Chapter Text
Fan meets have always been Ahri's favorite social event.
She loves getting to meet the people who support her and help her get where she is now. She loves the early hype she feels right before K/DA enters the building. She loves taking pictures with her fans and signing her autographs on whatever they can find. Yes, her cheeks hurt after smiling so much, her hand cramps from writing so much, and her body is sore from sitting in the same position for so long. But it's all worth it. Ahri wouldn't trade these moments for the world.
Evelynn constantly teases her about being more excited than the fans.
When Ahri watches herself on fan-cams, she realizes that the diva might be right. But no amount of teasing will stop her from enjoying the events as much as she can.
"Ahri! What's taking you so long?"
The sudden call followed by a short knock startles the gumiho out of her mini daydream. She blinks twice, glancing down at her outfit, and quickly remembers the whole reason her mind started wandering off in the first place. K/DA had scheduled another fan meeting in the United States, and Ahri has been practicing her English so eagerly that she's skipped a few hours of sleep here and there. With the help of the other members, who are already fluent in English, Ahri can now make pretty decent conversations without having to use Evelynn as a translator. Her heart begins to race as she imagines the surprised cheers when she greets the audience in their native language...
"Ahri? Did you fall asleep?" Akali's voice rings from the other side of the door again.
Without even realizing it, Ahri managed to start daydreaming for the second time. Her excitement really knows how to get the best of her. "No, I'm awake! I just zoned out," she admits. "I'll be ready in a few minutes."
"Cool, because the Fansign starts in five minutes and we should have left fifteen minutes ago."
"What?!" Mildly alarmed, Ahri spins around to glance at her phone. Sure enough, they were already behind schedule. "Crap... I'll just have to put on my shoes in the car..." she mutters to herself as she grabs her shoes with one hand, her phone and bag with the other, and makes a beeline behind Akali to the car, where Evelynn and Kai'sa are already waiting for her.
By the small smirk painted on Evelynn's face, Ahri already knows what's coming. "Too busy fantasizing about the Fansign to remember we actually have one to attend?"
"Shut up, I got distracted."
"At least you admit it."
Ahri sticks her tongue out in response, not having much else to say back. She hears quiet snickers from the younger two members in the back of the car and rolls her eyes playfully. "Just drive. Safely, this time," she warns Evelynn sternly, knowing a little too well how fast the diva likes to drive when she's by herself.
"Whatever do you mean? I always drive safely."
The entire car erupts into laughter. Evelynn looks displeased at first but lets out a soft chuckle. "Oh, come on. I can't be that bad."
"Eve, we love you, but your driving is scarier than the Tower of Terror," Akali points out, speaking Ahri's mind.
Evelynn narrows her eyes in Akali's direction for a moment but finally gives in. "Alright, fine, you win. I'll drive safely."
Satisfied, Ahri nods and relaxes back in her seat, running all the English she learned through her head a few more times.
Despite Evelynn's promise to drive slower, she manages to turn a supposed fifteen-minute drive into seven, and the group makes it to the event in record time. Ahri doesn't bother to start scolding her, her attention already being drawn to the loud cheers of the fans waiting for them outside the building. Almost reflexively, Ahri's face bursts into a wide smile as she nearly trips over herself hurrying out of the car.
"Don't embarrass yourself, Foxy~"
"Oh, shut it, Eve..."
A soft hum from the diva lets Ahri know she's just teasing her yet again, and she brushes it off as the girls make their way into the main hall and onto the stage. The screams and cheers become nearly deafening when Akali and Kai'sa start waving excitedly at the fans in the front. Ahri can't help the grin that spreads across her face.
"So, are you going to officially start the fansign or what?" Evelynn asks quietly, lightly nudging Ahri in the side.
With a silent yelp, Ahri fumbles with the mic to make sure it's working properly and pieces together exactly what she wants to say before taking a deep breath.
"Good morning! We're so glad you could make it to our fansign! I've been practicing my English so I can communicate with you guys better!"
