Chapter Text
Bae already failed one of her resolutions: not sleeping in. She was late for a stream or two. The fans didn’t truly know why, but she did.
Irys.
Irys decided to get cozy in her house, came over when their schedules matched, and stayed over when she felt like it.
The little things added up; more hygiene products in her bathroom, new clothes in her already crammed wardrobe, and more snacks she had to resist eating. What impacted her the most were the impromptu sleepovers. That’s the reason why she overslept.
To be fair, it’s really hard to get out of bed when a goddess of a woman blesses your eyes as you wake.
“Baee… don’t leave.” Irys said as she snaked her arms around the rat, holding her captive. She may not be the strongest, but it’s enough for Bae to become annoyed with getting out, especially when groggy.
“Irys–”
“No. Stay here.”
“I have–”
“Shush. You’re warm.”
The nephilim buried her face into Bae’s neck, keeping her as close as possible. Bae sighed and rubbed the other idol’s back.
“What time is it?” Bae asked as she softly looked at the nephilim. “Mmm… dunno. What time is it?” Irys replied, words slurred, letting out a little chuckle after her retort.
Bae lifted Irys’ chin and stared into her heterochromatic eyes, Irys flushed at the action. Was she trying to kiss–
“I have a stream.” Bae’s gaze stayed on Irys, stern.
“What?!” Irys stammered. She forgot about that. The nephilim started her streams an hour or two later than the rat’s, so adjusting to getting up this early was odd.
Irys let go of her target and whispered apologies as Bae got out of bed, trying to shush Irys before she would be even later. She opened her phone and groaned opening up her social, making an “oopsie” tweet about sleeping in. Before she even turned on her computer she needed to eat.
Bae rushed between the kitchen and office, trying to make a simple breakfast for two while also setting up her OBS at the same time. She mainly focused on the food and cracked a few eggs over a pan. She watched them sizzle sharply, transferring them over toast when done to her liking and scarfing one down. By this time, the coffee she put in her machine was ready, and she brought the mug to her office. Meanwhile, the other egg with toast was left on her table, meant for Irys to get whenever she felt ready to get up and go. She sat down at her desk and started up the stream to the loading screen, still not fully ready.
Before she could actually start and stop keeping her fans waiting, Irys came into her office. Bae looked over, confused to why she decided to come in. Without a word spoken, Irys went over to her, bent down to her height, and gave the rat a kiss on the cheek before she giggled to herself and left. Rat ears folded and tail started swaying.
She needed to regain composure before the stream started.
Chat gave Bae shit and teased her for being late, but at the same time was concerned about her sleep schedule. She brushed it off and bantered with her fans like she usually did before starting up a game.
Something deep inside of her was rising though; she couldn’t stop thinking of Irys’ antics before the stream. Throughout it, she touched her cheek and smiled to herself, hoping she wasn’t too obvious. Honestly? She could get used to this. Maybe not the late to stream thing—but everything else.
~~~~~~
Bae slammed her forehead on her desk after she ended her stream and groaned.
“Fuck,” she muttered to herself, “I think I’ve messed up.”
Irys was still on her mind. It was all Irys now. Halfway through January and it was already like this. She had to accept it, Irys was peaking her interest more and more as each day passed. Of course they were already close as friends, but this whole resolution thing was driving her up the wall. She tried her best to be nonchalant about it. Deep inside, her heart fluttered. She now yearned for something more—something more than just a year—a lifetime.
Super. All according to plan. Most definitely.
Without missing a beat, her phone buzzed.
What are you doing the rest of the day?
A nephilim asked curiously over text. That also means she tracked when Bae’s stream ended.
I need to prepare for Febaerary
Bae replied. It was true. The aforementioned month was always stressful, but in the end it was worth it. The sparse streams in January were for good reason.
Irys didn’t respond to the text, instead a call popped up on Bae’s phone. She picked up.
“Yes, Irys?” Bae spoke, tail wagged back and forth.
“When can I see you again?” Irys asked, pathetically so.
