5+1 times bobby protected his girls

by bombedbaguettes

Summary:

As the one and only manager of Huntrix, Bobby prided himself on being able to keep up to date with public opinions, chaotic schedules, and- most importantly- his girls’ happiness.

And if he happened to give them a nudge in the right direction for the sake of that happiness? Well, consider it fan service. Or, you know, an impartial intervention by a concerned third party...

…no, he’s not crying over how much they’ve gone through! Shush!

aka: everyone say WE LOVE YOU BOBBY

Notes:

listen, kpdh has me in a CHOKEHOLD oml ima save the rambling for the end of this

anyways, the title says it. we love bobby! :D

Chapter 1: leaves

“Okay, chop chop! We’ve got to get this show on the road!” Bobby waved his clipboard above his head, pointing the backstage staff in every which way as they ran in a frenzy wherever he guided them next. The camera crew watched from afar as the host of the interview nervously glanced at him.

“Um, we’re less than five minutes from when we’re supposed to air-” She was cut off by a displeased glare before Bobby went back to throwing orders around. She tried again.

“Sir, please-”

“Please!?“ He shouted. “Please what? Please, consider not trying to put my girls into a recreation of the Idol Awards! What on earth made you think that was a good idea!?”

“That was- my boss said it’d be good for the ratings-”

“The ratings, the ratings!” Bobby threw his arms into the air, frustration written all over his face. “Do I look like I care about your ratings?” He crossed his arms, furrowing his brows even more.

The host shrunk down and meekly shrugged her shoulders. “...I don’t really th-”

“That was a rhetorical question!” Bobby erupted onto her, face turning bright red as he yelled. He jabbed his finger into her collarbone, pushing the distraught host backwards as he continued with his tirade.

“My girls aren’t some dolls for you to shove into fancy playhouses to recreate whatever scenes you want them to- that was an awful night for them to go through the first time! How dare you try to force them through it again!?”

“It wouldn’t be forcing them-”

“And don’t even get me started on the outfits! I specifically told you to get every change screened by the girls, and you blatantly ignore that? For what!?”

“I’m sorry but my boss thought it’d be-”

“I. Don’t. Care. About your boss, or your ratings, or your excuses.” Bobby took a deep breath, the red barely fading from his vision. “We’re going to stand here, waiting, until your crew fixes up a new set of clothes and scenery. One that won’t make me blacklist your station from any of our future promotions ever again.”

The host’s hand shot up to her mouth as she gasped in horror. Bobby leveled his gaze at her, his round face shifting into a surprisingly intimidating glare. “Am I clear?”

She nodded frantically, hands trembling in fear. “C-crystal clear!” She reached for her bag, almost dropping her phone as she pulled it out. “I-I’m just gonna call my boss and let him know about t-the delay!” The host squeaked and darted away from Bobby’s piercing stare.

He waited until she was out of sight before releasing his breath, tension flooding out of his body as he massaged his neck. “Ouch! I really need another spa day soon.” Bobby winced rolled his head around to loosen up the knots in his muscles.

As he rolled his head, he caught sight of a few crew members huddled together in a corner, all sharing the same look of despair. His jaw tensed up again and he marched over, ready to unleash another furious scolding.

Right as he opened his mouth to start yelling, one of the workers’ eyes lit up in hope. “Oh! Bobby! Thank goodness you’re here! Can you please find the girls so that they can check the fixed outfits as soon as they can?”

Bobby closed his mouth again, taking a second to soothe his temper. He fanned himself off with a small laugh. “Oh phew, I thought you were all being lazy for no reason. Yeah, I’ll go look for them.” He abruptly glowered at the group, steam shooting out of his ears. “Now get back to work and quit wasting time! Go help the rest of the crew make a new set!”

They all scattered in various directions, fleeing from him like a school of fish from a shark. Bobby spun around, wiping the sweat off his brow from the nonstop shouting.

He really needs another spa day. For all that he loves being a manager and taking care of his girls, they’ll be the cause of his gray hairs showing up a few decades too early.

Bobby scratched the stubble on his chin as he glanced around the chaotic backstage. Speaking of his girls, where could they possibly be…?

He went to the dressing rooms where they were last seen, just in case the workers hadn’t checked there for some reason yet. He’s met plenty of incompetent people before, it wouldn’t surprise him if these people were no different. But even after knocking on all three doors and calling their names, Bobby found no sign of them at all.

He wandered around the entire building, darting his head into every room with an open door and knocking on the ones that were closed. As the clock ticked away and the interview grew even more late, he scratched his head in confusion.

Bobby checked his phone, noting no new responses from the girls even after calling them in the middle of his search. He sighed to himself in frustration and muttered under his breath, “If they’re not in the building and none of the staff have even seen them anywhere, what’s there even left to check?”

His shoulders slumped down. He turned away from the wall and fell back against it with a thump, closing his eyes in resignation of the fact that the whole interview might just have to be canceled. He stayed there for a few moments, bemoaning the amount of damage control he’d have to do tomorrow.

Tilting his head to the side, Bobby opened his eyes only to suddenly widen them as he caught a glimpse of purple through the window next to him. He lunged at the glass, pressing his face to it in order to look down towards the ground level.

“Of course!” he excitedly whispered to himself. “If they’re not inside, then they must be outside!”

