Chapter Text
Somewhere in a less-than-luxurious apartment complex in Valoran city, a young woman would struggle to wake herself from a comfortable sleep. The beeping of her alarm clock echoes throughout the cluttered bedroom, constantly nagging her to unwrap herself from the warmth and comfort of her sheets. Y/n was not an extraordinary woman; her life had been entirely normal for the last few years now. She had just finished her studies, with a completely “okay” experience, missing out on such things as partying with friends or blacking out in some shitty bar. As she.. Hadn’t made that many acquaintances at all.
But what she did make was a best friend, one so good she would swear was her guardian Angel, the platonic love of her life, who was called Alune.
Alune was great, without a doubt a once-in-a-lifetime sort of friend. She would be there for Y/n when her procrastination led to a constant speedrun of her semesters, she would be there to bother y/n at her part-time job, and she would be there to yap until morning came whenever they got together. And now.. She was there to hook Y/n up for a job. It was great; Y/n had a business major and was well-versed in marketing. It just so happened that Alune’s twin brother had joined and, alongside some other artists, created something from the ground up, as well as a couple of already well-known ones. Yet they needed help.
Alune, most of all. She was drowning in work, the band had a very.. good and imposing idea of what they wanted, it was all but small and ordinary, the group was also quite large itself, a boyband composed of six artists was no small feat to manage and ensure the success of such a thing, and she happened to be tasked with doing all that by herself!
So of course, after she made up her mind not to die by herself in paperwork, she decided to bring her only best friend on the boat, Y/n.
But now Y/n had to wake her ass up from the comfort of her bed, and get herself ready! So she did! With reluctant steps and a big, long sigh, she was now up and running!
——
Now you found yourself walking across the street, after being given the chance to do so, of course, wearing a nicely set up suit of choice, it was classy, it was nice, and most of all, you were confident! Your hair picked up in a ponytail, your eyes up to the path ahead, and your steps more of a strut than anything else, amazing.
“—Oh hell yeah im rocking this interview, Alune’s doing it for me.” Was the thought that kept you going with such a big, wide smile on your face? And it looked exactly like that would be happening, as in the accorded café’s terrace, the girl waved with a grin, her beautiful magenta hair waving around in the air, a gesture you could not help but return..
Soon, you found yourself sitting across from her, quickly dumping your purse beside you, scooting your chair closer towards the table in a practiced move. “Oh my god, Alune! You dyed your hair! It looks a-ma-zing!”
The young woman smiled and twirled her hair with feigned sheepishness, fanning herself. “Oh my god, Y/n, you’re going to make me faint~ You’re so forward~.”
“Oh? Are we on a date now? You should’ve told me, I would’ve worn something more appropriate for you and your beautiful eyes~” You replied in the same playful manner, before the two of you found yourselves breaking the act with loud laughter, almost falling off your chairs. After a couple of moments of regaining your composure, she smiled and chuckled. “Okay, well now that that’s out of the way..”
“Pleaaase! Please! Please! Please take the job! I can’t take it anymore! These boys will be the death of me!” The girl suddenly pleaded, placing her hands above her head while pouting, almost throwing herself onto the table.
Holy shit.
“What? I mean, sure im taking the job, you know how hard it is to get a job these days?! But like.. woah, they got you pleading for help?!” You replied with surprise, eyes wide and eyelashes fluttering with the processing of the request.
“Okay im glad to hear that, but yes! It's sooo much work, I mean I love my brother and everything, but like.. jesus christ it's so much to deal with!” Alune responded with a sigh, bringing herself up once again, running a hand through her hair. “I had to move in with them because I can’t do everything remotely! That's just how much work it is!”
“Because now I have to even manage the expenses and everything, on top of all the band shit, it's incredible, I really need help, I'm being overworked by men,” She added with a hint of frustration, her hand twirling one of her newly dyed locks in between her fingers. “Well.. men are usually the ones overworking people, but I’d digress.”