With this new “contract” between the two, Irys became progressively clingy. She was already a pretty socially isolated person, especially compared to Bae. Bae didn’t mind it one bit. She still made the time to hang out with other coworkers and friends alike, as well as trying to care for her own health, even with her time being filled up more by a certain nephilim.
Bae pondered the question, not instantly responding. Irys didn’t like that. She puffed through the microphone, “Bae… don’t go silent on me.” she said sternly. It wasn’t threatening or anything, just mild annoyance.
The rat sighed, “Do you want to come over that badly? You were already here today.”
“... Maybe.”
That sigh turned into a groan, Bae massaged her forehead. She loved seeing Irys so often, but she still needed her own space to concentrate.
“What about you? Do you have anything else today?” Bae asked back at the nephilim, curious about the other’s schedule.
“Yeah, I do. I’m in a taxi to the studio for some recordings. I should be done by dinner. Hopefully.” Irys replied.
Dinner… this became a habit. Irys is not a cook by any means; however, Bae is a pretty accomplished home chef. It’s not a hindrance, Bae thought to herself while thinking of the proper response. It was obvious. Irys wanted to have dinner with her again. She didn’t mind that much. Making larger portions did seem easier. Doesn’t help that Irys started bringing over some groceries filled with her favorites, egging Bae on to make meals to her preference.
“Fine,” Bae accepted defeat, unable to stop the nephilim’s advances, “Just get a taxi to my place after you’re done with recordings.”
A small yay was heard through the speaker, Irys giving a quick thanks before hanging up.
The small conversation gave the rat a dopey smile on her face.
She was trapped; that was a fact. Entangled by the lustrous nephilim that always seemed to make her day a bit better—a bit brighter. Might as well submit herself into this unexpected routine she had got into.
Bae shook her head, trying to get out of her thoughts.
She did have homework to do. No distractions, just work for a few more hours…
~~~~~~
Irys stepped out of the taxi that stopped in front of her favorite stop: Bae’s apartment building. She skipped inside and hummed a song that reflected a currently unreleased song. In one hand she held her usual purse, the other hand held… takeout?
She thought about it long and hard, Irys truly did. Bae had been making all these tasty and delectable meals for her. It’s her time. She may not be able to fully repay the favor, but takeout was the best she felt like she could do.
This motivation hit in the taxi before her arrival at the studio, which motivated her to make the recording session count. It did. She finished earlier than she anticipated. With that extra time in hand, she hoped that the rat hadn’t started cooking before she came through the door.
Now she was in front of the rat’s door. She opened her purse and unattached a spare apartment key Bae had kindly gifted her. It’ll be a hindrance for you to knock on the door. That’s what Bae said a good week ago. A good sign that she was getting more comfortable with the nephilim constantly around. With some struggle, Irys opened the door, and to her liking, no smell from the kitchen.
“Tadaima~” Irys said as she slipped her shoes off, putting on a pair of house slippers she relocated to Bae’s place. No response—odd. She shrugged it off, carried the takeout bag to the kitchen table and opened it, getting hit with a nice hot steam from the bag. It’ll be best for the both of them to let it cool off a bit.
She walked into Bae’s room and set the other bag down next to Bae’s bed. It surprised her, Bae didn’t tackle her into a hug yet. The other place she would be is the office. That door was closed. Curious, Irys opened it and went in, smiling when she saw the rat dozed off in her office chair. Next to her desk was a calendar that said “Febaerary” over it. The calendar was filled, most days labeled with what and when she would stream certain games and collaborations. It wasn’t fully complete though, there was still cards scattered around Bae’s desk that had time slots for dance rehearsals, recordings, training, and other obligations that built up to the last day: her “unofficial” birthday.
Irys went by the sleeping rat and inspected the calendar more intensely. With the new information she knew one thing, seeing Bae would be harder. That wasn’t going to stop her, she thought to herself. There was always a workaround. It shouldn’t be too difficult. Even so, she still smiled at the rat. Yet again, she leaned in, gave her a kiss on her head, and took in the sight of her ears slightly twitching.
