Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The Saja Boys teleport to the other stage, energy thrumming in their veins. Baby drops onto the centre, ready to shine. Now’s his moment.

“Unh! Bichinaneun fame. Gyesok oecheo I’m your idol.
Thank you for the pain cause it got me going viral!
Oh yeah, naji anneun fever
Makin’ you a believer
Nareul wihae neon jonjae haneun aideul!”

Jinu dances to the rap by the sidelines, nodding in pride. Baby’s lines sink into the beat, the rhythm, lines flowing fast and snappy. Gwi-Ma thumps up the bass, so hard that his ears pop and the ground beneath their feet starts vibrating. He can practically feel the force rattling his frame, regular thumps shaking the stage. His teeth chatter in his mouth, shaking uncontrollably. He’s glad he’s not the one performing. Jinu looks around, but the other Saja Boys seem fine with this, comfortable even.

Does Gwi-Ma really need to make it this hard? It’s a miracle that Baby’s rap can even be heard above all the thumping.

And then Baby’s part is over, voice fading into the beat that wavers and dies as the Saja Boys bend down to the crowd, and continue singing. Gwi-Ma burns brightly in the back, but the thumping bass is gone, leaving their singing and background instrumentals to carry the song.

That’s odd. Gwi-Ma had certainly never told them about this.

They float upwards, song complete, souls entranced. All humans beneath them hypnotised. The crowd moves forward mindlessly, approaching the stage like zombies. Jinu feels a pang of remorse deep down inside, beneath all his suppressed emotions. It’s a shame that what Rumi proposed couldn’t be. That them two could never be.

“Oh.” A voice calls out in beautiful harmony below them. It’s Rumi, and despite everything, Jinu’s overwhelmed by sadness. It’s too late for her. It’s too late for all of them. The Saja Boys all open their eyes, glowering at her. Except Baby, who keeps his firmly shut, swaying back and forth in the air slightly. Jinu leans forward to see Mystery nudge him, hard, and his eyes snap open, cat-like pupils narrowing at Rumi.

Jinu’s forehead wrinkled in confusion. That’s even stranger.

He looks down and sees her singing, Mira and Zoey joining her from the crowd. The song is so pure, so wholesome and positive it even makes Jinu feel hope. He can see it in the other Saja Boys too, Romance’s shoulders slightly loosening, Abby hands relaxing, Mystery’s posture breaking. Except Baby, who stays rigid, eyes slightly blank.

A sea of mogrifs rush out of the ground swarming the girls, who continue undeterred, moving towards the centre. They slash and slaughter and kill, singing and smiling all the while.

Jinu’s almost proud.

Gwi-Ma's voice whispers in his mind, in all of their minds. “Kill them.” And then follows a series of complicated tapping, practically imprinting into their minds that Baby nods along to.

Okay. What the hell?

What’s even weirder is that none of the other Saja Boys seem remotely confused by this. Romance and Abby flash Baby a thumbs up while Mystery pats him on the shoulder.

Forget it. It was time to focus.

They swoop down to the ground, Romance and Abby lunging for Mira, Baby and Mystery going for Zoey, but Jinu pauses. He can see her struggling against Gwi-Ma’s fire, baring it with her sword. She’s so strong, but it’s weakening her, eating away at her. Against his will, tears spring to his eyes, blurring the world around him. It hurts to see her hurt, hurts more than the voices in his head.

He can’t endure this anymore.

Jinu teleports to the fire, taking on the heat. The pain is so much that his mind can barely comprehend it, crumbling into madness, but the sight of her keeps him sane. He can see her struggling, hands hovering hesitantly, unsure of what to do, and his heart breaks a little bit more. He wishes she could be happy. Free.

But at least he can keep her alive.

He can see her eyes brimming with tears, and he apologizes. For everything.

“No. I wanted to set you free.” Her voice is so full of pain it hurts him.

“You did. You gave me my soul back.”

He’s fading away, body disintegrating, burning away in little pink sparks. He can feel his soul burning bright inside him, refusing to disappear, and a tear slipped down his face.

He had it all along.

“And now… I give it to you.”

Mystery tugs Baby’s sleeve, both of them watching open mouthed as Jinu sacrifices himself.

Jinu’s soul pours out of him, glowing blue, swirling around Rumi before settling into her sword. A tear trickles down Rumi’s face as she bows her head, taking a second to mourn before slicing through Gwi-Ma. He splits in half with an agonizing scream before reforming, mouth twisted in laughter.

Rumi rushes forwards, swirling with colour and light, ready to destroy Gwi-Ma. Her heart is refuelled by determination, sword powered by Jinu’s soul.

Mystery and Baby turn back to Zoey, surrounded by her skin-kals, grinning at the boys. She rushes towards Mystery and knocks him backwards, revealing his face, while Baby slinks into the shadows.

“Wow! You’re just my type!” She squeals before stabbing him. Mystery looks at Baby sadly, mouth lifted into a half smile before he disappears, returning to the demon world.

Mira makes short work of Romance and Abby, and the three girls fly towards the centre, floating in a circle of rainbow lights, flickering in and out of colour and light. A new Honmoon forms above Gwi-Ma, banishing him to the underworld, stretching above and over the world. The dark pink and black spots are scourged from the ground while the sky lightens to a light blue.

Ribbons of soul float outwards from the fans, forming the new Honmoon. It shimmers with hope and light, and maybe a little sadness too. But it feels fresh. Ready for a new start.

The girls float to the ground, smiling at each other, in marvel of the new Honmoon. This beautiful creation of theirs, that speaks to change. Bobby sighs in the crowd, hands over his heart. The fans' souls have been saved, swaying in time to the song, united. It’s a true fairytale ending. The world is renewed, best friends reunited, main romantic lead’s soul saved. All the loose ends are tied up neatly.

Except for the deaf, blue-haired demon abandoned inside Namsan Tower.

Chapter Text

Baby’s eyes flickered open, and for a second all he could see was darkness. He sat up, rubbing his eyes panickedly, blinking rapidly. Slowly, his eyes adjusted to the darkness, the faded red and pink glows lighting up the stage. The show was clearly over.

And he was alone.

He could remember Jinu dying, Mystery dying, Romance and Abby dying, their bodies evaporating into nothingness. Still, it was instinct to call out to them.

“Mystery! Abby!” The noise was silent in his head, the only proof of sound the vibrations in his throat. He wondered if he was making any noise at all. “Romance! Jinu! Guys!” He could feel his voice breaking in his throat, crumbling into silence.

If a tree falls in the forest and there’s no one to hear it, does it make a sound?

If a boy screams and no one can hear him, not even himself, did he really make a noise?

Baby scrambled to his feet, eyes flickering around in the darkness. He morphed into his human form, eyes turning teal, hair brightening, skin lightening. Slowly, he floated out of Namsan Tower, through the open air top. The crowd has disappeared, arena empty. And his boys are gone.

Slowly he touched down to the ground, walking down the street. He crossed his arms defensively, hat jammed over his distinctive blue hair. His shoulders were tense, posture rigid, steps angry. It was hard to relax when his default mode was pissed. And when his only friends had vanished.

His face instinctively settled into a scowl, scowling at random people. Scowling at old ladies that tutted and shook their heads. Scowling at little children, who sometimes burst into tears at his glowering face. Thank goodness he couldn’t hear that. Scowling at excited fan girls, who oohed and ahhed at his face, only pissing him off even more.

Baby caught a look at himself in a grocery store window. He looked like a cross between a troublesome, argumentative teenager who probably dealt drugs, and an innocent sweet little child, all smiles and sunshine. This was ridiculous! He was a full grown man, why couldn’t he look his age. He blamed his pastel clothes. And Jinu, for making him wear them.

But he did look like someone who didn’t want to be messed with, and for that, he was grateful.

Baby knew where he had to go; to the Saja Boy’s apartment. He knew it was delusional, but he was hoping, against all hopes, that maybe one of them could have somehow found their way back there.

He ran into the stairwell, jumping up the stairs two and three at a time, overcome in his eagerness to see one of, any of the Saja Boys. Slamming the door open, he burst into the apartment.

It hadn’t really been a home, more of a go in-between place that smelt of stage makeup and leather jackets. There was one large bed, a couch, two chairs and a small rug. The kitchen had the bare bones of a stove and fridge. But it was all they had.

