weeks before he understood exactly what that loyalty would demand of him.
"You will go to the world above, and you will sing."
He both welcomed and feared the command. The demon world was harsh and desolate, filled with creatures he had a hard time believing could once have been human. Not only were their features distorted and grotesque, but their minds were simple as if Gwi-Ma had been all they'd ever known. The few that were more like himself kept their distance, aloof and wary, and thus Jinu found the perpetual night to be empty and lonely, his sole company the voices of his shame in his head. The idea of seeing trees, grass, birds, clouds, people again was impossibly alluring, and all he was being asked to do once there was sing.
But deep down he knew that it would not be so simple. He had purposefully tried to not think about what the glowing trails of light descending through the barrier in the sky—the Honmoon—were. Knowing what he did of demons from the stories he'd heard as a human and seeing the lights swallowed up by Gwi-Ma's flames gave him a confident guess, but dwelling on it only caused his throat and chest to tighten uncomfortably. So he didn't.
As he ascended through a tear in the Honmoon, the cool breeze hitting his skin sent shivers of pleasure down his spine. The smell of vegetation and life met his nostrils, and the songs of birds and insects filled him with warmth. He almost felt alive.
Coaxing the demon powers now at his fingertips to obey, he quickly disguised himself, shedding his demonic form and returning to the appearance he'd worn for over two decades. With another magical tug, his old bipa appeared in his hands, and he found himself smiling at the feel of familiar wood and strings.
"Sing. Gather an audience in the nearby clearing."
Jinu's smile stiffened. Looking around, he found himself just outside of a small village at the edge of a bamboo forest, a small clearing a short distance to his left. Mouth suddenly dry, he shakily licked his lips, took a deep breath, and did as instructed.
The song started quiet, hesitant, but as his feet slowly began carrying him toward his destination, fingers plucking out accompaniment, he fell back into the familiar comfort of performing. His voice grew stronger, ringing out over the idyllic scene, and it wasn't long before curious heads started peeking out from homes and around corners. The attention he'd always coveted lightened his steps, and he couldn't help the thrill that jolted through him as a small crowd began to gather around him.
His song nearly caught in his throat when a closer look revealed the eyes fixed upon him to be glassy and distant.
"Sing, Jinu."
All enjoyment vanished. It was not his voice they heard but Gwi-Ma's, and the villagers were not delighted; they were enthralled.
As Jinu reached the far end of the clearing, he turned to face those who'd followed. There were at least thirty—men and women, children and elderly—eyes all trained on him. He fought to keep a tremor out of his voice as he continued his song, but his entire body seized as orbs of light began to glow from the chests of everyone in the crowd. And just behind them he could make out dark, inhuman figures creeping in the shadows, teeth glistening.
"SING."
Visions of the mother and sister he'd left behind flickered in his mind, vivid and fresh like an open wound, and Jinu forced the song to continue, unable to keep his hands from shaking. Tightly clutching his bipa, he squeezed his eyes shut.
"WATCH."
Oppa? Oppa! Oppa!!
With a shuddering breath he blinked back tears, willing his eyes to stay open. His jaw quivered as demonic mouths opened wide.
"Sing, Jinu. This is the deal you made. You are my servant, my reaper, gathering souls so that I may feast. All who hear you will love you and perish. So sing and watch. It's what you deserve."
Jinu sang. Tears fell freely down his cheeks as the balls of light were sucked into the surrounding demons' mouths. Glassy, unfocused eyes slowly drifted shut until one by one the humans crumpled to the ground, bodies fading from sight as their chests grew dark. The clearing was soon once again devoid of human life.
Voice dying in his throat, he could only stare in agony and regret.
A cry broke the unnatural stillness.
"Hunters!"
Jinu barely noticed the patterns on his arms beginning to burn. Glancing up, he saw three women in ceremonial robes wielding weapons that shimmered with divine energy descend upon the gathered demons. One gracefully swinging a sword captured his gaze, and with a fierce cry, ran towards him, blade raised.
But the blow missed its mark, Jinu feeling himself once again yanked forcefully back down to the depths. Idly he realized that his human disguise had dissolved at some point. And as his back hit the hard ground of the underworld, the full extent of his deal finally sank in.
There was no pretending to be human. He was a demon. And the sole mission for the rest of his damned, eternal life was to feed the devil himself.