There, against the side of the building, tucked beneath the shade of a nearby tree, were all three members of Huntrix huddled up in a giant cuddle pile. He couldn’t see where their limbs started and ended, with how tangled up they were.

Bobby’s smile flickered. They wouldn’t put off a scheduled event just for the sake of cuddling. Something was wrong.

He rushed towards the stairs, nearly running over the host that just rounded the corner. She stumbled and called out after him, “Wait, I need-”

“Shoo! My girls need me!” Without even looking back, Bobby scrambled down the staircase, almost tripping over his feet into the wall at one point. His calves started burning as he took a quick breather at the bottom before running down the hallway.

He crashed, shoulder first, into the metal handle of the side exit door, barely even taking a second to grimace at the bruise that would no doubt turn purple by the end of the day.

Rushing over to the tree that he’d recognized from the fourth floor, he skidded to a halt and immediately collapsed onto his knees. Bobby gasped out between deep inhales, “Oh my- god- am I glad- I found you!”

Zoey and Mira turned to face him, their hands still soothingly petting Rumi’s back.

“Hi Bobby,” Zoey gently waved at him, her normally chipper greeting taking on a more subdued tone.

Mira raised an eyebrow, taking in the sight of their pathetic looking manager. “...You realize you don’t need to do cardio like us, right?” Bobby wheezed, mustering up a small smile. “Can’t let you be-,” he paused to take another breath, ”-the only fit ones here!”

Mira huffed in amusement, ruffling the flyaway strands of hair in Rumi’s braid. She shifted at the sensation, with Zoey and Mira immediately patting her back again. They only slowed down once Rumi showed no more signs of moving.

Bobby watched with a concerned look, not wanting to interrupt their moment.

The wind rustled the leaves above them, sending a few tumbling down and landing onto their heads. Zoey brushed them out of Rumi’s hair, her hand lingering after removing the last leaf. Rumi turned her head and nuzzled into it.

Mira just watched and draped her arm around the other two. A few more leaves fell down, but she lazily flicked them away before wrapping her other arm around and encasing them all in one whole embrace.

A quiet minute passed. None of them moved, not wanting to be the first one to disturb the peace, until finally, Rumi moved again.

She lifted her head, drowsily blinking away her sleepiness. She rubbed her bleary eyes and stretched her arms high above her head, Zoey and Mira moving just enough to give her space but still remaining as close as they physically could.

“Hi Bobby!” Her voice cracked a bit, but Bobby was always prepared. He grabbed an emergency water bottle from his pocket and quickly handed it over.

“Don’t talk too much if you’re too tired! Here, take this!” As Rumi opened the bottle and started taking some small sips, Zoey tapped his sleeve to get his attention.

“Bobby, do you think we could push back the interview just a little longer? We could really use a little more time.”

“After the bullshit they tried pulling with those “minimalistic” costumes? We deserve it.” Mira scoffed, throwing a glare at the building beside them.

Bobby followed suit, throwing his own annoyed scowl at the building, imagining the panicked look on the interview host as she tried to make excuse after excuse. His expression brightened when he turned back towards the girls.

He clapped his hands. “Well, you’ll probably be happy to know… that the interview got cancelled!”

“What-?”

“Huh!?”

“Sure it did…”

The three idols looked at him with a mixture of shock and hope. “Yup, something about being behind schedule for other stuff already. Honestly, just head over to the main road in a few minutes and a driver will pick you up!” Rumi’s mouth curved up into a small, relieved smile. Zoey just jumped up and down, cheering with a wide grin on her face.

“Oh em gee, early couch time! Couch, couch, couch!” Mira and Rumi quickly joined her chant, although Mira kept knowingly glancing at Bobby.

Zoey leapt onto Bobby and threw her arms around him, squeezing tightly enough to force him to hide the wince as she bumped into his newly forming shoulder bruise. He whispered into her ear, “I’ll try to push back tomorrow’s photoshoot so you all can sleep in a bit.”

She jumped backwards and her grin widened even more. “Thanks Bobby! You’re the best!”

Mira held out her fist for Bobby to bump, resolutely nodding at him with a smirk. “You really are. No other manager even comes close.” He puffed up his chest in pride.

Bobby turned towards Rumi, contemplating whether or not to initiate a hug. Playing it safe, he just held out his arms and raised an eyebrow. She smiled and shook her head slightly. “Maybe some other time.”

“Of course.” He pulled a second water bottle out of another pocket and gave it to her. “Here, drink this after you finish the first one. Oh, Zoey and Mira, do you need some too?”

“Nope,” they replied in unison. Rumi looked at the second water bottle in her hand, then at the girls on either side of her.

“You know, we’ve got a little bit before the car gets here…” Without a second of hesitation, Zoey and Mira direct her back towards the shaded area where they had been huddled up beneath the tree. They laughed and giggled at the halfhearted protests that Rumi put up, even while firmly sandwiched between her two groupmates.

Bobby watched them stumble off, a faraway look entering his eye as he thought about the markings on Rumi’s previously covered arms. Tense phone calls with his boss, Celine, over the past few weeks. The countless videos of her distraught cries on stage that he had taken down.

Mira’s prolonged look snapped him out of his thoughts. She mouthed one word at him. Thanks.

