Saja Saga

The Soda Pop Compilation

A series of Saja Boys x Saja Boys pairings

1. Romance x Abby / Enemies to Lovers

This is a KPDH AU where HUNTR/X (as a group, not the people) doesn't exist, and some of the Saja Boys are the current Hunters instead.

His Hunted Heart

A Hunter and a Demon cross paths

But which of them is really the one being hunted?

CHAPTER 10: Consequence

"That's insane," Baby says angrily, his brow furrowed. "This changes everything."

"This changes nothing," Jinu states, but he looks just as torn as the others. He's sitting on the edge of his seat with his fists clenched on his lap. "Our end goal is still the same. It doesn't matter what anyone did or didn't do up to this point."

"Jinu is right," Seunghyun says with a nod. "Don't let this distract you from what you really have to do, which is sealing the Honmoon. It's the only way to fix all of this."

"And what if we can't do it?" Mystery asks. "Have you started training any new Hunters yet?"

"Not yet." EunAe shakes her head. She's been quiet since Romance left the table, and he wouldn't let her talk to him upstairs. "We're still working on finding the right students."

"I don't think Romance is going to keep fighting much longer," Mystery says with a sigh, resting his chin against his hand. "He's so exhausted. We all are. And now, with all this stuff with Abby, it's—"

There's a loud crash above them, and everyone startles. The sounds of things being thrown, and muffled shouting above them, sends everyone into high alert.

"What the fuck?"

EunAe conjures her sword and rushes ahead of the others, who quickly follow behind with their own weapons drawn.

When they reach the top of the stairs, the corridor is unusually quiet, like nothing has happened. There's no way they were imagining it, though.

There's a loud bang as Abby and Romance come crashing through a pink bedroom door. EunAe covers her mouth in horror as they break through the railing and plummet down to the foyer, slamming down onto the tiles. Fueled by rage and adrenaline, the two of them continue to go at each other relentlessly, wrestling on the floor, metal fans clashing with claws.

"I hate you!" Romance growls, struggling against Abby's powerful grip on his fans while he kneels over him. Abby is grinning and baring his fangs even with blood running down his hands from where he's holding Romance's weapons to stop himself from being slashed. "I told you that I never wanted to see your stupid face again!"

"I don't give a fuck what you think of me," Abby tells him. "My job is to destroy the Hunters and the Honmoon, and you keep getting in my way."

"You and Gwi-ma will never get what you want! Not while I'm alive!"

"Then I'll just have to kill you, won't I?" Abby lets out a sinister laugh. He's completely different than Romance has ever seen him, even angry. Is this the real Jeoseung Abby?

Seunghyun's powerful voice booms through the entire house, in a tone that would even give Gwi-ma and the power of the Honmoon a run for their money.

"That's enough!"

He rolls his wheelchair over to where the two young men are struggling against each other, a dark look in his eyes. He grabs Abby by the back of the neck with an impressive amount of force, hauling him up off the floor and away from Romance.

Romance struggles to his feet and tries to go at Abby again, but EunAe rushes to his side, holding him back.

"Ro, hold on a second."

Abby isn't fighting at all, holding his clawed, bloody hands up defensively while Seunghyun still has him by the neck like a misbehaved puppy. Both he and Romance are dripping with blood from deep gashes, their clothes torn and hair unruly messes, breathing heavily and scowling at each other.

"You should know better than to act that way in this house," Seunghyun scolds at Romance, who scoffs loudly.

"Are you kidding me?" Romance tries to get at Abby again, and Abby bares his fangs at him while they're both held back. EunAe has a strong arm around his chest. "Let me go so I can fucking kill him and be done with it!"

"Come and try it," Abby snarls. "Someone will die, but I can assure you that it won't be me!"

"I said enough!" Seunghyun shouts, forcing Abby down onto his knees, his large hand still clutching the back of his neck. "And you! This is how you treat your friends' home after vanishing for thirty years?"

"Friends?" Romance asks, still breathing heavily. His rage is starting to wear off, replaced with pain and a lightheaded sensation. The color drains from his face as he lowers to his knees, and EunAe fusses over him.

"Sorry, Seung," Abby says quietly, lowering his gaze, staring at the blood running down his arms.

Is this really what I want to do? Is it truly worth all of this to be free of Gwi-ma?

He's certain that Romance would have destroyed him if they kept fighting, or they would have killed each other. Even holding back most of his power, Romance is a bloodied mess, barely conscious now that he's calmed down.

"When I said to stay away from him," EunAe tell Romance, "I meant to just let him be."

"You said he's the reason Appa is in a wheelchair," Romance says breathlessly. His vision is starting to blur, and he leans heavily against EunAe's shoulder.

"Well, yeah," Abby says, looking a bit dejected. "I told you, my healing sucks."

"What the fuck are you talking about?"

"We fought Gwi-ma," EunAe explains. She shrugs her sweater off and ties it around Romance's bleeding forearm. "Seunghyun was nearly killed. Abby's healing brought him back from the brink of death, but it couldn't heal everything—his injuries were too severe. We also lost the third member of our trio that night. Abby tried to save him too, but..."

"Enough," Abby says firmly, his eyes lowered. "I don't need you listing all the ways I've failed as a Hunter."

"You haven't failed, Abby," EunAe insists. "Without you, we'd all be dead, and Gwi-ma would have taken over the human world a long time ago."

"Have you forgotten that l still work for him? I can't protect you anymore."

