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It wasn’t that Zoey was unfamiliar with festivals and how large and sprawling they could be—she’s from California, after all, she’s a veteran of state fairs and knew how massive events like this can be!—but that didn’t stop her from getting separated from her friends and lost at the music festival.
No big deal! Not at all!
She just needed to keep walking; eventually, she’d find something familiar to help her get her bearings.
If she had her phone, she could just call Rumi or Mira, or even Bobby—but she had left her phone at their stage when she’d gone to get drinks from one of the vendor’s tents they had passed by. So calling for rescue was out of the question.
But how hard could it be to find their stage again? Sure, the festival grounds were large, and Zoey had been walking for a good while now, but it wasn’t like this was the Infinite Ikea! All she needed to do was keep walking, and she would find the end!
The smart thing would probably be to hail one of the festival staff members, ask for directions back to Huntr/x's tent. But that’d be like admitting defeat, she’d feel like a lost kid in a Walmart being returned to her disappointed parents.
The parents in this scenario are Rumi and Mira.
No, she had to find them, had to get back on her own! It’s the only way her pride would survive!
Just retrace her step, that’s all, after all, she’s fairly sure she’s walked by that fried-chicken tent twice now. Unless they have multiple tents like that set up, in that case, maybe this was the first time Zoey’s passed by that specific one. Was that the same guy cooking the chicken as had been in the previous tents? She wasn't sure, and she was feeling much less confident.
If that’s an entirely different one, then who knew where she could be? Maybe she’d only been walking farther and farther from the girls. What if she didn’t find them in time? What if she couldn’t find the stage in time for their show, and Huntr/x had to cancel because Zoey got lost? What if they—
“Careful now.”
A strong arm wrapped around her waist, pulling Zoey aside, and pulling her from her own head just in time to see a pair of technicians just about drop a speaker right where she’d been.
Oh. That would have hurt.
“That coulda been bad,” that same rough voice agreed with a grimace, and Zoey suddenly became acutely aware of the firm frame she was being held securely against. “You okay?”
Zoey turned as best she could to look up at her rescuer, and nearly had to do a double-take because mama-fucking-mia you were hot.
Tall, her mind supplied as she stared up at you. Taller than her, at least. Piercings. The kind of leather jacket with sharp studs that Mira would kill for, the kind of piercings that would give Bobby and Celine both a heart attack if any of Huntr/x got them.
And good God, the way you were staring at her—it took Zoey a bit for her brain to do a full-blown reboot to process that you’d even asked her a question.
Face burning, she gave a nervous giggle. “ I-I’m fine. Totally fine. Couldn’t be finer,” please, Zoey, please stop talking before this absolute snack of a person decides you are too uncool and walks away.
Your face was an iron mask of stoicism, the same kind she was used to seeing on Mira. But even so, she caught the way your lips twitched into an almost grin, “Glad to hear it,” you said, taking a half-step back to look her over. “Everything okay? You looked pretty distracted while walking.”
“Oh, no, I wasn’t distracted, I was—” It was hard to think up a decent lie when you were staring at her like that, and Zoey felt her face grow hotter. “—I may have gotten a little lost. And by a little, I mean a lot. I have no idea where I am.”
You laughed.
It wasn’t mean-spirited like she had worried, the kind of laughter she was used to growing up, that made her feel small and stupid for speaking. It was warmer, the kind of harmless enjoyment that said you were laughing with her, not at her.
The sound had her brain short-circuiting.
After a moment, you tilted your head, eyebrow raised in clear amusement. “Well, maybe I can help. Where are you trying to get to?”
“Are you sure?” Zoey asked, fiddling her hands together. “I mean, I’m sure you’re pretty busy, I wouldn’t want to take up your time—you were probably already doing something before I got in the way, and I wouldn’t want to distract you from your friends.”
Another soft laugh that made her heart flip.
“It’s fine, really,” you assured her before turning towards the crowd, cupping your hands around your mouth before shouting. “Hey! Ji-ah, Hyun-woo! I’ll be right back, try not to start any fires while I’m gone!”
By one of the tents, a pair hollered back at you in a way that Zoey couldn’t catch; were they agreeing to not start a fire, or agreeing to start fires? But she didn’t have time to think more about it, because you’d taken her by the hand and started pulling her forward.
“So, that takes care of that. Where exactly are you trying to get to?”
Face still burning, it took Zoey a few attempts to sort through her own words, “Um—Huntrix—stage—” she stammered, gaze locked on your joined hands, and how perfectly hers fit in yours.