It stank of loneliness, a thin layer of dust coating the floor. Little motes of dust danced in the sunlight that coated the pistachio green walls, slowly floating to the ground. Baby moved quietly, almost afraid to disturb the silence into the bedroom, and flung open the door to reveal…

Nothing. Shadows and darkness cast on the walls, and an empty bed. Just to be sure, Baby flung over the blanket, hoping that someone could be huddled underneath. No one was.

He sat on the bed, collapsing with a giant oof, throwing himself backwards. He felt drained of hope, running on empty. What was he supposed to do?

At the very least change out of these clothes. He went to their wardrobe, pulling it open to reveal…

Goth clothes. Emo clothes in all shades of black and grey. Mystery’s choosing. Flirty clothes, with low collars (he wasn’t even sure if that counted as a collar) and only three buttons. Romance’s choice, and clothes chosen for Abby by Gwi-Ma. The man hated showing his body, but of course the demon lord didn’t care about that.

Almost as if thinking about him was a catalyst, the intense battering of emotions started in his head. Guilt, fear, pain, loss, anger. So much that it flooded Baby’s head, knocking him to the ground. Gwi-Ma was never usually this intense.

He pressed his eyes shut, waiting for it to end. He hated being Gwi-Ma’s puppet, hated having his feelings played with - literally. The other Saja Boys said he was lucky to not hear the voices, but at least then he’d hear something.

Finally, the intense waves ended, and Baby forced himself from the ground, prying his eyes open. For a second he could see something, a girl, standing on the balcony. He blinked a few times, rubbing his eyes. Maybe it was a hallucination? He could have sworn he’d seen her before. Having your memories scoured of the past messes with the mind.

But she looked so real that he couldn’t help walking out onto the balcony towards her.

Not daring to make eye contact, he stared into the street below eyes following the tiny lights from cars.

Finally he looked up into her dark brown eyes, and they stared back at him expectantly. Shit. Had she said something?

“I can’t hear you.” Just to make it extra clear, Baby pointed at his ears and shook his finger. Her forehead wrinkled slightly into a frown, closing her eyes and opening them to look at him.

Baby didn’t know what he was expecting, but it certainly wasn’t this.

Her eyes had changed to pits of darkness that spread outwards onto her face, corrupting her pale skin. Slowly, her mouth opened to reveal jagged teeth, dripping with saliva and blood.

Nope.

Baby ran back into the apartment, slamming the door shut and closing his eyes. This couldn’t be happening. Could it?

He peeked through a half shut-eyelid, and saw her standing there, back facing the door, hair swaying in the wind.

She stayed there stubbornly, refusing to disappear, so Baby did what any responsible person would do when hallucinating. Ignore it.

He turned back to the wardrobe. Suits. A lot of suits. Jinu’s favourite clothes. He’d discovered them, and despite the Saja Boys protests had ordered at least fifty, which now cluttered the wardrobe. Some hanging, some folded, some crumpled helplessly on the floor.

Sadness gripped his heart, the emotion entirely his this time. His throat tightened painfully, tears flooding his eyes. For a second the entire world went blurry, and then he rubbed his eyes. His fists came away wet, but at least his face wasn’t stained. He took a deep breath, then another, compartmentalising his emotions. Time was of the essence.

Huddled in a little corner were Baby’s clothes. Soft hoodies, t-shirts, baggy jeans and a few suits that Jinu had forced on him. And those painfully bright electric blue cargo pants Romance had bought him. He considered his options before pulling out a stiff collared dress shirt, a black hoodie and the cargo pants. Even if they were obnoxiously bright, at least they were somewhat functional.

Taking a deep shuddering breath, he took one final look at the girl before shaking his head. Hallucinations of the past were always bad, and nothing good could come from interacting with the ghosts in his head.

If she was a hallucination.

Quickly changing into the clothes, he sprinted out of the room, jumping down the stairs two and three at a time before bounding into the street.

The sunlight practically assaulted him, stabbing him in the eyes. Baby shielded them with his hand before walking downtown, a man on a mission.

He had a band to visit.

Chapter Text

Rumi, Mira and Zoey were jamming to music in their apartment, to a new artist. Rumi swayed with the song, movement fluid and free, humming along to the tune. Mira kept jumping into ninja poses in time to the beat, doing flips and kicks. Zoey was vibing to the music, doing exaggerated lip syncing and skipping around in circles.

Rumi closed her eyes, enjoying the feeling of fresh air on her skin. Wrapping up for so long, covering her patterns, she’d almost forgotten what it felt like to be free. She let the music sink into her skin, bouncing her shoulders in time with the beat, shaking her head from side to side.

Mira felt safe. Of course, practising her martial art skills could never hurt, but for the first time in a while, she felt safe. She had a family now. No more secrets, no more lies. The truth was out, and seeing the silver patterns shimmer on Rumi’s skin brought a smile to her face. They were beautiful. She was beautiful. And her new family was safe.

Zoey was entirely lost in her own world, jumping up and down to the tune. It was the type that wormed into her brain, making her hum along and sing the lyrics at the chorus. It was the type to make her want to move and dance and sing and just be. Because for the first time, she knew that she was enough.

Their weapons were discarded, Zoey’s shin-kals scattered on the floor, Mira scythe lying on the floor, and Rumi’s sword leaning against the wall, wrapped in a blanket. Mira and Zoey didn’t know why, and they didn’t want to know why. Rumi had enough quirks.

The sword fell to the floor with a thud, catching her attention.She ran to the sword, picking it up and dancing with it. Mira and Zoey whooped as she spun with the sword like a dance partner. Her very own dance partner.

As she swirled and swung around, she could have sworn that she saw Jinu face in the mist, smiling softly, ‘Be happy.’ his smile seemed to say. Rumi smiled back, though her throat felt tight. “I’m trying.” She whispered.

“What?” asked Mira, barely catching the tail end of what Rumi had said. She paused in her energetic and somewhat violent dancing, “Did you say something?”

“Hmm? No, nothing.” Rumi said breezily, before dropping the sword with a mental apology to Jinu and dancing around in circles with Zoey.

Mira frowned, bending over and picking up the sword. She held it up close to her eyes, squinting narrowly and slowly scanning it. Nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary, except of course the blue colour. That was new.

She put it to the side, giving it one final glare. “I’m watching you, sword.” She growled, before turning back to Rumi and Zoey.
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Living in a sword was hard.

Jinu didn’t feel the need for food and water any more, but it would be nice to have some. He missed the sweet taste of hotteok, the spicy tang of kimchi, and the cold freshness of water. Heck, even some soda pop would be welcome now.

The worst part about it was that he couldn’t hear anything. He couldn’t hear the faint hissing of the mist, he couldn’t hear his own breath, he couldn’t hear Rumi’s voice.

He missed Rumi’s voice.

The constant silence felt enough to drive him mad as he was left alone, really alone with his thoughts. He didn’t know what had happened. Had he gone deaf? Mad? Was it just a side effect?

Would it ever end?

The days were long and the nights were longer, and the lights were always on. The sword was always glowing, though sometimes a little bit less when it wasn’t attached to Rumi. He hated to admit it, but sometimes being away from Rumi felt like a lifesaver, for his sleep and his eyes.

Now was one of these rare moments, and Jinu was enjoying the dimmed lights on his poor eyes, when he felt vibrations. Through the sword. His eyes snapped open, and he jolted up from the ground, pressing his hands against the cool glass boundary.

He could see the three of them dancing to the music, Rumi in the centre. She looked absolutely ridiculous, confident, and beautiful…

He wished he could be there, with her, dancing along to the music that he couldn't hear.

Argh! This was so bloody infuriating. He slammed his hands into the glass, and the entire structure trembled.

“Woah.” He whispered, though of course he couldn’t hear it. In all the time he’d been trapped here, it had never occurred to him that he could break out. He slammed into the wall, again and again and again, till his palms were a bright red and his shoulders were bruised. One final push.

He hit the wall with full force, and for a second nothing happened. Then slowly, he could feel gravity changing as he slid down the floor, crashing into the side of the sword. It fell to the ground, and Jinu hit the floor.

