Work Text:
The world now knows them as hunters .
Since the destruction of Gwi-Ma, it’s been quieter than usual. There’s hardly any demons that cause trouble, though they do find tiny cracks in the iridescent Honmoon every once and awhile that require attention, but it’s been mostly silent.
For HUNTRIX, it’s a good thing. They don’t have to fight demons as much, people’s souls aren’t in jeopardy, and they can focus on releasing new music for their adoring fans. Whenever they see their fans supporting them, it reminds them of how lucky they are to be here.
But for Zoey, it feels like something is missing.
Despite the fame and success of every song they’ve released in the past year that she’s helped write, Zoey doesn’t feel right.
She tries to not think about the lingering thoughts that swirl in the back of her mind, distracting her from lyric writing. Her lyrics sound weird and it’s starting to show because when Mira asked her about it, all she could do was awkwardly laugh and wave her hands back and forth while saying she was working on it. They’re in no rush, she has time.
Except they really don’t.
The International Idol Awards are quickly approaching and her mind is still stuck on a year ago, when Gwi-Ma sent the Saja Boys to steal their fans and cause a potential demon apocalypse. A year ago when she first laid eyes on his beautiful, perfectly dewy, symmetrical, shimmering…
“Enough, Zoey! You barely even knew him, get a grip.” Zoey scolds herself, tapping her pen furiously against her notebook. The sound is like music to her ears, the repetitiveness making her brain hyperfocus on the blank page in front of her, but still―there’s nothing coming to mind that could make for a good song.
It doesn’t help that Zoey may have stolen the poster of Mystery that Mira had asked her to throw out when she tore them all off the wall. His poster wasn’t damaged in a way that tape couldn’t fix like the others and while she couldn’t put it up on the wall, she didn’t need Rumi or Mira seeing it, she kept it somewhere she could look at when she needed a bit of eye candy. Or a reminder that Mystery actually existed and the past year wasn’t a messed up fever dream the three of them experienced simultaneously.
Zoey already finds it hard to believe that a whole year has passed since the banishing of Gwi-Ma and the creation of the new Honmoon. A whole year since the world forgot about the Saja Boys. Since they forgot about him.
Their relationship with Celine has also been strained ever since Rumi opened up about why she kept her patterns hidden from them for the many years they were together while they relaxed in the bathhouse. She still thinks about how Rumi said that she met with Celine before the confrontation with the Saja Boys, saying she wanted a Honmoon that wasn’t based on lies―one where the good demons could pass through to start anew.
They go to the bathhouse often to make up for lost time, especially after training new choreographies when they need a relaxer, but they also use it as a way to stay open and honest with each other. They all agreed that they never want to lie to each other again, they’re a family and no one, not even Celine, is going to change that.
Except guilt is beginning to eat at Zoey’s core. She’s not being entirely honest with Rumi and Mira like she promised, but how could she tell the two closest people to her that she still has conflicted feelings about how the world simply forgot the Saja Boys ever existed? That he existed?
Zoey isn’t even completely sure why the erasure of the Saja Boys' presence from the human world bothers her after all this time. It shouldn’t bother her, they technically achieved their mission. They never made the Honmoon turn golden, they didn’t need to. A Honmoon built on lies and false perfections was never going to hold in the first place.
Rumi doesn’t talk about Jinu openly to them anymore but Zoey isn’t a fool, even if most seem to think she is a little ditzy, and she can tell that Rumi yearns for Jinu’s presence―she longs for a proper chance to be more. Sometimes, when she passes by, she’ll see Rumi staring at her sword with a blank expression. She often wonders if Rumi can feel his presence within it since he gave his soul to her.
It probably doesn’t help that Jinu’s large blue tiger and freaky three-eyed bird are still around in the human world. Zoey often sees the tiger, Derpy, and the bird, Sussie, nearby whenever Rumi is around―it’s possible they sense Jinu’s soul nearby. Zoey finds the tiger rather cute with his blank expression but she’s still trying to warm up to the bird. The little hat helps.
However, she doesn’t understand why she keeps having nightmares about her taking Mystery’s life that day when they were stopping Gwi-Ma. It was her duty, she had no choice, and he did lunge himself at her. She doesn’t understand why her thoughts won’t leave her alone. Why she can’t open up to Mira and Rumi despite them promising to never keep secrets again.
It doesn't look like they're going to hurt anyone.
In fact, it almost seems like they’re nice demons…?
The sound of plastic snapping jolts her out of the sound of her own words haunting her, glancing down at the cheap pen in her hand that she’d accidentally broken. Her breathing is slightly uneven as she slams her notebook shut, throwing the pen into the metal bin next to her desk. Her elbow rests on the desk as her fingertips rub against her forehead.
“I need to focus, the International Idol Awards is coming up. Technically, we lost to the Saja Boys last year to Soda Pop since that was never redone, so we need a song that can strengthen the new Honmoon and get us the win…” Zoey mutters, scratching at the side of her head.
Strengthen the new Honmoon.
Zoey isn’t really sure how the new Honmoon works since it’s a new creation, a whole different Honmoon from the one they’re used to, and from what Celine taught them as they grew up. Since it’s not golden, it’s not permanent, and in a weird way, Zoey doesn’t want it to be.
The chance that he’s out there somewhere, well , it gives her hope that she can maybe apologize for completely running her blade against his face and technically destroying him at the same time. It’s a stupid dream, one of her many useless thoughts, but with all the nightmares she gets, she wants to apologize to him.
Well, she’s not getting anything done like this.
Zoey stands up from her desk, moving over to the balcony to place her palm against the cool glass. The Honmoon that they created is strong and there are no tears that are visible. A perfect barrier between the human world and the demon realm to keep the peace.
She removes her hair from her twin buns, letting her black hair fall against her shoulders before she flops onto her bed, laying there in a starfish pose as she stares up at the ceiling. “This suuuucks. ”
A whole year and she’s still stuck in the past.
Zoey sighs in frustration before caving, quickly moving to grab her phone from her nightstand with her earbuds. She’s been trying to stop this addiction she’s latched onto yet she can’t. She repeatedly tells herself to just go back to watching turtle videos, those are fun, they’re great , but every single time she tries, her mind goes back to where it shouldn’t.
Gently placing the buds into her ears, she connects her phone to them because she can’t risk the chance of the other girls hearing. They all live together and while, yes, she’s in the privacy of her bedroom, the risk is too high.
Besides, not all secrets are bad.
She taps an unnamed file, one she downloaded a year ago to avoid giving it streams online, and closes her eyes as the energetic sound of Soda Pop blesses her ears. She didn’t tell the others that she downloaded the song since one, they were demons and their enemies, and two, she already knew what the other two would say.
Especially Mira.
While Jinu has mostly redeemed himself in the eyes of all of them with his sacrifice to help Rumi, Mira still hates any talk of the other four Saja Boys―especially Romance and Abby. Mentioning them to her is almost a death sentence waiting to happen. Her reactions to Baby and Mystery aren’t as intense but it’s safer to avoid the topic all together.