No, no, get a hold of yourself, Zoey. This is not the time to be having a mental malfunction because a pretty person is with you. “I mean—” she cleared her throat, “I’m with Huntrix—I’m Zoey, by the way.”
You hummed in surprise, looking her over from head to toe. “Well, I didn’t have ‘meet an international pop star’ on my bingo card today. But it’s nice meeting you, Zoey.” You then offered an introduction of your own, and Zoey buried your name deep into her chest. “So I take it you’re trying to find your tent?”
“Yes, please.”
With a nod, you looked around, peering at the hanging signs from above, mentally mapping out a route. You didn’t let go of Zoey’s hand at all through it. “Right, I think I know where we need to go. Come on.”
As you said that, you gave her another playful smirk that had her face burning and breathy laughter spilling out, letting herself be pulled alongside you. She'd let you drag her anywhere so long as you kept looking at her like that.
It didn’t take long to find the others with you at the helm. It was clear that you were far more familiar with the fairgrounds than Zoey was, weaving through the crowds with a kind of graceful expertise. All the while, you kept talking to her. Laughing at the silly jokes Zoey threw out, smiling and watching her from the corner of your eye. Even when Zoey fell into tangents and lost the plot of their conversation, you kept listening, kept responding.
It was nice. You were easy to get along with.
She hadn’t wanted her time with you to be over, certainly not so quickly, but that’s exactly what happened when they reached the stage, and their tent just behind it, and Zoey was all but jumped by a worried Rumi and Mira.
“Where have you been?” Mira demanded, hands on Zoey’s cheeks as she began looking her over for any sign that she might have got in trouble. “You said you were getting drinks an hour ago!”
“We were worried, we couldn’t get a hold of you,” Rumi continued with the tone of a disappointed mother. She must have learned that one from Celine.
Zoey offered a nervous laugh, trying to pull herself free from Mira’s grip. “I’m fine, I swear, I just got a little turned around.”
“More than a little,” Mira growled back.
“No, really, I’m fine,” she insisted again, gesturing to you as she finally managed to get out of Mira’s hold. “My new friend here helped me get back to you guys, so everything is okay now.”
Rumi stopped and looked over to you, “New friend?” she started, the suspicion clear in her tone.
Reasonable, Zoey supposed; you were a stranger, an unknown, and they didn’t know you or your intentions. For all Rumi knew, you were just hoping to take advantage of Zoey’s ‘innocent’ reputation to cause problems. Though if that were the case, you were going to find she wasn’t nearly as innocent as the media painted her as.
You shrugged and introduced yourself to the other person. Knowing that you were with one of the bands that was performing at the festival seemed to have put some of their worries to rest.
They still fretted over Zoey like she was a lost puppy finally coming home, and normally, she wouldn’t mind if it wasn’t so embarrassing for them to do it in front of you.
“I should get back to the others,” you said as a way of goodbye, much to her chagrin, wanting you to stay for longer. “But, hey, it was nice meeting you. If you ever want to hang out, just hit me up.”
“Oh—right!” Zoey nodded, her blush returning when you slipped her a piece of paper, your number scrawled across it.
She was absolutely going to call.
.
.
.
After that festival, you became something of a regular face among Huntr/x. Zoey’s new best friend, so it seemed to be.
She’d be going out to get coffee with you every week, inviting each other to join them on errands, to watch new movies together, or just to grab a bite to eat.
Zoey’s invited you to Huntr/x tower so often that neither Mira nor Rumi were surprised anymore to see you already there in the morning, quietly chatting with Zoey on the couch or at the kitchen island over breakfast. They didn't have proof, but it wouldn't shock them to learn you were there so early because Zoey snuck you in after they went to bed to spend the night.
Not that they were going to complain, you had managed to become a close friend of theirs in a short span of time, too.
That wouldn’t be too odd; Zoey was a sweetheart, and she made friends far more easily than she even realized. It didn’t come as any surprise to the others that you and she got so close so quickly.
But there was something different about her closeness with you. Rumi and Mira noticed it, Bobby noticed it, and even the fans had started to catch on as photos started circulating on social media. Snapshots of you and her hanging out at coffee shops, or walking out of theaters, or of you caught in the background during different events Zoey was in.
Fans regularly shot out questions—when did Zoey become friends with you? Were your respective groups working on a collab? Was that why you and Zoey were always together?
Each time, Zoey brushed it off, claiming you were just her friend, a close and cherished friend, but it’s nothing more. It almost sounded convincing.
Almost.