"Can someone please explain what the fuck is going on?" Baby asks loudly. He standing with Jinu and Mystery, and they all look utterly lost.

"Gwi-ma wants me to kill all of you," Abby states, and the entire room is painfully silent, staring at him. "Get your affairs in order, because regardless of what I want, I'll be back with more demons than you could ever hope to defeat."

Abby vanishes in smoke, and the group is quiet and tense for a long time while EunAe attends to Romance's injuries. Romance is slumped over with exhaustion, and the others are all standing around, not sure what to make of the situation.

***

Romance is sitting out on a lounge chair by the covered pool, smoking a cigarette. He's wrapped up in a thick blanket to keep warm, and he's got a fire going in a stone pit on the patio. It's quiet, and the house is dark, everyone in bed.

He's covered in bandages from his fight with Abby, and his back is bruised from falling off the 2nd floor landing. Everything aches, and he lies back on the chair and closes his eyes, exhaling a large puff of smoke as he tosses the remainder of the cigarette into the fire.

While he's lying there, he gets an uneasy feeling, and he sighs. He only gets that feeling when there are tears in the Honmoon.

When he opens his eyes, Abby is standing over him, his eyes glowing in the darkness, and Romance inhales a sharp breath.

Before Abby can say anything, Romance grabs him by the arm and drags him around to the side of the house, where it's dark and there aren't any windows facing out into the area.

"You're pretty strong," Abby notes, not trying to pull his arm out of Romance's firm grip.

"What the fuck are you doing here?" he asks in a loud angry whisper. "I told you that I didn't want to see you again! Why did you follow us here?"

"I already told you," Abby says, unusually calm considering that they were trying to kill each other a few hours earlier. "Gwi-ma wants you and the rest of the Hunters dead. If I destroy the Hunters and the Honmoon for good, I'll finally be free."

"You really think he'll let you go that easily?"

"We have a deal—if I finally uphold my end, he'll have to let me go, whether he likes it or not."

"You're the one who told me not to start fights I can't win—take your own advice."

"You're severely underestimating what I'm capable of," he says with a smirk, flashing his fangs. "You think I can't take on a few hunters? EunAe is old, and Seunghyun is in a wheelchair. You and the others Hunters are already falling."

"Why not kill me then?" Romance asks, looking around the empty yard. "You have me out here alone. Everyone's in bed, I'm severely injured... Seunghyun isn't here to stop you this time. So, do it."

Abby doesn't move, eyeing him up and down.

"Why didn't you tell me about Seunghyun and EunAe?" Romance asks. "What else have you kept from me?"

"I didn't think it was important."

"Of course it is!"

"Well..." Abby says quietly, rubbing the back of his neck. "I mean, in some ways, it is, but it doesn't change anything, so I didn't see any reason to tell anyone about it, especially not a Hunter, even you."

"You should go," Romance says quietly, lowering his gaze. "I felt the ripple in the Honmoon when you showed up—I don't know if any of the others felt it or not. If they did, they'll come after you. I should be trying to kill you right now."

"I told you, you can try," he says with a chuckle, brushing a bit of Romance's hair out of his face. "It's too bad. I really did like you."

"Don't!" Romance slaps his hand away from his face, his eyes and throat starting to burn with frustration. "Just go away!"

Abby vanishes in smoke and Romance sighs, his shoulders dropping in defeat before he returns to his chair by the pool. He lights another cigarette, his hands shaking while he tries to stay calm.

"So, do you have a plan?"

"Holy shit!" Romance nearly jumps off the chair when Mystery speaks up. He's leaning in the doorway with his arms crossed. "Why are you lurking?"

"I was already awake." Mystery walks over and sits on the edge of the chair next to Romance, tightening his sweater around himself, his breath coming out in small puffs in the icy air. "And you didn't answer my question."

"I don't know what you're asking me. A plan for what?"

"Your feelings for Abby, for one."

"I don't have feelings for Abby," Romance says with a disgusted scowl. "He's a demon, and he's getting sent back to the Demon World, one way or another."

"How long are you going to keep lying to yourself?" Mystery asks. "You've been into him since the day you met—you're just trying to convince yourself that you hate him because he's a demon."

"I have plenty of reasons to hate him," Romance says. "Being a demon is just the biggest one. We're Hunters!"

"What about Jinu? He's a Hunter."

"That's different."

"Is it?"

"I'm going to bed," Romance states, heading inside. "Abby chose his path and I chose mine. Sooner or later, we are going to have to face the consequences of those choices, once and for all."

Technically he's a Saja Boy even though he's not really

I haven't really done much new art lately but here's a human version of Derpy I started working on today

**UPDATE** I figured his face out lol

The Soda Pop Compilation

A series of Saja Boys x Saja Boys pairings

1. Romance x Abby / Enemies to Lovers

This is a KPDH AU where HUNTR/X (as a group, not the people) doesn't exist, and some of the Saja Boys are the current Hunters.

His Hunted Heart

A Hunter and a Demon cross paths

But which of them is really the one being hunted?

CHAPTER 9: No More Hiding

Romance reclines his chair and closes his eyes as he lets out a relaxed breath, but then his eyebrow twitches as the seat jerks a bit.

"Baby, I swear to God, if you don't stop kicking my seat, I will feed you to a demon."

Baby kicks his seat harder and Romance sits up and turns to glare at him. Baby sticks his tongue out at him, which is blue from a lollipop he's been sucking on for the past half hour, before putting his headphones on and hiding his face with his tablet.

