Work Text:
As the live stream ended, Rosa popped off the couch and grabbed her bag. She was already dressed when it started and had watched on four different screens: her TV, her phone, her laptop, and her tablet. She shot a quick text to let them know she was on her way before running out the door. Being an idol herself, she was in great shape. Running and not singing? Piece of cake. Reaching their apartment building, she pulled out her key to let herself inside.
As she entered, all four heads rose in unison and turned towards the door. It was a comical sight, but Rosa threw her arms around her best friend and fell on the couch to hug him fiercely.
"Aaah. You were so good!" Luke let out an oomph sound but hugged her back. "I told you you just had to be yourself. Your fans loved it. Even now the media is blowing up about it." Pulling away slightly, Rosa opened the feed to show fans were still in the livestream chat gushing about how they managed a virtual meet with their idols. The lucky ones who had their questions addressed or even their screennames read out were blogging and posting it like crazy. Finally pausing to breath, she looked up at him.
"Thank you. It was a lot of fun, too!" Luke smiled shyly.
"What about me, Miss?" Marius broke in with his signature smirk. "What did you think of me?" Scrambling off Luke, Rosa gave Marius her 'look'.
"You need to deflate your ego a bit, Marius Von Hagen." He pouted and tossed his hair with one hand. "Or rather, a lot."
"The fans loved it."
"But you asked for my opinion, didn't you?" The other boys chuckled as Marius went silent.
"Thank you for coming over, Rosa." Vyn smiled warmly at her. "It's nice to hear praise from someone else in our industry."
"Of course! I'm so proud of you guys."
Rosa had debuted much earlier. Eight years earlier to be exact. Through it all, Luke had been her one constant companion. Scandals, bad managers, and many other issues. Even when he went to college, they made time for each other virtually. When they met up in person for the first time in the long time they spent apart, he informed her he wanted to try singing and she'd happily helped him achieve his goal. Countless auditions and competitions later and Luke landed a spot on the NXX Team with the other three. Having been caught up in a scandal or two with her, Luke's name, if not his face, had already been associated with Rosa and the public had watched the group with interest. Naturally their first collaboration had been with her and it became a top hit, earning them their first livestream interview with their fans. Many reporters liked to claim the group's success was because of the relationship between Rosa and Luke, but the stream proved otherwise. Rosa's name had barely been mentioned. The fans were there for the boys and it made Rosa all the happier to see them smiling for themselves.
"Alright. The time has come to celebrate!" Rosa clapped her hands and stood back up.
"Where are we headed?" Artem inquired as they all wandered around their apartment, grabbing jackets and wallets and whatever else they would need to go out.
"Clubbing of course!" She laughed at the look on Artem's face. "Don't worry, Artie. We won't make you drink too, too much." She winked when he blushed. "We'll keep you just the right amount of tipsy." Once they were ready, Rosa took hold of Luke's arm. The motion was so natural to her she didn't think twice about it. "And awaaay we go!"
~~~
Luke couldn't wipe the stupid grin off his face. Rosa's hand was small and warm in his own. It didn't matter where she was taking them. He was just happy to be with her. They arrived at an unfamiliar place. Tilting his head to one side, Luke read the sign.
"A karaoke bar?" Rosa turned and beamed.
"Sure is!" Pointing with one arm, she braced against her hip with the other. "I challenge you guys to a karaoke off!" They stared at her blankly. "We've already collaborated. Now we have to compete!" Exchanging grins, they followed her inside. It seemed she already rented out a room and Luke trotted up to her side.
"What if the livestream had been a flop?" He leaned down to ask her and received her 'look'. Still, he thought his question was a valid one. Solo streaming, even if your bandmates were in the other rooms, was tough. You didn't have each other to bounce energy off of. It was all up to you to be engaging and fun.
"It wasn't going to be." She informed him calmly, opening the door to their room. "I've watched you guys from the beginning and I knew all of you would nail it." They piled inside. Food and drinks were brought to them and finally it was time to start.
"So, I take it we're versing each other as well?" Artem flipped through the available songs. Rosa smirked.
"I mean, if you four think you need to team up to face me then by all means. Be. My. Guest." Marius leaned forward to rest his head on his palm as he gazed at her, smiling at her lazily.
"When I win, Miss, will I get a kiss as a reward?" Luke coughed on his drink and glared at Marius who ignored him. Rosa rolled her eyes.
"You won't, but if you do then sure." The other boys straightened as Marius' grin widened. "But when I win, I get to change your phone background."
"It's a deal."
Rosa started them off, singing a classic. The melody was simple, but so well known the others couldn't help but join in as she sang. Luke felt his heart stir at the sight. It was rare for them to be able to sing just for the enjoyment of it and time with friends was precious. They did several rounds of songs and the debate of who was 'winning' became fierce.
"You came in late," Artem growled at Vyn who had just finished. "That's penalty right there."