Ahri is barely able to finish before the crowd erupts again. Evelynn winks encouragingly in her direction to continue, but all the adrenaline pulsing through Ahri's veins is making her far too impatient for the elaborate opening she wanted to give. So instead, she cuts right to the point. "Shall we get started then?"
Two hours in, just as she expected, the line still stretches on for more than a mile. Seated between Evelynn and Kai'sa, Ahri still happily signs autographs, takes pictures, and accepts small gifts from her fans. A multitude of them have joked about how she appeared to be more excited than the other members and the fans themselves, and Evelynn would shoot a small smirk at her each time.
What can she do? She can't help it.
A series of loud screams distracts Ahri from her current fan, causing her to snap her gaze towards Evelynn and Akali on the left. Now decorated with a bright red kiss mark on her cheek, Akali attempts to hide her face as Evelynn simply grins. Ahri can only guess that the fans asked for some fanservice, and Evelynn delivered just that.
"Tone it down before people think you two are actually dating," Ahri jokes as she lightly kicks her leg.
"What makes you think we aren't dating?" Evelynn's blunt reply sends the fans in a frenzy yet again. Many of the fans beg for more details, but the sneaky siren keeps her mouth sealed in a mischievous smirk.
Ahri laughs quietly, pleased that the eldest and youngest members are enjoying themselves. After making sure Kai'sa is doing well with her fans, Ahri turns back to the fan in front of her. Once she does, her breath almost immediately gets caught in her chest.
She's not sure what it is about the girl on the other side of the panel that makes her ears perk up with interest. Maybe it's the cute way her hair is tied, maybe it's the pastel oversized sweater, maybe it's the shy smile she hides behind her cat plushie as she repeatedly glances between her and the ground.
No matter what it is, the only thought that's able to flow through Ahri's mind is, Oh... she's cute...
And at that moment, Ahri decides that she wants the girl. Maybe as an experiment, maybe forever. She'll figure that out along the way.
Leaning slightly forward, she puts on her best smile before speaking. "Hello~!"
The fan's initial response is a soft smile as she gently squeezes the plushie she's holding. "Hi... you guys are my favorite group..." she quietly responds.
"Thank you so much! We all appreciate the support!" Ahri beams brightly, finding the girl increasingly adorable with each passing second.
There's a short moment of silence between them, the girl furrowing her eyebrows as if she's thinking of what to say next. Instead of doing so, she simply holds the plushie out to her. "Here..."
"Ah, do you want me to sign it?"
"No no! It's... I bought it for you..."
"Oh... I..."
Whatever Ahri planned on saying fades away as she slowly accepts the plushie. The second she has her arms around it, her eyes widen at how incredibly soft it is, nothing like anything she's ever seen before. She must have fallen quiet for too long because the fan clears her throat slightly, looking embarrassed. "You're my bias, so I wanted to get you something special..." she explains.
Ahri nuzzles into the plush, letting out a sigh of contentment. "I love it, thank you!"
The fan nods with another sheepish smile, but as she starts to head to the next member, Ahri realizes she's not ready to watch her go just yet. Not without one more thing.
"Wait, come back," Ahri calls out, and the girl thankfully halts in her tracks. Getting out a sticky note and a pen, she hands it to the fan, who glances up at her with a quizzical look. "Write your name and phone number, please? So I can remember who gave me such a nice gift~"
A subtle blush creeps onto the girl's face as she takes the note and quickly writes them down before handing it back to her. "I hope to see you again tomorrow..."
"I look forward to it, [Y/N]~"
If the blush on [Y/N]'s face wasn't apparent enough before, it definitely is now. Ahri can't stop herself from giggling a bit at her flustered expression as she hurries away so the next person in line can come to the front. She quickly falls back into her pace of signing autographs and taking pictures like before, but her mind isn't completely clear. For some reason, she can't stop thinking about [Y/N], she can't stop thinking about her gentle eyes, her soft smile, her flushed cheeks. For some reason, Ahri wants to be the one responsible for her adorable smile and flustered expressions.
Well damn... I think I have a crush...
Ahri can't think of any other day she was more grateful that they had scheduled a three-day event.