Eventually he stood up, looking at this new perspective. He had a much larger floor, and a very small ceiling height. Looking outwards, he could see Rumi coming towards him, lifting the sword up. Jinu felt a curious sensation in his stomach as he rose through the air, stopping at Rumi’s head height.

She spun the sword around, dancing with it like a partner. Nonplussed, Jinu stood on one spot, revolving helplessly as she jabbed through the air. For a second she paused, looking into the sword, and Jinu could have sworn her eyes met his. He rushed up to the very edge, body pressed against the glass like he wanted to phase through it. He needed to leave this place, be with her. But all he could do was gaze through the glass at her, wishing her happiness.

She nodded slightly, and said something, her lips moving.

Jinu wanted to blow his own brains out with frustration.

He. Couldn’t. Fucking. Hear. Her.

And then she turned to the side and dropped the sword, and Jinu fell to the ground, looking up at her with admittedly teary eyes. If this was the closest to Rumi he could get, he’d take it.

Then he felt the sword being picked up and he jolted from the floor, eager to see Rumi. But it was Mira. She scanned the sword, looking at him, gaze practically penetrating his body. Jinu flinched; her eyes were a mix of protectiveness, suspicion and anger, all directed at him.

She said something and dropped him to the side. He couldn’t hear (would he ever get used to that?) but he got the general gist of it.

This sucked.

Chapter Text

Mystery’s eyes fluttered open, and the first thing he registered was a pounding headache, and a crick in his neck. His hands flew to his neck, feeling for the wound, but there was nothing. His skin was smooth, unblemished. Sitting up, he saw Romance next to him, and Abby a few metres away. He shuffled over to Romance, shaking him by the shoulders. His eyes snapped open, and he sat up with a gasp so suddenly he clonked Mystery in the head.

Mystery leaned back, jaw clenched, headache rapidly intensifying. “Hnnngg!” He whined in pain.

Romance was clutching his forehead, rocking back and forth. “Ow. Ow. Ow.” He repeated, finding solace in the words. “Ow.” Eventually he looked up, and made his way to Abby.

“Abby, wake up!” He hissed, shaking the demon. Abby opened his eyes, and blinked bemusedly a few times.

“Wake up!” Romance said again, pulling him to his feet with some difficulty. Abby looked around, squinting slightly, “Where’s Baby?”

“Oh shit.” Romance whispered under his breath, hand to his mouth. “He’s not here.” He ran back to Mystery and pulled him up too. “We’re missing Baby.”

Under his curtain of hair Mystery’s eyes widened, “Shit.”

“We need to find him. ASAP.” Abby chimed in, face set in determination.

“How?” Mystery cried in desperation, and Abby put an arm over his shoulders in comfort, “We can’t even call him, he won’t hear us.”

Meanwhile Romance had already wandered off, “Baby! Baby!” He started yelling, running around in zigzags. Mystery and Abby exchanged glances in the universal feeling of watching an idiot at work, rolling their eyes affectionately. Abby ran after him, calling his name, “Romance! Come back you idiot!”

Mystery rubbed his aching forehead, trying to think of a way they could find Baby. They’d just have to look really hard, and hope that Baby found his way back to them.

Abby and Romance returned to him, slightly out of breath and sweaty, “I forgot.” Romance huffed, bending over and resting his hands on his knees. Mystery rolled his eyes and opened his mouth to explain his plan when Gwi-Ma cut him off, talking in their minds.

“All three of you to the altar, now.”

When it came to Gwi-Ma’s commands, they were powerless. As one, they slowly began walking towards the altar, dawdling and dallying for as long as they could to delay the inevitable.

“I can’t believe Jinu abandoned us.” Mystery said, breaking the silence that had settled between them.

“I know right? And for a Hunter too.” Romance scoffed, “I mean don’t get me wrong, they were all hot, Mira particularly. But I’d never betray you guys for her. Or any of them!”

“Maybe he just got carried away?” Abby said, though it sounded more like a question.

“Carried away my arse. He was in love with the girl. In two weeks too!” Romance shook his head.

“Can you even fall in love over two weeks?” Mystery asked, voice breaking into laughter towards the end. It was his peculiar hiccupy laughing that set the other two off.

“I don’t know, but he certainly managed it.” Abby spluttered in between the chuckling. “He was so invested in his two week situationship he didn’t even notice Baby’s deaf.”

“Really?” Romance blurted, voice going high with surprise.

Mystery sighed, shaking his head good humouredly, “Romance, sometimes I swear you’re more oblivious than Jinu.”

Abby tailed on, “I mean, half the time when he was talking to Baby he didn’t even bother to catch his attention. How the poor boy was meant to lip read I have no idea.”

Romance shrugged, “I thought he was being lazy.”

“Even laziness gets to a certain point.”

Gwi-Ma’s fire hit them like a furnace to the face, blasting them with heat and they flinched. They edged closer and closer until they were at the edge of the stairs. In single file they climbed up, Romance at the front, Abby in the middle and Mystery hidden in the back. They lined up in front of him, and each one of them bowed.

Gwi-Ma spoke, heavy with judgement, “You have failed.”

Mystery’s back trembled slightly, though the rest of him was stock still.

“Rise.” They straightened out of their bows, Romance stretching his back with a sigh.

“For your crimes against demonkind-” Gwi-Ma was cut off as Romance asked, “Crimes? What did we do?”

Gwi-Ma’s fire smouldered, and Romance clutched his head, pupils shrinking as the pain overwhelmed him. Mystery winced in sympathy.

“For your crimes against demonkind,” Gwi-Ma continued, voice loud, “I banish you from the underworld. You are broken tools, and ones I am finished with. Begone!”

Their demon bodies fell like puppets with their strings cut, crumpled on the ground.
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Romance opened his eyes blearily, and was instantly attacked by sunlight. “Agh!” He yelled, swishing the curtains shut. Slowly coming to his senses, he looked around. They were in their own apartment.

Furthermore, for the first time in eternity, his head was clear. No voices, no whispers, no background flame crackling. Just silence. Was this how Baby felt?

Mystery’s loud groaning filled the air, “My head. Oh god it hurts so bad.”

The pain from earlier had multiplied, making it feel like a metal band was being tightened around his skull, crushing his brain. And the voices.

“Useless.”

“Worthless.”

“You don’t deserve to be loved.”

High pitched, sweet and utterly cruel giggles echoed in his mind, driving him up the wall.

“You aren’t human. You aren’t even worthy to be an animal. You’re nothing.”

Mystery clamped his hands over his ears, trying to silence them. It was so excruciating even breathing felt like a challenge.

In.

Out.

In.

Out.

Mystery whined, clamping his ears tighter and swaying on his feet. It couldn’t cut through the pain.

Undeterred, Abby and Romance rushed over to him, pulling his hands away from his ears. They came away sticky with blood. Bright red.

“It’s jam.” Mystery slurred, sniffing his fingers. He swayed on the spot before falling into Abby’s arms. Warm, safe. His eyes fluttered weakly a few times before closing.

Abby and Romance looked at each other, eyes widened, thinking the same thought.

Oh shit.

Chapter Text

Baby didn’t notice the whispers as he walked down the street, hands jammed in his pockets. He didn’t hear the sniggers, the titters, the muttering. At one point he did notice some people pointing rather unsubtly at him, but he shrugged it off.

“What is he wearing?”

“What a freak.”

“He kinda looks like someone I know…”

Pretty soon a small crowd had gathered behind the oblivious demon, trailing him downtown. Baby froze, halting entirely and the crown behind him shuffled to a stop. As if sensing something, Baby turned around, facing the crowd with a stony face.

“Hey freak! What are you wearing?” Someone called, to various wolf-whistles and applause.

Baby stared into the crowd blankly, forehead wrinkled with confusion.

“Hey freak! Can you hear me or what?”

Still no response from Baby. It was all silence to him.

“Hey freak,” The catcalling teenager shoved through the crowd, pushing through people till he reached Baby. “Are you deaf?” His mouth twisted absurdly, exaggerating the movements and throwing Baby off entirely.

He could see the clear aggression in his face, and he backed away slowly, hands balling by his sides instinctively.

“Are you ignoring me, freak?”

Baby’s breathing quickened as he resisted the urge to sink into invisibility. It was simpler to stick by the sidelines, slide into his place. The deaf quiet kid, forever ignored, overlooked. At least it meant he wouldn’t be a target.