Bobby nodded and turned around. His jaw set and eyes narrowed as he marched back towards the building full of people no doubt panicking and still looking for Huntrix and their manager.

He didn’t know the full extent of what happened. There was no doubt more to the story behind the Idol Awards mess and the girls’ newfound animosity towards Celine. But as the door swung open and people started swarming towards him, he had one thought on his mind.

His girls deserve all the happiness in the world. And no one messes with his girls.

Notes:

POTENTIALLY TURNING THIS INTO, LIKE, a 5 + 1 fic. i probably will but we’ll see lol, i got some (aka MANY) ideas brewin in my head. also, bobby is such a mother bear like aww

yall i read this one fic called “a broken soul trapped in the nastiest shell (how can you sleep or live with yourself?)” by a_bird_who_is_like_no_other AND THEN i read the followup fic in that series that’s like a what-if bad end that had me IN SHAMBLES sooo i stayed up all night writing this :D

because what better way to fight off sadness than with BOBBY!!!! we love a supportive king. i saw this one comment on a reel that said that bobby was more of a mother than celine, and ill die on this hill.

anyways omg kpdh is gonna be my fixation for the next few months, tell me why the soundtrack is so dang good??? rn golden is my fav, takedown as well (holy shit have yall seen the solo songs for twice’s next comeback AHHH momo n chaeyoung esp r so good also chaeyo later this yr is hella hype too), free is actually so fire like what the heck, soda pop is… i mean i like it, but i just don’t like the chorus. the rest of it is actually pretty good. your idol is a banger, how it’s done is heat, what it sounds like is literally so so so lovely, and score suite… can the vocal version pls drop on spotify??? the instrumental is great but cmon gimme the vocals too dammit.

ima needa hold off on dropping the rest of my rambles here… i typed out another 400 words before realizing n deleting it oops

Chapter 2: branches

Notes:

didnt expect all the comments lol, bobby nation rise up!!!

also tell me why my headache after sparring someone that was like five weight classes above me is turnin into like, a fever or something cuz eurghhh im writing this chapter while the world is spinnin n the air is uncomfortably warm oof :(((( at least i got a buncha experience outboxing tho cuz damn, clinching up with a heavyweight was an awful idea

oh now that i think abt it, mira would be a terrifying outboxer, i mean she has that scene where she’s hittin the punching bag plus her weapon has the most reach plus she’s always ready to throw hands, can i plsss get a boxer!mira au lmao

ok here's the chapter i gotta stop typin so much ugh

Bobby frowned at the tablet screen in his hand as he scrolled through the Huntrix social media account. Comments whizzed by as he furiously tapped away, banning account after account.

Why does she always try so hard? What a pick me- Blocked.

Huntrix would be better off as a duo- Removed.

She should just go back to America- Banned. Aaand reported.

His fingers flew across the screen, teeth grinding more and more with each account that he dealt with. He couldn’t see anything except for what the moonlight and his tablet illuminated. His bloodshot eyes squinted from the strain placed onto them as he kept working, half an hour passing in a blur of removing nonstop hate comments before he finally relaxed his jaw.

Leaning back into the seat of the car that was currently driving him to the Huntrix tower, Bobby closed his eyes and sighed in exhaustion. He slumped into the cushions until his seat belt dug uncomfortably into his neck.

It had been three days since he’d managed to get more than 3 hours of sleep in a row, his phone blowing up all day and all night. And it was all because his stupid- ahem, shortsighted- boss.

Ever since Celine had released an official statement about the Saja Boys being an industry plant in what was deemed as “the industry’s most ambitious publicity stunt ever”, his girls had been shoved beneath twice as many spotlights as they were before.

And with the drastic increase in popularity came an even more drastic increase in the criticisms thrown at them. Especially from the Saja Boys’ fans, who were left without their idols and found convenient scapegoats right in front of them.

Bobby massaged his temple at the thought of all the hate trains aimed at his girls. Distraught fans all around the world went on what could only be described as a manhunt, the most vocal of them calling themselves the “Pride’s Crusaders” and spewing spiteful conspiracies across the internet.

For all the influence that Bobby had- hundreds of connections built up over years of industry experience- even he couldn’t do much in the face of the volatile masses. All he could manage was running as much damage control as he could while the girls weathered the worst of the storm.

A knock on the divider between the backseat and the driver shook him out of his thoughts. He slid it open as the driver turned and said, “We’ve arrived, sir. Would you require any assist-”

He was cut off by Bobby pushing a twenty dollar bill through the divider’s gap.

“Nope, and thank you! Treat yourself to a nice meal for me, I’ll be going now!” He grabbed the satchel next to him and jumped out of the car, stretching his arms out until most of his joints had cracked from the sudden movement.

“Huh? But you already paid me-”

Bobby waved off the driver’s protest. “Oh hush and take it, I made you drive across the city at 2 AM. Now shoo, it’s late and you need to head home. Goodnight.”

He decisively dismissed the driver and twirled around, quickly walking off in smug satisfaction as the window rolled up behind him and the sound of the engine disappeared into the distance.

Fixing his collar and combing his fingers through his hair, Bobby tried to look just a little less disheveled while unlocking the tower’s doors. He rushed into the elevator that would take him up to the girls’ suites, checking his phone for the time again. It was 2:30 AM.