Fandom: Kpop Demon Hunters
Timeline: Post-Canon AU
Rating: K+
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It had started with late night texting. Rumi would check in on how Jinu was settling into his new apartment—new life; he'd been a demon for 400 years, so he was sure to need support and he didn't exactly have any friends. She lived a busy, idol life, but a few texts were easy to squeeze in (she did this entirely for his benefit, of course).
A few quickly grew into a lot, however, and texting evolved into calling, Jinu preferring to have conversations verbally like the old man that he was (she did not feel her face flush when he told her he just liked hearing her voice). And the calls were not short. Or discreet, apparently. Mira and Zoey had started giving her knowing smirks every time she'd excuse herself at night and retreat to her bedroom or wake up later than usual with sleep-filled eyes and wide yawns.
It was after Rumi reported on a particularly frustrating day that he first sent the tiger. As with their earliest interactions, Derpy carried a note requesting a meetup, only with a time of "now" and a location of "my place?". Rumi had barely remembered to inform her friends of where she was going—no more secrets—before she hopped on the creature's back, letting him carry her to the balcony of Jinu's apartment (she wondered how his eyes could look so much more alive in person as opposed to over video). While there, Rumi simply talked, and Jinu listened, as he always did. But something about being in his space, seeing his reactions up close, sipping the warm tea he'd made for her freed her from the day's annoyances like nothing else had (she found she didn't want to leave).
After that, it became their new ritual. On nights she felt suffocated, Derpy would appear and whisk her away. Jinu always had her favorite food or drink to go with his listening ear, and she willingly nestled into the comfort of it all. Whatever she needed, he seemed willing to provide, whether in the form of teasing to help her relax, quiet understanding, or something in between. She grew so accustomed to it that when her busy, idol life had them back to simply texting for over a week, she often found her mind wandering to his apartment, wishing her body could join it (Rumi shivered remembering his fingers brushing against hers as he handed her some tea, his voice whispering a tease at her ear, his hoodie draped over her much smaller frame as she'd conspicuously forgotten her own, the way his eyes sometimes held a look so deep and warm and full of awe when meeting her gaze, just the two of them, alone in his apartment—).
Rumi was finally aware enough to admit to herself the fullness of her feelings. And she didn't think she was imagining that Jinu felt the same (she had voiced the smallest of doubts once, and Zoey had giggled while patting her placatingly on the shoulder as Mira leveled her with the most dramatic eye-roll she'd ever seen). So as Derpy arrived with the note as she knew he would, she took a deep breath, steeled her nerves, and refused to let her confidence crumble as she stood face-to-face with Jinu. Taking both his hands in hers, she boldly voiced what they'd both been tiptoeing around (her hands felt sweaty, her mouth felt dry, and she stammered more than she'd hoped).
Jinu just stared at her with an amount of shock and disbelief that seemed highly unwarranted.
"You're not going to say anything?"
"I don't think saying words is what my mouth wants to be doing right now."
The grimace that appeared on his face as soon as the words left his mouth could have been seen by a blind man.
"Wait, no, sorry, that was—"
The laughter that burst from Rumi's chest was so delighted and unapologetic that it filled the room with a contagious warmth. And as a soft smile and hopelessly thankful eyes looked down at her, as the laughter quieted in her chest, as she reached up to his collar to pull his lips towards her own, a new wrinkle was added to their ritual.
Yu-jin hurried through the streets, keeping her head down. Her status had finally been disclosed to those who sought to persecute her kind, and it was only a matter of time before they found her. Despite everything they had done to help, she and her sisters weren't welcome in the city, and the penalty for being caught was too steep to risk.
She was nearly to the outskirts when her luck ran out.
"She's over there!"
Breaking into a run, Yu-jin frantically ducked and weaved her way forward. Sweat dripped from her brow, heart beating rapidly as her feet flew over the dusty road. She just had to make it out of town, had to find her sisters—
In her panic, she turned a corner and ran into a cart, falling to the ground. She winced at the shallow cuts on her hands, rushing to her feet as the sound of footsteps drew closer.
A forceful tug made her gasp, but a cry of surprise died in her throat as a hand quickly covered her mouth. Seeing no escape, she was about to reach for her weapon when she found herself being shoved away and into a nearby house, door swiftly closing behind her. Stunned, she briefly looked around the empty room before voices outside caught her attention.
"—filth ran into me. She was headed east."