She finds it stupid that she still latches onto this song―to his voice. It’s a rather hollow song, Zoey is well aware as a lyricist, as it’s about drinking human souls, but the tune is still catchy. There are times where she has to stop her shoulders from moving when the other two are around.
While Rumi and Mira have moved on from Soda Pop, not that Mira ever liked it, she just can’t. The song is stuck in her head so often that she’s almost been caught a few times while in the kitchen humming the song or moving her shoulders.
It’s a shame that the Saja Boys were demons merely sent by Gwi-Ma because all of them were talented. Anyone with ears could realize that the Saja Boys weren’t bad singers at all but her mind can’t stop from focusing on one part of Soda Pop―the one that gives her stupid thoughts and useless scenarios.
When you’re in my arms,
I hold you so tight (So tight)
Can’t let go, no, no, not tonight
Mystery.
He really was a mystery to her―one she never got to solve.
Zoey remembers the way he pouted at her when she called him a ‘Bad Saja Boy’ after he started barking at a fan or the way he genuinely seemed to like signing things for people. She didn’t miss the slight smile on his lips that faded as fast as it came when flowers were tossed at him, like he was trying to force himself not to enjoy the attention. She also tries not to remember the way he immediately had his eyes on her the minute he sat down next to her, if he could even see past all of the hair.
Seeing his face in his last moments also lingers in her mind because he really was just her type . She wasn’t expecting much underneath all of the hair but Zoey couldn’t understand why he hid his face.
Mystery wasn’t ugly at all. He was gorgeous and the face she briefly saw haunts her in her dreams.
Pursing her lips, Zoey decides that one play of Soda Pop was enough for tonight. The more she listens to it, the worse she starts to feel.
Tomorrow, she needs to focus purely on her lyrics.
“Yeah! We’re gonna write the best song they’ve ever seen!” She says while tugging her blanket up, laying on her side to snuggle into the warmth, and goes to sleep. She could use the rest to refresh.
❓
The voices that were once silenced flood into his mind like waterworks, the pain and torment of what he avoided for many years causing him a migraine. He fingers thread through his light colored hair, sharp-nailed fingers gripping tightly onto the strands. He’s in pain, but he doesn’t make a sound, confusion and fear running through his veins.
He doesn’t know if he’s alive or if he’s dead. He can’t tell, he can barely see from the sharp pains in his head. He’s currently sat on the ground of the dark environment, silent breaths leaving him as he tries to refocus.
It’s a shame his voice is so angelic, his face is hardly anything worthy of an idol.
A sound escapes his lips as his breathing speeds up, the voices are loud― too loud ―and the panic is rising from deep down in his core. He needs to get up, to figure out where he is.
Who he is.
The air around him feels suffocating, as if meant for death , and he stumbles through the barren land. He doesn’t see anyone else through the hair that covers his eyes but the voices, they’re still too loud.
I’m surprised he hasn’t gotten plastic surgery yet, he’s an ugly duckling.
“Stop talking,” he desperately says in a hushed tone, pressing the palms of his hands against his ears as an attempt to silence them. It doesn’t work, he still hears them drilling into his mind, making him stumble forward once more.
He falls onto his knees, palms flat against the dark soil. His sharp nails dig into the ground, the voices swirling together to make jumbled words that are incoherent.
I’m ugly.
I shouldn’t have been an idol.
“...stery.”
I should have quit.
“Mystery!”
Someone is shaking him which snaps him out of his stupor, the voices fading into the back of his mind. He glances up, eyes squinting as he tries to process who he’s looking at. He can see through his hair, that’s not the issue, but his head is pounding.
“So it’s happened to you, too.”
“What has…?”
The voice is familiar―he knows it well. He allows the person to yank him up from the ground, glancing at golden eyes that watch him carefully.
Romance.
That’s what he called himself.
“Come on, let’s get you to the others.” Romance says while keeping his fingers wrapped around Mystery’s wrist to make sure the other doesn’t stumble. “We haven’t been able to find Jinu, but the others are alive.”
Mystery doesn’t reply to that, his own thoughts buzzing through his skull. The voices from before are quieter, not fully gone, but he can tolerate them.
Alive .
They’re alive.
But Jinu…
Mystery remembers what happened before everything went black.
Jinu’s soul was returned to him. He remembers watching the entire thing with Baby. Mystery doesn’t remember what it’s like to have a soul, maybe he doesn’t have one in existence and it was completely destroyed when the hunters destroyed Gwi-Ma.
“Jinu is gone.”
Romance stops walking for a moment, glancing at Mystery from the corner of his eyes. “We know. If anything, he’s in a better place than we are with that girl.” He scoffs, the two falling into another silence.
Abby and Baby were standing there, also silent, when they approached. It’s awkward for all of them, especially with the lack of Jinu’s presence, and none of them have answers to why they’ve come back.
The demon realm is quiet and dark without Gwi-Ma’s pink flames to light up the way. Mystery wishes his mind was silent like it was once but everything came barreling back into his mind the moment he regained consciousness. The memories he asked Gwi-Ma to remove are no longer gone, ready to torture him once more as they did when he was human .
Before he fell to Gwi-Ma’s manipulation.
“I can make you loved and adored .”
“I can make them accept you.”
Mystery remembers that day.
He heard people talking about him, about his looks and appearance, about how compared to the rest of his bandmates―he was the ugly duckling of the group. His voice wasn’t enough for people, they never commented on his vocals. It was always about his appearance.
In truth, he doesn’t remember his real name and he doesn’t want to know it. He prefers Mystery, it’s simple and it doesn’t feel so suffocating like his old name would.
While he looked into the mirror in his dressing room, he heard Gwi-Ma’s voice for the first time, the pink flames reflecting from the mirror onto his brown eyes. The voice was tempting, hard to ignore, and with the promise of love and acceptance, Mystery couldn’t say no.
His fate had changed instantly―everyone loved him, adored him, praised him. His visuals were known as the best in the industry and he was given more opportunities in modeling, but the demon patterns started to spread.
And just like the others, he was condemned to the demon world where he was meant to suffer for eternity.
Love and acceptance in exchange for his soul.
It seemed worth it once.
Now, Mystery isn’t so sure.
“So what now?” Abby asks, arms folded against his chest.
Jinu brought them together as the Saja Boys, but now they were incomplete. They didn’t have their leader to guide them in the right direction. Mystery can see that the other three are struggling just like him―the voices were loud for all of them.
The demon realm is also eerily quiet and no other demons are around. The realm is large, there’s no denying it, and some spots were always quieter than others.
“There isn’t much we can do.” Romance mutters before glancing up towards the sky―the iridescent Honmoon is visible but still easily passable.
Baby, who is mostly listening in, rolls his eyes. “Well, there’s no point in staying here and moping over spilled milk.”
Mystery finds himself wanting to see her again.
“The human world…”
“Oh no, there’s no way we can just―” Romance starts before sighing heavily. “Mystery’s going to do it anyways even if I protest, so let’s just go.”
“You folded fast.” Abby smirks at Romance.
