Chapter Text
Takedown wasn’t the song that united them. It wasn’t the song that would resonate the most with their fans. It wasn’t even what represented them best, but it would be the song that would seal the Golden Honmoon. There wasn’t any other song they had in their entire discography that spelled out their mission as hunters so clearly. It was meant to be hateful because they were condemning every demon to an eternity with Gwi-Ma. It was all the demons were worth.
Mira had been right. She usually was. They didn’t have enough time to change the lyrics and Takedown was nothing more than what they had put into it. Their intensity and fears seeped into every word. Maybe there had been a part of Rumi that had known better, but it had been drowned out by the other voices on that rooftop. The lyrics were a reminder of everything she had to lose if they failed.
In the morning, she apologized to Mira and Zoey for everything that had happened over the past few days, but it felt hollow. While her bandmates spoke of their insecurities and how much Huntr/x had helped them realize the strength in their faults, Rumi shied away from talking about her own defects. Mira and Zoey spoke with an honesty she had yet to find. Both talked about their pasts: Mira’s personality being seen as a liability and Zoey’s interests being shamed. Rumi listened, she reassured, and she hid everything away because she didn’t deserve the same kindness she afforded them. As scared as she was of losing them, she was more terrified of being abandoned. She claimed all their fears were the demons talking, yet they didn’t understand how close the demons truly were.
Rumi didn’t elaborate on how being free of the demons may include being free of her.
She went through the day with a heaviness in her heart, trudging through an apprehension that kept growing with each passing minute. It wasn’t entirely from anxiety over what was to come. Some of it came from how closed in and trapped she felt. While her throat no longer felt strained, her head was clouded. Every thought was strained and it only got worse when they arrived at the venue for the Idol Awards. As the stylists crowded around her, an uneasy sensation began to develop, fidgeting inside her bones and moving under her skin. There was something implanting itself inside of her mind and it wasn’t Gwi-Ma completely. An exhaustion plagued her and she was stringing herself along until the end. Even if it was unlikely to happen, she was already dreaming of going back home to pass out on the couch with Mira and Zoey.
For their Takedown performance, they had ended up deciding to use the outfit they had worn to hunt the Saja Boys during the variety show they had guest-starred on. It seemed a waste to not use them, even with how the black leather had betrayed them. She had mended the sleeve Jinu had torn through, only briefly thinking of the strip of cloth he had wrapped around her arm that she had stored in her nightstand. Of course, Huntr/x had to get rid of the more obvious signs in their outfits that the song was about the Saja Boys. The Kill Saja nails were no longer, but they were maintaining a darker and more mature tone for Takedown. They had the passion in their eyes necessary for the song to be well-received. Nothing was more powerful than a song reveal and they could play off the incident at the variety show as a teaser. They could hopefully bring back fans that were disappointed by the lack of a Golden live performance.
The leather was not helping the itch at all, but Rumi was getting better at tuning it out alongside the murmurs of everyone else around her. However, the silent blaze remained under the surface, waiting for her to lower her guard. She was vigilant around the stylists and stage technicians, meticulously controlling every action. The cracks weren’t supposed to show. It was easier to pull herself together when it was just Mira and Zoey around her. It was like having a weight lifted from her shoulders, yet it wasn’t possible to have only them.
Rumi only had to get through their performance, the Honmoon turning gold, and the awards being announced. Then they could all enjoy a three-month hiatus and put everything behind them. This was the outcome that Rumi was focused on, ignoring everything else to the best of her ability. It was all running as smoothly as it could until they walked past the Saja Boys backstage.
Both groups had recently left their respective dressing rooms with the Saja Boys preparing to go on stage and Huntr/x heading towards the green room. Rumi held her head high as she was flanked by her bandmates, staring straight ahead and barely glancing at the four remaining members of the Saja Boys. It seemed like they also had decided to go with a darker color palette for the Idol Awards performance. Excluding Romance, their clothes displayed their patterns. The demons all carried themselves with a confidence similar to her own group, but Jinu’s absence was blaring. Abby and Romance stood side by side in the front, shoulders practically touching, with Mystery and Baby trailing behind them. Despite their proximity, Rumi couldn’t help but see the gap where Jinu would’ve been. He would’ve stood between his two pink-haired members, pretending that he wasn’t looking at her just as she pretended not to look at his bandmates now.
There was something in the air she couldn’t quite grasp, chalking it up to nerves or the tension between the groups. It wasn’t until she got closer to Romance, nearly brushing past him and having him settle in her periphery, that she took notice of what it was.