“…Man, that’s uh.. shit,” You responded in a murmur, while Alune couldn’t help but nod in response.. “Okay lets talk numbers first, how much exactly are we talking about?” And with that, Alune’s eyes glimmered, placing her hands together with a grin. “Okay, now that's a good question, and a great hook for me to bring you into my torture.” Her lips parted, and from her mouth came a sum that you could simply not refuse. It was amazing, really, incredible! And it would not end there, as she then added to her words. “And on top of that, if you do the same as me, which I will absolutely force you to do, and you do come to live with us..”
“Your rent will be like.. the same you’re paying for that piss apartment, and it's like a goddamn mansion instead, it is a lot of shitty work but it's a great greaaat job!” She added with the same grin as before, leaning back on her chair before winking at you. “Besides, you’ll live with me again~”
You couldn’t help but chuckle at her words, leaning forward before replying. “piss apartment? Come on, it’s beautiful, it’s got that hmmm.. ‘low income’ aesthetic you know?”
“But hey, yeah, it sounds great, I can't even lie to you here, girl, and living with the love of my life sounds like it's worth the shot~” You added while winking back, to which she simply blew a kiss… Maybe the passerby’s would assume you two were french kissing in the bathroom later or something..
“So you’ll take it? I'm like the devil, I even brought a contract and everything~” She replied with a smile, nodding lightly as she shifted to the side, her slender fingers diving into her bag, a folder coming out from the unknown realm. “Oh, by the way, the group’s fine with me hiring you, I mean, not like anyone knows you other than Phel, but we both put in a good word”.
“I have like a lot of warnings for you, but that's after you sign,” She added with a snicker, handing out the pen for you to sign. “Don't read the fine print, I want your soul without issues.”
“Okay, if you promise to hold my hand while I burn..” You added with a hum, following through with the action of signing. While the girl busied herself with signaling to a waiter for drinks.. “Warnings? sounds lovely, huh, I don't even know your roster of people, I know Phel’s there thats it.”
“I’ll tell you aaall about it luv” She added somewhat absent-mindedly, in between her search for coffee and pastries. “But now, let's just talk shit and eat sweets.”
———-
It had been a week since then, and now… You were being driven by her towards your new home, your bags all placed on the trunk of the car, your hair picked up once again, the sweet scent of your perfume mixing with Alune’s in the cold AC of the car… It was lovely. If you ignored the dread of coming to live with five unknown and possibly arrogant men in a mansion.
“So, based on what you said.” You started up, raising your voice to be heard through the booming speakers. “You’ve got that rising star Ezreal in the band, he’s like a bratty, silly, awkward guy, then you got Settri— Sett? Just a bro sort of guy, then K’Sante chill, dependable dude with an easygoing attitude…” You listed off from the top of your head, trying your hardest to paraphrase Alune’s rambling from earlier. “Three more, you’ve got this,” Alune spoke aloud in response, while vibing to her music of choice.
“Okay.. And then, Phel, whom I already know, then.. Kayn, who you said was a pain in the ass, arrogant yet somewhat childish sort of guy.” You kept going, eyes on the road, a hand waved in the air as you attempted to remember what she had warned you about. “—and finally.. Yone, the producer.. who’s just.. a tired single mom with four kids..?”
“Yup, that’s it, I mean, they’ve got more quirks and stuff, but that’s a good rundown,” Alune responded with an approving nod, lowering the volume of the music as she kept her eyes focused on the road ahead. “You’ll probably guess who is who when you see them, it's pretty obvious; they basically got it written on their big dumb foreheads.”
“I’ll be guessing alright, and if I make a funny face its because I might’ve locked in my answer,” You added with a chuckle, your eyes glimmering with amusement as you stared at Alune’s maneuvering.
Your co-manager would turn the steering wheel to the side, only for you to realize how serious she was about the whole “mansion” thing. It truly was a damn large place.