But he was done. The little spark of a spitfire woke up in him, screaming its head off in indignance. The devilry that had possessed him to light the kitchen on fire (twice), cut all of Jinu’s buttons with scissors, and stab Abby in the arms numerous times with a kitchen knife ‘because he was bored’ was burning with annoyance.

After all, he hadn’t dressed to fit in.

He jerked his head up in a (hopefully) aggressive way, and lunged towards the boy. Taken aback, he tripped over his own feet, falling onto the floor. The crowd turned on him with laughs and boos.

As far as Baby was concerned, it was pathetic. He strode to the boy’s head, lifting a foot and holding it an inch above his throat. A threat. Simple. Wordless.

Baby always did his best work in silence.

He couldn’t hear the whimpers of the teen beneath him, but he could see the pure fear on his face. Baby cocked an eyebrow, and he scrambled off the floor, scurrying away. He faced the rest of the crowd, eyebrow still raised, and they slowly dispersed, breaking up into twos and threes.

A little girl split from her mother, running up to him. “Are you…” She panted, out of breath, “Baby Saja?”

She was sucking a lollipop, little pink tongue licking as she mumbled. Baby half smiled at her, completely and totally confused. What on earth had she said?

“Well?” She demanded. He understood the look of condescension well enough.

Shrugging, he patted her on the shoulder as her mother rushed towards him, dragging her away. “Sorry sir, she knows better than to talk to strangers.”

Understanding the general gist of an apology, he nodded graciously and continued on his way.

He could be nice like that.

Walking up to Huntrix’s giant tower, he crossed his arms and frowned pensively. He’d have to teleport up there to avoid security, and even then, he wasn’t really sure what to do…

The sword. Jinu was in the sword. He’d have to take it.

Plan formed, he ducked into an alleyway to teleport. The last thing he needed was more people asking him questions he couldn’t understand.
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As he unfortunately didn’t quite have the blueprint for the building, instead of teleporting into the lift, he teleported into the lift shaft. Dim white lights flickered from overhead, pressing back against the darkness. He couldn’t hear, he couldn’t see, he couldn’t breathe.

Balancing on the narrow ledge, he pressed his back against the wall, hands splayed desperately onto the steel. Deep breaths. His heart was going 230 miles an hour, thumping so hard he was surprised it hadn’t jumped out of his chest.

He looked down and instantly regretted it; not only was the fall gargantuan, but he could just make out the lift far below. Moving upwards.

Not only was he stranded in a lift shaft, the lift was coming upwards to kill him.

He had to teleport. But to teleport he needed to use his hands. Taking them away from the wall, he wobbled on the edge, struggling to keep his balance. He could feel the structure vibrating as the lift came closer and closer…
_________________________________________________________________________
He crashed into the metal side of the lift, hitting his hip bone on the railing as he fell to the floor. He groaned as spikes of pain radiated through his side. Part of him was tempted to just lie there on the floor, but he had a mission to do.

Reaching upwards, he slammed his hand into the top number, 13, before closing his eyes. He deserved a jot of rest after that scare.

All too soon he felt the lift shudder to a stop, and he slowly pushed himself to his feet. The doors slid open just as he regained his balance, and he walked into their apartment.

He could feel music thrumming through the floor, vibration thumping with a heavy beat. He tiptoed to the room where the music was coming from. Peeking inside, he could see the three of them jumping around like crazy people to music he couldn’t hear.

And there was the sword. Lying discarded next to the wall, glowing a soft blue. Baby was itching to lay his hands on it.

He just had to be. Very. Careful.

Creeping inside, he slunk behind the sofa to reach it, practically crawling on his knees at one point. He was three metres away, two metres away, one metre away…

Mira caught him by his hood, lifting him partially into the air so he couldn’t breathe.

“I know you’re a fan, but this is an invasion of privacy. Leave now, or I’ll call the police,”

He writhed like a fish on a line, jerking back and forth, desperately trying to breathe. Mira caught sight of his bright teal hair and let him go in shock. Baby tumbled forwards, right next to the sword.

“Baby?” Mira gasped as he scrambled to his feet, clutching it. Rumi and Zoey joined her, the three of them facing the demon. Baby levelled the sword at them, eyes narrowed.

“Baby, what are you doing here?” Rumi asked, hands held upwards placatingly. Baby back away slowly towards the door, sword still held up.

“And what are you wearing?”

“Zoey!”

Baby scowled, as if he knew they were talking about his clothes.

“Wait, how are you even alive?”

One hand holding the sword, one hand fumbling with the door handle, Baby pushed it open. They all froze.

Then he bolted.

He ran helter-skelter to the lift, jamming the down button as Rumi, Mira and Zoey raced after him. The doors opened, and he slid in. They were closing, closing and Huntrix was too far away. He’d done it!

Zoey burst in at the last second, just as the doors slid shut. The lift erupted into chaos, with glowing weapons, teeth and claws.

“It's a takedown, I'ma take you out, you break down like, "What?"
It's a takedown, I'ma take you out and I ain't gonna stop
정신을 놓고 널 짓밟고 칼을 새겨놔
You'll be beggin' and cryin', all of you dyin', never miss my shot”

Zoey rapped as she fought, spitting words faster than bullets. Her part ended and she looked expectantly at Baby. He lunged towards with the sword and she dodged, the silence stretching awkwardly between them.

“Um… are you… not going to rap?”

He sidestepped the skin-kal she’d thrown at him and kicked her in the thigh. Zoey winced, but ignored it.

“To… y’know, keep up the music battle vibes. No?”

He brought Rumi’s sword down through the air, narrowly missing Zoey and sending sparks flying.

“Can you even hear me?” She asked indignantly as she punched him in the face. Baby’s head snapped backwards, blood gushing out of his nose.

“Oh shit! Sorry, no not sorry, but are you okay?” He lifted his sleeve to his nose, stemming the flow and giving her an injured look. Her hands fluttered around him, unsure of what to do. Then he vanished in a puff of smoke, taking the sword with him, leaving Zoey behind.

She stood in the bloodstained elevator, as if waiting for him to return.

How weird.

She had no idea demons could bleed.

Chapter Text

Baby sprinted down the street, blood trickling from his nose. If possible, he was somehow getting more weird looks now than he had before. It was probably the blood.

Paused for a second to wipe his nose, he ran all the way to their apartment, legs flailing awkwardly, one hand clutching the sword. He skidded to a halt, bending over, hands on his knees.

After several deep breaths he straightened up again, still panting slightly. Demons don’t bleed, he didn’t bleed.

So what the hell was happening?

Lunging up the stairs two and three at a time, he burst into the apartment, flinging the sword down on the bed. Looking out the window, he could still see the girl, gazing far out. Definitely wasn’t going there.

Walking into the living room, he saw Mystery on the floor, with Romance kneeling by his side and Abby pacing worriedly. His expression brightened when he saw Baby, and he said something to Romance.

“Well that’s one less thing to worry about.”

Baby tilted his head curiously, wondering what they were saying and Romance repeated it in front of him.

“What’s wrong with Mystery?”

“We don’t know.”

Baby raised an eyebrow, and started to walk over to him when Abby caught him by the shoulders. “Woah, what happened to your nose?”

“Was… in fight with Zoey.”

He ran to the bedroom and brought out the sword, proudly displaying it to them, “Jinu’s in here.”

Romance snatched it from him, bringing it close to his eyes, “Jinu?” He whispered, shaking it slightly, “Jinu?”

Abby meanwhile was looking down at Mystery, trying to figure out what to do. He picked him up from the bed, balancing his lanky frame with difficulty.

Baby whacked Abby on the forearm, forcing him to let go of Mystery who fell to the floor.

“We should take him to a hospital.”

“So they can poke around in him and discover he’s a demon?”

“What do you think we should do?”

“I think… I think we should ask Huntrix for help.”

Just then, Romance flung the sword to the ground, “Cheeky little bastard doesn’t want to come out.”

Baby groaned. Just minutes after he’d fled from Huntrix, here was Abby suggesting he should go back to them.

