Chapter Text
“Wait.” White Fox said, looming over Luna’s shoulder. She ignored the impatient glances of the younger girl’s manager and gently took the box of earpieces out of Luna’s hands, her eyebrows furrowing as she picked up on a trace of strange magic from the contents.
“Careful, those are the latest, top of the line IEMs in the market!” Her manager warned, crossing his arms before continuing. “They probably cost more than a month of your salary.”
“Probably.” White Fox agreed, and smirked as Luna quickly berated her manager for the comment. She picked one of the strange earpieces up, realizing that they were custom fitted to Luna’s ears as she held them closer to her visor. She inhaled, channeling her powers long enough to catch a glimpse of silver power trailing off from the earpiece. She looked up at Luna, exchanging a brief glance with the idol before she put the earpiece back in its case and clicked it shut.
“Don’t put these in your ears.” She warned, and set them onto the table besides Luna. “There’s some strange power coming from it and I wouldn’t risk finding out what it does by trial.”
“Huh, Okay.” Luna quickly agreed, almost as quickly as her manager interjected, “But Miss Snow!”
The two young women turned to look at the protesting man and after meeting the gaze of the NIS agent that seemed to pierce even through the visor, he huffed indignantly and appeared to back down. White Fox dropped her glare and looked back at Luna, who offered her a small smile.
“I’ll assume you’re going to need these for further investigation?” Luna asked, picking up the box and offering it with both hands to White Fox. The kumiho accepted the box, smiling slightly at the pained look on the manager’s face which grew worse the longer the box was in her possession.
“I’ll take them to the lab to get them further looked at.” White Fox said, shifting the box under her arm. She bit back a sadistic grin before she added on, “They might have to be taken apart.”
“Oh that’s fine,” Luna brushed off before tilting her head to the side and looking up at White Fox with eyes that meant mischief, “Since they’re expensive though, you have to pay me back somehow.”
“Oh?” The older woman inquired, raising her eyebrows although they couldn’t be seen under her visor. The manager took on a smug smile at that line, unprepared for what was to come. “And what do you mean by that?”
“Treat me to jjajangmyeon.” Luna said, everything about her earnest besides her eyes which were still twinkling with playful intent. After a beat, she added on, “It has to at least be convenience store quality.”
“That’s quite the demand, Miss Snow, but I’ll see what I can do.” White Fox answered just as seriously, although a hint of fondness had slipped into the sentence. Luna beamed at her in response, and that made her almost forget to drink in the horrified look on the manager’s face. Almost.
“Alright then, I suppose I’ll get going.” White Fox said, reaching out to pat Luna on the head before turning on her tail and leaving.
“See ya!” Luna called out from behind her, and it didn’t take heightened senses to be able to detect the smile in her voice.
— - - -
A warm bowl of Jjajangmyeon in one hand and a manila envelope in the other, Ami had no idea how she was going to ring the doorbell. She held the envelope up to her mouth, taking a hold of it by teeth just as the door clicked open and there stood a very casually dressed international k-pop star. Without a word exchanged between them, Ami offered the bowl of Jjajangmyeon and Seol Hee graciously accepted it.
“Wow! It’s better than convenience store quality, Thanks!” Seol Hee said with an amused smile. She stepped aside, and welcomed Ami into her apartment. Closing the door behind her, they walked over to the living area and Seol Hee carefully plopped down onto the couch. Ami took a less enthusiastic seat and took the envelope from her mouth.
“Leagues better even. It’s takeout quality.” Ami mused, a smile forming on her face as she watched the other girl unsheathe a pair of disposable chopsticks and begin to slurp up the meal with delight. She slid the envelope onto the table, and set the information she came to reveal aside temporarily. Seol Hee deserved at least this moment of peace before the work of heroes picked up again.
“Hab ju ea’n tobay?” Seol Hee asked, her words jumbled by a mouthful of noodles and her eyes wide as she looked at the girl beside her. All too familiar with the way Seol Hee talked while enjoying food, Ami replied without missing a beat. “Yeah, I had some ramen earlier.”
“At what time?” Seol Hee asked, finally getting down a bite. “And just one meal today?”
“At… I forgot. But I’m going to make myself another serving of ramen when I get home.” Ami answered honestly, reclining back into the couch. Next thing she knew, chopsticks holding up a bite of black bean noodles appeared in front of her.
“ Ah .” Seol Hee commanded, moving the food closer to Ami’s lips. Ami gave her a look, and she continued, “Hurry, before they drip and make a mess.”
Reluctantly, Ami accepted the bite of food, glaring at Seol Hee as she withdrew the chopsticks with a triumphant expression. She watched Seol Hee take another bite of the noodles, a notably smaller amount than her initial bite and then once again held a bite up to Ami’s lips, this time with the bowl under it to catch any sauce if it were to drip. Ami swallowed what she had been chewing and after casting her gaze away from the younger, shyly took another bite. She cursed at herself internally. Shy? Since when has this feeling existed to Ami Han?