Yu-jin held her breath as heavy footsteps passed by the small house. As they faded, she thanked the spirits for her good fortune, but she was stopped short as the door she'd been shoved into slid open.
There in the doorway was a man so handsome she felt her breath catch in her throat. Tall with deep, soulful eyes and dressed in one of the finest hanboks she'd ever seen. He looked almost ethereal, as if he would be out of place in a palace let alone a run down house on the edge of town.
"Are you alright?"
His voice—smooth, elegant, hypnotic—broke her out of her reverie. She bowed low.
"Thank you. I am indebted to you for your help." Raising her head, she looked at him pleadingly. "I must leave the city and find my sisters, but I fear if I leave now I will only end up caught. If you would allow me to hide here until the immediate danger has passed, I would be eternally grateful." She bowed again. "In exchange, I can offer you a small service—a blessing for you and your family."
A quiet gasp met her ears. "You're a—you're a mudang."
Back straightening, she nodded. It was the common term for those similar enough to her that further explanation of her exact role would only complicate things.
A troubled look creased his brow as he seemed to take careful stock of her.
"Your kind are forbidden in the city," he said.
"And yet the people who live here do not need my help any less than those who live in the countryside."
Yu-jin watched as conflicted emotions passed through the man's eyes before a resignation settled between them.
"You can stay. But this is not my house, and your blessing is worthless to me," he said at last.
She blinked in surprise as she glanced around. "This house does not belong to you?"
"No. But I am… acquainted with the owners. Staying will be of no consequence to them."
It made sense that a man of his obvious social class would not live in this area of town, though she couldn't make sense of how such a man had even come to know a family that did or why he was here at all. There was a strangeness about him she couldn't pin down, but the allure of his voice overwhelmed any uneasiness she may have felt because of it.
"My name is Yu-jin," she said with a polite bow. "May I know the name of my savior?"
He hesitated, again seeming to contemplate something before ever so slightly inclining his head in her direction, his eyes never leaving her face.
"Jinu."
"Jinu," she repeated, a soft smile reaching her lips.
While early morning turned to midday, Yu-jin attempted to engage Jinu in conversation. But though he retained the image of a perfect gentleman, she found that his tendency was to circumvent her questions, instead preferring to learn more about her than divulge anything of note about himself. Considering her current precarious standing in the city, she too chose to hide key details of her life and calling, leaving the conversation fairly frivolous and mundane. But listening to his captivating voice, she found she didn't much mind.
Shortly after midday, Jinu rose to his feet.
"I will go out and see if it is safe for you to leave the city," he said, moving to the doorway. "Wait here for me. It won't take long."
Yu-jin nodded, planning to do as he asked. But soon after he'd left, she felt a prickling at the back of her neck. She quickly looked around, sensing a wrongness to the house that she had missed when her focus was on Jinu. She scrambled to her feet, the feeling getting stronger.
The Honmoon rippled a ghastly fuchsia.
"Little Hunter, all alone…"
With a flick of her wrist, a bladed fan humming with divine energy appeared in her hand, slicing through the air and severing the neck of a demon crawling his way into the house through the floor. Spinning around, she saw four more ready to box her in.
Steeling her frayed nerves, she opened her mouth to sing as she danced around the enclosed space, fan weaving through the air in dangerous arcs. Had her fellow Hunters been with her, they would have made short work of the encroaching demons, but on her own, she knew she would soon be overtaken. She had to run.
With speed and precision she sliced her way toward the door, slamming it open and tumbling into the street. Demons rarely fed in broad daylight. She begged to every god and spirit that would listen that they would not follow her.
They didn't. But it was a small blessing when she found her chosen path blocked by the same city guard that had been searching for her earlier that morning.
For the second time, she felt a strong hand pull her out of view of her pursuers.
"This way."
Jinu's strained voice and firm grip pulled her down a darkened side path. Grateful for the help, Yu-jin tried to keep track of how to get to the exit gate from where they were, but something about their surroundings unnerved her. Felt wrong.
Like in the house.
"Jinu, wait!"
She jerked her hand free and summoned her fan once again, whipping her head around, suddenly aware of how isolated their location was. They were trying to ambush her again, but this time there was an innocent soul nearby ripe for the reaping.
"Jinu, I need you to stay behind me. You have to—"
Her words died on her tongue as she turned to her savior and saw jagged patterns marring his skin.