"What are you, five?" Romance asks, reaching over the seat and flicking him in the forehead. Baby rubs the mark and looks to Mystery, who just shrugs his shoulders.

"You started it," he tells Baby, who sinks down into his seat with a pout.

Please ensure your seatbelts are securely fastened.

Romance sighs, shaking his head with disdain as he turns back around and puts his seatbelt on.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?"

Jinu is in a seat by a window, staring out at the airport runway as the jet starts to move. He's got an oversized sweatshirt on with the hood up over his hat, hiding most of his hair and face. He's tense, gripping the arms of his chair tightly.

"Are you afraid of flying?" Romance asks, and Jinu just gives him an irritated look.

"You know that's not what I'm talking about."

"I wouldn't have suggested it if I thought it was a bad idea," he tells him. "It'll be fine, I promise."

"Don't make promises you can't keep," Jinu says.

"Did you patterns spread again?" Romance asks, eyeing his hoodie, and Jinu sinks lower into his chair, hugging himself. "Jinu... you don't have to hide them anymore. What will happen if they spread too much?"

"You know what will happen," Jinu says with a grim tone, and Romance sighs.

"Everything is going to be fine," he insists. "Let's just get through this flight without killing each other, okay?"

A loud ping sounds throughout the cabin, and the seatbelt lights turn off. Baby practically throws his off so he can lie across the seats with his head in Mystery's lap, and Jinu gets up and stretches.

"How long is this flight?" Jinu questions, glancing around the private jet. There are plenty of places to sit, a fully stocked fridge, two bathrooms, and an area loaded with a large variety of snacks.

"Almost 14 hours," Mystery says, his face buried in a book. "So get comfy."

Jinu lets out a breath and drops back into his seat with a loud thud, then goes back to staring out the window.

Romance retreats to one of the bedrooms, dropping face-down onto the bed with an exhausted sigh. It's been about two weeks since he last saw Abby, and demon activity has almost stopped entirely. Is it because Romance and Jinu aren't fighting anymore, or is there something else going on? What if Gwi-ma is saving his strength and his demons for something worse? His mind is reeling with all the terrible things that could happen as he falls asleep.

He doesn't sleep peacefully at all, plagued with nightmares. Some of them are memories of his encounters with demons, some just horrible visions. In one particularly vivid one, he finds himself standing alone in the middle of a burning wasteland, collapsed buildings around him, and the air is heavy with the smell of smoke and blood. Standing on top of the ruins of a building, Abby is watching him. He's in his full demon form, his eyes glowing harshly. He's got blood on his mouth and dripping from his claws.

"You let this happen," Abby says, pointing one long claw at him. "You killed them."

Some of the smoke clears, and Romance's eyes go wide. The space between him and Abby is littered with the bodies of the other Saja Boys, strewn among the rubble. He can't feel the Honmoon anymore either.

Abby is laughing as a tear opens up under Romance's feet, and dozens of demon hands reach out to grab him. Abby just stands and watches as they pull him down, dragging him into the Demon World while he tries to claw his way free.

"Ro, wake up!"

Romance jolts awake, and he's still lying on the bed, drenched in cold sweat. Jinu is sitting beside him with a firm grip on his arm, and Baby and Mystery are standing by the doorway, looking over him with concern.

He sits up slowly, rubbing his eyes. His heart is still racing as he brushes his hair out of his face with his fingers and ties it back in a messy bun.

"Did I fall asleep?" he asks, and the others all share a look of concern.

"You were thrashing and screaming," Jinu says. "Are you feeling all right?"

"Just a bad dream, I guess," Romance tells them. "Sorry for worrying you. I'm okay."

"Are you?" Baby asks.

Despite insisting that he's fine, the others aren't convinced. They all spend time with him, keeping him so occupied that he has no time to think about Abby or demons or the Honmoon.

***

"This is really not necessary, you know," Romance says, staring up at the bedroom ceiling.

Jinu is on one side of him, and Baby and Mystery are on the other. The bed is large enough for all of them to lie down comfortably, although Baby is in Mystery's personal space as always, his face pressed into his chest while he snores quietly. Mystery has one arm around Baby's back, the other tucked under the pillows. Jinu is flat on his back with his hands folded politely.

"You always sleep poorly when you're alone," Mystery says, and Romance sighs. "We are just worried about you, Ro. You haven't been yourself lately."

"What do you mean?"

"We know you've been thinking about retiring," Jinu says, and Romance sits up between them and sighs.

"It's not that I want to quit," he says, rubbing the scars on his shoulder, "especially now with things getting worse. I'm just so fucking tired. I'm not as strong as I used to be. Two decades are starting to take their toll."

"We all agree," Mystery tells him, and Romance's eyes go wide. "We talked about it when you were with Abby, and we already spoke to EunAe and Seunghyun about training a new group of Hunters. We're going to fix all this, get the Honmoon strong again, and then we are all going to take a well-earned retirement."

Romance exhales a long breath of relief, and everyone is surprised when he starts crying.

"Hey..." Jinu sits up and wraps one arm around his shoulders. "It's okay, Ro."

Baby groans softly before he rolls over, out of Mystery's arms, and wraps his own arms around Romance's waist, nuzzling against him. Mystery shifts closer and places a comforting hand on Romance's knee and they all just sit there quietly, letting him cry.

"I'm sorry," Romance says, wiping his face with his sleeves. "I just wish things were different. I felt like I should be better, and that the idea of retiring from such an important job was self-centered."