Baby opened his mouth to argue and the world went dark, like someone had blotted out the sun. Gwi-Ma. Baby opened and closed his eyes numerous times, but it made no difference. His breath quickened as he felt around blindly in the darkness. His worst fear. He couldn’t see, he couldn’t hear. He couldn’t fight.

The ground started trembling beneath his feet, vibration spreading through his body, destroying what little situational awareness he had left. Curling up into a ball, he screwed his eyes shut against the darkness, waiting for the torture to end before what little sanity he had left was shredded.

“Baby! Baby!” Romance shook him as the maknae started rocking back and forth, lips moving soundlessly as he clamped his hands over his ears. His eyes snapped open, wild, unseeing as he felt around blindly.

Abby picked him off the floor, shaking him up and down like a maraca in hopes of jolting him out of Gwi-Ma’s punishment. All it did was disorient Baby even more in the darkness, which was still trembling, combined with violence. He started screaming, a high-pitched keening which went on and on and on, sounding slightly inhumane.

He could see an outline of the girl, the girl by the window, no longer by the window but in front of him. Her white dress faintly glowed, swathes of fabric whipping around in the non-existent wind. Relieved he could see again, Baby squirmed out of Abby's grip, and ran towards her, towards the light. Even that was better than darkness.

Slowly she turned to face him, and he could see very clearly what he’d missed before. She was dead. Her face had taken on a shade of pale white, and bruises speckled her neck. Her eyes were still darkness, bleeding down her face, but her mouth had changed. It smiled at him now, a normal, pretty smile, and Baby hesitantly smiled back.

She reached towards him, long nails as sharp as razors, and Baby stepped back. She frowned, leaning forwards, a single claw reaching towards his cheek, cutting the skin.

He ran, blindly through the darkness, away from the light.

Baby smashed into a wall, and the darkness slowly faded, the trembling coming to an end. Light bled into the world, soft, golden sunlight dripping into the black. His nosebleed restarted, dripping off his face as he turned around, eyes blown wide with panic.

“You’re okay,” Romance said soothingly, slowly walking towards Baby, “You’re okay. You’re back.” Baby shook his head wildly, not understanding the words. Romance reached him and gently extracted him from the wall, pulling him away. Baby shuddered, muttering things he didn’t understand and pushing Romance off.

“I’m fine.” Baby wobbled on his feet, leaning against the wall for support. Romance crossed his arms, and opened his mouth to protest when Abby intervened, “He’s fine.” His eyes met Baby’s, filled with concern, but understanding. Some things should stay buried.

“Right now, we need to help Mystery and figure out how to get Jinu out.”

“If he deserves to get out.” Romance muttered.

“And we’re going to need Huntrix’s help. Rumi will want to get Jinu out.”

“She’s mad at me.” Baby said, his speech awkward. “I stole her sword.”

“It’s okay Baby.” Romance reassured him, “We’ll figure it out.”

“I don’t regret it, I just…” Baby trailed off, unsure. Unable to meet their pitying gazes, he walked over to Mystery, picking him up from the floor with difficulty. His face was pale, stillness worrying. Baby applied two fingers to his neck and felt a strong pulse.

“Is there no other way?” He asked Abby, pleading.

“We need to save them.”

Baby pressed his bloodstained sleeve to his nose again, wiping away the blood. Just then, Romance stepped closer. “Your cheek. Oh Gwi-Ma, how did this happen?”

Baby hadn't even registered the pain till Romance brought it to attention. He touched it lightly, finger trailing down the cut, coming away with blood. Romance moved his hand to touch it, and Baby blocked him, “Don’t.”

“Sorry, sorry.” Romance stepped backwards, “Do you want a bandage?”

“Do we have any bandages?”

“Ummmm….”

“I didn’t think so. Come on, let's go.” Baby snatched the sword and walked out of the apartment, Romance and Abby following with an unconscious Mystery in tow.

Chapter Text

Zoey took the lift back to their apartment, trying to rub the blood out of her sweater. She gave up when she realised she was only making it worse.

The lift doors slid open and she walked back to see Rumi dragging Mira back from the staircase, “Mira! Zoey can handle herself, she’ll be fine!”

Mira pulled against Rumi, trying to bolt, “She needs me!”

“Um, guys?”

“Zoey!” They both exclaimed, turning around, Rumi releasing Mira.. Rumi gasped, hands flying to her mouth.

“Zoey, you didn’t!”

“Yes Zoey!” They chorused, before looking at each other, shaking their heads.

“Where’s Baby?”

“He got away,” Zoey rubbed her forehead with a blood-stained hand.

“And you’re covered in blood because?”

“I punched him in the nose and he had a nosebleed.”

Mira frowned, brows furrowing, “I thought demons don’t bleed.”

“They don’t.” Rumi confirmed, stepping forwards, “Celine always said…” She trailed off, throat closing at her name. Her skin prickled.

“Said?” Mira prompted quietly.

“That our ability to bleed is one of the things that makes us human. Amongst other things. Demons can’t bleed because they aren’t human.”

“So then how did he have a nosebleed?” Zoey pulled off the sweater, discarding it on the floor.

“I don’t know. More importantly, why did he take my sword?”

“Yeah Rumi, about that.” Mira exchanged a look with Zoey before powering ahead, “We know that…. Something's up.”

“What?” Rumi crossed her arms defensively, “Nothing’s up. You’re up.”

Mira raised an eyebrow, “See? You’re being all weird about it. And why were you dancing with your sword?”

“You were dancing with your scythe!”

Mira crossed her arms, “That’s different and you know it. You were dancing with the sword, and then Baby stole it. Just the sword. He didn’t even try to hurt the rest of us… mostly. You can’t tell me that’s not connected.”

“Well it isn’t!”

“Rumiii” Zoey pleaded, hugging her from behind, “Didn’t we say no more secrets? We promised to share everything, hmmm?”

“Not this!” Rumi yelled before rushing into her room and slamming the door shut. She felt vulnerable without her sword, defenceless.

She missed Jinu so much it was an ache. Every day she got up with an aching heart, and acted like she was okay. She was okay.

So why did it hurt so much?

Why did it hurt so much that it was a pain to breathe without tears? That missing him had become an everyday part of her life, that she woke up feeling empty. Every quiet lull, every moment in between was filled with longing.

She’d barely known him, and that hurt even worse.

Rumi closed her eyes, tilting her head back against the wall to avoid spilling her tears. They rolled out anyways. Being away from her sword brought on a fresh wave of sadness, because at least when she had it with her she could pretend he was in there. She could live peacefully in delusion.

She rubbed her face with a sleeve, those long sleeves, those ‘good girl’, ‘cover up your patterns’ sleeves. She tore it off with a cry of frustration, tearing the shirt to shreds as she sobbed.

“Why?” She whispered, voice hoarse, energy spent, “Why me? Why us Jinu?”

“Rumi!” Mira yelled, banging on the door, “UNLOCK THE DOOR RIGHT NOW OR I SWEAR I’M GOING TO RIP IT OFF THE HINGES!”

“She’s not joking! Neither am I. Let us in!” Zoey squealed.

Rumi quickly pulled on a hoodie, sweeping the discards of her shirt under the bed and quickly drying her eyes. They still looked slightly puffy, but she formed a watery smile. Hopefully enough to fool them.

Mira and Zoey took one look at her before team tagging her with a hug.

“Rumi.” Mira whispered, “You don’t have to be alone. We’re here for you.”

“You can tell us what it is. And even if you don’t want to, we can always have some couch time.”

“You guys…” A warmth rose in Rumi, destroying the tears, “I don’t deserve you.”

“You’re right. You deserve so much more.”

She could practically hear his voice, “Be happy…”

Rumi stepped back from them, half smiling, “Thanks guys. I really needed that.”

Just then the lift hit their floor with a ding. Zoey’s head snapped around to the noise. “Who’s that?”

Mira, Zoey and Rumi rushed out into the living room, only to see Abby carrying an unconscious Mystery, Romance, and a Baby covered with enough blood to rival Zoey.

Mira felt a rush of fear, and definitely no attraction to the stupid smirking, pink-haired demon, leaning attractively by the lift wall.

“Out!” Mira shrieked, summoning her scythe in a single, fluid motion. “Out, out, out!” She leapt over the couch, running towards them.

“Oh shit!” They scattered, dashing off in all directions. Mira groaned in frustration before chasing Romance.