A “””house””” amidst a private neighborhood, in between the thick folliage it would lie, built out of brick and concrete, it was a large industrial home, with a nice front garden and a big driveway. “Holy fuck, you were not shitting me,” You mumbled, your eyes fixed on your new home. What a place, from living in a shitty apartment somewhere in the cheap Valoran neighborhoods to a mansion on the outskirts? Only to deal with men and live with your best friend? Deal.
——-
You both got out of the car, closing its doors with a mindless action, now standing in the covered garage of your new home, your heels touching the concrete floor with caution.. Your mind flooded with anxious thoughts, sure, you were confident and strong-willed, but.. You were nervous, it was natural after all, every bit of your mind was plagued with weakening ideas.. “What if they’re all assholes? What if they don't like me? What if I just get fired on my second day and then I leave my apartment for nothing!?” But alas, you were here.. and your thoughts were interrupted by a gentle tap on your left arm.. and as soon as you glanced up to see who it had been, you were met with a familiar face.
Aphelios.
Oh hell yeah! This guy? You knew this guy! And he was really cool too! Phel was the guy you spent time with watching some really bad dramas while filling your stomachs with ice cream and popcorn back at your college dorm! “Oh my god im so glad it's you, Phel! Heya, how’s it going, my man?” You immediately let out with recognition, your pensive expression shifting to one of excitement, eyes glimmering, and lips curling into a bright smile.
He smiled back and waved, quickly going in for a friendly hug, which of course, you couldn’t help but return. As soon as you two untangled, the mute grinned and signed to you, knowing you had taken the time to learn for him in your time with Alune. “Hey, Y/n, heard you were moving with us, what a choice.”
“Oh, I know, isn’t it cool?—“ You replied without thought, before deciding to banter with him, a grin drawing on your face as you started to play out your well-practiced theatrics. “Oh! I mean, Nooooo.. I'm moving out of my grand apartment to be here in this shithole? What a waste~”
And that immediately flushed his mind with memories, yup.. It was still you. “I’m sorry for having downgraded your living status, madam.. Im sure we can accommodate your liking of power outages and stupid neighbors,” He replied with his quick signs, his smile evident on those fine features, but before you could respond to his banter, you were met with a familiar voice; it was Alune. “Y/n! Come on, help me with your bags!— Nnngh..! And oh- right, I called the rest of the boys too,” Alune let out with a strained voice, struggling to carry your bags out of the car. “And Phel, stop distracting her.”
Her words quickly made your face light up in a mixture of embarrassment and realization, sheepishly chuckling alongside Aphelios, before rushing towards her. “Shit— Right, sorry girl.” The three of you started to load the baggage out of the trunk, before multiple sets of steps could be heard. And Alune would be the first to greet them.
“—hey guys, mind helping us out here? This girl has rocks inside her boxes and shit,” Alune let out with a huff, to which two men out of the group decided to pick the pace up and approach.
“Alune, you should’ve said so earlier. How embarrassing it is that we did not come to help before.” A large dark-skinned man spoke, his voice deep and accented; it was nice to hear, almost lulling, its volume nice despite his size. His clothes were pristine, and his beard was too. “I apologize for that, truly. My name’s K’Sante im glad to meet you.”
“I would offer you my hand, but unfortunately, it is busied with other tasks.” He jested with a soft chuckle, his eyes falling back to the luggage he was busy carrying. “Yeah, no, that’s fine, thank you really, it's super nice of you guys to come help.” You responded with a smile, placing your hands behind your back absent-mindedly while K’sante gave you a polite nod.
“Shit man, you already took the big ones from me, give me sum” The other big man spoke, his hands extended and threatening to take a big box from K’Sante’s arms, grinning as the black man tried to avoid him stealing the box from him.“Get your own big impressive box, Sett! Let me show off my gym gains!” He replied with a smile, chuckling as “Sett” eventually managed to steal the box from him with a “Ha!”..