"Self-care isn't selfish," Mystery says firmly. "We're all on the same team here—we have to be able to cater to each other's needs."

***

Abby is sitting sideways in his armchair in the dark, his legs slung over the side, his head in his hands. He hasn't moved in days—he doesn't care. He isn't interested in his music or his night club or anything else.

His patterns start to glow and he hisses in pain, ominous whispers echoing around him and in his head before a tear opens up in the Honmoon under him, dropping him down into the Demon World.

He hits the ground with a grunt of pain, lying in the dirt at Gwi-ma's altar. He's hiding his true form behind a massive wall of flames, surrounded by hordes of demons, and they are all silent, watching from the shadows as Abby struggles to his feet.

"What do you want?" Abby asks, glaring at the flames. His Glamour is partially faded, baring his fangs as his patterns show across his neck and face.

"You were supposed to help me destroy the Honmoon and break the Hunters. Why was one of my officers destroyed by the Hunter in your presence?"

"Me?" Abby forces out a loud, angry laugh. "You mean the officer that attacked me while I had my back turned? He got what he fucking deserved."

The flames' power increases, and Abby's patterns glow harshly, making him gasp in pain and drop to his knees.

"400 years and you're still filled with defiance. When are you going to accept that you'll never be accepted back by the Hunters?"

"I don't give a shit about the Hunters!"

"Good." Gwima releases Abby and he doubles over, breathing heavily with sweat running down his face. "The Hunters are currently on a plane, en route to North America."

"So what?"

"So, you are going to go there, and end the line of Hunters for good."

"Why should I?" he asks, and Gwi-ma laughs.

"Succeed, and you'll finally be free," he says and Abby's eyes go wide. "Our contract will be fulfilled, and you won't have to serve me anymore."

***

The large house on the hill is quiet, located in a small suburban town. It's pushed far back from any main roads, surrounded by the forest on all sides.

The porch has a ramp that leads up to the front door, and the Boys all stand there awkwardly with their bags.

"Go on," Mystery says, nudging Romance toward the front door. "Technically they're your parents, so you should ring the bell."

"Is this really a good idea?" Jinu asks for the thousandth time since planning the trip. He's wearing a small crop top that reveals most of his patterns, keeping them in the open in an attempt to stop them from spreading.

The sound of the doorbell echoes loudly through the house, and Romance shifts his weight back and forth on each foot until they hear the click of the lock.

The door opens and an older woman is standing there. She's got a surprisingly athletic build for her age, and her hair is pulled back in a messy bun, similar to how Romance wears his hair, although hers is mostly grey. Her eyes go wide, lighting up with joy when she sees Romance.

"Ro!" She pulls him into a tight hug. "It's been so long. What are you doing here?"

"Hi, Eomma," he says quietly, and she pulls back, eyeing him up and down.

"What's wrong?" she asks, but then she notices the other Boys, and her eyes go wide at the sight of Jinu, covered in demon patterns.

"Hi, EunAe."

"Oh... You'd all better come inside, quickly. I'll go get Seunghyun."

EunAe ushers them all into the dining room, taking all of their bags before rushing off to a different area of the house.

The silence between them all is painful. Romance is perched on the edge of a chair, Jinu is pacing back and forth in front of the glass doors that open up onto a back patio and a pool. Baby is lying across two chairs, scrolling on his phone, and Mystery seems to be the only one sitting calmly, waiting for EunAe to come back.

"Would you sit down?" Romance snaps, and Jinu stops pacing. "You're giving me nausea."

An older man enters the room, using an electric wheelchair to maneuver the room, and EunAe follows. They join the others at the table and Jinu finally sits. Mystery taps Baby on the knee, and he sits up straight, putting his phone away.

"Well, this is quite the surprise," the man says, looking around at the group. "I suppose EunAe and I owe you an explanation."

"About Jinu?" Baby questions. "Yeah, you fucking do."

"Baby," Mystery scolds, but Seunghyun just chuckles softly. "We have worse things to deal with."

"Worse things?" EunAe questions, looking around at the group. "What are you here for if it's not about Jinu?"

Romance lowers his gaze, his face a bit red. He doesn't really want to try to explain the nature of his relationship with Abby. He doesn't have to though, when Baby speaks up again.

"What do you know about the previous Hunters?" he asks, and both of them give him a curious look.

"As much as any other Hunters, I suppose," EunAe says with a shrug. "Why do you ask?"

Baby takes a paper out of his pocket and slides it across the table to Seunghyun, who eyes it curiously before unfolding it. It's a mini poster of Abby—the one he got signed at the meet-and-greet when Abby performed at Jeoseung Night Club.

"What do you know about Jeoseung Abby?"

EunAe covers her mouth with her hand, and Seunghyun has a grim expression on his face, holding up the photo for everyone else to see.

"You've met him?"

"Met him, fought him," Baby says. "Ro fuc—"

Baby is cut off as Mystery elbows him hard in the stomach, knocking the wind out of him.

"He runs a night club back home," Mystery explains. "One open to humans and demons."

"Stay away from him," EunAe demands. "Please."

"Why?" Jinu asks. "Because he's a former Hunter?"

"How did you—"

"Enough is enough," Romance says firmly. "No more lies, no more secrets. We'll never seal the Honmoon at this rate."

Seunghyun sighs,and EunAe places her hand on his shoulder.

