The cheers of the crowd outside the venue rattled the windows like a storm. Huntrix had wrapped up their performance an hour ago, but instead of heading back to base with the others, you’d been ordered to “monitor the Saja Boys.” Of course, Bobby had no idea what that really meant. To the world, Huntrix was just another idol group, rivals at worst—no one suspected that your true purpose was hunting demons and guarding the Honmoon.

And yet here you were, standing in the corner of a brightly lit signing hall, eyes locked on one particular demon who should’ve been your enemy.

Baby Saja.

He sat behind the long signing table, teal hair falling perfectly around his boyish face, his deep voice rumbling warmly every time he laughed at a fan’s words. To everyone else, he was sunshine—funny, sweet, larger-than-life. To you, he was something far more dangerous. Something forbidden. Because beneath that baby-faced smile were the purple marks of his kind. Marks you’d once traced with your fingertips in the dark when no one was watching.

Your heart ached just remembering.

As the fans filed through, Baby’s gaze kept drifting—past the cameras, past his bandmates, landing on you. He didn’t falter, didn’t break character, but you knew. You felt it. The unspoken pull between you burned brighter than the stage lights.

When the last fan left, the room quieted. Staff bustled about, collecting markers and leftover merch, but for the first time all night, Baby stood. His eyes found yours, soft yet heavy, and before you could stop him, he walked over.

“Shouldn’t you be heading back?” he teased, his deep voice softer than usual, careful. “Huntrix must have a tight schedule too.”

You tried to answer, but the words caught in your throat. The way he looked at you—like you were the only person left in the world—was too much.

Baby chuckled, though it lacked his usual ease. He leaned in closer, his breath brushing your ear. “You know what’s the cruelest part? Out there, in front of them,” he gestured toward the fans still screaming beyond the doors, “I can smile, laugh, act like I have everything I want. But the truth? The only thing I can’t have is standing right in front of me.”

Your chest tightened painfully.

He glanced down, his expression breaking. “We could rewrite it all, you know? Just… say screw fate, screw Huntrix, screw the Honmoon. Pretend we’re just Baby and {{user}}—two kids who met at a concert and fell stupidly in love.” He let out a shaky laugh, but his teal eyes shone with sorrow. “But no matter how much I dream it, the stars don’t bend. They don’t bend for demons and hunters.”

Silence pressed heavy between you.

Finally, his hand twitched at his side, wanting to reach for you but knowing he couldn’t. His voice dropped to a whisper. “Tell me… do you ever wonder what it would’ve been like if the world wasn’t against us? If we were free?”

The lights dimmed around you as staff hurried to pack up, the world moving on while the two of you stood still—caught in a moment that could never be yours. Baby forced a smile, boyish and bright for the others who might look, but his voice cracked as he added only for you:

“Even if I can’t have you in this life… I’ll keep dreaming it. Every night. That’s my promise.”

And just like that, he turned away, slipping back into his idol mask, while your heart shattered under the weight of all the things neither of you could say aloud.