"…you…you're—"
Pain shot through her as claws raked across her back, her moment of shock leaving her vulnerable. With a fierce cry, she whirled around and struck a killing blow to the demon that had gotten the jump on her, but she was being quickly surrounded, her only escape blocked by wicked teeth and claws.
She fought to keep tears from her eyes as she readied herself for what was likely to be her last stand.
"…I'm sorry."
The quiet, gentle voice held too much pain and regret to be a lie, but Yu-jin found herself unable to care as Jinu did nothing while a swarm of hungry demons descended upon her.
Jinu sat at the riverbank, staring at his reflection in the still water. The patterns slowly creeping along his skin were nearly to his throat now. He'd been forcefully suppressing any thoughts of what would happen when he could no longer hide them, but that was becoming increasingly difficult by the day. Soon the proof of his deal would be visible to all, and he'd either be cast out in fear or executed. He knew which one was more likely.
What would his mother think if she could see him now, see the demonic corruption consuming the flesh she bore into the world? Would his sister tremble at the sight of him?
Were they even still alive after five years?
The patterns glowed a violent pink as his thoughts burned with the memory of leaving them behind at the palace gates. With shuddered breaths, he wrapped his arms around himself as if he could will the evidence of his shame into remission. All they did was spread farther. And when the eyes reflected in the water's surface flashed a bright gold, he shut them tight, choking back a sob.
"You should enjoy what little time you have left."
Startled, Jinu jerked away from the voice, turning to face his unexpected visitor. The sight stole his breath. A man in a black hanbok stood looking down at him from under his gat, silvery purple hair tied up in a top knot with eyes of glowing gold. His hands and face were covered in the same patterns Jinu tried so desperately to hide.
Jinu's blood ran cold.
"Did Gwi-Ma send you?" he asked, unable to fully keep the panic out of his voice.
The stranger watched him impassively. "No. The demon king will call you to him in his time. Which, judging by the looks of you will not be long."
"Not long". The truth in the statement was obvious, but still it sent a shiver down Jinu's spine. He had been so insistent to not think about it. Having a demon on full display beside him saying it out loud made that no longer possible.
His heart pounded painfully in his chest as if it, too, were childishly rejecting the consequences of the deal he'd made willingly. Selfishly.
Jinu's shoulders slumped with inevitability, gaze returning to the water.
"Were you human once?"
He could feel the golden eyes upon him.
"I was."
Jinu swallowed. "What is it like, becoming a demon?"
There was a subtle shift in the cool air, the demon no longer looking at him. Jinu glanced at the otherworldly being and found a distant look in his eyes as he stared at nothing across the river.
"Painful. But not in the way you'd think."
The golden eyes blinked and the moment passed, gaze returning to the doomed man next to him. Jinu had to will himself to hold it.
"You will be asked if you wish to keep your human memories. I would advise that you do." The words were said casually, but the demon's face betrayed a gravity behind them. "The demon king is a cruel master, but he can be gracious to those who please him. That's far easier to do when you haven't forgotten what it's like to be human."
A part of Jinu reeled at the idea of forgetting his mother and sister, but he couldn't deny the allure of being severed from his guilt. As he turned the advice over in his mind, however, something nagged at him.
"Gwi-Ma will give me a choice?" he said skeptically. "Why? Is it just another misleading deal dressed in pleasing words?"
Purple lips curled in approval. "Those that remember only their life under the demon king's rule are easier to control, loyalty created from ignorance of anything else. Their understanding of 'self' revolves fully around him. Fear, pain, the shame of failing him—these are their leashes."
For the first time since he appeared, the demon turned to face him fully. Jinu's skin crawled as golden eyes pinned him to where he sat on the ground as if calculating his worth.
"The demon king craves the cunning and creativity of those who stubbornly cling to their humanity, but memories of a previous life can insight rebellion. To quell this, the memories are turned into a double-edged sword—the worst of them, the most shameful, become constants, whispered endlessly in the ears of those who choose to remember. The only hope for momentary reprieve is a mission successful enough to appease him."
Dread settled in the pit of Jinu's stomach. Ignorance or humanity, fear or shame, the wholeness of Gwi-Ma or the remnants of Jinu. Either way promised an eternity of suffering.
He lowered his head, glaring at the shackles he had unknowingly agreed to have burned into his skin. "Why are you telling me all of this?"