But Rumi got to see how Zoey acted when it came to you, when away from the prying eyes of cameras and fans.
She always got so giggly, as if everything else in the world had disappeared. Smiling at you, hanging off of you, you pulling her into your lap or wrapping your arms around her like it was the most natural thing to do, like she was your personal teddy bear to cuddle.
It was adorable, sure, but it did not support what she claimed your relationship to be at all.
Rumi had lost track of how often she’d head into the kitchen for a midnight snack, only to find Zoey already there, bent over her phone and giggling—only to clam up the moment she noticed Rumi standing there, hiding her phone and offering a nervous greeting.
“Who are you talking to?”
“Oh!” Zoey let out a pitched laugh, “I—just, you know,” there was a blush of red on her cheeks as she stammered out your name with a wobbly smile. As if she were trying hard to keep some secret. “They’re coming back from tour this weekend, so we’re figuring out our plans for what to do once they’re back.”
Rumi let out a slow nod, “Uh-huh.” That was totally the way someone acts when just planning a hangout. “And what are your plans?”
That was the right thing to ask because Zoey’s smile widened, and she immediately launched into talking about how she was looking forward to taking you out to that new restaurant that opened last week, and how you had already pre-ordered tickets for the new planetarium that had opened up.
It was going to be a little tricky finding the time to do everything; even though you were on break, Zoey still had training, interviews, and nightly patrols. But she had everything scheduled so she could ensure all her free time was spent hanging out with you.
The way she talked about it, the kind of excitement, it went beyond the energy she had whenever Rumi and Mira made plans with her. There was clearly more than ‘friends’ going on between you two. But—
Zoey looked so happy that Rumi couldn’t bring herself to ruin the moment with unnecessary questions.
Instead, Rumi let a grin settle across her face. “Well, it sounds like you two are going to have plenty of fun,” and Zoey stared at her phone, gaze and smile both soft as she murmured an agreement.
.
.
.
You had joined Mira on an errand in town—though she suspected you had only joined her because the errand involved picking a few things up for Zoey, who had come down with a minor cold. But that was beside the point.
She didn’t mind your company, quite the opposite, in fact. You were easy to get along with, and you shared a lot of the same interests as Mira, so it was easy for her to relax and feel at home when talking with you.
“I was thinking, you guys don’t have anything scheduled for April, do you?” you asked, browsing one of the pharmacy shelves.
Mira had to think for a moment, “Not that I know of. We might have a concert here or there, maybe a fan event, but nothing set in stone at the moment,” she answered. “Why?”
You offered a shrug, “I've been thinking of taking Zoey on a trip to Costa Rica for a few weeks,” you picked up a bottle of cough medicine, reading over the label. “They’ve got some of the best beaches for turtles, and, what with them being her favorite, I thought that might be something she might like.”
Oh. Well, wasn’t that sweet?
Your back was turned towards her, so Mira couldn’t really catch what expression you had made, but the softness of how you spoke gave her an idea. Still, she couldn’t help but smile at it all. Something Zoey might like? That was something Zoey would love.
“If you give me the dates you’re planning the trip for, I can work with Bobby and Rumi to make sure we’re on a short hiatus for that period,” Mira offered. God knows they would have earned one by then.
“That’d be awesome—and if you could, please don’t mention anything to Zoey? I want this to be a surprise.”
A surprise, huh? “My lips are sealed,” Mira mimed a zipping and locking motion over her mouth, tossing the metaphorical key aside. “So, what’s this for, anyway? Special occasion or something?”
You had turned just enough that Mira could see the soft look on your face, “Yeah, something like that,” you murmured, and before she could start trying to calculate what exactly it was, you held up a bottle of cold medicine.
“Berry flavor, her favorite.”
You two grabbed a few more things from the store before deciding to head back to the penthouse, your conversation having long since drifted away from the trip to other things. Music rankings, upcoming movies, amusing things that have happened to their respective groups.
It was easy for Mira to just relax and forget about the world around her when she was chatting with you. Maybe that was a bad thing—she’d been so focused on your conversation; she hadn’t noticed the figure approaching.
Not until a hand snatched her by the arm, pulling Mira back. “I can’t believe it! It really is you,” a man proclaimed, holding up his phone eagerly, snapping a photo before Mira could get a word out.
Great. The red flag kind of fan.
She’s dealt with quite a few of them during the years with Huntr/x, the type who had no care for personal space or common manners. The kind of fan who demanded attention, always asked inappropriately personal questions, and was always grabbing at idols like it was their right.