Normally, he wouldn’t even think of disturbing their beauty sleep (Bobby is more than familiar with working through sleep deprivation, and it must be even worse for idols) but he’d received a turtle video from Zoey less than ten minutes ago. Unless she passed out right afterwards, she would probably still be awake.

As for the reason behind her late night turtle binge watching? Well, judging from the angry call he’d received from Mira about an hour ago, he’d wager it had a lot to do with how he spent the last half hour in the car clearing out swathes of hate comments.

The doors dinged and opened. Bobby stumbled out, the sudden change in elevation making his ears pound in his head. He grabbed onto the wall for balance, making a loud thump.

“Shh!” Bobby jolted in fear, letting out a small “-eep!”.

Mira exhaled softly, mouthing an apology at him. “You good?” she whispered. The door to the girls’ giant living room was open. She’d probably left it like that while waiting for him.

Bobby nodded and made his way over to the couch where she was sitting. He tip-toed across the room, hopping from carpet to carpet in order to keep his footsteps muffled. He gasped slightly at the adorable sight of Zoey curled up into Mira’s side. Bobby tilted his head questioningly at Mira.

“She keeps drifting in and out of sleep. I took her phone away and played some beach ASMR,” she responded, still whispering as quietly as she could.

Ahhh. Bobby nodded. It was an unspoken policy for the girls to avoid reading too many comments and articles about them, since it was all too easy to spiral into the negativity of the media.

Looking around, he noted that Rumi’s door was still closed. When he turned back to the couch, Mira already knew what he was going to ask.

“She needed sleep, too.” Mira ran her fingers through Zoey’s hair, draped across the velvet cushions surrounding them. Her buns were undone, and she looked eerily peaceful compared to her constant energeticness while awake. Bobby’s eyes softened.

“You all need sleep.” He gently lay a hand on Mira’s shoulder, placing his satchel onto the coffee table in front of the couch. She grimaced, but leaned into his touch just a bit.

“I’ll sleep after making sure they’re alright.”

“...Have you been up all night, Mira?” She avoided his gaze. “...Have you at least eaten?” No response.

Bobby sighed and patted her back before reaching towards the table to unpack his satchel.

“I got your favorite snacks before heading over. Good thing there’s so many stores open 24/7, huh?” He held up a bag of chips, looking back at Mira. She just wrinkled her face in scrutiny, so he put it back down on the table.

He held up a cup of ramyeon, the one with her name plastered all over it. Mira’s mouth quirked up into the start of a smile but abruptly fell, her eyes falling back onto Zoey’s shifting head against her stomach.

Bobby speedily tip-toed to the kitchen. As he passed by Rumi’s door, he noticed that it was just slightly ajar instead of being closed completely. Dang, maybe he wasn’t as quiet as he’d thought.

The low whistle of the kettle filled the air as Bobby poured the flavor packets into the ramyeon. He winced a bit when the sound was a bit louder than he thought, raising a hand apologetically towards the couch even before he saw Mira’s disapproving stare.

He darted around the kitchen in a panic, throwing a towel around the kettle to muffle its whistle a bit. Wait a second, do kettles work like that? Isn’t that a bit risky?

Bobby adjusted the towel so that the spout wasn’t completely covered. That should be fine! He leaned against a counter, taking a few minutes to rest his head, trying his best to not fall asleep while the water boiled.

Apparently his best wasn’t good enough, though, since his eyes shot open when the kettle beeped loudly after it finished. He scrambled to shut it off but couldn’t remember how to stop the sound, so he just unplugged the whole thing before slumping over.

Bobby froze when he heard a yawn coming from the couch. Slowly peeking his head over the kitchen counter, he saw Mira preoccupied with a half-asleep Zoey.

Taking the chance to make up for his mistake while Mira was still distracted, he poured the water into the cup and carried it over. As he passed by Rumi’s door again, he noticed a movement through the small gap of the open door.

“Ouch, my back hurts now. Falling asleep on the couch kind of sucks.” Zoey rolled her head around, nearly hitting Mira as she glared at Bobby. He smiled apologetically and set the ramyeon on the table in front of her.

“Oh! Hi Bobby!” Zoey’s eyes lit up at the sight of their manager, and then lit up even more when she noticed the pile of snacks on the table. She gasped. “No way! You got all this for us?”

Bobby laughed and pushed the pile towards her. She ripped a bag of fruit snacks open and threw a handful into her mouth. “Consider it an apology for accidentally waking you up, too.”

Zoey’s mouth was too full for her to talk, so she just threw a thumbs up in response. Mira huffed. “Yeah, even after I told you to shush.”

“...I made this for you?” Bobby pushed the ramyeon towards her, making puppy eyes and pouting until she let out a small smile. “You’re forgiven, I guess.”

Zoey looked up from the fruit snacks that she was still demolishing. “So like, not that I’m not happy to see you, but why’re you here so late? What time is it even?”

Bobby scratched his stubble and looked to the side. “Ah, I just thought I’d check in and leave a pick-me-up at your door. No biggie, it’s not even that late.” Zoey’s smile flickered.

“Oh. You’re here to check up on me after the last wave of hate comments, aren’t you?” Bobby didn’t have much of a response besides a slow nod.

Zoey looked down. “Well, thank you, but really, I’m fine-”

“Don’t pretend that you’re fine!”