There was a pause before he was given an answer, slow and deliberate and full of unfathomable meaning.
"Because I remember a time before the Honmoon."
Jinu looked up, confusion etched into his brow. "'Honmoon'?"
The corner of the demon's lips twitched.
"In time."
Before Jinu could request further explanation, the demon turned away, his robe fluttering behind him as he began to walk along the river bank. He called over his shoulder, "I won't return, and do not seek me out. Attachments are merciless weapons in the demon world."
He moved only a few paces more before pausing, however, the corner of a glowing eye falling to Jinu one final time.
"Savor the last of your human life, no matter how shameful you may believe it to be."
In a flash of garish pink smoke, the demon was gone.
Jinu wasn't sure how long he continued to sit by the river, the weight of his future sinking into his shoulders. He didn't move until a morning fog rolled in, prickling at his neck, a shudder running through his body. Stiffly rising to his feet, he trudged back to the palace, silently slipping into his assigned quarters. On muscle memory alone, he prepared himself for the day, adjusting his clothes to best hide the patterns painting his skin and burying everything he'd heard in the deepest depths of his memory. He greeted what was left of his shameful human life, a smile forged from desperation upon his face.
Between getting used to a new body, staying in a penthouse with a girl he'd literally given his life for, and trying to reintegrate into human society, Jinu's thoughts hadn't had a lot of time to catch up with him. By the third night in his new apartment, however, the stillness began to settle in, and all of his doubts and insecurities slowly flickered back to life. He craved the comfort of Rumi's voice, but he wouldn't allow her to see him struggling. The mask of confident nonchalance had to remain firmly in place. She was the type who would worry, and she had already helped him more than he deserved.
He laid in bed for all of five minutes before deciding it was simply too quiet. Reaching for his phone, he silently thanked modern technology for allowing him to have the entire Huntrix discography at his fingertips, letting out a sigh as Rumi's singing poured from the tiny speaker. Focusing solely on her, he closed his eyes.
Sleep was not kind to him. Images of fire, death, and betrayal whirled together in a twisted nightmare, distorted from reality and heightened in a way only possible in dreams. He stole souls from a mass of humans wearing the faces of his mother and sister. Rumi looked at him with sharp claws and golden eyes, sword at his throat, while her body burned to a crisp inside Gwi-Ma's gaping, fiery maw. The other Saja Boys danced to Soda Pop on the ashes of everyone he'd betrayed, gat's hiding their eyes so all that was visible were mouths full of jagged teeth.
A heavy weight pressing down on his chest made Jinu's eyes fly open, and he gasped for breath as trembling hands fought to free his lungs. As they came into contact with soft fur, he blinked, glancing down to his chest and into large, glowing, yellow eyes.
Fighting to steady his breathing, he gently but firmly nudged the tiger aside. "Get off. Please."
As the tiger did as he asked, his brain finally registered the sounds coming from his phone. Startled and confused, he shot up, grabbing for it to stare at the screen.
Someone had taken the scraps of "Takedown" that had been performed at the Idol Awards and cobbled them together with leaks of the cancelled song into an extended remix. Rumi's anguished face burst from his memories as he violently paused the track with shaking fingers, deafening silence quickly taking its place.
A soft head gently butting against his arm finally restarted his breathing.
"I'm alright," he murmured, gasping for breath. He buried his face in his hands, hunched over in his bed as he fought to calm down.
Jinu wasn't sure how much time had passed before a notification from his phone jerked him out of his stupor.
u ok? derpy seems upset
Rumi.
Blinking slowly, he glanced around his bedroom, seeing the tiger was in fact absent. He groaned, silently cursing as he thought of all the ways he would reprimand him for bothering Rumi at this hour. Not that anything would actually prevent the tiger from doing it again.
Another ping.
jinu?
With a sigh, Jinu made to type a response, knowing full well that if he ignored her for too long, the tiger might just drag her back to his place.
I'm fine. Sorry about the tiger. Go back to sleep.
Considering it was nearly 3 in the morning, he prayed that would be good enough. He wasn't sure he had the brainpower for further persuasion.
Rumi's ringtone quickly drowned out what little hope he'd had.
"I told you, I'm fine," he said, answering the call. He grimaced at how pinched and raw his voice sounded.
"Then why is Derpy pawing and grumbling at me in the middle of the night?"
Jinu could hear the tiger through the phone.
