Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

They have a new enemy. The Saja Boys, a boy band made of demons (or magicians, who knows). Five soul sucking idiots, hiding behind beautiful voices and definitely not pretty faces and not even hotter bodies-

No Zoey, bad!

She’s not here to think about the new hot enemy, the opposite: she’s here to calm down, so she can make a plan.

Yes, that’s the reason why she is standing in a parking garage, jukebox in hand. Because when is a better time to test something from your for-you-page if not when you have to calm down? When she finally found a good place, she placed the jukebox on the ground and searched for a song on her phone.

She ended up choosing Rewrite The Stars, because two days ago, the girls and Bobby watched the movie and Zoey became obsessed with the song since.

So, she started singing. Slightly at first, but when she got used the weird echo of her surroundings she picked up on volume. It was even more fun than expected. In a unusually empty parking garage, no audience, no cameras and no one, who could make fun of her voice cracks.

Despite the pretty depressed lyrics, Zoey felt it. At this point, she was nearly screaming the lyrics.

“No one can rewrite the stars How can you say you’ll be mine?”

The world seemed to fade, she could feel the honmoon pulsing underneath her. Out of nowhere, she started acting out the song with faked voice cracks and dramatic hand movements, making herself snort.

“How can we rewrite the stars? Say that the world could be ours Tonight”

She practically screeched the next part

“All I want is to fly-“

She stopped abruptly. A second voice joined her. A second voice joined her.

Even though she stopped singing, the other voice continued, and Zoey had to admit: it was heavenly. Jeez, this is exactly like the videos.

She didn’t think long and joined back in, still admiring the voice of her probably male duet partner.

“So just give all of you It feels impossible It’s not impossible Is it impossible? Say that it’s possible How do we rewrite the stars?”

Their voices harmonized perfectly, as if they were made for each other. Zoey couldn’t help but grin. This was almost like those cheesy romance movies she liked to watch. About time that it’s my turn!

The very second the song ended Zoey yelled with a stupid smile plastered on her face: “alright, who is there?”

Silence.

“Oh, come onnnn, don’t be shy! It’s okay! I wont judge!”

She could swear she heard quiet, a bit nervous breathing. “Hellooooooo?” She asked. And froze.

There. There was someone leaning against a wall.

Zoey ran towards them. “Hiiiiiiii! Was that you? Your voice is amazing!” Oh boy, she was probably already overwhelming him. “S-sorry, I didn’t want to scare you, well actually you scared me! Like, you almost gave me a heart attack!”

That was when the mysterious person turned to face her. Zoey froze.

Despite the disguise the boy in front her was wearing, Zoey would recognize that lavender hair everywhere. One of he Saja boys. And not just any one, the mysterious one she couldn’t keep her eyes off.

Okay, panic mode activated.

Focus Zoey! He is a demon! Or magician! Who gave him the right to be so attractive?! What!?-

“I apologize, I didn’t want to scare you” she was torn from her thoughts when he spoke, the ghost of a smile on his lips. His voice somehow reminded Zoey of a deep, calm ocean.

And he seemed calm, except for his slightly nervous breathing, as if he hadn’t just sang a romantic duet with her. Wait… Was he nervous?

Zoey was a blushing mess at this point. Her words a nervous ramble. “Oh, aehehe it-its not that bad a-actually! I really like your voice! D-don’t know if you saw me, but I was at your performance on the street! Wait-wait! You’re a demon, right?! That makes you my enemy! Pleasesaysomethingitsreallyweirdrightnowww”

The demon remained silent, watching her having a crisis.

Meanwhile Zoey had a whirlwind of thoughts. He is a demon! But he is hot! He didn’t attack me even though he had the chance! Rumi and Mira said demons are never nice! What the flip is going on? He’s still watching me aaaaaahhhh!

“Ar-are you okay” he suddenly asked, looking at her a bit…worried?

“Am fineeeeee, just having a crisis deciding if I should kill you or not”

“Please don’t”

Silence settled between them. He still hadn’t attacked her and Zoey calmed down a bit. He didn’t attack her…was that a good sign?

She tapped on the floor with her shoe nervously.

Zoey was prepared for almost every situation ever (just look in her notes app), but accidentally singing a duet in a parking garage with a demon and talking his ear off definitely wasn’t one of them.

A softy cough broke the silence and Zoey looked up to the boy standing in front of her.

“I like your voice too”

What?

Zoey blinked once. Then again. And again. HUH?!?!?! Okay, just play cool.