“It’s okay to not be fine!”

Bobby and Mira spoke over each other, both of them upset at Zoey’s attempt at downplaying her feelings. Mira wrapped Zoey up into a hug, squeezing her tightly.

“I hate it when you’re sad, but I’d hate it even more if you were sad by yourself.” She let go just enough to look into Zoey’s eyes, a pleading expression filling her face.

Zoey’s bottom lip wavered and she fought back a sniffle. “I don’t want to be… I don’t want you to have to deal with me-“

“Deal with you?” Mira furrowed her brows. “Please. I care about you. I- don’t you know how much you mean to me? To Rumi? To our fans? And I’m talking about the real ones, the ones that’ve been supporting us the whole time.”

Mira pulled out her phone and quickly navigated to a folder of saved posts on her personal social media. “I mean, just look at all of these posts! Fanarts and edits- and they all love you!”

Zoey choked back a sob. She latched onto Mira’s arm, grounding herself in their embrace.

”You could never be too much for us. Don’t hide yourself away. The people that care about you love seeing you be yourself.” Tears filled both of their eyes as Bobby tried his best not to wail and interrupt their moment.

They all sat there, on the verge of crying for a few minutes until they managed to regain control. Zoey laughed shakily, wiping her face dry. “I guess that was kinda the point of making the new Honmoon, anyways.”

“No more hiding,” Mira agreed. “We’re here for each other… no matter what.” They smiled softly, lost in each other’s eyes. They sat there, time frozen for just a moment.

And then Bobby blew his nose, using the ramyeon cup wrapper as a tissue. Mira and Zoey looked at him in disgust.

“Ew! Bobby why?”

“Okay that’s just gross, man.”

He sniffled and crumpled up the wrapper. “Sorry, sorry, I just got really emotional and I’m really proud of you girls for being so strong and nice and wonderful and I just- I just-”

Mira and Zoey rolled their eyes before bringing him into a hug.

“There, there, let it out.”

“Not the ramyeon wrapper though, keep that far away from us.”

“Mira! We’re having a bonding moment!”

“I’d rather not bond with Bobby’s snot- no offense, but like, that’s just disgusting.”

“None taken…”

They slowly detangled, Bobby’s tears finally coming to a stop. “Oh! Before I forget, remember to hydrate after crying!”

He handed a water bottle to both of them. They laughed, Zoey immediately taking a few sips while Mira teased Bobby.

“You’re always ready to rehydrate us, aren’t you?”

Bobby raised a finger, about to launch into a lecture on the importance of hydration. “You girls need to stay as healthy and happy as possible, and if that means I have to carry around five gallons of water on a daily basis, then I will!”

The two girls chimed in unison, “Thanks Bobby.”

Zoey returned to her fruit snacks while Mira split some chopsticks to dig into her ramyeon. The sound of eating filled the room as they peacefully snacked away.

Bobby watched his girls, more than content until he caught a glimpse of Rumi’s door. He saw a glow from the edge of the doorway. Her patterns glowed like that, didn’t they? He’s not really sure what kind of high tech tattoo artist could pull that off, but hey- either way, not his body, not his choice.

Bobby yawned, the sleep deprivation catching up to him again. Zoey glanced at him worriedly.

“It’s probably really late by now… do you want to just crash on our couch?”

He waved his hands, trying to deny the offer with flustered exclamations of, “Oh no, I couldn’t possibly-” and “It’s not that late, I can just-”

“Just sleep on the couch, Bobby.” Mira cut him off. “If you’re worried about the crumbs, I’ve got a spare sleeping bag. I got some samples from the company that made the one I wore to the Met Gala.”

Bobby nervously laughed, still trying to avoid intruding on the girls’ privacy. “No really, I dont-”

“I. Insist.” Mira raised her chin and stared him down.

“Meep. Okay.”

Zoey looked at Mira in awe. “Wow, I forgot how intimidating you can be…” Her face reddened and she looked away. “...It’s really cool,” she whispered under her breath.

“Huh?” Zoey jolted and looked up at the ceiling. “Nothing!”

“Alright…?” Mira got up off the couch and started walking towards her room. “Let me just grab a sleeping bag now so you can jump in whenever you want, Bobby.”

“Thank you!” he called out after her. Zoey hummed in the silence, offering him a chip from the new bag that she’d just opened. He shook his head and gestured for her to keep eating.

A sleeping bag thumped onto the ground next to him, making him leap into the air and cower beneath the coffee table. Mira laughed and pointed at him. “C’mon, man, there’s nothing to be scared of here.”

“I can’t help it! It’s dark outside!” Bobby pretended to cry in fear, hugging the sleeping bag closely. “What if demons come and get me or something!”

Mira and Zoey shot a look at each other before bursting into giggles. “Yeah, demons. Don’t worry, we’ll fight em off for you.”

“Yeah! We’ll hunt them down! Til they’re done done done!”

Bobby clasped his hands together, pretending to bow down to them. “Oh, my heroic hunters!” He snuck a glance at Rumi’s door, now even more ajar than before. An idea struck him.

“You know, it’s not the same, having a duo of hunters when there’s your third right there… Maybe you should keep her company? You’re all already awake right now, anyways!”