"Maybe he's hungry."
"Spirit tigers don't need to eat."
"Look, I don't—"
"Jinu."
Her firm tone cut him off. He opened his mouth, but closed it again when no more excuses seemed worthy of being judged by her. Rumi was the one to finally break the silence.
"What's wrong?"
Taking a calming breath, he begged his voice to come out strong.
"I just had a nightmare," he said, running his free hand through his disheveled hair. "That's all."
There was a pause before she spoke again, softness and understanding coating her words in a way that made Jinu's heart ache.
"Do you want to talk about it?"
The faces of his mother and sister, of Rumi, all twisted in horror echoed in his skull. He swallowed, throat dry and cracked.
"Not really."
Another pause, longer this time. He was about to open his mouth, insist he was fine, when at last she spoke.
"I'm coming over."
The words hit him like a truck.
"What?" He willed confidence into his voice. "Rumi, just go back to sleep. Don't worry about me."
You're busy tomorrow. I don't want you to see me like this. I'm not worth the trouble.
"You don't have to talk about it." Her voice was so tender. "But it sounds like you could use some company right now."
I want that. I want you. I'm selfish for wanting you.
"I want to come over. Is that ok?"
She was asking permission. She was asking permission to come to him, to comfort him.
"Jinu?"
What did he ever do to deserve her kindness?
"…yeah." His voice cracked. He cleared his throat, trying again. "Yeah, that's—that's ok."
"I'll be there soon."
The smile in her words was soft and comforting.
"Alright."
He told himself to be strong, to show confidence, to ease her worry. But when the tiger delivered her to his balcony, her face full of understanding and warmth and every positive feeling he'd spent centuries forgetting, he could already feel the charade crack. Rumi taking his hands in hers—just holding them, anchoring him—shattered it completely.
He let go, selfishly wrapping her in a tight hug instead, needing to feel more of her, remind himself that they were both real. He practically melted into her as shy arms wrapped around his middle.
(Request from prompt list >HERE< - see note at end for details)
Fandom: Kpop Demon Hunters
Timeline: Post-Canon
Rating: T, one mention of extremely mild sexual innuendo (thanks, Jinu)
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Ever since they'd managed to return Jinu's gifted soul to a physical form, texting with him at the end of a particularly frustrating day had become habit for Rumi. So when the tiger—who Zoey had affectionately named "Derpy" upon finding out Jinu had simply been calling him "tiger" for centuries—appeared through her floor carrying a note that read, "I bought kimbap," she smiled and climbed on his back.
"Mmm, this is from Lee Kimbap, isn't it?"
Jinu didn't bother hiding a smirk as he watched her first bites. "You do keep insisting that it's the best."
"Because it is." The pointed look she leveled at him had Jinu raising his hands in surrender.
Jinu's apartment was small, tucked away in a quieter part of Seoul. And while plainly furnished, it did house a table currently piled with food and a couch just large and padded enough for two to sink into.
Sitting quietly on his side of the couch, Jinu watched her as she slowly opened up about her day. Rumi could feel his eyes on her, listening intently as she went into detail about long choreography sessions and overzealous fans. Occasionally he'd say something understanding or add in a snarky quip to lighten the mood, but for the most part he was quiet, just allowing her to get everything off of her chest.
At a pause in her recounting, Jinu suddenly stood and walked into another room, returning shortly with something in his hands. Rumi reached up just in time to catch the piece of clothing being tossed at her face.
"I'm glad you don't feel like you have to hide your patterns anymore, but you were starting to shake the couch with your shivering."
"I was not," she said with a roll of her eyes, feeling a flush rise to her cheeks. She still pulled the hoodie on gratefully, ignoring the smug look on his face.
Pleasantly drained after her venting, Jinu suggested she stay and relax a while. Sounding too tempting to pass up, she was about to suggest a movie they could put on when the title of said movie appeared on the TV screen.
"I've been wanting to see this one for weeks," she said with a contented sigh.
"I know." Jinu grinned as Rumi glanced at him curiously. "You mentioned it two weeks ago. Knowing you, it wasn't hard to guess that you hadn't gotten around to it yet."
"I've been busy," she mumbled as she snuggled further into the couch cushions.
"You've been refusing to sit still for two hours," he teased as he pressed "play".