“Uuuuhhhh…thanks?”

“Another one?”

Zoey wouldn’t be surprised if there was a windows loading symbol on her forehead right now. But for some bizarre reason a strange warmth spread in her chest.

The words came out before she could stop them. “Why not?” Zoey, you idiot!

The strange demon boy gestured her to lead the way with a small smile. Zoey took a deep breath, trying to collect herself and walked to the spot where she sang earlier.

“Just because we’re doing that, it doesn’t mean we are friends” she said in the desperate attempt to act cool and not like her heart was pounding so hard she could almost hear it.

“Noted” was the respond. Gosh, this voice is going to be the end of her.

“Before we start” she said with as much confidence as possible. The Saja Boy turned his attention to her.

“What’s your name?”

“Mystery” he replied simply, Zoey frowned. “It fits” she murmured and she could swear there was an amused sound from his direction.

“Soooo, Mystery, do you have a song in mind?” Why was she doing this?

“I taught maybe something calm? To warm up?” He suggested.

“Hmmmmmm…” Zoey went trough her mental list of songs.

And so, they started.

At first, Zoey thought she’d die from the awkwardness, but slowly, when they got used to the company of each other, they actually did quite well. And when they fully got comfortable, there was nothing stopping them.

Like before, they harmonized perfectly. No matter what they sang, they absolutely nailed it.

There was almost no music genre they left out. K-Pop, rock, pop, rap, musicals, sweet, sad melodies… they sang it all. Zoey was genuinely suprised, she never thought, that demons knew that many songs. They even sang Golden together!

At some point, Zoey insisted on singing (and performing) How It’s Done and Mystery seemed quite impressed when she slayed her own and the parts of her band mates. She rapped so fast, that he almost couldn’t understand the words and Zoey could swear she saw a slight blush on his ear tips. The sight made her happier than it should.

If Rumi and Mira ever found out, she would be done for.

But right now, with her present favorite demon (she cannot lie, he’s pretty cool) she didn’t care.

Chapter Text

Many songs and voice cracks later, Zoey and Mystery lay sprawled out on the floor of the parking garage (at this point, nobody gives a crap about bacteria). Both of them wheezing, neither regretted it.

“Oh boy, I need something to drink”, Zoey said in a voice so sore she made herself laugh, but it only came out a weird cough as if she was smoking.

The sentence didn’t even fully left her lips, when she felt Mystery getting up next to her. He extended a hand, Zoey just stared at it like an idiot.

“Let’s get something to drink”, he simply said, his voice at least as sore as her own. Hesitantly, Zoey took it and let Mystery help her up.

While she fixed her disguise (which only consisted of her favorite bucket hat, an oversized jacket and sunglasses), Zoey mentally went trough every drink available in the mall she could think of. Soda? No, he already knew this one. Smoothie? Nah, it would freeze his and her own brain. Coffee? No, she wouldn’t be able to sleep for the next three days. Bubble tea? …yeah, yeah why not.

She turned to face Mystery, who was already looking at her, Zoey tried not to overthink it. She also tried not to stare at him too much. Even thou his entire face was covered (thanks to his hair and a black face mask), he was still handsome. Who allowed that??? And his own hoodie made him look so… soft?

Awesome, now she did stare at him. Damnit Zoey!

Side by side, they walked into the mall. With their absolutely not suspicious outfits, no one is gonna recognize them. That would be a headline! Zoey from Huntr\x and Mystery from the Saja Boys spotted in the mall, getting bubble tea.

Zoey was thrown out of her thoughts she she noticed Mystery staring at something. The bubble tea store. Yes!

“Did you ever have one?” Zoey asked quietly. Mystery shook his head and that was enough. Without a second thought she grabbed the demon’s arm and dragged him inside.

With two blueberry bubble teas and a Saja Boy in hand, Zoey made her way through the mall until she found an empty bench.

“There” she pressed the drink into Mystery’s hand. “I chose blueberry, because the color reminds me of your hair”, he gave her a small nod and Zoey had to fight the urge to reach out for his hair. She didn’t even know where this urge came from.

Mystery pulled his mask down and Zoey watched as if spellbound as he took a sip. Even thou she couldn’t see it, Zoey just knew that his face lit up. “You like it?”, Mystery nodded eager. After taking a few more sips, he nearly choked on a pearl and Zoey bursted out laughing, before patting him gently on the back.