"He's the reason Seunghyun is in a wheelchair. When we fought Gwi-ma, he—"

There's a collective gasp around the table, and Romance jumps up and rushes out of the room, covering his mouth with his hand as he struggles to hold back his sobs.

"Ro, wait!"

He rushes upstairs and down the corridor, going straight to his childhood bedroom. He slams the door shut behind him before he lets out an anguished cry and drops to the floor.

The room is unchanged from when Romance left when he was a teen. His old posters of EunAe and Seunghyun are still pinned to the wall, his plushies still lined up neatly on his bed. Romance is kneeling on a fluffy pink throw rug that EunAe always hated cleaning because it was impossible to vacuum.

This is what you get for trusting a demon. The lies and deceit never end.

"Ro?" EunAe's voice calls, and she knocks lightly on the door. "Ro, please. There are so many things we need to talk about."

"Go away," he demands, still doubled over on the rug. "I need to be alone. Please."

EunAe sighs, and he hears the sound of her footsteps fade as she goes back downstairs.

He doubles over and sobs into the rug for what feels like hours. The room gets dark as clouds roll in and it starts to rain, the low rumble of thunder in the distance.

Romance sits up slowly, drying his face with his sleeve.

"Why are you crying?"

The Soda Pop Compilation

A series of Saja Boys x Saja Boys pairings

1. Romance x Abby / Enemies to Lovers

This is a KPDH AU where HUNTR/X (as a group, not the people) doesn't exist, and some of the Saja Boys are the current Hunters.

His Hunted Heart

A Hunter and a Demon cross paths

But which of them is really the one being hunted?

Chapter 8: Sinking

Abby blinks a few times, trying to process what just happened.

Romance is standing there with angry tears in his eyes. He's bundled up for the cold weather, a thick scarf hiding the rest of his face.

"That's for not telling me that Jinu knew where I was the entire time," he says. Before Abby can respond, he slaps him again, this time with his other hand. "And that's for everything else!"

Abby is silent, still trying to process the situation. He takes a deep calming breath before he looks at Romance, who takes a small step back, his anger replaced with nervousness at the hard expression in Abby's eyes. He hadn't meant to just walk in there and slap Abby—he let his anger get the best of him.

"You shouldn't be out this late," Abby says, glancing at his watch. "You didn't come here alone, did you?"

"That's all you have to fucking say? I don't need your concern!"

"Romance, you—"

"Don't!" he snaps, one of his metal fans materializing in his hand as he presses the sharp edge to Abby's throat. "I never should have trusted you. Forget you ever met me! I don't want to see your stupid face or feel your touch ever again!"

"Can we just talk for a second?" Abby asks, holding his hands up to show he's unarmed and not about to fight. "I don't even understand what's going on."

"Don't play the fool while making me one," Romance demands. "You told Jinu I was at your apartment, and you still kept me there for three days. I'm not even going to bother to discuss anything else that happened. It's in your nature to deceive people. If we ever cross paths again, I'll hunt you down like the fucking demon that you are!"

Romance leaves him there and rushes out of the club, but Abby follows quickly after him, running out into the night.

"You shouldn't be out here alone," Abby tells him. He could easily overtake him if he wanted to, but he gives Romance space. "With the breaches in the Honmoon and the stronger demons coming through, you should stick together with the other Hunters, especially this late at night."

"I don't need you or your concern," Romance insists, walking quickly. "You're just as terrible as the rest of them."

"I fail to see exactly what I did wrong."

"I just told you!" Romance stops short and turns back to glare at him. "You told Jinu where I was but didn't tell me you had his number, and kept me at your place for days. Why not have Jinu take me home? Why keep me in your apartment while you tell your sob stories? So I'll let my guard down? So you can use me to destroy the Honmoon like Gwi-ma wanted from you?"

"Is that really what you think?" Abby asks, thinking back on their night spent together while Romance shakes his head and turns away. "I would never do something like that!"

"Fuck off."

"Romance!" Abby grabs him firmly by the arm to make him stop walking. "Look at me!"

"Keep your fucking hands off of me!"' he demands, but he stops, and doesn't try to pull free.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Abby tells him, tightening his grip. "Jinu's phone number? I didn't even know his name until like two days ago. Why do you think I would keep something like that from you?"

"You're a demon," he says flatly. "Lies and betrayal are all you're capable of."

"I don't know what that other Hunter told you, but I haven't done anything wrong. I certainly wouldn't have told your friends where you were and kept that from you. If they knew where you were the whole time, why wouldn't they have come for you?"

"Why would Jinu lie to me about something like that?"

"Ask him," Abby tells him, taking his phone out of his pocket and holding it out to Romance. "Go ahead and go through it. I don't know your friends. If they know me, it's either through my music or because I own Jeoseung Night Club."

"Just leave me alone." Romance slaps his hand away. "I don't want to see you ever again."

While they're arguing, cracks in the Honmoon start to glow around them, and faceless demons begin to crawl out.

Romance pulls out his fans, but Abby steps in front of him, shielding him from the horde.

"Go home," he says, eyeing a bigger tear in the Honmoon as a larger demon comes through, similar to the one that injured Romance. It's larger than Abby, wielding a club that looks like it could crush bones. "You clearly have bigger problems to deal with than a tiny breach in the Honmoon."

"I can fight! I don't need you to protect me!"

"Stop being so fucking stubborn!"

Abby's Glamour falls away as he rushes forward to fight the demons, fangs and claws bared, and Romance is frozen in place, watching him easily take out most of the weaker ones with hardly any effort. A few slip past him that Romance takes care of, but a few larger demons are harder to deal with.