“Rumi, help us!” Romance shrieked as he dodged Mira swings, “We have things to say! Really important things!”

“No you don’t, demon!” Mira yelled, narrowly missing him. Zoey had resorted to throwing skin-kals at Abby and Mystery, missing more often than not as she stopped to sigh at Mystery’s face.

“All right, that’s enough!” Rumi yelled, hands held outwards to stop the chaos, trembling. Miraculously, Mira stopped chasing Romance for a second, and Zoey held onto her skin-kals. Rumi felt exhaustion thrum under her skin, but she ignored it.

“Why are you here?” She asked Baby, who’d been quietly tucked into the corner, not engaging in the fighting. His eyes flickered up to her, disinterested, but he gave no sign of having heard her.

“Hello? You okay up there, demon?” Mira asked sarcastically, tapping her head.

“He’s deaf you bitch!” Romance yelled before punching her in the jaw as she kicked him in the stomach.

“Stop, stop, stop!” Rumi shrieked, voice shaking as she pulled Mira away from him. “Just stop! Can we please have a conversation like normal, reasonable adults?”

“They’re demons! We don’t negotiate with demons!”

“Yeah! Frogs are bitches and we don’t negotiate with terrorists!”

“Zoey, what?”

“Whatever! I’m not listening to whatever they have to say.”

“Beacause they’re demons?”

“Yeah!”

“Well I’m a demon too. You gonna start ignoring me?”

“That’s different, and you know-”

“This banter is all very interesting, but Mystery’s dying here! So a little less yap yap, and a little more help would be useful.” Abby burst out.

“I’m about this close from eviscerating you demon, so watch yourself.”

“Everybody shut up!” Baby yelled from his corner.

“You can’t hear.”

“Irrelevant! We need to talk.” Baby pulled out Rumi’s sword with difficulty from under his sweater.

“Was that meant to look cool?” Mira commented as Romance scowled at her.

Rumi's eyes locked on the sword, “You have my attention. Let’s talk.”

Chapter Text

Huntrix instinctively moved to the couch, and the Saja Boys followed them like lost puppies, Baby clutching the sword. They moved to sit down, when Mira stood up, back so straight it was like someone had shoved an iron rod in it, “Demons don’t sit on the couch. This is our rest place.”

Baby, unhearing had already sat down, sinking into the comfortable material and staring unashamedly at Mira while she glared at him.

“Get up, demon!”

“He can’t hear you, idiot.” Mira scowled at Romance, while Baby rolled his eyes.

Zoey ran to Baby, dragging him to the table. Baby was taken so aback that he let himself be carried along as Zoey peppered him with questions, “How can you bleed? Why can’t you hear? Were you born deaf? Will Mystery-”

“Zoey, he’s deaf,” Rumi laughed against the hollow tiredness building inside of her. “Give him a little space.” Sure enough, Baby had withdrawn in on himself at Zoey’s questions, withering up a little bit every time she spoke to him.

“Oop! Sorry.” Zoey whispered, backing away from him. Baby’s fingers tapped nervously on the table until she moved to a safe distance. They gathered around the table, Abby still precariously balancing Mystery, Mira and Romance glowering and Rumi, eyes transfixed by the sword.

Baby started, “It’s important that we.” They winced, his voice far too loud, and Romance tapped him on the shoulder. Baby raised an inquiring eyebrow, and Romance moved his hand downwards. Baby cleared his throat before restarting, “It’s important that we figure out how to save Mystery and rescue Jinu from the sword.” He sat down, having evidently said his part.

“We? Where’s the we in this? This seems like a Saja Boys problem. You guys should just leave and be grateful that we haven’t killed you.”

Romance’s ears burnt red, but Abby, who’d predicted this, interrupted, “In exchange, we can help you take down Gwi-Ma for good.” Mira’s eyes thrilled with excitement.

Zoey flinched, “He’s still alive?” Mira leant across Romance, tilting her chair forwards to pat Zoey’s hands. “It’s okay, they’re lying. All demons do is lie.” She looked pointedly at Romance.

Romance kicked her chair leg subtly, causing her to fall onto him and his chair to wobble backwards too, both of them on the floor. Romance groaned in a mixture of pain and laughter, while Mira blushed red, with anger. Not attraction.

“You stupid useless pathetic demon!” Mira growled, limbs tangled with his chair pressing uncomfortably into her back.

Romance laughed, “Pathetic compared to Gwi-Ma’s insults. This guy pulls the most creative sentences out of nowhere.”

“I should kill you now and save us all a lot of trouble!” Mira yelled, still sprawled on top of him on the floor, “Rumi?”

Rumi had been staring blankly into the sword, trying to will Jinu back into life, and she didn’t register the call until Abby tapped her shoulder. She looked slowly down at his hand, gaze travelling upwards to meet his eyes. They were warm, completely undemonic and reminded her a little bit of Jinu’s. They were also filled with concern as Abby said words that’s meaning didn’t quite reach Rumi’s ears.

“Rumi? You good?”

“Fine.” She murmured, eyes distancing out again. Abby could recognize grief all too well, shining in her eyes the same way it felt etched in his heart, even after over a hundred years. It was unmistakable in her eyes, the icy cold of absence.

“You liking it down here Princess, or you going to get up?”

“In your dreams, demon!” Mira hissed as she scrambled to her feet, pushing herself off his chest. Romance pulled himself up, an amused smile playing on his lips as she slid back into her chair, hair dishevelled, cheeks flushed.

He quite liked that look.

Whoa. No. Nope. Absolutely not. Romance drew himself up at the thought. He was not going to betray them like Jinu had. And certainly not leave Baby behind. He could never be like that traitor.

Sidling over to Baby, Baby’s eyes met his before he made contact. Romance leaned in, mouth moving directly in Baby’s line of sight.

“I don’t think they’re going to help us.”

Just then Zoey burst out, “We’re going to help you!”

“Wha- Zoey, no!” Mira groaned as Zoey continued.

“Look, Rumi’s clearly pining for Jinu, it can’t hurt to get Mystery back on his feet.” Zoey smiled to herself at that, “And we can take down Gwi-Ma. Three birds, one bullet!”

“It’s stones.”

“I’m half-American! Guns are second nature.” Zoey grinned, leaning back in her chair comfortably, and Baby returned the smile hesitantly. The girl made him nervous, with her constant bubble and talk. Half the time he didn’t have a clue what she was rattling on about. Life hadn’t worn her down yet, she still had a spark.

Baby missed his spark.

“So, are we all in? Rumi?”

It was so empty, Zoey’s voice barely registered, just another whisper floating by in a blank. mind. Rumi could feel herself sinking, could practically feel Celine’s techniques being called out, but when breathing was a difficulty, Rumi didn’t really feel up to seeing five things, hearing four and so on. All she could see was the sword.

She could practically feel the frost of loneliness creeping over her skin, freezing her into place with a coldness that stung. Jinu. She needed Jinu.

But Huntrix needed a leader.

“Yeah. All of us.”

“Well I’m out!” Mira declared, pushing away from the table and stalking to her room. “You guys can try this doomed mission alone.”

She slammed the door shut, boom loud in the silence, jolting Rumi out of her reverie.

“Out of all the selfish, horrid-” Abby laid Mystery in the chair, running to the door, “Mira, come out now!”

Zoey joined in with the battering, “Out! Out! Out! Out!”

“NO!” Mira screeched, “GO AWAY!”

“Please.” Abby’s voice turned hoarse, “We need to save Mystery.”

“GO SCREW YOURSELF, AND YOUR PRECIOUS BANDMATE!”

“Hey! I want Mystery to live!”

“YOU DESERVE BETTER THAN DEMON SCUM ZOEY!”

Romance shoulder shoved into the door, “MIRA. OPEN THE FUCK UP AND COME OUT INSTEAD OF SULKING LIKE A TODDLER!”

“YEAH, CAUSE THAT’S REALLY GONNA MAKE ME LIKE YOUR IDEA MORE!”

Baby, watched all the commotion, walked to the door.

“Mira.” Baby knocked on the door, speech chalky, “Please. This could help strengthen the new Honmoon for good. Don’t you want that?”