Romance knocks Abby’s gat right off of his head, glaring at him afterwards, now pressing his finger against Abby’s chest. “You need to keep your mouth shut, Abby.”
Abby steps forward, ignoring the finger pressed against his chest, leaning his face in closer to Romance’s. Mystery and Baby are almost entirely forgotten as the two stand there and watch the scene unfolding in front of them.
“Make me.”
Baby groans loudly as he moves over to grab Mystery’s arm. “You two need to get a room where we aren’t. Let’s go, Mystery.”
Mystery doesn’t even protest as the two disappear in a puff of pink smoke, ending up in a dark alley of Seoul. He feels a strange sense of anticipation in his gut as they adorn their human appearances―something he hasn’t done in a year. Or longer. He can’t truly tell how long they were ‘gone’ from existence.
“...What now?” Mystery mumbles, his voice barely above a whisper. They don’t really have a plan or a goal . Gwi-Ma is gone, they aren’t slaves to him anymore nor can he control them with the voices, but they’re demons and living normally in the human realm seems… difficult.
It’s been many years since Mystery was a human. Too much has changed.
“Didn’t think that far. Just wanted to get out before Romance and Abby got too touchy. Not dealing with that.” Baby leans back against the wall, glancing up at the night sky of Seoul.
Mystery just nods, fiddling with the yellow fabric wrapped around his right arm. They had nothing to do technically, their existence was meaningless now. They should have stayed dead after HUNTRIX took them all out.
“We can split up.” Mystery suggests. He’s fine with Baby’s presence but he has his own motivations for wanting to split up.
To find Zoey.
Baby’s judgmental gaze speaks volumes but the other shrugs with nonchalance. “Fine. Don’t get yourself killed.”
Mystery is about to retort but Baby vanishing into pink smoke is enough to heave a sigh out of him. Baby was the quietest out of them from the time they spent together as the Saja Boys, but if you angered him, he’d tear you apart verbally.
The neon lights that reflect onto the rain puddles feel familiar to Mystery. When he felt himself come to, the memories of his life before becoming a demon flooded into his mind. Most of it is still a blur but he knows that several years ago, he was an idol. A disliked idol. He doesn’t know how many years have passed since then but he reckons it’s been at least thirty.
No one would recognize him from his human days and truthfully, he doubts anyone will remember him from the Saja Boys. It’s been some time since everything went down and humans have moved on.
Demons, however, often struggle to move on. That’s why he went to Gwi-Ma to remove the memories of his human life. He didn’t want to live with the voices anymore, always telling him he was unattractive, that he failed his idol career.
Him regaining his memories is further proof that Gwi-Ma is gone permanently―the hunters destroyed him and he hasn’t come back. Regardless, it doesn’t answer the question they all have.
Why have we come back?
Mystery doesn’t know if it’s a sick joke about redeeming themselves, yet it seems to be the most logical explanation. Jinu hasn’t come back with them and he redeemed himself by getting his soul back. Perhaps Jinu no longer had regrets while all four of them are currently drowning in their shame.
There’s more important things to worry about.
The city streets aren’t entirely empty but no one pays him any mind. He feels slightly invisible, preferring it over endless attention.
In truth, Mystery doesn’t even know where to start looking for Zoey. He didn’t know that much about her but he liked the way she smiled at him. That was enough for him, it seems.
Glancing up at the billboard that lit up the night in the distance, he spots her. An image of her. She’s still the same as he remembers. The billboard is promoting HUNTRIX’s new single and upcoming performance at the International Idol Awards and that gives Mystery all the information he needs.
He’s going to see Zoey again.
✨
“This song sucks…” Zoey sighs as she lets her forehead fall to the desk. Rumi and Mira both glance at each other before glancing back at Zoey.
Usually, Zoey would be the first to throw her notebooks onto the table while talking about what lyrics they could use or what would suit them best but today, Zoey is quieter. Still talkative, but not in a way that is normal.
“Maybe we should take a break?” Rumi suggests gently.
“Yeah, a break might be what we need.” Mira watches Zoey with concern etched onto her features. It’s unusual to see their rapper so down on herself, especially since she usually does well writing under pressure.
“Worst come to worst, we can just… sing something else?”
Zoey sits up faster than lightning, shaking her head. “No, no, it’s alright! I think I just need to clear my head. Soak in the fresh air. I’m sure some inspiration will pop up!”
Before the other two can protest, Zoey is out of the room in record breaking speed.
“Well that was weird.” Rumi tilts her head.
“Weirder than you hiding your patterns and an entire demon boyfriend from us? Yeah.”
“...It’s been a year, why are you calling me out?”
❓
“Is this necessary?” Romance asks with a frown, messing with his clothing. He’s wearing black jeans that hug his figure and a black hoodie with a pink heart on it.
Mystery tugs at the strings of his own black hoodie, not used to wearing more casual attire like this as he usually gravitated towards his yellow and purple attire for being out in the human world. Baby insisted that they’d go ‘shopping’ last night after Romance and Abby rejoined them from doing who-knows-what and they all agreed―if they were going to be popping up more in the human world, they should at least wear more than one thing.
Except ‘shopping’ moreso meant ‘shop-lifting’ with the excuse that they’re demons, won’t get caught, and they don’t have actual money.
Baby claims it’s to “not be recognized” from a year ago but Mystery is convinced he hated the pastel colors they wore as the Saja Boys.
Romance, Abby, and Baby haven’t mentioned the demon hunters once and he doesn’t have the gall to mention them either. He can easily get into the International Idol Awards without a ticket―he’s a demon, he doesn’t need to buy one. He can just teleport in and make his way to the front of the stage without issue. He’s an adult by human standards, he doesn’t need permission from the other three to go.
“So what, are we just going to stay as a group?” Romance asks, slightly leaning against Abby’s arm with a slightly irritated look. Or maybe it was just his eyebrows that makes him look irritated, Mystery genuinely can’t tell.
“Ugh, why? So I can watch you two be all over each other? No thanks.” Baby replies dismissively with a wave of his hand as he pushes himself up from the wall he was leaning against. “We still don’t know what the hell is going on and why we’re here but there’s gotta be a reason.”
Mystery rubs at his arm before sighing. “Jinu’s not here, so it’s clear we’re being given a second chance.”
Baby’s facial expression reads as unamused. “Yeah, well, I’m not sacrificing my damn non-exsistent soul to a hunter like he did.”
“Maybe we have souls that are hiding deep inside our cold little demon hearts.” Romance replies with a raised eyebrow and an amused smirk. “Or maybe we’re officially dokkaebi , meant to help the poor puny humans while sometimes throwing in a trick or two.”
Abby lightly nudges Romance with his elbow. “I ain’t a goblin.”
“You sure act like one.” Romance nudges Abby back.
Baby groans loudly, tugging his beanie down over his eyes dramatically. “When the hell did you two get so close? It’s getting disgusting.”