"I told you to get out of here!" Abby calls, turning his attention to Romance, who is fighting two larger demons. They get a few strikes in, some deep scratches on his face and arms, but Romance is able to get rid of them before turning his attention on Abby, glaring at him from across the road.

"Stop telling me what to do!"

Abby starts to argue, but he's cut off as the large demon finally makes its move, its club crashing down on the top of Abby's shoulder, knocking him straight down into the concrete. He growls in pain, clutching the injury, and when he sits up on his knees, the demon uses its weapon to strike him again, and Abby collapses. He's lying face down, covered in blood, and he's not moving at all. Is he even still breathing?

It's your fault. He's going to die because you distracted him.

Romance's heart pounds wildly with fear as the demon stands over Abby. Is he going to kill him? Is Romance powerful enough to fight it off?

It tries to strike Abby again, but it snarls in pain as one of Romance's metal fans is thrown, slicing into its hand. It drops its weapon, clutching the injury before Romance rushes in.

It swings at him with an amount of brutal force that Romance knows would likely end their fight if they connect with his body. But the demon is large and slow, it's movement predictable, and once Romance has pushed his way past the fear, he's able to focus on the right in front of him. He slides under its arms and leaps up, slashing it up its belly and neck, allowing him to banish the creature and reseal the Honmoon.

Romance slowly lowers to his knees on the ground beside Abby, trying to catch his breath. He's got a few deep cuts, but nothing as bad as Abby.

Abby's shoulder is obviously dislocated, and he has blood coming from splits all over this face and head. Romance removes his scarf and folds it up before pressing it to the side of Abby's head where the worst wound is.

Abby groans softly, scowling in pain before he rolls onto his back.

"You shouldn't move," Romance scolds. All his anger toward Abby has turned to worry, looking over his injuries.

"I'm fine," he insists as he slowly sits up beside him, gripping his shoulder. It makes a sickening noise as he forces it back into place, and he growls in pain, breathing heavily through his nose. "That really caught me off-guard."

"Here," Romance says, wiping some of the blood off Abby's face, but he hisses in pain and pulls away. "Sorry, I'll try to be more gentle."

They're both quiet while Abby reluctantly let's him clean his face.

"Now I owe you more clothes," he says quietly, eyeing the blood on Romance's scarf. His usual air of flirty playfulness isn't there though—he sounds tired and sad. "Romance, I—"

"Call me Ro," he says, dabbing the cut in Abby's brow. Abby takes him gently by the wrist and lowers his hand to look him in the eyes.

"Ro..." Abby furrows his brow, gripping his hand firmly. "I don't know what Jinu told you, but I would never lie to you."

"Forget it," he says with a sigh, moving to his feet and holding his hand out to Abby. "Come on. Walk me home and let me treat your wounds when we get there, and I'll forget about the scarf."

Abby tries to hold back an amused smile as he takes Romance's hand. He chuckles softly as Romance struggles to haul him to his feet. His smile vanishes though when he brushes the dirt off his pants to find that his jeans are torn and his knees bloodied too.

"That demon really did a number on me," he says. "I haven't been this beat up in a long time."

"I told you, the Honmoon is getting weaker and the demons coming through are getting stronger. I just wish we could figure out why. The music charts haven't changed, our music is still keeping it in place. Maybe it's because Jinu and I have been fighting."

"That could be contributing to it, but that's not the only reason. It weakened when you and I were arguing too."

"That's different," Romance says, shaking his head. "You're a demon—I'm sure your anger affects it just as much as mine does."

"Exactly."

Romance stops in front of the entrance to the apartment building, eyeing him curiously.

"What do you mean?"

"Forget it. I probably shouldn't come up, though," Abby says, sticking his hands in his pockets. "A group of Hunters with a demon in their apartment might not end well."

"You really won't let me take care of those wounds?" Romance asks. Abby starts to say something, but falls quiet when they hear voices, and the other Saja Boys come around the corner, chatting and laughing.

When they notice Abby and Romance, the entire vibe changes. In a flash, Jinu and Baby are standing in front of Romance protectively, weapons drawn, and Mystery has him shoved back against the building's wall, rage emanating from all of them. Abby doesn't fight back, putting his bloodied hands up to show he's unarmed.

"What the hell happened?" Jinu asks, eyeing the both of them up and down. They're both covered in blood and dirt and injuries. "Ro, are you all right?"

"I'm... I'm fine," he says quietly, lowering his gaze.

"What did you do?" Mystery asks. His voice is low, like a growl. Romance has never seen him so angry. He's got one hand clenched around Abby's throat.

"I haven't laid a hand on him," Abby tells them, although it's clear that none of them believe him. "Ask him."

"It wasn't him," Romance says, his voice soft while he avoids eye contact with everyone. "I just want to go to bed."

Mystery releases him, but steps back and keeps himself between Abby and Romance with the others.

"What are you even doing here?" Mystery asks. "Don't think your social status will stop us from sending you back to Gwi-ma if you're going to harm people."

"I haven't done anything." Abby sticks his hands back in his pockets and glances at Romance. "We were just discussing the weakening of the Honmoon."

"Oh yeah? What of it?" Baby asks. He's had his daggers drawn the entire time, not budging from Romance's side.

"Baby, it's fine, really," he says softly, placing his hand on Baby's arm. "I'm okay."

"It's not fine! What are we supposed to think when we find you all beat up with a demon at your side?"