“Can I get your autograph?” the fan asked, already stuffing his phone into his pocket to pull out a sharpie, thrusting it into Mira’s face—he was still holding on to her. “I can’t believe it; my friends are going to flip when they hear I met you.”
Mira forced a smile, all her PR training coming to the forefront. “It’s nice to meet you, too. But I’m not doing autographs right now, sorry, I’m actually kind of busy at the moment.”
That did nothing, he kept waving the sharpie in her face, “Come on, it’ll be quick, please?”
Still smiling, she began calculating the best way to pull herself free from his hold without causing a scene, having to bite back all the insults she wanted to throw at him.
Though, as it turned out, she didn’t need to do anything.
You had snatched his wrist in an instant, pulling the offending limb off of Mira. “No, we don’t do that,” you said simply, staring down at the fan.
The fan began squirming, tugging at his arm. “Hey, man, let me go!”
Mira watched in surprise, one hand cradling her arm where he had been gripping. Even with him thrashing against you, trying to pull free, your grip remained tight.
“It’s not so fun to be grabbed at like this, now is it?” you countered with a tilt of your head. Your tone remained calm as you spoke to him, borderline icy. “We don’t touch people like that. Understand?”
When he only complained and continued to pull, you tightened your hold on him. “Understand?”
“I understand, just let me go!”
With that, you opened your hand and let him stumble back.
He gripped at his arm, the red mark you had left standing out against the rest of his skin. Glaring at you, he spat out an insult or two and stormed away.
Once he was gone, you turned to face Mira, your expression softening as you looked her over. “You okay, Mira?” you asked, your gentle tone a stark contrast compared to how you had been speaking moments ago.
It took her a moment to process what you’d said. Blinking, it took Mira a moment to collect herself before she nodded, arm falling to her side, “I’m fine, it wasn’t that big of a deal,” she dismissed.
It wasn't as if she needed rescuing; she killed demons on the regular. The biggest threat that guy posed was media backlash if she'd used too much force to push him away. But, she couldn't deny that it was nice to let someone else handle those types of people for her for a change.
“Come on, let’s get these errands finished so I can get back to couch time.”
Letting out a chuckle, you didn’t argue, and the two continued on your way, talking about this or that, letting the mood shift back to how it had been before your interruption.
Though that didn’t stop her from sneaking glances towards you every so often. It was strange; you were always so sickeningly sweet towards Huntr/x. Seeing you go from teddy bear to a grizzly bear so quickly had been a sight.
She wasn’t going to be getting that out of her head for a while.
By the time Mira had returned to the penthouse, she found Zoey already relaxing on the couch, some show playing on the television across from her. She was bundled up in a blanket, a box of tissues next to her.
“Hey, you two! Welcome back!” Zoey greeted them when she saw the two walk in, her voice hoarse.
You had made a beeline for her, hand to her forehead to check her temp, already fretting over her like a worried mother while Zoey giggled and leaned in to your every touch. It was adorable.
Mira watched with interest. You really were a teddy bear, especially around Zoey. She couldn’t help but wonder just how you would have reacted if it had been her that guy had grabbed and not Mira.
All she knew was that he was lucky he'd bothered Mira and not Zoey.
.
.
.
You and Zoey had especially caught the fans' attention by making a stint in public appearance.
It hadn’t been anything especially shocking; it wasn’t like you and Zoey were caught on a kiss cam at a Coldplay concert. But it might as well have been for how the fanbase reacted.
It had been a fan event, one that had felt like it had been dragging on for hours.
Now, it’s not that Zoey didn’t like spending time with her fans, saying hello, and meeting them. But sometimes she just felt like she was in a funk during the events, having to force herself to smile and laugh when all she wanted was to curl up in bed. Social battery at a critical low, it was taking everything she had not to drop her head to the table and disconnect from everything.
People must have started to notice her mood, too, because she’d started getting more and more “Are you okay?” questions. Which—it was incredibly sweet of them to ask! But that made her feel worse!
Then you showed up, apparently at Rumi’s behest, bringing gifts of flavored milk and extra water for each of them.
Zoey couldn’t have been happier.
“Here you go,” you had said with a soft smile as you handed Zoey her drinks last, “Thought you could use a pick-me-up.”
Oh, her heart was fluttering. “You are too sweet. But I think I need more than this to get me going again,” she teased, ignoring the audience of fans watching them. “I’ve gotten a dangerous lack of hugs today. You should really do something about that.”
Your smile turned into a playful smirk, “Oh? You’re right, I should.”