Romance scoffs. “Abby and I were the first two to wake up while you two were out cold. With no one else to talk to, it’s only normal to get close, is it not?” His voice is teasing, like he knows he’s irritating Baby, and he shrugs casually. Out of all of them, Romance seems the least bothered by the situation they’re in. “Besides, I think it’s best we avoid the hunters. I’m not going to be the one to explain why we’ve magically come back. Not unless I want a spear to the throat.”
Mystery frowns at that but stays quiet. He can’t avoid them―he needs to see her. Thinking about her raven hair and bright smile is what silences the loud voices haunting the back of his mind. It makes him feel calm and less in turmoil. Even if she doesn’t see him, he has to see her.
“We should figure out what’s going on first,” Mystery decides to say. “We have all the time in the world to question Romance and Abby later about… their situation, but for now, we really need to figure this out.”
Baby tugs his beanie back up into place, huffing. “Hmph, I agree. We can split up, look for clues. Maybe we’ll be able to find other demons lurking around since I didn’t see any back in the demon realm.”
“Fine by me.” Abby smirks a bit.
Both Baby and Mystery have a feeling that neither Romance and Abby are going to get much done.
“Let’s just meet in the demon realm later and discuss whatever we find. If we even find anything.” Baby replies before vanishing, leaving Mystery with the two pink-headed demons. He glances at them and he knows he can’t judge them.
He isn’t much better.
Romance and Abby notice that Mystery’s looking in their direction. “Whatever you’re going to do, Mystery, just be careful.” Romance says before giving him a genuine smile, the two disappearing and leaving him alone.
Seoul at night is almost a comfort to Mystery―almost like he’s done this many times before. Perhaps he has done it before he let Gwi-Ma into his mind, the demon king consuming his entire being. There’s not many people out in this area, giving Mystery time to think as he leans back against the building. He tugs up his hood over his head, his fingertips massaging his throat lightly.
The voices of his past are quiet for now, leaving him to his thoughts of what he would even say to Zoey when they finally see each other face-to-face. He’s prepared to fight back, if she attacks him at first, but he refuses to hurt Zoey.
The night is quiet beside the noises in the distance and before he can turn to leave, a familiar voice is in his mind―it’s not taunting nor is it mocking him and his appearance. It doesn’t sound like the voice is even talking to him but he knows that voice.
Zoey.
He doesn’t move from his spot, waiting a little longer. He wants to keep hearing her voice and he’s afraid that moving from his spot will make it go away, replacing her voice with the voices of his past.
“God, what is wrong with me? How can I focus when he’s constantly in my head?” Zoey sighs to no one, the woman walking past where Mystery stood in the shadows.
Mystery has to refrain from growling a little as he hears Zoey’s words. Who is he ? He knows it’s been a year but did she forget about him too despite the interest she showed in him a year ago? He knows he has zero right to be upset, he’s not a part of Zoey’s life―not right now.
Zoey’s walk slows before she comes to a stop. She’s wearing a yellow bucket hat with a hoodie and sweatpants, mostly due to the chill of night, and she quickly turns around as she feels eyes on her.
There’s no one there when she turns around, frowning to herself before she shakes her head. “It’s just in your head, Zoey. We’re going to nail this. All I need is a bit of inspiration for a song that can connect our fans together… I’m running out of time.” Zoey mutters as she continues the walk down the empty street―she’s a demon hunter, she can easily take down any threat.
And Mystery knows this, too.
It doesn’t stop him from watching Zoey from a distance, wanting to make sure that she stays safe during her walk. It’s night and he isn’t sure if any demons are still lingering now that the Honmoon isn’t necessarily keeping them out. Humans are an issue as well and if Mystery has to steal a soul in order to keep her out of harm's way, he will.
Zoey continually seems to look back over her shoulder, as if she can sense his presence there. It’s only when Zoey quickly scutters back into the large building that reads “HUNTRIX” on the side does he stop following. “So this is where she lives…”
Mystery grits his teeth as the voices from his past come to haunt him, his head throbbing as he grips onto the front of his hair to keep himself grounded.
You could never be successful.
You failed your bandmates.
Even with Gwi-Ma banished, Mystery still hears his voice behind those words. He remembers briefly when he first became a demon, he understood Jinu’s pain―they all did, they just didn’t remember. But now he remembers and now, he understands further why he chose to rid himself of his own memories and the voices Gwi-Ma shoved into his head, wanting them gone without any hesitation.
But now his memory is returned and Gwi-Ma’s voice, though not present, still haunts his mind. Perhaps they will always haunt his mind until he finds solace―or a soul. He shakes his head before glancing up at the HUNTRIX building once more before vanishing into the night.
Mystery feels disoriented as he tugs off his hood, the demon slipping his fingers underneath his hair to rub at his forehead. His head feels cloudy and there’s pressure against his temple but he isn’t going to think too hard about it.
He’s just thrilled he saw Zoey again.
“There you are, we were worried.”
“We?”
“Zip it.” Romance swats at Baby, rolling his eyes before turning his attention back to Mystery. “Did you find anything?”
“Sorry, no.” Mystery mutters, rubbing at the back of his neck.
“Neither did we.” Abby shrugs, back leaning against the dilapidated wooden pillar of the hongsalmun.
Baby rolls his eyes, pointing an accusing finger at the two. “Did you even look?”
Romance laughs a little. “Of course we did. You’re very convinced that we were up to something, you know. Me and Abby are angels.” His voice is teasing and unserious, Abby making a playful gag noise at the term ‘angel’.
They are definitely not angels.
“Listen,” Abby clears his throat a bit, his arm around Romance’s shoulder with his finger twirling around one of Romance’s pink strands of hair―as if it was a newborn habit. “Why don’t we just… take the opportunity we’ve been given? Instead of asking why we’re here, who gives a damn?”
There’s a long silence between all of them.
“...You’ve been spending way too much time with Romance, Abby.”
Mystery is quick to jump into the conversation. Maybe too quick. “He has a point. We’re not going to get answers with both Jinu and Gwi-Ma gone. The demon realm is almost empty besides us and the new Honmoon isn’t keeping us out.”
Romance massages his neck gently with his painted fingertips, lips pursed slightly as he gives a tiny shrug. “I don’t disagree. We can truly only speculate why we’re here and even then, that’s adding onto the stress we already have of trying to figure out what our purpose for existing is now. Starting over doesn’t sound too bad.”
Baby glances at all three of them, his silence dragging on for almost a minute before he just sighs heavily. “Fine, but what are we supposed to do? We can’t just mesh with the humans―it’s been years since we presumably were humans ourselves and too much has changed.”
“We can still stay here, can’t we? Not like Gwi-Ma can get up our asses and if there are lingering demons, they’re clearly not causing a fuss. The demon realm has an abandoned Hanok village we can crash at.” Abby muses and it’s true, the demon realm is unoccupied from what they can see, but the realm is also fairly large.
They most likely aren’t going to find any water demons nearby when there’s no water.
“Guess that makes sense.” Baby replies, a bored expression on his face. “And I’m taking the furthest place away from you two.” He narrows his eyes at Romance and Abby.
Romance places his hand against his chest in mock offense. “Hey now, don’t be so jealous of me and Abby. We’re merely just having fun.”