There was some scraping around on the inside, a couple of muttered curses and crashes. Mira opened the door, face a picture of misery, “Fine. But I’m not doing this for any of you.”r

Chapter Text

“We need to call Celine.” Mira whispered to Zoey and Rumi. She eyed the Saja Boys, who were gathered on the other side of the room. Abby had rested Mystery on the table, Baby was huddled up nervously and Romance seemed to be flirting with the walls, nodding and talking.

“They need a mental asylum, and we need Celine.” Rumi flinched at the name, hands hugging her arms defensively, “I don’t know if that’s a good idea.”

“I know.” Mira patted her arm supportively, “But if we’re going to fulfil our part of the deal, we can’t do it alone.”

“I haven’t seen her since… you know.”

“It will help us bring Jinu back. Please?” Zoey looked at her with wide, sparkling eyes. “Pretty please?”

“Okay.”

Having decided on a plan, they split up, trying to mingle. Zoey pounced on Mystery before remembering he was unconscious, and struck up conversation with Abby instead.

“So, do you like turtles?”

Abby nodded, checking Mystery’s pulse and Zoey leaned closer to him too, bubble fading, “Do you think he’ll be okay?”

Mystery’s breath rattled to his throat, head twitching from side to side slightly as he wrestled with the pain, the voices. Zoey pressed her hand on his forehead, and he jerked up, the contact on top the pain unbearable.

“He has a fever. I think we should take him to a hospital.”

Abby sighed having already been through this line with Baby, “We can’t. He’s a demon.”

“Oh.” Zoey looked down at him again, appreciating not only his features, but his vulnerability. She opened her mouth to speak, but only said, “Celine better arrive soon, for his sake.”

Mira approached Romance, pulling him away from the wall and behind the bar, “Why the fuck are you flirting with the walls?”

“Well, I’m simply practising with someone of your intellect.”

“And what on- Did you just say I was smart as a wall?”

“I think you just said that, sweetheart.”

“I’m not your sweetheart. I’m not anyone’s sweetheart.”

“Aww, you’re gonna break my heart, sweetheart.”

“I’m going to break your bones, sweetheart.” Mira put on a sickly sweet simper.

“You already have a pet name for me?” Romance gasped overdramatically, putting his hands over his heart, “How sweet.”

“Go to hell, demon.” Mira grunted, giving up, “I’m not here to banter with you, I’m here to kill you when this is over.”

Romance’s entire demeanour switched, turning angry, “Why? What did we ever do to you?” His eyes flashed golden.

“First of all, you eat souls, second of all, you serve Gwi-Ma and third of all, you’re not even human.”

“You think we chose any of that? You think that when we chose to save our families, ourselves, to try and leave our miserable lives we knew we were condemning ourselves to a life of servitude? You think we have a choice in any of this?” Romance ranted, following Mira as she walked away.

She turned around, placing a hand on his chest. Romance drew backwards sharply, breath quickening, eyes flickering down to her hand. He looked at her hand gaze slowly travelling to meet her face. “I don’t care, demon. When this all goes down, it’ll be your name on a grave, not mine.”

His eyes flickered with disappointment, “Not when there’s no one left alive that cares to bury me.”

Her jaw tightened at his response, and she walked away. He made no attempt to follow her, and silence settled over the room, thick and strained.

Rumi shuffled closer to Baby, whose head snapped to her at the first movement, eyes following her every step. Her hands trembled, reaching out desperately, “Can I have the sword?”

Baby’s eyes widened with panic, and he stepped away, shaking his head. “Please?” Her heart ached for it, for the hope of seeing Jinu again.

He shook his head more insistently, backing out. Rumi stepped closer and he practically ran to Abby, patting him desperately on the shoulder and pointing to Rumi, too scared to talk.

“Rumi, what is it?” Abby's eyes were kind, remembering her earlier coldness. Grief twisted people ways they weren’t supposed to twist, made them fragile and risky at the same time.

“Can I… just have the sword. Please?”

“Baby, give her the sword,” Abby eased it out of Baby’s hands, and the maknae wiped his bloody nose definitely at her.

“Oh, I meant to ask, are you okay?” Zoey questioned, hands fluttering around the wound. Baby’s stomach fluttered, and he nodded, “I’m good.”

“So, do you like turtles?”

“Um, I guess?” Baby half smiled, curious to see her light up about her niche topic.

“Well, they’re only the greatest thing ever! After Huntrix of course.”

Meanwhile, Abby handed the sword to Rumi, noting the hunger in her eyes, “You okay?”

“Yeah.” She breathed, caressing the weapon as Abby watched nervously. Something was wrong.

“Do you know when Celine’s coming?” He asked, determined to discover what it was.

“Soon.” She said, closing him off, shutting him out. Her attention was solely on the sword, peering inside like she could see Jinu. “Soon.”

The door opened and Celine walked in. Abby could have sworn the air chilled, the very essence of the room bending around her. All conversations halted as she conjured twin swords, pointing one directly at Abby's face.

“Leave now, and perhaps you may live.”

Rumi’s face went pale, and she instinctively went into a bow before remembering she didn’t have to do that anymore. “It’s okay, you can put the sword down. They’re helping us. Kind of.”

“Kind of? I am not going to trust demons on a ‘kind of’ Rumi, and neither should you.”

“Actually,” Romance drawled, walking over from behind the bar, “I don’t think she has to do anything you say.”

“Shut up!” Mira hissed before turning to Celine, “But yeah, whatever. He’s right. Why on earth should Rumi listen to you? After what you did.”

“What I did? You girls have no idea how foolish you’ve been. Destroying the Honmoon when it was so close to golden. Rebuilding a new one,” Celine sneered, “Ending centuries of work.”

Rumi finally found her voice, “The Honmoon was built on a festering mess of lies, secrets and death. We want our legacy to be more than that.”

“And the fate of the world? Does that mean nothing to you?”

“Look, not meaning to be rude lady, but could you put the sword down?” Baby blurted nervously wringing his hands.

“No. In fact, would you like one pointed at your head?”

Baby’s eyes darted nervously from Celine’s to the floor. Zoey’s throat ached to see him so subdued, “Put the sword down Celine, or you can leave.”

Celine put it down, sneering, “American traitor.” It stung, but Zoey refused to let it stick to her.

“Why did you call me here? Unless it was to rub your betrayal in my face.”

“We need your help.” Abby stepped back from the sword, “Mystery’s dying.” Celine looked towards the unconscious demon, still twitching.

“I’ll be damned before I help a demon,” Celine scoffed, leaving, “Good riddance.”

“Well fuck.” Romance and Baby chorused, one grinning and the other painfully oblivious. Rumi’s entire posture bent, and she collapsed onto the couch with the sword.

“We’re screwed.”

Chapter Text

Celine could feel a scream building in her throat, but she’d become a master at holding those in. She made it all the way to her car before she collapsed in the seat, scream still firmly repressed.

Celine didn’t lose control. Ever.

Never in a healthy way, never in a way that involved tears instead of alcohol and abuse, over and over in an endless cycle that added more grey hairs to her head then Rumi’s antics.

Rumi…

She could still picture her at thirteen, all elbows and knees, excited to show Celine the latest attack she’d learned, the newest move.

The only tears Celine could cry was the blood dripping from her wrists.

Where had it all gone wrong?

She had to fix this, before she lost Rumi, lost what was left of the Honmoon, lost everything.

She had promised.

She moved out of the car, back to the apartment. She could see strands of the new Honmoon shimmering in the ground, full of light and hope. Such a lovely new thing, to paint over the old and corrupted.

The old they’d bled for, killed for, died for.

The old that she had died for.

Celine could still fix things. She moved into the elevator, feeling it slowly lift her up. She could still fix Rumi. Inhaling slowly, she forced the world to distance itself until she felt like herself again.

“I’m going to help you.”

Rumi’s face jerked upwards from her hands, and she ran to Celine, arms held outwards for a hug, “I knew you could do it, I knew you could!” The hope in face, so raw, knocked the breath out of Celine’s chest.

Celine held her away at arms distance, delicately rearranging her hair, pretending not to see Rumi’s face crumble, before carefully forming a smile.

“Only if what he says is right.” She directed her gaze to Abby. “You say you can destroy Gwi-Ma?”