Mira and Zoey snapped their heads towards Rumi’s room in surprise. “Oh! She’s glowing…”

“...We should go talk to her, shouldn’t we?” Zoey nodded and grabbed Mira’s hand. She pulled her halfway towards the door before turning around and softly shouting, “Just go to sleep whenever you’re ready! We’ll see you in the morning! Goodnight!”

“Goodnight!” Bobby replied. He snuggled into the sleeping bag as he saw Mira and Zoey slip into Rumi’s room.

The sounds of hurried whispering and rustling pajamas lulled him to sleep, the exhaustion easily taking him away into dreamland.

In his dreams, he swore he heard the sound of giggling and laughter.

Notes:

ZOEYYY I LOVE UUUU if zoey has 10 fans im one of em, if she has 1 fan then thats me, if she has none then ill CLAW MY WAY OUT OF THE GRAVE RAHHHH cuz omg literally her lines n stuff r so-

“why did I cover up the colors stuck inside my head” / “you’re too much, and not enough” / “how do we-” “there’s no WE”

AND HER HAVING TO PICK BETWEEN MIRA AND RUMI WAHHH LEAVE HER ALONEEE GIMME SOME GLITTERY KNUCKLEDUSTERS ILL PROTECT U FROM THE MEAN VOICES (this is a lie, she’s my fav partially cuz she’s really relatable which means we hv similar weaknesses… but ummm ill at least go down swingin tho ig)

yall ever notice how there’s a regularly scheduled hate train on the latest girl group to explode in popularity? it happens like clockwork, and im sick of it every single time. that was my inspo, cuz itd prolly happen to the girls, esp after the… mess that was the idol awards

um some more last min notes, i tried to keep in mind how the doctor called zoey a ppl pleaser n was like hm… the ppl pleasers that ik tend to pretend like theyre fine when theyre not fine in order to keep ppl happy- OMG IDEA TIME!! also if ur like zoey here, pls talk to ur friends cuz ppl care abt u <3

sorry abt the rambling, i legit just word vomit here cuz iz kinda like my personal diary lol (also sorry abt the lack of rumi here too, she’ll be more present in… if not the next chapter, then the next next chapter. ive got plans for her :D)

Chapter 3: roots

Notes:

boxer!mira au whennn

Chains rattled violently as a punching bag snapped backwards, the leather folding around the imprint of a fist.

Jab. Pop! Right overhand. Crack!

The bag flew backwards, out of Mira’s reach. That’s fine. She’ll just have to chase it.

Lunging left hook. Bang!

A roll to the left, a slip to the right, an angle shift to change up her positioning.

Shovel hook, cross- Pop pop!

Beads of sweat dripped down her face as Mira laid into the bag with devastating combos, the speed of her hands slowly increasing alongside the sound of her breathing.

She kept pressing forwards with lightning fast flurries until the bag was trapped between her fists and the pull of gravity. She leaned most of her bodyweight into each punch until she had to push against it with her shoulder in order to keep the bag pinned against the wall.

Mira gasped for breath, lungs burning as she let out a strangled cry before ripping into the bag with another furious combo.

Eventually, her energy faded, leaving behind only a few lackluster uppercuts to fly into her target. Without any movement to distract them, her muscles started to scream in agony.

She stood there for a moment, unsteady under the burden of the punching bag’s weight. It kept swaying from side to side, knocking her more and more off balance until she eventually just let it roll off her shoulder.

Free of the weight, Mira fell into the wall with a loud thud. She barely managed to brace herself with a weary arm, banging her elbow into the concrete in order to avoid hitting it face first instead.

It was only then that she began heaving, the lack of oxygen in her bloodstream leaving her nauseous in the corner of the company training room.

Mira didn’t know how much time passed as she rested behind the still swinging bag. The chains holding it up had mostly quieted down, only occasionally breaking the silence with creaking and clanking. She hummed along to the sound.

She had always liked the ambience of those chains. Call her edgy, but something about the metallic ringing really struck a chord in her heart. All those tiny pieces, working together to hold up who knows how many pounds of sand in that bag… it’s kinda hardcore if you think about it.

Meanwhile, here she was, barely managing to hold herself up. All because she couldn’t handle one little unannounced visit from her family.

Mira laughed at herself. Pathetic.

The quiet whine of a rusty hinge filled the air. The door slowly swung open, a head tentatively popping through once there was enough space.

Bobby looked around the room, noting the unused exercise equipment and organized weights still on the racks. He started to turn his head, about to leave the room, when he caught a glimpse of pink partially hidden behind the swaying punching bag.

He slipped the rest of his body through the doorway and exaggeratedly cracked his knuckles.

“Oh boy, I can’t wait to use the super secret Huntrix training facility on my own for the first time! Hmm, I wonder what I should do first…”

Bobby marched over to the corner, taking overly wide steps with an even wider smile on his face.

“Well, if no one’s here to stop me, I guess I’ll take a swing at… this!” He threw a sloppy haymaker at the bag, thumb tucked in and elbow locked out.

“Really?”

Bobby stopped, his loose fist a few inches away from impact. “What? You never let me hit this thing!”

“Yeah, and for good reason. What kinda form is that?” Mira rolled her eyes.

Bobby stomped his foot, frowning at her. “If you showed me how to have good form, maybe I’d have it by now.”

She smirked slightly and raised an eyebrow at him. “Aaand then you’d do what with it, exactly?”