Mystery scratches the back of his ear as he tilts his head. “...But the way you look at each other is more than just ‘fun’, isn’t it?”
“Who knows.” Abby smirks.
Mystery simply shakes his head and decides it’s not worth picking at―he’s just happy his friends were happy.
The thought makes Mystery pause.
Friends?
Are Romance, Abby, and Baby his friends?
They only have each other, so it makes sense, but a nagging voice prodding at Mystery’s brain says they’re only sticking together because they’re all in this mess. Not that they’re actually friends.
He ignores the negativity for now.
He has more important things to worry about.
Since the demon realm is always dark and gloomy, it’s difficult to determine what time it is in Seoul.
Baby is off doing his own thing, seemingly taking advantage of the freedom they were given, and Mystery has to assume that Abby and Romance are together somewhere. They’re all adults, so they don’t need to check in with each other.
Mystery, although he doesn’t voice it, misses Jinu as a leader and companion. While the other demon always seemed lost in his own thoughts and shame, he still remembers the day Jinu approached all of them separately. He had already forgotten his past of being an idol but the fact that Jinu chose him despite his very apparent demonic appearance secretly flattered him.
Why anyone would want a demon to join a boy band with visible tusks is beyond Mystery’s understanding, though it’s not like he had them visible in his human form. Jinu was clearly desperate and while Mystery had already made a deal with Gwi-Ma to remove his memories, he relates to the desperation that comes with wanting to remove what causes grief.
However, now is not the time to reminisce.
Mystery has an award ceremony to catch.
It’s easy to get inside.
Mystery simply teleports inside the venue, making sure no one is around to see him, past where a ticket is needed. There’s enough people in the crowd that no one will question his existence. He’s gotten a few looks from girls, hearing them call him ‘handsome’ or something similar. He even hears someone ask the person they’re with if he looked familiar.
Thankfully, the other person said no.
Perhaps he should have moved the hair out of his eyes, even though he can see regardless, to avoid being suspected. He looks odd compared to the other people here for HUNTRIX―he has no merch on, just a plain black hoodie with the hood over his head, no lightstick, and isn’t screaming or showing any excitement for the upcoming performance.
He doesn’t feel excitement like humans do, he’s always been more quiet and reserved, saving the aggression for when it’s needed.
When HUNTRIX’s name is called by the announcer he’s hardly listened to, he feels the excitement pooling in his stomach. He doesn’t react outwardly, he doesn’t feel up to it, but he’s excited to see her.
To finally see her perform.
The lights go down, the fans scream louder, and Mystery doubts that Zoey will even be able to see him in the crowd. It doesn’t matter to him either way.
What matters is when HUNTRIX are finally on stage, singing a brand new song called Mask .
Today, I am still here,
surrounded by countless people,
looking at each other as if we were someone else,
living our lives.
The voices of birds crying all night long
now embrace me,
now envelop me.
I can no longer live by your words.
Leave me alone now.
Please let me go now.
Mystery has no interest in Rumi despite her voice being the main vocals, his eyes that are hidden behind his hair can see her clearly despite everything and she’s ethereal ―her black hair is in her usual twin buns, the eye makeup making her brown eyes sparkle more than they already do on their own.
When Zoey’s part starts, her voice entices him, beckoning him closer to the stage through the crowd of people. She can’t see him, but he can see her.
In the expressions we create for each other,
I can no longer see myself.
But then it happens.
Everyone hears the way Zoey stumbles over her lyrics, almost tripping over her own foot. She regains her posture, focuses on singing, but Mystery knows.
Zoey saw him.
Her voice sounds almost strained as she sings the next few lines and Mystery doesn’t miss the relief showing briefly in her expression as Rumi takes the rest of the song over.
Are you still like this tonight,
caught up in countless thoughts,
living a satisfying life
as a slightly different version of yourself?
Mystery is a demon―shame, delusions―it’s all they can cling to now that there’s no one to remove the shame from their memories. And Mystery’s delusion of Zoey singing those lyrics about him gnaws at the back of his mind.
The rest of the night is a blur to him since he doesn’t care for awards. HUNTRIX winning doesn’t surprise him either as they’ve been around for years with a strong fanbase. In another life, maybe he’d say he is jealous of them and their success.
All that matters right now is that Zoey knows he’s here .
And just as he expected, she came to look for him.
He’s not going to make it easy, keeping his hood over his head as he walks down the empty hall, glancing back at her briefly before pushing the metal door open to step out into the cool night. He doesn’t get far before he hears footsteps running after him.
“H-Hey, wait!”
Mystery kept walking, knowing she’d catch up easily, but his footsteps come to stop when she says his name.
Mystery .
She remembers his name.
Mystery doesn’t turn around to face her because he doesn’t know what to say―he never does.
Before he became an idol, he was a talkative person who often had to be told to stop talking so much. After becoming an idol, he learned to speak only when spoken to. He lost a lot of himself to chase his dreams and it led him to becoming a demon.
Would he do it all again?
He’s not sure.
“Mystery…” Zoey says between bated breaths, hands on her knees before she stands up straighter, moving around him to stand in front of him. She looks at him like she’s seen a ghost and perhaps, to her, he is one.
A ghost of her past.
They only knew each other for a short amount of time but it was enough to steal his demonic heart.
“Is it really you?” She asks, voice hesitant. It’s clear she doesn’t fully believe he’s real or standing in front of her.
Mystery struggles to speak―there’s so many things he wants to say now that he remembers his past, the reason he became a demon in the first place, and he isn’t sure where to start. He just sighs quietly. “Yes.”
“It’s really you.” Zoey huffs out a laugh with a hint of disbelief, polished fingernails reaching up to touch his face, her smooth skin lightly feeling his own. “You’re real…”
Mystery eyes are closed as Zoey caresses his cheek and he’s glad she can’t see his eyes or his embarrassment. He almost lets out a gasp when her surprisingly strong arms are thrown around his neck, pulling him down into an almost awkward hug. He’s stun-locked as Zoey sobs, Mystery hesitantly placing his hand against her lower back.
He’s never comforted anyone before.
“I-I thought you were dead and that I killed you and I’m sorry-!”
“...You merely sent me back to the demon realm. I’m… fine.” Mystery says, his voice low. He’s not sure what else he can say with Zoey sobbing against him. He would never have expected her to be devastated over it.
Zoey pulls herself together as she steps back from Mystery, smiling a bit through her teary eyes. “You still hide your face, huh?”
It’s obvious to Mystery that she’s trying to make this seem normal . Normal that the demon she slayed a year ago, one of the demons who almost took over the entirety of Seoul’s largest stadium in the name of Gwi-Ma, is back. Even he knows this isn’t normal.
“...Yes.”
“You never talked much, huh?” Zoey shyly rubs the back of her neck. She’s awkward and nervous because Mystery makes her nervous in a good way. “Do you still bark at people?”
Mystery huffs, almost laughing. “...Only if necessary.”
Zoey leads him to a park further away but still in walking distance, the cool breeze of night making it quiet and peaceful. There’s hardly anyone else as they quietly walk up the stone stairs, Mystery looking down at the brightly lit city below. It’s hard to believe that Zoey is here with him.