Cherry blossoms.
The scent of cherry blossoms drifted by her.
It was next to Rumi, coaxing her like a melody and she had no choice but to reach back. Like in the park, like on the train, instinct forcibly guided her. She turned and her hand thrusted towards the source of the aroma, twisting it back towards her where it was supposed to be.
She remembered Jinu.
She remembered him struggling against her.
And she didn’t care. The capacity to feel shame, let alone understand why she felt it, was gone.
All she knew was there was now a warm body against her own, her nose plunging into his neck in search of that inviting scent. For a moment, all that was there was the flowery perfume and she melted into it. This was where she was meant to be, yet the comfort quickly faded. While the scent remained slightly floral, there was an earthy warmth that almost made her recoil. The sweetness of it was different and crisp against her senses, the aroma changing within milliseconds from the flowers she craved to the odor of honey. Only then did she take in the pink hair running down the nape of the neck she had dove into. Primal desire had clouded her better judgement and intuition.
Abby reacted faster than she was able to process who she had actually grabbed, pivoting around to rip him out of her grip. A golden sheen stared down at her as he pushed the other demon behind him. With fangs bared and deep growl settling between them, it was like Abby was no longer trying to hide his demonic traits. He towered over her, yet he wasn’t moving to attack. They were at a stand-still and as Rumi finally peered at who was behind him she realized Abby was protecting her more than he was protecting his fellow demon.
When Abby had pushed Romance behind him, he had kept a hand holding the other pink-haired demon back. Some of Romance’s demonic features were beginning to bleed to the surface as well, but what struck Rumi most was the stare he was sending her way. It wasn’t like it had been with Jinu. There was no fear or timidity, only dead eyes devoid of any emotion. His face was eerily blank as he honed in on her. She could make out his nails slowly extending into claws the longer Abby held onto him.
Zoey and Mira were tense and on guard by her side, but they weren’t at the front of her mind. Rumi had remained locked in instinct. Her nose had picked up a faint recollection of the flowery scent as it curled around the demon before her and all she could imagine was him pressed up against what was hers. She had witnessed how close the man got to the other members of the Saja Boys. In the bathhouse, she had seen firsthand how little space he left between himself and Jinu. Her fists clenched, her teeth grinding as she scowled at Abby. With him looming over her, she crouched slightly, fully intending to launch herself at him. Petrichor swirled between them.
The yellow gleam in Abby’s eyes dimmed, returning the color to that of a human’s, as he recognized her intent. Almost sighing in disbelief at what he would have to do, the demon pulled the collar of his button-up to expose the crook of his neck. The illusion flickered over this small expanse, revealing a patch of purple skin and trailing patterns. However, it became clear that what he was trying to show her was the bite mark that had scarred over because it was almost embarrassing how quickly it calmed her. He gave her a pointed look as he backed away, trusting that now she understood that he was claimed and somehow she did. Deep down she had comprehended what the mark meant, soothing the grating voice that warned her that he would steal Jinu.
For a second, she wondered if Abby was also an alpha and that was why she couldn’t allow him to best her in any way.
“I always knew you wanted a piece of me, Rumi,” Abby smirked, brushing her prior aggression off. His glance briefly went to Zoey and Mira beside her. The two hunters were waiting for a single wrong move, waiting for an opportunity or opening. He winked at them both, “Everyone eventually does and it would be a shame not to share. It’s good you’re all finally willing to admit it.”
He let go of Romance then, allowing the other demon to slide up next to him. Abby rested his arm on Romance’s shoulder and leaned against him. Both had reverted to their human forms, falling back into their personas. Romance joined Abby in the taunting, voice low and seductive, “Mira, it looks like you have some competition. Don’t worry. I only have eyes for you.” Passion had returned to his gaze and, despite the annoyed glare Mira aimed at him, it didn’t turn sour like it had with Rumi.
Mira grimaced, disgusted and enraged, “Like I want your attention. Do you already know you’re going to lose? Is that why you blatantly attacked us in public? Trying to get one last chance in? It’s a bit pathetic, even for you.”
“Are you jealous? I could’ve gotten closer to you instead if you wanted. You just have to ask.” Romance hid a growing smile behind his hand, giving her a quick once-over. “Use your words, Mira. We’re both adults here. Although, one of us might be more mature than the other.”
“I think the word you’re searching for is older. You’re ancient and practically decaying. It explains how stunted all of the Soda Pop performances have been.”
“No, try more experienced. It would sound so much sweeter coming from you,” Romance literally purred and it pissed off Mira even more. Zoey was becoming more bewildered with each passing remark, head turning back and forth with each new taunt.