“Uhh…” Bobby scratched his head. “Beat up all our rivals and cement Huntrix as the number one girl group for the rest of time?”

They stared at each other before Mira burst into laughter. “Hey! You never know, maybe I’m secretly super strong!”

“Yeah, and I’m secretly part of a demon boy band trying to steal everyone’s soul.”

Bobby pretended to gasp and pointed accusingly at Mira. “Are you?”

She just stared him dead in the eyes and replied, in a completely serious tone, “Nope. That was the Saja Boys.”

Bobby laughed and slapped his knee. “Ha! Oh, that was a good one. Ahh… the Saja Boys.” He scratched his chin. “What even happened to them?”

“Who knows?” Mira shrugged and slid down the wall, stretching her legs out to sit comfortably tucked into the corner. Bobby sat down next to her, leaving a spacious distance between them.

They stayed there, counting the number of tiles on the floor and picking at stray threads on their sleeves.

Bobby broke the silence first. “Sooo-”

“I don’t want to talk about it.” Mira cut him off. She balled up her hands into fists. “It’s done now, anyways.”

Bobby sighed. “For now.” He looked at Mira, glancing at her trembling hands and hunched shoulders. “...Do you want me to blacklist them?”

She looked up in shock. “What?”

“Your family. Or- if you only want some of them-”

“No, I mean- you’d blacklist them? Wouldn’t that be a PR nightmare?”

“Well, sure. But you’re entitled to your privacy for family matters, and I’m more than happy to enforce that with a bunch of threats.”

Mira kept staring at him, mouth wide open. Bobby returned her look, but began sweating nervously as her expression remained motionless.

“I know I’m bad at punching stuff, but I do have other ways to threaten people-”

“They wouldn’t take that quietly, you know?” Bobby startled at the sudden sight of Mira kneeling in front of him, hand on his shoulder.

“They think they’re too important to be ignored. Trust me, I’d know. You wouldn’t want to deal with that.”

Bobby’s eyes hardened. “I know what I want. And I’m not afraid of stepping on some toes in order to do what it takes to help you out.”

“Bobby,” Mira sighed.

“I’m serious. Just give the word, and I’ll deal with them.”

“They’d hound you until you give in.”

“I wouldn’t!” Bobby threw his hands up and shook Mira’s hand off his shoulder. She winced and quickly hid her hand behind her back.

Bobby’s eyes narrowed. “What was that?”

“Uh… nothing?” Mira tried to look as inconspicuous as possible. Which, to be honest, probably wasn’t very convincing at all.

“Just because I’m upset at your obnoxiously entitled parents doesn’t mean I’ve gone blind with rage yet.“ Bobby pointed at Mira’s hidden hands. “What was that?”

Mira shifted backwards. “...It’ll heal super quickly anyways, not really worth a mention,” she mumbled petulantly. Bobby’s glare didn’t waver until she held her hands out in front of her.

He gasped at the swollen fingers and bloodied scrapes on her knuckles. Scrambling to his feet, he rushed towards the first aid kit mounted next to the door.

Mira called out after him, “You don’t have to be so worried. It’s just a scratch. Or ten.”

“That’s eleven too many!” Bobby sat back down, ripping open packets of alcohol wipes. He gestured for Mira to hold her hand closer in front of him, and she complied.

She grimaced at the sting against her injuries, but bit back the urge to complain. “Honestly, after all the times you told me that I need wraps to use the bag, you go and swing away without anything on your hands? The nerve!”

Bobby tossed the used alcohol wipes to the side and pulled out a box of bandaids from the first aid kit. They were neon pink with hello kitty plastered all over them. Cute.

“No more bagwork for at least a week!” Bobby exclaimed as he finished putting the last bandaid on. Mira rotated her wrist, marvelling at the new cats adorning her hands. “...Thanks.”

“Don’t mention it!” Bobby closed up the first aid kit and gathered the discarded wipes. “Just don’t hurt yourself like this again. I don’t like it when you’re hurt, and if Zoey and Rumi were here right now they’d agree with me too! And get you to put on more bandaids!”

Mira didn’t respond at first, gaze stuck on the hello kitty characters. Bobby continued on his lecture about the importance of health and hygiene.

“...and infections are no joke! What if you had to get your hands amputated, and then you couldn’t dance- which isn’t the end of the world, but still not ideal-”

“-Bobby,” she started, trying to jump in. He kept going on, waving his hands around and gesturing as he rambled.

“-get prosthetics, but it’d be easier to just not have to amputate-”

“Bobby!” He jumped and yelped, his attention finally on Mira. “Huh? What?”

She opened her mouth, words caught on her tongue. “...You don’t need to worry about my parents.”

A brief moment passed as Bobby processed that. He crossed his arms.

“I’m sure they’re not that bad-”

“They’re richer than we are, and we sell out concerts on a weekly basis! The family lawyers would-”

“Okay well we’ve got lawyers too and Celine’s suspiciously acquired generational wealth!”

“My family literally has multiple generations of generational wealth.”

“Well- out with the old, in with the gold, that’s what I always say! Plus, we can always get more security to keep them out.”

“...When have you ever said that?”

“Just now! C’mon, have some confidence in us, there’s no way they could figure out a way to screw us over both legally and physically!”

“How did that manage to give me even less confidence?”