He noticed that Zoey texted someone that she “needed air”, almost feeling proud that she’s choosing to spend the rest of her night with him.
“No one should bother us up here.” Zoey says, a small bounce in her step as she jumps up each step as if it was a game.
Mystery finds it slightly endearing.
“Okay.” He replies, hands shoved into his hoodie pocket. He moves to lean back against the small stone wall, watching Zoey carefully.
Zoey moves to sit on top of the smooth stoned wall next to where Mystery stood, glancing down at him with a thoughtful look on her face.
Their first reunion isn’t as dramatic as Zoey imagined in her head if she ignores the fact she cried on his hoodie for a few moments but it’s rather tranquil. Mystery has always been quiet from what she’d noticed while watching him with the other Saja Boys, yet she knows he can be rather aggressive at times as well.
“...How are you back?” She asks, not wanting to beat around the bush. She has so many questions for Mystery that she wants to ask but she also doesn’t want to overburden or annoy him.
Mystery tilts his head back slightly to look at her through his bangs, a sigh escaping his lips as he turns his head towards the night sky. “If I could give you an answer, I would. However, we don’t know why we’re back. It’s like we were woken up from a nightmare, one that we can’t escape.”
Zoey’s eyes soften at that and she reaches over, her curiosity starting to chip at her logical thinking. Her fingertip brushes against his hair just enough to nudge a small section of his bangs out of his face.
Staring right at her with a deadpan expression is a vibrant lilac eye. She almost drops the small tuft of hair out of surprise because the last time she saw his face, he had bright yellow eyes―demonic eyes.
However, lilac eyes are his own.
In a slight panic, she lets go of his hair, smoothing it down for him, before placing her hands in her lap while shrinking into herself. He’s much more beautiful than she remembers.
“Gwi-Ma, is he…?” Zoey wants to fill the silence between them, but she feels flustered from just seeing one eye. She doesn’t know if she’d last seeing all of it.
“Gone.” Mystery replies, answer short and simple. He doesn’t know what happened to Gwi-Ma, yet he assumes the demon king has been eliminated permanently. That’s his hope―he doesn’t want to deal with the voices being amplified again.
“Phew, that’s a relief.” Zoey awkwardly laughs, fiddling with her yellow hoodie’s drawstring. She really wants to get closer to Mystery but she doesn’t know how. He’s a mystery , one that she can finally start to solve. “And the other Saja Boys?”
“...Alive.” He glances over at her, the small blush on her cheeks making it difficult to look away. He doesn’t bother telling her the full truth about Jinu because it’s nothing to concern herself with.
Zoey tugs at the collar of her hoodie, lightly scratching at her neck with her painted fingernails. She’s nervous, the chill of night hardly helping as she feels a shiver up her spine. Mystery’s gaze on her is also intimidating despite his hair still covering his eyes. It’s been a year of separation between them with the belief that she’d killed him, but he’s here, alive, and despite months of ‘what-if’ scenarios and dreams, she doesn’t know what to say.
Mystery can sense her inner struggle and while he’d rather listen, he decides to fill the void between them. He, too, has his own burdens that he wishes to open up about. “I was an idol in my past life.”
It’s a simple sentence but it has Zoey reeling.
“What?” Zoey tilts her head to watch Mystery, surprise written all over her face as she never expected Mystery to start talking first.
“...We weren’t very successful.”
I wasn’t very successful.
My bandmates were.
Zoey gently places her hand against Mystery’s shoulder, lightly rubbing her palm against the black hoodie’s fabric. She knows he can feel her hand there and that’s enough, though she wishes he wore his other outfit so they could touch skin-to-skin.
With someone like Mystery who is impossible to read, Zoey isn’t sure how to comfort him. Did he prefer touch? Words of affirmation? Nothing at all? She wants to find out.
Mystery chooses to not move away from the touch, instead slightly leaning into it. “Demons aren’t as one dimensional as most seem to think.”
Zoey feels as if her heart was being squeezed because they were originally taught that demons had no feelings―that they’re emotionless monsters with one goal: stealing human souls. Rumi was the one that changed their views on demons and while Mira still hates demons, she’s not clueless enough to believe they’re one dimensional.
Zoey gives his shoulder a small squeeze, her voice quiet as he speaks. “I know.”
He glances up at her slightly, their height difference primarily from her sitting on top of the stone hedge. Zoey meets his gaze, a silent encouragement to keep going, to keep opening up. She wants him to trust her, to make up for what she did to him a year ago. She knows taking Mystery out with the rest of the Saja Boys was necessary but it’s haunted her dreams for too long.
“I was considered the ugly duckling of my group,” Mystery reaches over without thinking to take the drawstring of Zoey’s yellow hoodie between his fingers, as if inspecting it, but also using it as a sign of their current connection. That Zoey’s really here with him. “People would skip over me at fanmeets or signings. They weren’t there for me, they were there for my bandmates. No one cared about my voice.”
Zoey’s fingers pause their movements as she hears Mystery’s words, a sudden surge of anger filling her veins. Mystery, human or demon, is far from ugly and even if he was, the fact that people would skip over him infuriates her. She’s felt like the ‘ugly duckling’ before, except she would change the world ugly with strange . People always found her strange when she lived in America because she was different.
“Every day felt less and less like chasing my dreams and more and more like running from a nightmare,” Mystery replies, his fingers itching to reach for her face, for his fingers to feel her smooth skin and squish her cheek. He doesn’t. He doesn’t want to push his boundaries with Zoey when they’re already so close. “And then one day, I heard his voice.”
“Gwi-Ma’s?” Zoey asks as if to show she’s listening to him intently. She wants to engage with Mystery, to show she cares, to make up for her own mistakes.
“Mm,” Mystery acknowledges, his head leaning against Zoey’s arm. She doesn’t move away, so he takes it as a sign to keep going. “Our dressing room wasn’t very big, but the others were already gone. I felt alone, like nothing I was doing mattered. I even thought about quitting the band, just running away and never showing my face again.”
Zoey wants to jump down from the small stone hedge she’s sitting on to give Mystery a tight hug, to show him she’s there for him now, but she doesn’t. There’s too much hesitancy in her thoughts, telling her that they’re not close like that, but they way they’ve reconnected like they’d never been enemies once throws her mind for a loop.
“Is that how Gwi-Ma would… get you?” Zoey asks carefully, not wanting to bring up more negative memories for Mystery. It makes her wonder what the rest of the Saja Boys went through to end up condemned in the demon world for the rest of eternity.
When Rumi told them about Jinu, the story he told her, it put into perspective how much suffering demons go through and how desperate some humans can be to go so far as to throw away their humanity.
“He’d strike you when you were at your weakest, the moment where your mind hit rock bottom, and he promises you what you crave . In my case, Gwi-Ma told me he could make them love me, and make everyone praise me. His voice seeped into my mind, the pink flames reflecting onto me from the mirror, and it promised everything I wanted. I was so desperate to change my reality, so I agreed to give Gwi-Ma my soul in exchange for love and adoration.”