“Nope, not gonna do that,” Sett replied with a snicker, moving the box into one of his arms, his body just as large as the chuckling man besides him, who had now started to help Alune and Aphelios with your other stuff. “Hey, tuts, sorry for the lack of introduction, was a bit distracted with stealin’ his shit.” Sett was hunched over as he looked down at you, but the excitement coming from him was palpable. “—Or rather your own..? Aah, doesn’t matter, I'm Settrigh, but my friends just call me Sett, nice to meet ya,” He added while scratching his scalp, his eyes flicking upwards momentarily before eventually landing onto you once again.
Settrigh, or rather.. Sett had a very interesting look to himself at a glance. One might be intimidated by him, his size, his strong-looking arms, those big canines, an imposing presence.. Yet.. His hair was dyed pink, his smile was sweet, and he wore something that could only be described as adorable. That handmade beanie with cat ears. He must have remembered what he meant to do in the first place, but after a second or two, he extended his hand confidently, only for you to meet it, giving it a firm shake. “Nice to meet you, Sett, I'm Y/n. I'm excited to be living with you all.”
“Oh, that won't last,” He replied with a bit of a snort, shaking his head with amusement before letting go of your hand. “Indeed, that’s only a momentary feeling.” A tired voice joined the conversation, low and gentle, accompanied by another set of steps and a sigh.. It was a tall man; he wasn’t “big” like the other two, but he certainly was not skinny; his silver hair fell nicely on his shoulders and back, it was interrupted by a hot streak of carmine, and his facial features were nothing short of handsome. He was undeniably beautiful, just as the rest. “Once you get to know them, you’ll… regret saying that”
“I’m Yone, the producer for this band. It's my pleasure.” He then added while stepping closer, and behind him, there followed a peering young man, his eyes wide and blinking as he focused on you, mint strands of hair peeking from behind Yone’s back.
“Ah, I see, I'm Y/n, don't worry about me regretting things, I'm too stubborn for that.” You responded with a smile, offering your hand for him to take, and indeed he did, holding it carefully yet firmly. “I see.”
“This is Ezreal, he is..” Yone was to introduce, his free hand motioning towards his back, and before he could, the young man jumped out of there, grinning widely with a hand on his hip, the other offered to you. “Call me Ez, don't worry, I already know you’re Y/n, and don't listen to Yone, we’ll make sure you don't regret it too! It’s not so bad out here, dude’s just a pessimist.”
You shook his hand too, now shaking both of them with a smile, chuckling a bit while Yone sighed and nodded. “Oh, I see, so should I leave that up to you then, Ez?”
”Of course! Truuust me,” Ezreal replied, the two letting go of your hands, his own coming to brush his shoulders off in a playful manner. “You won’t regret it, thanks to me, you’ll be like, 'Oh my god, I love Heartsteel! They’re so cool!” or something.” Those last words he spoke in a high-pitched voice, squealing like a fangirl, fanning himself with a grin.
“I highly doubt that,” Yone sighed again, his hands moving to rest on his back.. Well, he certainly did look like a tired single mom, but hey, if you heard correctly, someone was missing.. Kayn was it? Maybe you should ask the group? So far everyone’s come out to say hi, so… “Uh, not to be like nosey or something, aren’t we missing someone? I see five of you here.” You questioned with a curious head tilt, one of your fingers resting beneath your chin.
The group quickly exchanged a glance, the boys now carrying your boxes decided to just.. keep going with their tasks and leave the answering to their mom, Yone. “Yes, well, we are missing someone, but he was..” Yone explained, giving it a pause as he thought over his words, his eyes then fully fixed on you, his voice steady and smooth. “—Busy, so you’ll unfortunately have to meet him later.”
“…Or rather, fortunately,” Ezreal added with an eye roll, earning a quick glare from his dear producer, whose tired eyes managed to somehow earn the clearing of the mint-haired boy’s throat. “Uh.. sorry, I’ll just go help with the uh- boxes and bags.” Ezreal quickly rushed away, awkwardly chuckling before joining Aphelios, quick to gush with him about an unknown topic.
