Chapter Text
Everyone’s got their reason to get up in the morning. Some haul themselves out of bed to see their loved ones, some for the excitement of a new day to better themselves, and plenty do it just to keep themselves afloat. Your reason is a very noble one, in your mind. If there’s anything that makes life worth living, it’s supporting those you love.
And there’s no one you love more than the rising idol sensation, Leviathan.
As a member of the boy group D/EMONS, of course your money goes to supporting all the members anyway – but you are proud to say that your heart and soul belong to Leviathan and Leviathan alone. He’s captured your gaze ever since the group’s debut; those bright orange eyes, hidden behind his long indigo fringe, inexplicably able to flawlessly pull off his signature bowl cut (which you firmly believe no one else could ever look as good with) with that cool, mysterious gaze of his had immediately caught your eye. Combined with the contrasting sweetness of his vocals, and the enigmatic air about him from how little he actually speaks on camera, how could anyone not fall for him?!
Ever since that day, when your eyes met his through the screen, you’ve been a more than loyal devotee to the Leviathan Fan Club; You own multiple copies of every album (one to display, one to store, and one to share, of course) and every piece of his merchandise is proudly displayed on your shelves and walls. It’s an expensive lifestyle, but its all worth it to support your kamioshi’s rise to stardom!
Still, that money doesn’t grow on trees. To finance your obsessive lovely hobby, you’ve taken up a part-time job as a housekeeper. The work isn’t too strenuous, the hours are flexible, and the pay is decent. You’ve got your usual clients, but today, the manager has you assigned to take over one of your coworker’s clients – reading over the address and details, their name makes you pause.
Levi? Huh. What a coincidence, this client shares your fave’s name. You don’t think too much of it; if anything, it could be a good omen for the day! It’s not like the Leviathan would have any need for a local house cleaner, his agency would definitely hire some upscale business’s services instead.
Your suspicions are further confirmed when you arrive at the address – it’s a modest apartment complex, not even too far from the city center. Nothing like the dormitories you’ve seen in D/EMONS’ live streams. You make your way up the steps and to the right door, knocking to announce yourself.
No answer. You check the time.
...The client did hire you for this exact slot, and part of the service requires they agree to staff entering their homes at the designated time, so you try the doorknob. It’s unlocked, so you take that as the go-ahead to step inside.
“Housekeeping!” You call as you enter the apartment. You don’t hear a response, so you walk down the hall and glance around to assess the job - in the kitchen, there’s several empty pizza boxes stacked up on the table. The bathroom counter has dozens of skin care products strewn all over it, half of them with the lids off. Not the cleanest living space you’ve seen, but certainly not the worst. You make your way to the living room (where the lights are turned off, for some reason), and nearly jump out your skin when you see a hoodie-wearing figure huddled in the corner. Assuming that’s your client, you speak gently to not startle him back.
“Ah, excuse m-”
“GAH!!” The figure yelps, whipping around his face to look at you and backing up against the wall. You can see a very familiar shade of purple hair peak out from underneath his black hoodie, and shining orange eyes that put the sunset to shame… no, it can’t be. You try to reason with yourself internally, That can’t be Leviathan, are you crazy? It’s only been three days since an official update, you can’t be hallucinating that soon! – But you know, in your heart, there’s no way you’d ever mistake someone else for your idol. Even when he’s out of his perfectly styled outfits, even when he’s shoved into a corner like a frightened animal, even when his expression is so very sullen instead of cool and composed, you’d know that face anywhere.
“...Leviathan?”
A beat. Then his eyes widen, his hands tremble, and a look of genuine fear descends on his now paler-than-pale face.
“Y-Y-You KNOW me?!” He shrieks, “O-Oh god, its so over. FML. What happened to the usual cleaner?! Who are you?!? A-a stalker?! Oh, I’m going to be exposed as a total loser freak, a fraud, a low-life that’s deceived thousands of innocent people! I’m going to end up just like the protagonist of I’m a Total Scumbag Idol That’s Mooching Off My Fans, Except One of the Security Guards at My First Fan Meet Was The Cousin of My Mother And Totally Found Out About How Terrible I Am And Is Going To Ruin Me And What Do I Do Now?!?”
You step back and put up your hands to show you mean no harm, trying to calm down this… neurotic doppelganger of the idol you’ve been throwing your paycheck at for months. And... wow, that was a lot of words. Was that run-on sentence all the title of one manga? You want to bask in the beauty that is Leviathan's rarely-used voice (you can probably fit a transcript of everything he's ever said on official lives and interviews on one A4 page), but the first order of business is making sure he knows you are not, in fact, a stalker.