An unspoken line had been crossed by Rumi, yet Romance was going along with the belief that he had started the altercation. She watched as Romance wrapped an arm around Abby’s waist as he continued to exasperate Mira, squeezing Abby ever so slightly closer. A tinge of guilt settled into her stomach. Rumi had overestimated the control she had over her instincts. Just the insinuation of Jinu’s existence was enough to pull her down.
While the smell of cherry blossoms was still evident and scratching away at her senses, she noticed there were more undertones than the honey. There were hints of sage and of burning ash. The scent of rot was gone from the demons, yet one scent was becoming just as overpowering. The smoke was becoming suffocating, covering any remnants of the blossoms she had sought out. Its intensity was quickly explained as Rumi wasn’t the only one unable to quell instinct it seemed.
As she had focused on Romance poking at Mira, Baby had remained inconspicuous by Mystery’s side and was able to approach her without much fanfare until he grabbed her by the back of the neck, wrenching her face right in front of his. It shocked Mira and Romance out of their bickering. Unlike before, Zoey and Mira drew their weapons, but Baby showed no concern to the woldo and taesin knives aimed at him. Contrary to Romance, there was almost too much emotion in the glare Baby was giving her. It was full of deep-seated rage and disgust.
“Was Jinu not enough? You have to force yourself on Jae too? Control your instincts.” He spoke through gritted teeth, pupils sharpening and voice quiet enough for only her to hear. Even if her bandmates hadn’t seen everything that happened, he had. His touch stung against her neck, yet she couldn’t find the anger she had felt towards Abby. Baby’s words cut through the last shreds of trust she had in herself. If the scent had not faded on Romance, she couldn’t help but believe that she would have done the same thing to him as she did to Jinu and she could tell that Baby also believed this.
Her actions, the possibility of what she might have done again, had sparked enough fury that the demon had abandoned the pretense of not only his persona but Romance’s as well. Jae. Romance had a name and it was a reminder that the demons were more than what she had been allowed to see. Jinu had to trust them at least a bit because they knew of her heritage. They knew she had lost control and that she had hurt him. They cared for each other to some capacity.
“You will not destroy everything I have worked for, hunter,” he hissed. Claws began sharpening against her neck, threatening to break through. Even though it would’ve been easy for her to stop Baby, she allowed it to happen because a part of her believed she deserved it. However, he let go before he could pierce through. He had finally acknowledged Zoey and Mira poised to not just subdue but kill him.
He huffed in annoyance, but he still separated from her. With that, the Saja Boys turned away from them and began to head to their stage. Romance and Abby stayed attached to each other, and Rumi could make out how Abby leaned down to whisper into Romance’s ear. The smoke fumes refused to diminish in intensity even as Baby walked away with his group. The only one who looked back was Mystery, but Rumi had no clue who exactly he was staring at between the three of them.
The silence lasted for only so long.
“See you in hell, Rumi! I’ll save you a spot,” Baby shouted without looking back, flipping her off over his shoulder. Mystery snarled at her with a snap of his teeth to emphasize the point. If they went down, so would she.
“We’ll see you in hell!” Zoey yelled in retaliation, securing herself to Rumi’s side. She cradled her head with hands, mumbling, “What am I even saying? That makes no sense.”
“They’re just trying to get into our heads before the big performance with these desperate attacks and weird flirting,” Mira scoffed when the Saja Boys were fully out of sight, rolling her eyes. Upon seeing how Rumi remained quiet, her face softened slightly and she placed a hand on her leader’s shoulder. She reassured her members, “This is a good sign. They know we have them beat. They’re bound to be dragged back to the demon realm. The Golden Honmoon is practically ours already.”
“Yeah,” Rumi gave a strained smile, “This will all be over soon and we won’t have to deal with their stupid antics ever again.” Mira nodded in agreement.
Zoey patted her back, “That’s the spirit! We can’t let those demons get us down. Come on. Let’s get to the green room so Bobby doesn’t have to worry about where we are.”
There wasn’t much Rumi could do as Zoey began dragging her along to the green room. It was something she was used to. She often trailed behind the maknae as Zoey pulled her along. Like every other time, it was welcomed. However, it was now welcomed for a different reason. It allowed her to not think about where they were going, turning her thoughts off as Mira quietly complained beside her and Zoey piped up every once in a while. Still, even as she tried to hide from what had happened, she couldn’t escape wondering if she would be able to perform if such a small thing was able to set her off.