The two of them sat in comfortable silence as they watched the main characters navigate a high-stakes operation while romantic tension bubbled between them. Occasionally Rumi thought she felt a pair of eyes on her, but when she'd glance over to Jinu, his attention was on the screen. He had one arm perched on the armrest with the other resting between them, fingers idly picking at the edge of his cushion. Her eyes quickly locked back onto the screen, shoving down the sudden urge to casually place her hand next to his.
By the time the end credits began to roll, Rumi could feel her eyelids drooping.
"Maybe you should stay the night," said Jinu as she yawned and rubbed at her eyes. "Wouldn't want you falling off the tiger in the middle of Cheonggye Plaza."
"I'll be fine." Accepting an offered hand from Jinu, Rumi pried herself out of the soft cushions. "Besides, if I tried to sleep on your couch, I'm not sure I'd be able to crawl back out."
His quiet chuckle warmed her chest. "I was going to take the couch," he said with a smile. "Although," a twinkle suddenly lit in his eye as he leaned in, face inches from her own, "I'm pretty sure we could both squeeze into my bed."
Rumi's face suddenly matched a ripe tomato, eyes wide. "What!? Um, I don't—I mean—that's—"
Unapologetic laughter burst from Jinu as he leaned back. With a wide grin, he said, "Well, you seem plenty awake now. I'm glad. I'll sleep easier knowing you won't fall to your death." He turned to Derpy with a cheeky look. "Though if she does, make sure to let me know so I can hide the body. Wouldn't want to traumatize the fans."
Every visible part of her skin still bright red, she punched him in the arm before opening the sliding door to Jinu's small balcony.
"This is the thanks I get for making sure you get home safe," he said, rubbing his bicep as Derpy followed Rumi outside.
"You deserve worse," she teased, trying to keep a shy smile from tugging at her lips. Climbing on the tiger's back, she paused before speaking again, tone turning sincere. "Thanks. For tonight. Didn't realize how much I needed it."
Jinu reached out, burying his hand in Derpy's soft fur barely an inch from where Rumi's rested. He held her gaze, all signs of playfulness gone. "I'm always here if you need anything."
On impulse, she laid her hand on top of his, giving it a light squeeze. Something danced in his eyes as they darted to their hands and back up again, but before she could name it, she let go and sat up straight.
"I should go." Her voice came out a bit higher than usual. "Another busy day tomorrow."
"Right." Stepping away, he put his hands in his pockets. "Text me when you make it back?"
She smiled. "Wouldn't want you to think I fell off."
With a small wave, Derpy leapt into the air. Forcing herself to not look back, Rumi sucked in a deep breath, trying to settle the heart pounding in her chest. Her efforts proved fruitless, however, when all it took to start it up again was a short response text from Jinu when she informed him of her safe arrival back home.
Glad you didn't fall. Good night, Rumi.
Smiling, she replayed the night's events in her head, resting a hand over her racing heart. She and Jinu had been through a lot since they'd first met, and their relationship had often been more than a little complicated. But between her favorite kimbap, a gaze that truly listened, a movie she'd mentioned one time, and a sweater she was currently drowning in, she was starting to understand that she probably had fallen that night.
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A/N: As all the prompts are already available, I'm just going to work on whichever one strikes my fancy. Feel free to request a fandom/characters/etc to go with one of these prompts >HERE<. If I've reblogged a fandom/pairing, chances are I'm willing to give it a shot. (Do not have to be a mutual or following - on anon is fine.)
(Request from prompt list >HERE< - see note at end for details)
Fandom: Kpop Demon Hunters
Timeline: Pre-Canon
Rating: T, dark themes, brief mention of drug abuse and implied sexual content
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The first chosen had been born weak. As a human, he was bullied by men and ignored by women, his thin frame seemingly incapable of building the muscle to fight back or stand out. He made a deal for the strength he desired, and in return he found himself recruited into a war, captured by the enemy, and sold as a slave to a foreign country. His exotic, impossibly sculpted body caught the eye of the lady of the household, a fact that did not go unnoticed by her husband. He avoided execution when the patterns fully consumed him, dragging him to the depths of the underworld.
The name "Abby" was practically carved into his skin.