“Sooo…” she started with the intention of starting a conversation. Mystery turned his attention to her. “The song you performed on the street, Soda Pop, who wrote it”

Mystery silently pointed at himself and Zoey almost choked on her own drink. “YOU?” She blurted out. Mystery shrugged.

“I wrote most of it, Baby-the blue haired one- helped me and Jinu- our leader- changed it a little”, he said it like he was talking about the weather and didn’t just admitted that he wrote one of the most viral songs lately.

“I-I didn’t expect that” Zoey finally managed to say “I didn’t expect you to write something so…passionate”. Mystery frowned.

“What is passionate about soda?”

Zoey’s jaw nearly hit the floor. “So it’s literally about soda?” When she first read the lyrics she thought it was about…something else.

“Yes…? It was the first thing we got, when we came here.“ Mystery explained.

She opened her mouth. Then closed it. And opened again. She wanted to say something, she wanted to ask him how they got here or if they were send by Gwi-Ma. Well they obviously are, even if Zoey didn’t want to believe it. She couldn’t stand the thought of her and Mystery fighting.

A soft touch on her shoulder brought her back to reality. “Are you alright?”, Mystery sounded a bit worried and Zoey smiled.

“Just wondering”

“About what?” He put his now finished drink in a trash can and turned back to her.

“I was wondering about what you think of the human world”, the lie left her lips easily.

He didn’t seem to buy it, so Zoey just kept talking. “I mean, I don’t know how old you are, but I’m pretty sure that some things here are new to you. Did you already see the cars? Those things made of steel with the wheels. Or all those snacks! Don’t worry, I’ll show you some time…”

She really didn’t intend talking so much again, but once she started she couldn’t stop. Zoey told him about billboards, convenience stores, her favorite K-drama and (of course) she ended up telling him about turtles.

“Did you know, the oldest turtle ever recorded was 188 years old!”

He didn’t interrupt her once. Just listened and nodded along. She was halfway about telling him how she nearly fell down during a demon hunt, because she forgot to take off her slippers when her eyes caught a clock on the wall of the mall.

6pm. Shucks!

She’s been away for almost three hours!

“Oh my gosh! I have to go!” She nearly screamed in panic. Rumi and Mira are gonna kill her!

Zoey was about to sprint away when she remembered the boy still sitting on the bench behind her. She turned around and gave him a soft smile.

“Thanks for today. I never thought I’d have s much fun with a demon”

Mystery stood up and pulled his mask down, revealing a small smile. “I had fun too” he simply said. Then he did something she definitely wouldn’t forget anytime soon.

He leaned forward and
kissed her cheek.

“I am five hundred years old and never seen a girl as pretty as you”

Then, he vanished in soft pink smoke.

Chapter Text

I am five hundred years old and never seen a girl as pretty as you.

The words wouldn’t leave Zoey’s mind. Not when she and her bandmates were getting ready to sabotage the boy’s appearance on TV. Not even when they arrived on the set and looked down on the Saja Boys.

Play games with us, oh yes, Zoey definitely remembered this fever dream of a game show. When HUNTR\X first got popular, she was here too. Zoey couldn’t even remember what game they played, but if she was honest… she didn’t want to.

“Deserved” Mira whispered when they heard the groaning and suffering on stage and there was a mischievous tone in her voice.

Zoey’s eyes landed on the lavender haired Saja Boy in the second row of the players. He was dressed in pink and drinking hot sauce straight from the bottle.

His look told her everything. Even under the curtain of hair she could see it: he was regretting his live choices and probably wanted to die. Poor guy, she taught.

They waited until the game was over to surprise them off-stage.

The Saja Boys’ leader -Jinu, if she remembered correctly- stood beside the host, mic in hand. Zoey suddenly had a weird feeling, that he didn’t have anything good to say.

“Then why say goodbye when we have extra special guests coming up?”

What?! How did he know?!

“What is he doing?…” Rumi murmured, clearly not getting that they were screwed. Or maybe he meant someone else?

“Please welcome… HUNTR\X!” Okay, they are screwed.

In a flash, they put away their weapons and forced smiles into the crowd. “We just wanted to stop by and congratulate our hoobaes on their debut and-“

But Jinu cut Rumi off. Ignorant bitch.

“And of course, PLAY GAMES WITH USSSSS! Bring out the slides!”

Oh shucks. Oh nononononononono….

Three slides were brought in front of them and Zoey could already see her live pass by.

“Oh no, we couldn’t possibly-“ she tried, but it was clear that there was no way out. The crowds cheering was deafening and the Saja Boys looked like they were already enjoying this too much.