Honestly, Zoey had no one else but herself to blame for the gossip and rumors that followed that event, considering she spent the rest of it cuddled up on your lap while she signed posters and shook hands. But it had been far more comfortable and more relaxing than the chair.
Plus, it was cute seeing all the fans whisper and gawk.
There was a rising murmur among the lines when you joined the table; who even were you? Those who did know were even more confused, because what was a member of a metal band doing hanging out with Huntr/x?
Even with your chin propped on her shoulder and arms wrapped around her waist, your resting face had just enough intimidation that fans did a double-take.
Was this what it felt like to have Scary Dog Privileges? If so, Zoey loved it.
Though she might complain about it, she was also very much loving seeing all the photos and posts about herself and you on social media.
She did not like the teasing she got from Mira and Rumi after.
Ah well. At least she got a good energy boost from cuddling you.
.
.
.
Zoey had spent all night fighting demons.
The tear had been sudden, had happened while Rumi and Mira were occupied in a photo shoot they couldn’t leave—and so that left Zoey as the sole Hunter to handle things.
By the end of it all, she was bone tired. She was covered in scrapes, bruises, and cuts all over. Worrying if they would be healed in time for her next interview, if concealer would be enough to hide them all, and how she’d explain things to Bobby if it wasn’t.
Most importantly, she just wanted to sleep. Crawl into bed, cuddle her turtle plushie, and crash. Surely she could clean up after a nap.
But a nap wasn’t in her immediate future.
As soon as the elevator doors had opened, you were on her.
“What the Hell happened?” You weren’t yelling, your voice wasn’t raised, but the urgent demand was clear as you took her face in your hands, looking over the still oozing wounds she was covered in with a narrowed gaze.
What were you even doing heeeeeooooh. Oh, no.
Right, you were coming over to meet up with her for a movie night while she had the penthouse to herself for the night. A movie night she had forgotten all about once she felt the Honmoon quiver.
And now you were here. And she was here. And she was standing here looking like she’d been dragged through a wood chipper.
Zoey had no idea how she was going to talk her way out of this.
You didn’t know about the demons, or the Honmoon, or any of the ‘fighting to protect the lives and souls of humanity’ part of being a K-pop idol. She didn’t want you to know and worry about all of that.
But your eyes turned hard, your lips curled back. “Who did this?”
“It’s nothing, really,” Zoey said quickly, pulling herself free from your grasp. “Nothing for you to worry about.” Besides, she already took care of the ones who did this.
“Nothing to worry about—Zoey, I should be taking you to the hospital right now.”
The concern was greatly appreciated, but she was fine, totally fine, would be perfectly fine. She’s been through this before; she just needed some rest, and the Honmoon would patch her up in time.
“I tried taking a shortcut and ended up in a fight with barbed wire. I’ll be fine,” Zoey brushed you off, stepping around you to the living room, collapsing on the couch with a heavy sigh. “Don’t stress about it.”
Your words did nothing. She could hear you muttering, “Don’t stress about it? I’m going to stress about it,” as you stalked through the penthouse. She listened to your footsteps go into the kitchen and then down the hall.
When you came back, you had an ice pack, a med kit, and a bowl of warm water carefully cradled in your arms.
Without another word, you sat down beside her, one leg folded under you on the cushions, the other supporting you on the floor. With the bowl of water and sponge, you started to clean the wounds on her hands, her arms, and her face with tender care.
Though it stung, Zoey relaxed into your touch, letting you wash away the blood and grime before moving on to disinfect the injuries.
“Are you going to tell me what really happened?”
She felt guilt coil in her gut. “No.”
Your hands trembled as you carefully pressed the disinfectant-soaked cotton ball to her skin, but your voice was sharp, “I hate when you keep secrets from me.”
“Come on, trust me, it’s nothing serious.” Well, that was a lie; demon hunting was quite serious. But she didn’t want to worry you more than she already had.
You grumbled.
Smiling, Zoey reached out to play with your hair, “Look, it’s not that important. Sure, I got a little hurt, but I’ll be fine. It’s not a big deal.”
“Don’t,” you shot back, voice fierce. “Don’t you dare downplay this, Zoey. You're hurt, that's not nothing. You can’t come in drenched in blood and covered in bruises and tell me you getting hurt isn’t a big deal.”
You had caught her by the jaw, keeping her from looking away from you. The silence that followed your words was tense, and Zoey was caught between wanting to flinch beneath your tone or preen over the adamant care in your words. Sure, Rumi and Mira cared about her, got worried when she got hurt, but it felt different seeing you react this way.