Zoey scoffs. “He manipulated you. You’re not at fault, Mystery.”
Mystery chuckles―it’s hollow but he still sounds amused, even just a little. “We can play a blame game for the rest of our lives as demons but it won’t change the fact that we’ve given our humanity in exchange for eternal condemnation to the demon realm.”
She doesn’t pity Mystery, she doubts that’s what the man needs right now, instead she tugs his hood down so that she can thread her fingers through his soft hair, her fingernails lightly grazing against his scalp. It’s a soothing gesture and the sigh Mystery releases is proof of it.
It’s obvious that he’s touch starved and most likely has been for many years. Zoey can’t even begin to imagine how difficult it is to crave something but have it be so far away. She’s had her own hardships, however she has Rumi and Mira. Even had Celine at one point.
Without her support group, she would have crumpled so many years ago but here Mystery is, a demon who only wanted to be loved by people. An idol who felt his only choice was to turn to a demon king to feel treasured and valued.
The realization hits her hard as he looks down at Mystery. “Is that why you cover your eyes?”
Mystery doesn’t reply immediately but he doesn’t have to, the silence is telling. Zoey, despite finding Mystery very attractive from day one, never understood how someone could cover their eyes with hair every single day.
Now she understands.
Mystery’s just as insecure as anyone else.
And she relates heavily to that.
“Thank you for sharing that with me.” Zoey ends up saying because it takes a lot to open up to someone, she remembered struggling with that aspect for a long time.
When she first met Rumi and Mira, she kept to herself, wanting to fit in and seem normal. She was also new to South Korea, having grown up primarily in America, so she already felt out of place. Mira and Rumi never made her feel weird, never made her feel like her interests and hobbies were a waste of time or space. They treated each other like they grew up together and it made Zoey feel wanted .
She realizes now that Mystery needs that too, more than ever.
“Don’t feel too bad for me.” Mystery notices her gaze on him before huffing out an emotionless laugh. “I’ve been a demon for some time now, I’ve stolen as many human souls in my time as a demon. I had to.”
“You had to?”
“Yes,” Mystery glances down at his hand, slightly tugging his sleeve up where his patterns were forming. “Even though Gwi-Ma is gone, our shame doesn’t go away. It comes back stronger than before. Gwi-Ma’s voice still haunts me every day, the voices of my former bandmates, the fans who criticized me―they just don’t go away.”
Zoey has a strong desire to take away Mystery’s pain. She almost regrets having almost thirty notebooks of demon insults when she looks at him right now, looking so expressionless and opening up to her in a heartfelt manner.
Zoey remembers the brief moment where Gwi-Ma invaded her and Mira’s mind a year ago. Even though it was temporary, a short moment of weakness, it was miserable. The negative voice in the back of her mind telling her that she was too much. Gwi-Ma’s voice manipulating her mind to tell her that he can give her a place to belong.
“You’re strong, Mystery.” Zoey replies, petting his hair with a gentle touch. “Having to deal with voices in your head constantly like that… I would crumble easily. I’m strong as a demon hunter but I’m still fragile like a human.”
“Demons are more fragile than humans. Instead of tolerating the shame of our choices, we’d crawl to Gwi-Ma to have the memories erased.” Mystery scoffs, almost irritated at himself for falling for Gwi-Ma’s trap even further. “And now that he’s gone, those memories he took from me… they came rushing back the moment I regained consciousness. It felt like my mind was being torn apart.”
Zoey notices the light glow of Mystery’s patterns and moves her hand away from his hair to place her fingers lightly over the intricate patterns, as if expecting them to burn her, but they don’t. They’re almost like tattoos etched into his skin, smooth to the touch.
Feeling bold, Zoey laces their fingers together and her heart almost stops from how his larger hand engulfs her more delicate one. His skin is warmer than she expected, almost expecting it to be cold, but no―Mystery is very much alive.
“I’ll walk you home.”
Zoey has to take a moment to process Mystery’s words, slightly disappointed that their meeting is going to end so soon. However, it’s getting late and while she isn’t entirely sure if demons need to sleep, she definitely does. She’s not tired but she also doesn’t want to deny Mystery’s offer.
“I’d really like that.” She smiles, slipping off the wall. Zoey doesn’t release his hand, tugging Mystery forward so that they can walk together.
Mystery uses his free hand to tug the hood back up over his hair while letting Zoey hold his hand. Her hand in his feels nice , a comfort he never knew he needed. No one ever held his hand before, not even as an idol. Some people would skip his high-five during meet and greets, others would do it out of pity for him.
But Zoey is doing it because she wants to.
And that makes Mystery feel warm in his chest.
“Do you like turtles?” Zoey decides to ask as an ice-breaker. She wanted to talk to him more, hear his voice more, so she refused to let them walk in silence.
Mystery glances at Zoey, noticing the way her hand gently squeezes his harder. “Turtles…? They’re nice. I like you more.”
Despite looking ahead, as if trying to avoid eye contact, Mystery notices the way Zoey’s cheeks are bright pink with the moonlight shining down on her, making her glow radiantly. Mystery has a small, barely noticeable, satisfied smile on his lips because he likes making Zoey flustered.
Despite wanting to create more conversation, Mystery has effectively flustered Zoey and she doesn’t know what to say without stuttering over her words. She never thought a demon could be so smooth. It’s not like he said anything outrageous either, she just wasn’t expecting it.
Even though the walk back to the HUNTRIX building is silent, Zoey feels comfortable. Mystery isn’t trying to invade her space, mostly keeping it far enough so their shoulders barely touch, and he’s respectable.
“Well, this is my place.” She says awkwardly, not wanting to let go of his hand.
“Mm. Okay. Goodnight.” Mystery replies, hiding the disappointment on his face as their hands separate and just like Zoey, he didn’t want to let go either, but he knew sleep was important for humans.
Mystery notices the hesitancy on Zoey’s face too, knowing she has more to say but decides not to, shyly waving before heading inside.
“Hm…”
✨
Zoey lets out a heavy breath as she steps into the elevator, bringing her hand that Mystery was holding moments prior close to her chest as if she was caressing something precious and delicate. Mystery is so much more than she ever realized and for her, it’s almost hard to believe that he is the same Saja Boy that started barking at someone unprompted during their shared fanmeet a year ago.
She feels light and almost giddy, knowing she won’t be able to sleep tonight.
Thankfully, HUNTRIX is getting a two-week break and Rumi swears she won’t release any new songs unprompted this time. Not that they have any songs to release at the moment, but a break will be a good refresher for her.
Plus, she’s hoping she gets to see Mystery again.
Stepping out of the elevator and onto the floor where her bedroom is, she decides to take a shower because she’s gross from performing hours prior. She doesn’t want to wash her hand because Mystery’s presence still lingers there, yet she knows she has to.
Zoey runs into Mira before making it to the shower, reassuring her that she’s fine and that she had a really nice walk. She doesn’t mention Mystery and she really doesn’t think it’s a good idea to let Mira know that Abby and Romance aren’t exactly dead. Rumi went to sleep already which doesn’t surprise her, it’s fairly late already and her hair takes a long time to brush.