Clearing her throat after she swallowed again, she gently moved Seol Hee’s already prepared chopsticks and bowl back towards her and stood up. Seol Hee looked up curiously at her, and Ami answered the unspoken question, “I’m gonna grab another pair of chopsticks.”
Seol Hee hummed in acknowledgement and Ami made her way to the kitchen. She found the utensil drawer easily, having spent a good amount of time searching for it on one of her previous visits, and grabbed herself a pair. Instead of returning to the living room immediately however, she leaned onto the counter and rested her head in her free hand. What’s wrong with her? Why did she suddenly turn shy at the notion of sharing food with Seol Hee? A voice broke her out of her thoughts.
“Ami? You finding the chopsticks okay?” Seol Hee called out from the living room, and by the clarity of her words Ami could tell she had not yet taken another bite. Ami opened and closed the nearest drawer, making sure to shut it loud enough for Seol Hee to hear.
“Yeah, just found them.” She called out in response, and walked back to the living room and her spot beside Seol Hee. She took a seat, and the two of them finished the rest of the meal in a calm silence. It wasn’t until Seol Hee’s chopsticks clattered against the empty bowl that the waiting issue was addressed.
“So,” Seol Hee started, her eyes now trained on the manila envelope, “I assume those are the results from the lab?”
“Correct. And an assignment for you as an agent of Tiger Division.” Ami confirmed, picking up the envelope and opening it with one clean swipe of a clawed finger. She pulled out the paper within that had the results, which Ami knew, and the details of Seol Hee’s next assignment, which Ami didn't, and handed it to Seol Hee. The idol scanned the paper quickly, and as she reached a certain section her expression turned to one of dread.
“What?” Ami asked, her eyebrows creasing in concern. She scooted closer to Seol Hee, and although she knew the papers were confidential even within Tiger Division and Agents of Atlas, tried to catch a glimpse of what elicited such a reaction from her dear friend.
“I can’t believe this.” Seol Hee muttered, clutching the paper close to her chest.
“What?” Ami repeated, her concern building.
“I’m…” Seol Hee trailed off, looking into Ami’s eyes with pained ones.
“You’re?” Ami asked anxiously, her hands coming to wrap around Seol Hee’s wrist gently, as if asking to see the paper. Seol Hee inhaled deeply, as if preparing to reveal devastating news.
“..Not the father. How could you do this to me, Ami?” Seol Hee said, her expression a beautiful portrait of sadness that made Ami’s heart ache. “I thought we had something special.”
“I’m so sorry- Wait what.” Ami started, but swiftly came to her senses in midst of the emotional turmoil and confusion she had just been through. “Seol Hee!” She scolded, her eyebrows creasing in annoyed anger now. She let go of the other girl’s wrists and crossed her arms over her chest, leaning back with a glare. Seol Hee burst out laughing, so hard that tears came to her eyes. Ami rolled her eyes and waited for her to finish, which after what seemed like an eternity, she eventually did.
“S.. Sorry.” Seol Hee wheezed out, clearing her throat and wiping her eyes. “I can’t help it, you’re too fun to tease.”
“Uhuh.” Ami grumbled, unimpressed.
“But in all seriousness, we did get assigned this mission together.” Seol Hee said, turning the paper around to show Ami. “The manufacturing of the magic tainted IEMs trail back to New York under a company called Fujinet right?”
“Yup.” Ami affirmed, her eyes now scanning the paper.
“And the IEMs have something inside them that latches onto the wearer when inserted, and sends out electric charges. Which we don’t know what for yet, but it’s not good.” Seol Hee said aloud, explaining it more to herself than Ami.
“Yes, but we do know what it's for.” Ami lowered her voice, “Several entertainment companies have called in reporting that their idols have fallen into a comatose-like sleep, and won’t wake up.” The color drained from Seol Hee’s face at that. “Shortly after, they received calls from an unknown number that demanded large sums of money in order for their idols to gain consciousness once again. And guess what the common thread of these cases was?” Ami paused, although the question had practically answered itself already. “Fujinet IEMs.”
Seol Hee gasped. “That’s horrible!” She was suddenly very grateful Ami had been there with her when she was introduced to the so-called Top of the Line IEMs.
“Yeah.” Ami agreed, “But you were saying?”
“Oh yeah. Well you’re to accompany me , Luna Snow, on a promotional overseas trip to New York City.” Seol Hee said, and Ami nodded as it matched up with the words on the page. “Posing as my bodyguard.”
Before Ami could say any words of protest, Seol Hee cut in. “Remember that not one but two Tiger Division agents showing up in NYC seemingly unprecedented would send whoevers behind this running. Also I’m not the one who can sniff out magic.”
Ami sighed.
— - - -
“Can’t I just go with you in my small fox form?” Ami asked, peering out of the company building at the sea of paparazzi and fans below. Her dread accumulated more and more the longer she looked at them.
“No. Last time you did that my PR team had to put out a statement that I was not keeping an arctic fox as a pet.” Luna answered sternly, although her amused smile betrayed her serious tone. Ami peeled her gaze away from the window to stare blankly at the idol, crossing her arms over her chest.