"Only by a few seconds," Vyn shook his head. "And at least I harmonized with the chorus. You couldn't even manage that." Luke noticed Rosa's expression change. Her look of annoyance was so cute though he could understand why they teased and riled her up sometimes. But this was not a good one.
"Enough!" She tossed shrimp tails at them from the tempura they'd eaten early. Both men shut up. "We'll go based off the scoring on karaoke machine, okay?" They both sulked, but agreed. Flipping to the proper screen, they all leaned forward to see who was on top. Luke. Followed by Rosa, Marius, Vyn, and finally Artem.
"See? My timing made little difference." Vyn pushed his glasses up on his face while Artem fumed. Luke suspected Artem was a little more tipsy than he let on. The score was surprisingly low. Of course, one of them had to come in last. But the difference... Luke's thoughts left his head when he felt a gentle pressure on his shoulder.
"Ah-" Glancing over, Rosa was leaning forward. She pressed a gentle kiss to his cheek and the other boys froze, staring in shock. Pressing a palm to the spot as Rosa pulled away, Luke suddenly felt very, very hot.
"Congratulations, Luke." She smiled shyly, her own face seemed a little red.
"Thank you." His mind struggled to find more to say, but it refused to fit sentences together. Right on time, their pager buzzed indicating that their time in the room was up. After cleaning up a little, they left and headed back out into the night.
~~~
Rosa's lips tingled a little. She'd kissed Luke mainly to prevent another argument from breaking out as well as because of the bet, but she hadn't expected to feel her heart pound so much afterwards. Chalking it up to the couple of drinks she had, she gave her head a quick shake to try to clear it. They'd arrived at their next destination after all. The arcade was loud and full. There was no competition this time around, but the boys seemed riled up anyways. Artem quickly challenged Vyn to a zombie shooting game and the group headed over to the machine.
"Sure you're sober enough for this, Artem?" Vyn inquired politely as he picked up the gun. Artem scowled.
"Quite." The game whirred to life and after a countdown, the screen displayed virtual zombies slowly coming towards them. As the two took shot after shot, Marius smirked.
"My bet's on Artie." Vyn didn't look at him when he responded.
"Where's such confidence coming from, Mr. Von Hagen?" Moments later, a big fat 'game over' blinked at them. The screen changed to reveal their scores.
"Right there." Marius taunted. Artem scored nearly twice as much. Vyn's eye twitched and Rosa had to stifle her giggle.
"Come on, guys. The night is young. Let's race!" Game after game their little group moved around the arcade happily.
Of course, DDR was a must. Still, it was clear they were all a little drunk. Heat and physical activity was nothing new for any of them, but they all ended breathless and red faced. Marius pressed his lips together as he stared at his score. Rosa winced. She was embarrassed for him. There was a click and Marius whipped around.
"You did not just take a picture of that, did you?!" Vyn shrugged as he pocketed his phone.
"It's just an assurance. For whenever your head gets a little too big." With a growl, Marius chased his friend through the arcade. Luke, Artem, and Rosa all watched laughing.
The night slowly drew to a close and the five walked home slowly. As the road where they separated came up, Luke spoke from behind her.
"I'll take you home." Rosa smiled warmly at him.
"Don't worry, it's not too far." He shook his head stubbornly.
"The distance doesn't matter. It's late and I don't want anything to happen to you." With a sigh, she nodded.
"Alright." He offered his hand to her and she took it, giving it a gentle squeeze. It was no use arguing with Luke when he was in protective mode. And, truth be told, she didn't want to part with him just yet either. The other boys look as if they'd eaten something sour as they waved goodbye and headed back for their apartment.
~~~
The air was cold, but Luke was warm. His heart felt worse than before any concert. Rosa walked along side him, humming softly. He was instantly brought back to their high school days when being an idol was still a dream for her. He'd been worried of course. The industry was tough and fans could be ruthless. But he supported her and watched as she grew and spread her wings. Feeling a sense of happiness rush over him, he gave her hand a squeeze and she paused to look up at him. He smiled and she returned it, her green eyes bright. The walk to her apartment was far too short.
As they halted by her door, Luke's mind raced. He wanted to kiss her. So badly. But they weren't even dating. Could he do that?
"Have a nice night, Luke." She murmured softly, releasing his hand.
"Wait-" Pausing, she looked up at him expectantly. "I-" His lips moved but his voice wouldn't work. Time ticked and Luke finally gave up. Lifting a hand, he straightened a strand of her hair that had escaped the confines of her braid. Closing her eyes, she leaned against his palm and her hand rose to grip his wrist. Barely breathing, Luke slowly leaned forward. Right before his lips brushed against hers, he switched and pressed a gentle kiss to her cheek. When he pulled away, her eyes opened and they stared at each other. "Good night, Rosa." He murmured softly. His voice trembled and he quickly pulled away, practically running back down the stairs.
Once outside, he paused glanced up. The light was on in her apartment. He pressed his palm to his pounding heart. Someday.
He would sing to her.
For her.
And her alone.
Then, he would confess his undying love.