Eventually, the tension leveled out. “Hold still,” your voice was still low.
Zoey obeyed, letting you tilt her head to the side to see better. When you pressed a fingertip to the edge of a cut along the underside of her jaw, right by her ear, Zoey let out a hiss. The cut was deep, but hopefully wouldn’t scar. She would have to wear a patch or a mask to cover it; there’s no way that one would be healed in time for her next interview, even with the Honmoon bolstering her healing.
“Come on, pretty girl, turn your head for me,” you murmured, and Zoey’s brain short-circuited a little at the pet name, her face burning hot as it always did when you complimented her.
Unable to help it, Zoey let out a breathy giggle, “You think I’m pretty?”
That stern look of yours finally melted into the smile she loved so much. “You know I do,” you teased back, pausing your hands to look at her. “My pretty, pretty girl. Prettiest girl ever.”
Her heart flipped a little. She’d never, ever get used to someone calling her the prettiest girl, not when there were Mira and Rumi to compare her to. They were always the pretty ones, the beautiful ones. Zoey was just cute in the way a kid was. But you—you never gave them a second look.
Your eyes were only ever on Zoey.
“You know what? I don’t think I believe you,” Zoey whispered with a grin, tilting her head closer to yours.
Seeing the game she was trying to play, you went along with it, “You think I’d lie about that?” you whispered back with an offended gasp, bringing your own head forward.
She felt a rush of delight and excitement, forehead pressing to yours, “I dunno, maybe you should prove it.”
You laughed, a soft, addictive sound, before pressing your lips to hers.
It was a feeling that Zoey would never get tired of. Your lips are soft and oh-so-welcoming, fitting perfectly against her own. You brought your hand to the back of her neck, pulling her deeper into the kiss.
Kissing you was always slow. You didn’t rush; you savored every second of the kiss, passionate in a different, steadier way.
Zoey wasn’t as slow or half as patient as you. Her hands were already running across your frame, skimming over your chest and neck, down your arms and sides, like she was trying to map out everywhere she touched.
This was definitely not the time to do more than kissing, the more rational part of her mind warned. She was still covered in open cuts and bruises; they were in the middle of the living room. Really not the time or place.
But the hungrier part of her mind really didn’t care as her hands began tugging at your jacket.
You pulled away from the kiss with a laugh, “Someone’s eager,” you murmured, pressing another kiss to the corner of her mouth. “But no. Not while you’re still bleeding.”
Curse you for being the responsible one in this relationship.
Though Zoey couldn’t really be that upset when you leaned back in for another kiss.
So, safe to say, patching Zoey up has been more or less tossed to the back burner in favor of making out. Zoey is certainly not going to complain, though. She much prefers the kissing to the disinfectant. Even if it only stayed at kissing, she was content.
More than content when you crawl up to straddle her lap, deepening the kiss even more.
You two were too invested in each other that neither of you noticed the sound of the elevators opening or the quiet chatter coming up behind you.
It was only when the sound of a camera shutter cut through the air that you two parted.
“I knew it,” Mira smirked, looking all too proud of herself as she stared down at you two, phone held up as she snapped another photo. Even Rumi looked pleasantly surprised by the sight of you two.
You and Zoey exchanged looks.
“Knew…what?” you asked after a long moment.
Rumi gestured to you and then to Zoey. “That you two were secretly dating,” she explained. “We’ve kind of had an inkling for a while now, but this proves it.”
“Kind of hard not to notice with how cute you two always are with each other,” Mira added.
They were grinning all smug-like, but those expressions started to falter when they noticed a lack of reaction coming from the two of you. A moment of silence passed over the room.
Another moment passed.
You shifted from where you were still on Zoey’s lap. “We were keeping it secret from them?” you asked her.
She shrugged in response, “I mean, I wasn’t trying to keep it a secret,” she muttered before letting a wicked grin spread across her face, before collapsing against you. “Oh, no, our secret, forbidden romance has been discovered, whatever shall we do?”
Grinning, you pulled her closer, “We’ll have to stop seeing each other, now. Oh, woe is us, doomed because we were caught.”
That seemed to have done the trick of wiping away what remained of Mira and Rumi’s sense of victory.
Biting back a groan of frustration at your antics, Mira dragged her hand down her face. “You know what? Forget what I said. I take it all back, you two aren’t cute.”
“Too late,” Zoey shot back, giggling as she buried her face in your neck. “You already said we were cute together, no takebacks!”
“You heard her, no takebacks,” you agreed with a grin, "We are very cute together."