“But everytime I go out with you in my human form, everyone already thinks I’m your bodyguard.” Ami complained.
“That’s not a problem in this case. In fact it may actually be beneficial. And to be fair, you act like you are.” Luna pointed out with a teasing tone, “and now you actually are.”
Ami sighed, crossing the room in a few strides, stopping when she stood right in front of the idol. She put on her best glare, and looked down at the seated girl. “I was only ordered to appear to be your bodyguard for this overseas mission, seeing as your fame is our key to the whole operation. I’m not actually paid to protect you.”
“Yeah, cause you do it for free.” Luna said, her smile widening into a grin. She reached up and tugged gently on Ami’s tie. “Plus you look good in a suit.”
“Oh whatever.” Ami said, rolling her eyes. “How did you even get a suit fitted to my measurements on such a short notice?”
“Oh you know,” Luna said, letting go of the tie to gesture with her hands. “Connections.”
“Huh.. Alright,” Ami accepted. She looked over Luna’s head and caught sight of herself in the mirror behind her. A woman with dark hair, brown eyes, no visor, and no tails stared back at her. She almost didn’t recognize herself. It’s been quite a few years since she had to hide what she was, or rather who she was. She didn’t know what she was feeling, but it definitely wasn’t good. Luna noticed the contemplative look on Ami’s face and turned to look behind her as well.
“It’ll only be for this mission.” Luna said gently, turning back around to face Ami. She reached and took Ami’s hands into her own. Ami tore her gaze away from the mirror at the contact and looked at Luna once again.
“Actually, it’ll only be until my cover is blown.” Ami said, managing a small smirk. Luna rolled her eyes before shaking her head in disbelief.
“If this goes smoothly there won’t be a need to blow your cover.” Luna pointed out.
“Yeah but things hardly go smoothly, especially with international affairs like this.” Ami fired back, giving Luna’s hands a light squeeze. “I’m trying to give myself hope that this will end as soon as possible here, Seol.” She offered a small smile and Luna’s expression softened at that. She shifted her hands against the Ami’s and intertwined their fingers, giving her friend a reassuring squeeze. Ami was suddenly very glad that her tails were hidden, else their wagging would have been another thing for Luna to tease her about.
The door opened, and a manager different from the one Ami had antagonized walked inside. She paid no mind to two awkwardly untangling their hands and instead held the door open. She simply informed them, “The chauffeur is here to escort you to the airport.”
— - - -
Unfortunately, even if her kumiho ears were not visible on top of her head, she still had superhuman hearing. She could hear every single word and sound coming out of the mouths of Luna’s fans. Inhaling deeply, she steeled herself. She could easily handle hordes of enemies. What was a hundred driven fans to this hardened soldier?
A nightmare. A hundred driven fans was a nightmare to Ami Han.
She didn’t know how Luna could deal with the constant screaming, clicks of shutters and phone cameras, and even crying of all these people constantly. And with a smile nonetheless. In fact, she was smiling and waving at her fans even now and making brief stops to take pictures with them. The dedication of an idol was something Ami quickly grew a deep respect for, and as much as Luna enjoyed interacting with her fans and vice versa, they had places to be.
Placing a hand on Luna’s back, she gently but firmly guided her away from the crowd and towards the vehicle awaiting them. Once they reached the car, Ami pulled the door open and offered a hand to assist Luna, which she gladly accepted and used to board the car. As soon as the idol took her seat, Ami hopped in herself and tugged the door closed, almost a little too eagerly. She let out a small breath of relief once the door closing muffled the sounds of fans and took her seat next to Luna, gently knocking her shoulder against Luna’s.
“Props to you for having to deal with that on a regular basis.” Ami said. She rubbed the spots on her head where her kumiho ears would be if she had let them out, and made a face. “I wouldn’t be able to stand more than five minutes of that.”
Luna blinked, her warm expression beginning to melt into one of guilt as she seemed to remember something. “Oh! Superhuman hearing.. I’m so sorry I would’ve been faster if I remembered!” She exclaimed.
“It’s okay, it’ll only be for this mission.” Ami said, offering a small smile. She reached for Luna’s hand and held it, giving her a comforting squeeze.
“I don’t want that sentence to become a recurring theme during this mission.” Luna chided, giving Ami a look of mock anger before continuing, “But that should be the last run-in with my fans we’ll have in Korea at least, so you won’t have to go through that again,” She comforted.
Ami tilted her head to the side, confused. “Aren’t we going to the airport?”
Luna smiled, her eyes turning into crescents. “Yeah, but not through any public entrances. We’re heading straight for the private jet.”
“Oh. Right.” Ami said. She had forgotten for a moment that the girl beside her was a world-famous k-pop sensation. Of course she had access to a private jet. Her eyebrows creased as she remembered an encounter with someone else who owned a private jet, who had annoyingly called her “Whitey” and sucker punched her in the face. She remembered that specific nuisance just happened to be based at the other end of their flight, in New York City. Ami sighed. She had a strange feeling it was going to be another case of something she had to put up with ‘Just for this mission.’