To Irys, this domestic feeling felt amazing. She was on cloud nine, head over heels for this hardworking rat she was blessed to call more than a coworker. The small gesture accidentally stirred that rat awake, Bae grumbled and mumbled, wiping the drool off her face. Irys giggled, “Good morning sleeping beauty ~” she sang, Bae’s tail wagged at the voice.
“Mmm… good morning?” Bae said back meekly. She stretched and looked down, blushing at the pool of drool where she rested. Irys ruffled her hair, “That looked like a good nap. And just so you know, I brought takeout over.”
Bae’s ears perked up at those words, nose sniffed the air to find the aroma of food.
Yup. Definitely takeout. She could smell the grease from here.
That didn’t bother her at all. Even if she is supposed to be more health-conscious, one takeout meal won’t ruin her… right? Her stomach grumbled at the smell, Irys giggling at the noise.
… her personal trainer doesn’t need to know.
They walk to the kitchen, Irys taking out the food and setting it on the table. Stirfry noodles. It was warm by now, having time to cool off. Bae’s stomach screamed at the food, mouth salivating. She was just a bit hungry. She tore the chopsticks in half with an uneven break, not caring and digging into the food. The nephilim took more time than the rat, watching how she chowed down on the food. Her hair kept getting in the way, prompting Irys to lean close and brush the loose strands behind her human ears. In response, rat ears folded down, blush creeping up on her face.
They didn’t always need to converse when eating, having ate enough with each other already. Bae wasn’t in the talking mood either, goal set on finishing the large bowl in front of her. The portion was too much, as per usual with takeout. The speed of her eating didn’t help either. Irys also didn’t finish, but walked over to the fridge to take out soda she brought over here. She sat back down at the table, cracking it open to take a sip.
A smirk appeared on her face, looking over at the rat.
“Say Bae… I notice there’s a soda missing. Am I influencing you?” she giggled under her breath, gauging Bae’s reaction to the observation. Maybe she did have one. Sometimes the temptation is too much. She was usually good at controlling herself though.
“I only had one! You keep on bringing all these sugary and salt snacks into my house. I can’t resist all the time…” Bae sighed. She has maybe given herself little cheat snacks here and there due to the nephilim’s entourage of her apartment. It can’t be helped.
Irys looked content, giving Bae a shit-eating grin with her "victories" of adding more variety into the rat’s diet. It was not the best influence at all, especially with Bae’s gym goals. She isn’t some slacker! All in all, her eating is pretty healthy.
One thing she didn’t like was losing to Irys. She decided to make a quip at the nephilim’s attitude.
“Maybe I should make some restrictions on what you can keep here. Don’t need you staying every night.” Bae exaggerated, seeing a glint come from Irys’ eyes after that comment.
They liked pushing each other’s buttons. That was a fact.
Irys, spoiled as ever, retorted, “I’m sure you’d dread not seeing me every day, especially at night.”
She still needed to work on her phrasing.
Bae flushed at the comment, the phrasing spearing her brain. “H–hey! You need to get better with your words, missy…” she grumbled, slouching in her chair. Irys gives her a pity pout in response, coaxing Bae to do her worst.
“What? You don’t want me to bring monopoly over any time soon? Unless… you have it already.”
“I thought we put monopoly behind us years ago.”
“Maybe I’m still thinking about it…”
Irys bit her lip after that comment, heat rising up at the table. She glared at Bae, watching her face get progressively redder and redder.
“I’m so done with you.” Bae said. She looked away, grumbling nonsense under her breath. The leftovers from takeout were covered now, both of them giving the food time to digest. Without another word spoken, Bae takes the bowls and brings them to the fridge, shutting it before going to the bathroom.
Even with that nap, she was still tired. Someone may be the cause of it. In reality, she went to the bathroom to cool down.
Irys was obviously poking her buttons. That’s what she was supposed to do!
Bae did her skincare more aggressively that night, previous flames from past arguments rose from within her.
Maybe they weren’t a good match.
Even so, they still slept in each other’s arms.