"I have an idea or two as to why the Honmoon has been weakening," Abby says, shrugging his shoulders. "You might want to ask Jinu, though."

Everyone's eyes go wide, including Jinu's as everyone turns their attention to him.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Jinu says, narrowing his eyes at Abby, who laughs softly.

"Yes, you do. You think I don't know who frequents my club? You think I don't know which of my regulars are demons? Or half-demons?"

"Jinu, what is he talking about?" Romance asks.

"He never told you?" Abby questions. "His little purple-haired girlfriend is a demon. But we both know that's not what I'm talking about, is it, Jinu?"

Jinu is quiet, staring at Abby in equal parts shock and anger.

"Nothing to say?" Abby questions with a smirk, baring his fangs. "You act like I'm the bad guy here when you're letting the Honmoon fall apart right underneath your feet, and for what? Love? To convince your friends that demons like Rumi can be good? Or to prove to yourself that half-demons like you can reject that part of themselves and live freely?"

"Stop it," Jinu demands, his voice low and threatening.

"A half-demon?" Baby questions, staring in disbelief at Jinu. "Jinu... You're a—"

"He hides his patterns well, doesn't he? Always in a shirt that covers his chest and shoulders... I bet he refuses to change in front of any of you, and I bet he's never been to the bathhouse or taken his shirt off at the pool or the beach. He's got his own dressing room at your events too, right?"

"Enough, Abby."

"Tell me I'm wrong." Abby takes a threatening step forward, his eyes glowing in the darkness, his Glamour starting to fade, revealing the patters on his neck and face. "I had my suspicions when Romance said you knew me, but looking at you now, I can see it. Hiding and lying only makes it worse, and the more you deny it, the quicker the patterns will spread. Best to get it all out in the open now if you want to have any chance of restoring your precious Honmoon."

"Jinu..." Mystery turns his attention away from Abby. "Please tell us he's lying."

"I..." Jinu can't seem to find the words to say, lowering his eyes.

"You've been keeping this from us this whole time?" Baby asks, eyeing Jinu up and down. If he really does have patterns, they're well-hidden under his shirt.

"Now that you mention it," Mystery notes, "you have been dressing differently lately, especially with longer sleeves, and you threw away most of your crop tops a few days ago ."

"That's not why—"

"Stop lying," Abby demands. His voice sends a dark ripple across the Honmoon, taking them all by surprise. "You want to condemn me for being a demon? Then stop being a fucking hypocrite."

Jinu glares at Abby, the anger rising in his chest.

"I don't have to explain myself to you," he states, turning away to go inside, but Baby grabs him by the arm.

"What about us?" he asks angrily. "You don't think we deserve an explanation?"

"No, I don't!" he snaps, glaring at Baby. His eyes flash yellow for an instant, his usually invisible patterns flashing hot pink as his anger sends a dark ripple through the Honmoon like Abby's did. Baby immediately lets him go and steps back in fear. "I didn't even know Rumi was a demon when we met."

"And what about you?" Mystery asks. "How long were you going to keep this a secret?"

"What did Gwi-ma tell you?" Abby questions. "That you could somehow be rid of your patterns? That you and Rumi could be free? Trust me when I tell you that you'll never be free if you do anything he says."

"Trust you?" Jinu scoffs and turns away from them again. "Don't try to lump me in with your kind."

He goes inside without another word, leaving the rest of the group alone in tense silence. They're all just standing around, not knowing what to say or do. Mystery is the first to finally speak up.

"I'm going to go try to talk to him," he says quietly. "I can only imagine what he might be going through right now."

"But if he's been lying to us all these years," Baby says angrily, "then we should—"

"Then we should support him, and find a solution together," Mystery says firmly. "We know him, Baby. We've put our lives in his hands a hundred times over, and he would never turn his back on us, so we shouldn't turn our back on him. Not now, when everything is at stake."

Baby goes quiet, but nods, following Mystery inside. Romance and Abby are quiet, and they won't look at each other, but neither of them move either.

"You shouldn't have done that," Romance says, stepping in front of him. "Outing Jinu like that... You could have really fucked things up for us and the Honmoon."

"You are the one who wanted to know why the Honmoon is failing," Abby tells him, sticking his hands in his pockets. "Don't forget at the end of the day I'm still a demon too. I don't have to spare anyone's feelings. At least the Hunters want to help him—I got tossed aside by mine."

"Abby..."

"You should head inside," Abby says, his voice quiet and almost sad. "You don't want to get hurt again."

Romance reaches up and touches Abby's face, gingerly running his fingertips across the split in his lip. It's swollen, but at least he's not bleeding anymore.

"What about you?" he asks, and Abby laughs softly, leaning into Romance's touch.

"Don't worry about me," he says, barely louder than a whisper. He leans in and plants a kiss on the side of Romance's face. "Goodbye."

Abby vanishes in a puff of smoke, and Romance sighs, then goes inside and straight to his room to clean up and change his clothes. Once he's refreshed and feeling calmer, he takes a deep breath and goes to Jinu's room, knocking lightly on the door before entering without waiting for a response.

Mystery is sitting on the edge of Jinu's bed, and Baby is curled up in the chair at Jinu's desk.

Jinu is lying on his back on the floor, clutching a large blue tiger plushie that Baby had gifted him for his birthday. He sits up when Romance enters.

"Tell us everything," Romance says, and Jinu's eyes go wide. "We deserve the truth."