Abby straightened up, coming towards Celine, “We sure as hell can try. But it will be a lot easier with all of us, including Mystery and Jinu.”

Celine looked towards the sword, “It will be easy to save the boy in the sword. But this… Mystery.” She trailed off.

“You will be able to do it, right Celine?” Zoey asked breathlessly, abandoning Baby’s side, missing his fallen face.

“You will be able to do it, right Celine?” Romance mimicked under his breath, and Mira stamped on his foot.

“Maybe.” She moved over to him, finger tracing the lines of his face. “Not without knowing what ails him.”

“He’s ill. I thought you were the expert on demons.” Romance called, ignoring Mira pulling him back.

Celine’s eyes flickered in his direction, “We should focus on saving the boy demon first.”

“Mystery’s a boy!”

“Then why is his hair so long?”

“Celine! You can’t say things like that.”

“To save him, we’ll need to return. To Namsam Tower.”

“Hear that sweetheart? We’re going back to where you tried to kill us.” Romance laughed.

“And I’ll do it again if you keep calling me sweetheart.”

Baby stood alone, lost from the conversation, lost in his mind. He knew he could help, if he got close enough, if they actually included him.

“I can help.”

“Yes you can!” Zoey squealed, spinning him around in a circle. He stopped, cut off by her energy. The way her silver earring dangled, the way her eyes sparkled.

“To Namsam Tower!” She cheered, pulling him in the direction of the elevator.

“No!” Celine held up a hand, “The demons stay here.”

Baby rushed to the elevator with Zoey, making it all the way inside before she could process what Celine said.

“Why?” Abby asked, arms crossed.

“So we can ensure this isn’t a trap. God knows we’ll have enough to handle with the demon in the sword.”

“His name is Jinu."

Baby whispered something in Zoey’s ear, before jamming the shut button on the lift, “Either we all go, or none of us do!”

“You’re behind in conversation.”

“Can we go?” Abby snatched Romance away from Mira, to an indignant look, “We promise to behave. You can’t guarantee that for Baby over there.”

“No demons are coming! And that is final.” Celine rubbed her forehead, already a sign she was regretting things.

“It’s okay Celine. The demons will stay at home, won’t you?” Mira stepped in, flashing them a threatening look. “We will.” Romance declared, waving towards himself and Abby, “Wouldn’t be too sure about Zoey and Baby though.”

Celine's head snapped towards the lift, which was long gone. "Rumi, Mira, please go and get them." She sighed.

"Yes Celine." They chorused, rushing towards the stairwell, Mira flipping Romance off for mimicking her.

Chapter Text

“GO GO GO GO GO!” Baby chanted as Zoey slammed the ground floor button desperately, jittering with excitement.

“Can’t believe we’re doing this! That’ll teach Celine to call me an American traitor.” The lift zoomed downwards, Baby and Zoey leaning against the bloodstained walls.

“Is your nose alright?” Zoey asked as Baby carefully watched her lips.

“Quite fine thank you.” He flashed her a smile, before carefully wiping away a trickle of blood. They hit the bottom, doors opening as they sped out, Zoey running ahead, pulling Baby forward by his hand. They burst out of the revolving doors, spinning into the light, dizzy and laughing.

“Zoey! Come here, and bring the deaf demon with you!” Mira commanded, walking out of the staircase.

Zoey looked towards Baby, eyes meeting, “Run.”

They sped off down the street, legs going helter-skelter, arms pumping, still holding hands to not lose each other. Mira and Rumi bounded into the street after them, chasing them down the road.

Baby and Zoey weaved through an impromptu busker’s crowd, zigzagged through a lane of traffic, and ran through a fast lane screaming their heads off. It was a challenge for Mira and Rumi to keep up with them. Baby had to dive in front of Zoey to stop her from being hit by a car, his distinctive blue hair stopping it in its tracks.

Finally, they caught them when Zoey, whose gaze was fixed on Baby’s as she determinedly chattered away despite the fact he couldn’t hear her, smashed into a brick wall, provoking her own nosebleed. Baby narrowly dodged it, swinging around, but he stopped when he realised Zoey had been stopped.

“Zoey! Why’d you have to get caught?” He complained, throwing his hands in the air. Mira peeled her off the wall, wincing as Zoey waved excitedly at the nosebleed, “Look! Matchy matches!”

Rumi sighed, “Let’s go back before Celine blows an artery or something.”

“Holy shit Zoey, your nose.” Baby reached out to the blood before catching himself. “You okay?”

“Oh I’m fine.” She said, nodding to make sure he understood.

“I can lip read.”

“Can you now?” Zoey asked, voice muffled as her hand covered her dripping nose. Baby rolled his eyes.

“Right, both of you pack it in, and home, now!” Mira commanded. Zoey hustled up to her side, eyes wide and sparkly, “Are you mad at me?”

Mira softened slightly, “No, of course I’m not. It’s Celine that’s gonna be mad at you.”

“Are you mad at Baby?”

“What does the demon have to do with anything?”

“He’s fun, and he’s my friend!”

“Apart from when we’ve been trying to kill each other, you’ve known him for the best part of five minutes.”

“So?”

Mira pinched her nose in exhaustion, closing her eyes.

Baby caught up to them, squeezing in the middle and slinging his arms around their shoulders, “What’s up ladies?”

Mira frowned, eyes narrowing at his arm, “What on earth are you doing?”

“Trying to make conversation.”

“Well, stop.”

Baby cocked his head, “Say again?”

“Stop!” Mira drew away, walking closer to Rumi. Baby stumbled, and Zoey caught him by his other arm, “Whoa, you okay?”

Baby grinned, nose brushing hers. He pointed to her nose, then his, “Matchy matchies.” Zoey froze, lips an inch away from his, eyes locked, nose dripping blood onto her shirt. His eyes flickered right, then back to hers. Baby held his breath, unsure of what exactly he was anticipating.

Mira came over to them, frowned, and thwacked Zoey on the shoulder.

Zoey squealed, dropping him entirely, “Mira!”

“Oof!” Baby grunted as he fell, right in front of a still car that began furiously honking.

“Right.” Mira marched over to Baby, picking him off the floor, “You two together is clearly a dangerous, and extremely incapable combination. So I will stick with Zoey, and you can take the demon.” Mira gave Baby a slight shove towards Rumi, and he looked back confusedly.

“What?” He asked, trying to move back to Zoey.

“No. You with Rumi.” Mira said each word carefully, like speaking to a baby.

“Alright, I’m not a baby!” Baby held his hands in the air defensively, marching to Rumi, and mouthing at Zoey, “I’ll be back.”

He trailed behind Rumi, tapping her on the shoulder. She flinched, her entire frame shuddering. Slowly, her eyes travelled to his, haunted, black circles smudged beneath, “What?” She whispered, voice cracked.

“Um…” Baby turned back to look at Mira, who gave him a warning glare, “Mira said I have to stick with you?”

“So she thinks I need babysitting,” Rumi scoffed bitterly as Baby sped walked to keep up with her, “You’re the baby, not me. Your name is literally Baby.”

Unaware she’d said anything, Baby merrily continued, “So, how old are you?”

Rumi looked up from the floor, “How old are you? Seriously?”

“Just trying to make conversation.”

“Well don’t.” She said stonily, eyes on the floor, arms crossed.

Baby fell silent, sensing Rumi’s reluctance to talk, and naturally fell behind to Mira and Zoey, cutting into their conversation, “I’m done. She’s being absolutely horrible and I’m done. I’d rather walk with Mira.”

“I’m right here.”

“Acutally, we’re all here.” Zoey pointed out, nodding at the Huntrix tower. They walked inside, Baby glaring at Rumi’s back, “What’s her problem?” He whispered to Zoey.

“She’s just… in a bad mood. I think it’s because she wants to get Jinu back, and well, we weren’t really helping.” He watched her carefully before shrugging.

“Whatever.”

They walked back into the apartment to see Celine clutching her forehead, tired of arguing with Romance, who was smiling satisfiedly on the couch. Abby had abandoned the conversation entirely, and was snacking, determinedly ignoring the voices.

“We’re back! Who’s ready to exorcise a demon!”

“We’re just rescuing him.” Rumi added quietly.

“Potato potato.” Zoey said while everyone but Baby looked on with confusion.