“H-Hey, no one said anything about exposing! Or calling you a freak! The usual cleaner couldn’t make it today, I’m just a stand-in... And I mean, I’m fan, so I’d never-”
“GAHHHH!! T-That’s even worse!” He yowls while he drags his hands down his face, “I’ve totally just crushed your hopes and dreams haven’t I?!? Y-You’ve been supporting a complete and utter failure, I-I should just DIE before I manipulate another soul into having a smidge of admiration for me!!”
Leviathan then gets down on his knees and slams his forehead into the floor in a very aggressive kowtow, whimpering like a scorned pet.
“I’m s-sorry... Of course a loser like me would have his career end like this... It’s so not fair, but it’s also just what I deserve for thinking someone like me could ever be a real idol…!” He cries as he lays on the floor, looking like a snail trying to retreat into its shell.
You stand there, shocked. This… is Leviathan? The same Leviathan that stole your heart all those months ago, that gets you screaming at your phone screen when he gets half a second of screen time? There’s really no mistaking it… but all this self-depreciation is getting to you. Not that you’re annoyed with him - no, you could never be. But hearing someone insult your fave, even if it’s himself… you can’t stand for that. You approach him, and he flinches at the sound of your footsteps as you lean over him.
“...A real idol? You don’t think you’re a real idol?” You say with a tension in your voice that has Levi shifting backwards in fear again. Memories of dealing with his haters come back to you; those who say Leviathan is somehow lacking as an idol, given how rarely he speaks, and how little he interacts with his fans when compared to his group mates. Those scum just don’t understand Leviathan’s appeal, and you’ll be damned if you let that slide.
“Leviathan is more than a real idol, he’s THE idol!” You announce with conviction, pulling your lucky orange penlight out your bag to point at him. “No one compares to THE Leviathan! An idol is someone unattainable to the individual, yet honorably shared with the world! Only an idiot wouldn’t be able to see his appeal! His calm and cool demeanor gives him that air of mystery, creating a distance that only makes us fans’ hearts grow fonder! Coupled with his honey-sweet voice and those sunset eyes that scream desire, drawing us all in, always wanting for more – Leviathan encapsulates all that an idol should be! The divine example of one, a God even! Leviathan. Is. A God! SAY IT!”
“L...Leviathan is a God..? H-huh?” He repeats hesitantly – your defensive outburst seems to have shocked him out of his self-hating stupor.
You nod and set one hand on your hip, the other other resting your penlight on your shoulder like a delinquent would proudly do with their baseball bat.
“Exactly! No one is going to insult our Great Leviathan, not even himself!”
Leviathan just nods back and sits up, hunched over and looking at the ground. Now that you’ve corrected his horrendous error of berating himself, you’re a bit shy – this is your first chance meeting your idol in such close quarters, alone, and you scold him like a child?! Before you can even apologize, Leviathan speaks up.
“U-uhm… I mean, o-of course I’m thankful my fans think of me so nicely… but, I’m still pretty much tricking them… I-I’m not actually very cool, or desirable like you seem to think… its just a character the agency decided for me…” He mumbles, pulling his hoodie back over his head to hide again. “I-I just wanted to be like my faves… but I’m totally not cut out for this…”
Your breath catches a bit at Leviathan’s confession. Being like his faves? After D/EMONS’ debut, their first variety show appearance had an interview session, where Leviathan had said his motivation for becoming an idol was out of a long-time admiration for older idols.
“After our debut, everything just went so fast… people were praising and supporting me, all over a persona that’s completely made up. I’m just a gross, gloomy guy IRL, I can’t accept people like me for real…”
You sigh quietly. He may be a bit of a mess off-stage, but… this is definitely the Leviathan you love. You’re not so bold as to reach out to him physically, but you do kneel down to look him face-to-face.
“Cool Leviathan and Gloomy Levi are both still Leviathan. And as a dedicated fan, I live to support Leviathan no matter what! So don’t go acting like you can’t accept that, when I’ve already seen both your sides!”
You stand back up, and he looks at you from under his bangs with such a pitiful, but adorable look that you can practically hear your heart audibly kyun~!
“...If you say so….” He mumbles noncommittally. That might be the best you’ll get out of him for now, so you nod in agreement.
“Good! Now, supporting you also means doing my job here! So you sit tight while I get to work!”
Leviathan makes… some sound of acknowledgement, curling up on the floor again. You decide to leave him be, as you get started on the kitchen. You’ve been granted a rare opportunity to support you fave in a way no one else has, and you’re gonna make the most of it.