Taking a long shower helps Zoey process tonight. From Mystery opening up about the past he’d once forgotten to him telling her that he likes her. She felt over the moon, like she could write a thousand songs in one night.
Humming a tune as she tugs on her crop top and sweatpants, she brushes her wet hair before heading out. She can’t wait to flop face first onto her bed and giggle about the fact that Mystery likes her despite them being apart for an entire year, thinking of each other, and she finds that romantic.
What isn’t romantic is the squeak she lets out when she walks into her room to Mystery glancing inside of one of her notebooks. She quickly closes the door behind her, panicked. “How did you get in?!”
Mystery glances up from the notebook. “Teleported.”
Zoey is stunned. She forgot demons could do that. “ Oh. Oh, right. What are you looking at?”
“Zoey’s book of demon insults,” Mystery casually replies, seemingly not offended by what he reads on the page. He seems almost amused by it, actually. “These are rather… creative.”
“Ugh,” Zoey tries to grab it from his hand but he’s taller, so he lifts it up enough to keep reading it. “Don’t read those!”
Mystery huffs out a laugh as he places the palm of his hand against her forehead to keep her from trying to take the notebook. “When your patterns start to show, the whole world will know that you’re depraved. Depraved, huh?”
Zoey flushes as she clears her throat. “Shut up… I wrote that a year ago and we didn’t even use it!”
Mystery lets out a small laugh, placing the notebook back onto the table. “I find it amusing.”
“Of course you do.” Zoey replies before huffing. “Why are you here?”
There’s a small pause before Mystery glances away. “I didn’t want to go back to the demon realm yet.”
Zoey’s heart leaps a bit before she clears her throat. “Oh, um. Okay. Sure, I was going to stay up for a while anyways.”
Mystery tilts his head before shrugging. He picks up the plush toy turtle on her bed, giving it a small squeeze while inspecting it. “You really like turtles.”
“Of course I like turtles! Did you know a turtle’s shell is actually part of its skeleton? Turtles also can’t come out of their shells like some people tend to think and the shell actually grows with them so they’re never too small! Turtles also may sometimes look as if they're crying, but they're actually getting rid of excess salt through a 'salt excretion gland' near the corner of their eye and–” Zoey stops herself, realizing that Mystery most likely doesn’t care about turtles. She clears her throat, rubbing the back of her neck. “Aha, went off on a tangent there.”
“...I can see why you like them.” Mystery replies with no judgment, placing the turtle plush back down onto the bed right where it was before picking it up.
“Really? Most people find it annoying when I talk about them excessively.” Zoey replies and it’s part of why she’s so thankful to Rumi and Mira.
Mystery shrugs his shoulders. “I’m not a big talker. I’d rather listen to you.”
Zoey smiles at that with a chuckle, moving to sit onto her bed, patting the spot next to her. “Stay until I fall asleep?”
“Okay.” Mystery replies, obeying Zoey’s request without any argument. He moves onto the bed, however, instead of sitting down next to her, he places his head onto her lap while laying against the comfortable mattress.
Zoey’s face burns as she watches Mystery, tucking a small amount of damp hair behind her ear before reaching down to lightly nudge his hair out of his eyes. Her pulse stops when both of his lilac eyes are on her and even with his eyes showing, she can’t read Mystery. He’s very blank in his expressions but she’s come to notice Mystery is more of an affirming touch kind of guy. He doesn’t need words, though he seems to appreciate it, but instead craves the feeling of skin-to-skin contact.
“You should stop hiding your eyes.” Zoey says, using her fingers to try and style his hair upside down, wanting to see his eyes properly.
“Why?”
Pouting her lips, she lightly flicks his forehead. “You just want me to say it.”
Mystery seems highly amused. “Maybe.”
Zoey tries to be annoyed, but she can’t keep it up very long, laughing a bit instead. “You have pretty eyes, Mystery. You don’t need to cover them all the time. Maybe style your hair a little. You’re really attractive.”
He didn’t expect Zoey to call him attractive and when his face turns slightly red, Zoey has heart eyes blooming in her eyes. She’s never seen Mystery blush or feel embarrassed, the demon usually stoic or slightly aggressive, and now she always wants to see him blush.
Something she also notices is that Mystery’s demon patterns are beginning to show on his visible arm and his neck, glancing down at him. Mystery is avoiding her gaze like the plague, her voice teasing as she speaks. “Your demon patterns seem to show every time you get shy.”
Mystery clears his throat awkwardly. “...Maybe you should have made that your lyric then.”
Zoey is taken aback by Mystery’s harmless joke, lightly tugging at his cheek in retaliation with a small laugh. “Don’t make fun of my lyrics.”
“Wasn’t.”
One word replies would usually annoy Zoey because it often is a sign that someone isn’t interested, but with Mystery, it feels different. He’s clearly interested in her even if he only replies in one word replies―it’s just how he is. He’s a demon who hasn’t felt the loving touch of another for who knows how many years.
He leans into her hand that is currently caressing his cheek, eyes closed as he relaxes against her lap. Zoey thinks he’s similar to a large dog minus the drool.
They stay in that position for some time, Zoey glancing over at the time. It reads almost two in the morning and while they are on a break, she doesn’t want to make a habit of going to sleep this late. “Mystery, I have to go to sleep soon.”
Mystery’s eyes flutter open as he tilts his head up slightly to look up at her, his eyes almost tired looking. “Okay.” he mutters before pushing himself up into a sitting position. Zoey misses the warmth from his head on her lap already.
Zoey doesn’t want him to go.
“You can stay the night… if you want.” Zoey awkwardly says. She doesn’t see the harm in letting Mystery stay over. He’s been respectful and heavily mindful of his hands, something she finds attractive. “It’s up to you.”
Mystery glances at her from where he sits on the edge of the bed, his eyes slightly uncovered from Zoey tampering with his hair earlier, and he nods. He moves to join Zoey underneath the warm covers, keeping his distance just enough so that he doesn’t fall off of the bed.
Zoey lays on her side, her back facing Mystery, and she finds the distance a little cold. “You can come closer, Mystery.” She reassures, wanting to feel Mystery’s warmth―to know that he’s truly here with her.
There’s no movement for a few seconds until Mystery scoots himself closer to Zoey, wrapping his strong arms around her frame, his chest pressed against her back. “Okay?”
“Mhm, okay.” Zoey replies, the warmth from Mystery is comforting and she’s always wanted a moment like this. She’s seen this in so many romance movies and dramas across her life and now that she’s getting a chance to experience it, she can see why it’s an overused concept.
Mystery’s chin rests on top of her head, their legs slightly entangled, and while Zoey can’t tell if Mystery is asleep or just eerily still, she closes her eyes and allows sleep to overtake her.
Zoey can only hope and pray that Rumi and Mira don’t find them like this in the morning because all hell would break loose. For now, she doesn’t care.
This is right where she wants to be.
With Mystery.