“Ah, okay, that's fine, I’ll meet him later then,” You replied, smiling politely to the producer who now idly stood before you. And he stared, quietly.. Stare…. Man, that was awkward. He wasn’t talking at all, and you couldn’t help but rock on your feet for a moment.. ‘Uhh.. is he going to say something? Is there something wrong with my clothes? Too formal?’
ually he did speak, shaking his head before letting out a dry cough. “I apologize, I doze off for a moment.” What!? Seriously?!? “—Y/n, you will be helping Alune, will you not? Have the two of you already divided your workloads? Has she explained anything at all to you?” Yone questioned, oh, so he was thinking of work, right? Makes sense.
“Yeah, yeah, something like that, but she wasn’t exactly too certain with her stuff; she said we would sort it out better once I had set up in here and everything.” You responded, great work y/n I bet this was super clear.. Alune didn’t explain shit to you, you’ll look dumb if you said you only agreed because she was your friend and saw big money. Oh! Actually.. “Why? Are you offering a better explanation? I would love that, actually.”
Yone sighed a bit. He had been listening to you, and knowing his manager, yup, safe to say he assumed Alune had given some half-haphazard explanation and let you roll with it. “Yes, I am, thank you for noticing.” He responded, “Well, I will let the two of you sort your business out, but I would like to talk about my involvement in your work.” That would be lovely… “I am the producer for the band, which means I’ll be more involved in the music making, but despite that, I'm also the one you will have to speak with about any band matters.” He explained with smooth words, they all rolled off his lips like he had practiced them over and over again. It was strange, but also appealing. It was good to know you could trust this guy with work.
“I can tell you about everything you need to know when managing the group, the vision, and even if you need help handling the boys, I will offer my help to you,” He added before pausing, a polite smile drawing on his otherwise serious expression. “I am grateful for your help. I heard wonderful things about you from the siblings.” He was nice! Let's go! You had inevitably stared back just as he did a couple of moments before, completely dozed off, blinking as you registered his professional offer, only to break out of it with the shake of your head, smiling widely. “Oh god, thanks for all that, I’ll be bothering you then, expect me showing up like some washed dog to your door every morning.”
“I’ll expect nothing less, although you would have to wait in line,” He added with a wry chuckle, nodding lightly before motioning you to turn around. “Let's head inside, the boys have taken care of your luggage.” And so you did, walking side by side with the polite, tall man beside you. Your eyes are blessed with the pleasing sight of the home’s interiors. Whoever had been the interior designer had absolutely rocked the shit out of this.
It was an industrial design, fitting for the sort of band these guys tried to accomplish. You walked through a hallway that was decorated with plants and pictures on the sides. The lighting was warm, and the ceiling was high. And soon, you were met with the now regrouped boys, who lounged and bantered in the living room. Alune stood in the middle, seemingly scolding Ezreal and Aphelios in their seat, both pointing at each other like guilty children. Behind them, Sett and K’sante chuckled and nudged each other, yup.. Yone was a single mom here, with Alune as the.. cool aunt..? Maybe..? Still trying to figure out their dynamic, huh, y/n?
approached with a sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose. The noise immediately made Ezreal jump and defend himself, muscle memory, my guy? “I didn’t do it! Before you say anything! Phel messed it up!” Ehh? What? He actually had something to be jumpy about? Yone seemed just as surprised as you were, his brows furrowing and his eyes quickly scouting the surroundings, “Messed what up? It’s not very inspiring to know you’re already shooting blame around.” Yone questioned, while Phel started to frantically attempt to sign, only for Ezreal to catch his hands in a hold. “N-No!”
ight earned an honest bit of laughter from you, which made the group pause for a moment, Ezreal’s expression shifting to that of sheepishness, while Phel’s turned into a big, sly grin. And the attention of the two behind had been earned as well. Yone, on the other hand, seemed the slightest bit surprised, his previously frustrated expression softening, his shoulders untensing. Huh. “—Having fun there?” Sett spoke with a chuckle of his own, his eyes fixing on you, his arms crossed.