The second was the perfect heir of a noble family. Everyone knew his name, who he would marry, the government position he would one day hold—sometimes it felt as if his every breath was known and calculated. He craved a life free from the expected, but the change he coveted did not happen how he thought it would. Rather than a reprieve from soulless routine, he found himself transformed into an enigmatic and unpredictable being. Sounds like that of wild animals escaped from his mouth, normal clothes would feel unbearable to the point he'd strip down in the middle of a meal, and the poetry he had been studying since childhood seemed so bland that he'd spout his own during lessons instead. Deemed mad, he was locked away in a far corner of his estate until the day he vanished without a trace.
"Mystery" was all he would answer to.
The third had been labeled unlovable. Mottled skin, thin, patchy hair, and a cleft lip saw him disowned by his own mother not long after he'd lost his first tooth. He learned to survive on the streets, taking what he needed for physical growth, but emotionally he yearned for the warmth of an embrace and eyes that didn't look at him with disgust. His wish was finally granted, body transformed into something irresistible. But lust wasn't the same as love, and every new encounter reminded him how shallow and fickle a human heart could be. He was crying, begging for a real connection when his time in the human world ran out.
He was called "Romance" for the heart worn on his sleeve.
The last was forced to grow up too quickly. With a father dead of drug overdose and a body that appeared far more mature than it was, he could remember little more than a constant cycle of work and sleep. His jealousy of those able to enjoy peaceful childhoods festered until a voice promised a path to childlike innocence. But a boyish face and short stature merely made him look the part, and the begrudging respect he'd always been privy to quickly devolved into dismissive jeers and humiliating infantilization. In the end, he would have gone the way of his father had the deceptive voice not called him to its side.
He would never grow out of the name "Baby".
Upon arrival to the demon world, each one was given a choice. They could hold on to what remained of their humanity to be controlled through use of their deepest shame, or they could forget, knowing only an existence of fear and loyalty to Gwi-Ma. It was a one-time offer. Those who refused to let go of their old life were capable of earning the demon king's favor, but the punishment for anything other than absolute loyalty was a pain unending. Whereas those who chose to forget were allowed to live in blissful ignorance with only the nagging fear of the moment they would eventually be summoned as cannon fodder against the current generation of Hunters, unlikely to survive.
All of them believed their past lives unworthy of remembrance.
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A/N: As all the prompts are already available, I'm just going to work on whichever one strikes my fancy. Feel free to request a fandom/characters/etc to go with one of these prompts >HERE<. If I've reblogged a fandom/pairing, chances are I'm willing to give it a shot. (Do not have to be a mutual or following - on anon is fine.)
(Request from prompt list >HERE< - see note at end for details)
Fandom: Kpop Demon Hunters
Timeline: Canon AU
Rating: K+
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He didn't know his name. He knew how to speak, the demon powers at his command, the voice of the Demon King that demanded obedience, and the faces of those who trapped his kind beneath a golden barrier. But his name, his past, even his own appearance were like black voids in his mind, as if he had been newly formed on the spot, hunched in front of a raging inferno.
Perhaps he had been.
"The Hunters have entered my realm."
Three faces shone brightly in the dark abyss of his head, figures adorned in sparkling white, black, and gold seemingly emerging out of nowhere.
"They must pay for what they've done. My realm will be their grave, and I will exploit whatever weakness they created in the Honmoon to get here so I can return to the world above."
The face with a long, purple braid forced his focus onto it.
"One of them is searching for someone who looks like you. You will kill her before she understands that the one she seeks no longer exists."
Scenes flashed before his eyes—the purple haired girl promising his freedom; the golden barrier rippling towards him, pushing him back down into the depths; screams of pain and sorrow erupting from his aching chest, begging for it to stop.
"These are his memories. You will use them to lure the Hunter to you. Kill her, or I will kill you."
The memories burned painfully against the emptiness surrounding them. This Hunter had betrayed whoever these memories had once belonged to, leaving him to writhe in agony under the weight of his own betrayal of his king. This demon had dug his own grave, deserving of divine punishment, and now the Hunter would receive what she deserved in kind.
The nameless demon lifted his head, knowing instinctively that he was already draped in the same human illusion as the one the memories belonged to. And with a voice enchanting in a way that could only have been a gift from a greater being, he spoke.
"Yes, my king."
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A/N: As all the prompts are already available, I'm just going to work on whichever one strikes my fancy. Feel free to request a fandom/characters/etc to go with one of these prompts >HERE<. If I've reblogged a fandom/pairing, chances are I'm willing to give it a shot. (Do not have to be a mutual or following - on anon is fine.)