Rumi’s forced grin widened, “sure… for the fans”

Mira muttered a quiet “fuck” before they sat down on the slides.

And just as she feared… the leather’s squeaking was awful.

“Make it stop!” Someone yelled as they slid down the slides in the speed of a snail in the awkward silence.

“The leather… it betrayed us” Zoey muttered. Embarrassment crushing her like a wave.

She landed face first in the balls.

“HUNTR\X is in the balls!” The host announced cheerfully.

When they crawled out of the balls pit, Zoey could see the shit eating grins on the Saja Boys’ faces. They’re going to pay for this.

“It was truly an honor to share the stage with you” Jinu said and Zoey had to hold back a gasp. After embarrassing them like that, he had the audacity to say that???

The Saja Boys bowed in unison.

The girls faced the five of them and bowed as well, “oh no, the honor is ours.”

The boys bowed a bit lower. “No, it was ours”

Okay, it was on.

HUNTR\X bowed lower than them. “It’s ours”

“Ours”

“Ours”

“Ours”

Can they stop??? Zoeys knees let like they’ll rip apart.

“My back…” Zoey squeaked.

The curtain finally closed.

The boys were gone.

NO!

HUNTR\X sprinted after them.

Into a bathhouse.

“Did you really follow us in here” Jinu asked when they arrived. The position the boys were standing in kinda looked like it was straight out of a superhero movie for kids.

“Of course they did… that one’s always looking at me. The muscular one said, and as if on command, his shirt slid up a bit, exposing his abs.

Zoey tried, really tried to control herself, but failed miserably. At least Mira failed too. Thanks sis.

They quickly snapped out and drew their weapons at the Saja Boys in front of them. “You think we’re just gonna let you steal our fans? You’ll have to fight us for them.” Rumi snapped in a badass voice.

Zoey jumped in position next to her, “yeah! Keep your hands off our Honmoon.”

“Woah, we’re not here to fight!” Jinu said with a chuckle. “But they are”.

Zoey could see Mystery swallowing hard. What-

Then she saw it. Tears appeared on the walls of the bath house. And out of the tears crawled…

“Water demons!”

They jumped into a fight position.

“Oh great, my favorite” Mira said, annoyed.

Jinu leaned forward, placing a hand on the water demon appearing in the bath in front of him.

“Get rid of the Hunters. Then you can eat all the souls you want.”

Please. No.

She looked at Mystery and didn’t even know why. She should’ve know. He still belonged to Gwi-Ma. It was all planned.

Was the day they spent together also fake?

She swore, she saw Mystery’s face twist in something like… guilt? Regret? But it vanished as fast as it came.

She didn’t have much time to think.

The demons attacked. Thanks to their training, the girls slayed them easily. Their blades went thru the demons in lightning speed.

“Don’t let this turn you off bathhouses, Rumi!” Zoey yells as she kills another demon, “It’s usually fun and relaxing!”

From the corner of her eye, she could see the Saja Boys fleeing. Rumi following.

“We can do it!” Mira yelled, but there was exertion in her voice. Horror washed over her when she saw more and more demons appearing.

“We need Rumi!” She screamed.

The demons got closer, and Zoey and Mira stood back to back, trying their best to defend themselves even though there was no chance.

A part of Zoey kinda hoped that the Saja Boys (preferably Mystery) would come help them or at least Rumi coming back from wherever she was.

Just then, she saw her: Rumi, with an absolutely horrified expression.

“RUMI!” Mira and Zoey yelled in unison.

Rumi finally turned around and lunged forward, swinging her blade right into the mass of demons circling them.

~~~time skip~~~

Back home, Zoey only had one thought: Wow, so it was true. Boys are a lot different around their friends.

~~POV Mystery~~

Idiot.

That was all he thought, when the Saja Boys arrived back in their small apartment.

Why did he do this? Why did he just leave her there? She could be dead! And it would be his fault. He didn’t come to save her and she’s never gonna forgive him.

Wouldn’t be the first time you let someone down.

His voice again. Memories flashing before his eyes. Memories he wanted to forget. That’s why he’s here. That’s why he shouldn’t get so attached to her, Zoey. And yet-

He shook his head and looked at their leader, who was sitting on the couch they all shared. He looked really… off. As if he was drowning in thoughts.

Mystery sighed and leaned back on the couch, careful not to wake the sleeping Baby beside him.

He had to make it up to her. As soon as possible. Tonight. He needs to talk to her.