“Oh, I bet you guys were enjoying the show too,” You replied with a nod, shaking your head amidst the snorting, a hand covering your lips.. Which earned the smiling response of K’Sante. “She got us on that, bro.”
“But what is the show even about?” You added, before Yone nodded and he himself agreed on the need to discuss that. “Yes, I was about to ask that myself.” Then Alune took a deep breath, “Well.. Let's say..” Alune was to start, before Ezreal hid his face in his hands.. She then continued, “One of these guys, not going to say who, might’ve... dropped a box.”
“And it made a loud cracking noise~” Sett added with a grin, then K’sante joined in the teasing. “And it fell off the stairs.” K’Sante pointed to the stairs and began moving his finger in a silly manner before a bashful voice interrupted the teasing, “…It was me,” Ezreal eventually admitted… yeah, it was fairly obvious, but still here he was, raising his hand with embarrassment. His face still hidden, so much for making you enjoy your stay. “B-but Phel was poking me!” He added before pointing at Aphelios, who shrugged it off.. “Oh dont you dare—!”
“It was a skill issue, you could’ve caught it.” The cyan-haired man signed with a grin, snickering while Ezreal gasped at the words. “What?! Skill issue?!” Oh, here it goes, more bickering? “Come on, Ez, time to apologize,” K’sante added before motioning to you, shifting his weight to one of his legs, raising his brows. “You did break some of her stuff.”
Okay, but what did he break?! “What box was it? Did you guys peek at it?” You questioned, before Alune sighed and responded. “Yeah, I did, it was filled with plates and mugs, shit like that..” Ah, come on.. But before you could respond, Ezreal jumped off the couch, quickly sliding on the floor on his knees, his hands laced above his head, pleading. “Im so sorryy!!! I'm sorry! I didn’t mean to, Y/n, I’ll replace them, I swear.” Yone moved to the side with surprise, his eyes widening momentarily, his arms thrown the slightest bit above. “Be careful, you almost bumped into me! Also, you will hurt yourself if you keep throwing yourself around so carelessly!” That’s right! And you almost bumped into me!
“—I'm sorryyyy,” Ezreal kept going, seemingly ignoring his scolding, which earned an eye roll from the producer who stepped towards the rest of the group. Yeah, he wasn’t dealing with it; he appeared to be in a bad mood regardless. “N-no its fine, Ez, I get it, I don't think you meant to drop it, I can buy new ones, you’ll just have to go with me second-hand shopping, you know?” You quickly responded in an attempt to stay positive, after all, you need to make a good impression; your eyes were wide, your hands frozen in their spot, blinking in surprise as you watched the pleading young man. “I don't mind, they were old and used anyways”
His eyes suddenly glimmered, a smile drawing on his face before he darted upright. “Really? Im glad! Yeah i’ll go shopping with you! It's all on me, of course, haha.” Aye now you seem a bit too bright about it… I did like my old and used-up shit.. “Real smooth,” Sett mumbled with a sigh, shaking his head before Yone spoke up to the entirety of the group. “Well, let's go show her her room, K’sante, do you still want to do the honors?”
“Yes, of course, Y/n, come here, we’ll give you a tour,” K’sante called out, clasping his hands together with a smile. “Be ready to remember every room in this house, and I hope the boys cleaned their rooms, in case you’re interested in peeking.” Then he eyed the group, who received the call out with a mixture of ‘uhhh’s. “Even if we didn’t, it couldn’t be worse than her room, lol,” Aphelios signed with a grin, earning a positive response from the group. Ahh man… don’t throw me under the bus like that… But–
Seems you will be getting a tour, sweet.