“I’m perfectly capable of dealing with them-”

“And I’m not!?” Mira erupted, voice cracking from the strain. Bobby froze, caught off guard by her sudden outburst. He could only stare at her, not knowing what to do.

“And I’m not?” she repeated, quieter than before.

Bobby reached towards her. “Mira, that’s not what I meant. You just-,” He cut himself off. He lost track of where their conversation was going.

“I just what? I got through a decade and a half of their bullshit. On my own.” She stood up and began pacing back and forth.

“I wore their stupid stuffy dresses, played along at their stupid ass-kissing parties, put the damn spoons and knives in the right order- shit, I even let them force me to hide away everything that makes me, me.” Mira stopped. She looked at Bobby, face twisted up into a fierce expression.

“But you know what? It wasn’t the posters and makeup I kept locked up under my bed that made me leave.” She took a few steps closer. “It wasn’t the all-nighters I pulled, dancing when no one else was awake to yell at me for being a waste of time and money.”

She shoved her finger into Bobby’s chest, tears welling up in her eyes. “It was the fact that after everything I did to get them to love me, they still tried to marry me off to some random nepo baby CEO-in-training on the other side of the fucking world.”

“I don’t want to blacklist them,” she choked out between sobs. “I don’t want you to put yourself in the line of fire.”

Bobby patted Mira’s back with a heavy heart as she let herself unravel in front of him.

Mira cleared her throat and whispered in a hoarse tone while Bobby leaned in closer. “I thought I was over them. I just… it sucks. Having to choose between the family that threw me away and the family that I just found, even after I escaped.”

She wiped away the tears streaming down her face, flinching at Bobby’s attempt to reach out consolingly. He backed off in understanding, keeping a safe distance until her face dried up a bit.

“I… I know it’s not my place to say anything,” he started, watching Mira’s bloodshot eyes turn towards him. “...but I just want to say that I’m here for you. We’re all here for you. No matter what.”

Mira sniffled, reaching up to wipe her nose with her sleeve. Bobby speedily handed her his handkerchief, letting her blow her nose before continuing.

“They used you for a decade, just to keep up their image of a perfect family. But you grew up knowing nothing but their messed up forms of “love”, and no one would blame you for wishing that things were different.”

Mira clenched her fists, jaw tensing up. “Yeah, well, it’s stupid.”

“It’s not stupid-”

“Isn’t it?” She laughed at herself mockingly. “I know what real love is like now. The kind that doesn’t go away if you fuck up. Unconditional.” Bobby wiped away a tear of his own.

“But I hate how there’s always gonna be that small part of me that’s still a problem child to my family, as long as they’re alive and breathing and crashing our concerts without even bothering to buy tickets.”

She grit her teeth in frustration. “A small part of me is still stuck in bejeweled handcuffs, paraded around behind the bars of a… living, gilded prison. I’m more than a bargaining chip for some fuckass competition to climb the social ladder. I’m stronger, dammit!”

“You can be strong and rely on the people that care about you!” Bobby pleaded. “You can let us help you. Let me help. Please.”

They looked at each other, equally distraught. Bobby laid his hands over his heart. “Family sticks by each other, even when it gets tough. You aren’t any weaker, or any less deserving of love just because you’re tired of fighting these battles on your own.”

Mira huffed and turned away. Bobby reached out questioningly.

She walked away, throwing a tired smile over her shoulder.

“I guess Huntrix ain’t a one person group for a reason.” She wiped her eyes before laying a hand on the door handle.

She turned her head again.

“Well? Aren’t you coming with?”

“Huh?”

Mira rolled her eyes. “If you’re gonna try blacklisting my rich ass, famous family from our concerts, we should at least make a plan to deal with the backlash. I bet the girls will have some good ideas.”

Bobby grinned. “Right!”

He skipped over to the door as she opened it and they walked out, leaving the dimly lit training room behind them.

“Ooh, you think Zoey’s gonna make another ten notebooks of ideas? She kinda gets carried away while brainstorming.”

“C’mon, Bobby. You know us. She probably already has a notebook ready- what you should be worried about is making sure Rumi doesn’t try to beat up my annoying brother.”

“Don’t even joke about that, this is already enough of a PR nightmare!”

Notes:

literally gettin my wisdom teeth removed in less than 12 hours. well, only two of them for now, the other two are getting removed later. ugh, no more sparring for a month :( also it’s almost 4 am rn cuz i wanted to get this up before being confined to a diet of air and oatmeal lol OH SHOOT i have an online assignment due later today fuckkkk ima go rush that before passing out

some of yall mightve noticed the slight change in tags- im goin all in on the protective bobby/found family/hurt/comfort vibes, i just aint got enough room in this 5+1 to add in a matchmaker bobby plot as well rippp. sorry to anyone lookin forward to that

might make a followup that has matchmaker bobby… i wanna work on my twice fanfic after this and catch up on some coursework too tho, so itll hafta wait. oh well, enjoy the bobby content for now!

also dw about the lack of rumi, she gets the spotlight next chapter! she wont be all that happy tho :( issok ill make sure she (and the rest of huntrix) get therapists by the end of the fic, bobby wouldnt let em thug out their emotional baggage on their own- altho ig they have each other, but still! anyways thx for reading ima go do my hw now byeee