"There's hardly anything to tell," Jinu says, lowering his gaze and hugging the plushie tighter. "My father was a demon, killed by Hunters. I was told to never let anyone know about it, and to keep the patterns covered. They've been starting to spread again for the first time in years."

"Show us."

Jinu clings to the bottom of his shirt like his life depends on it, but Mystery places a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"No one is going to shame you," he assures him. "We just want to know exactly what we're dealing with here. We want to help you."

Jinu's hands are shaking as he removes his shirt. He keeps his gaze lowered.

The patterns cover the tops of his shoulders, extending down across his back and chest. Others wrap around his lower back and stomach. The room is painfully silent, and Jinu won't look at anyone.

"I'm sorry," he finally says softly, frustrated tears running down his face. "I just... I thought that if I told you, then you wouldn't look at me the same anymore. I thought if we could seal the Honmoon, I'd have a chance to be free."

"You shouldn't have hidden it," Romance says, kneeling in front of him. "Abby said that lying and hiding only makes them worse. If you had shared your struggles with us, we might have been able to help you sooner, and it wouldn't have gotten this far."

"I'm sorry," he says again, covering his face with his hands. "EunAe and Seunghyun told me not to tell anyone."

"So what are we supposed to do?" Baby asks. "At this point, if we don't do something different, the Honmoon will be destroyed. And if we seal it completely, what will that mean for Jinu?"

"It does feel a bit like we're on a sinking ship," Mystery says with a tired sigh.

"I think we should take a trip," Romance states, and all of the other Hunters stare at him like he's lost his mind.

The Soda Pop Compilation

A series of Saja Boys x Saja Boys pairings

1. Romance x Abby / Enemies to Lovers

This is a KPDH AU where HUNTR/X (as a group, not the people) doesn't exist, and some of the Saja Boys are the current Hunters instead.

His Hunted Heart

A Hunter and a Demon cross paths

But which of them is really the one being hunted?

CHAPTER 7: Rectify

Note: Chapter 6 (not posted on here) is an NSFW continuation of Chapter 5. All relevant scenes from Chapter 6 are included here as a closed-door option for people who do not want to read open-door intimacy.

If you do want to read the chapter with open-door intimacy, you can read Chapter 6 directly on the Ao3 page for His Hunted Heart, here.

Thanks! Enjoy.

Abby pulls Romance against his hard body, the hallway echoing with the sounds of their heavy breathing. He tightens his arm around his back and grabs him under his thigh with his free hand, lifting him up without ever breaking their kiss.

Romance runs his fingers up through Abby's hair, and Abby groans into his mouth, clearly enjoying the sensation. He carries him down the hall to his bedroom, kicking his door shut.

***

When Abby comes out of the bathroom, drying his hair with a towel, he finds Romance has fallen asleep, curled up in the middle of the bed with the blanket still wrapped around his bare body. He must be exhausted. His pink hair is a mess, covering his face, and he is breathing softly.

Abby tosses his towel into his laundry basket before going to his dresser, fishing out a shirt to wear. He digs through every drawer, looking for something Romance might like, but eventually settles on just a hoodie and some shorts that are a dark pink with black demon patterns in the fabric. Romance might protest because of the patterns, but they're on almost all of Abby's clothes, and he's sure Romance would prefer that over nothing.

"Hey," Abby says softly as he sits on the bed and gently brushes his fingers through Romance's hair, and Romance groans softly in response. "I got you a towel and some clothes so you can clean up."

Romance slowly sits up, rubbing his eyes while he holds the blanket over his body. He's obviously exhausted, not even able to form any words as he simply takes the items from Abby and goes to the bathroom to shower. Abby chuckles softly and lies back on his pillows, closing his eyes while he listens to the sounds of the running water.

He's not going to stay with you, a sinister voice echoes in his head. He certainly doesn't care about you, only your body.

Abby frowns, his brow furrowed.

It's none of your fucking business.

He's a Hunter. He'll use you for that impressive physique when he wants something, but he'll get rid of you eventually. Best to be rid of him sooner than later. Losing him will devastate the Hunters and the Honmoon, and we'll be feasting on souls in no time.

Oh, yeah? How'd that work out for you the last time you tried?

There's a loud snarl in his head, and his patterns start to burn. He scowls and bares his fangs, trying to block out the sound.

"Abby?"

Abby opens his eyes as his mind goes quiet. Romance is standing over him, looking at him with concern. He's wearing Abby's clothes, the hoodie hanging off one of his shoulders, and he's got his wet hair down.

"Are you okay?" he asks. "You looked like you were in pain, and your patterns were glowing."

"I'm fine," Abby lies, sitting up with a groan. He has a terrible headache now. He eyes the scar on Romance's exposed shoulder. "How are you feeling?"

"Much better," he says quietly, "but I should go."

"It's one o'clock. You should at least stay until morning."

"My phone is broken," he says. "I've been here for almost three days, and no contact with anyone. I don't want them to worry."

"A few more hours won't kill them," Abby says as he lies back down. "If you go now, you might get hurt again, especially if any demons sense that you're not at your strongest. Let me take you home after sunrise."

Romance sighs and sits on the edge of the bed.

"I wish I knew what was happening lately," he says quietly. "The constant tears in the Honmoon, the strength of the demons coming through. Jinu and I haven't really been seeing eye to eye on some things lately, but I would certainly hope that wouldn't be so detrimental to the strength of the Honmoon."

"I have a few ideas that I plan on looking into," Abby tells him, reaching out to rub his back. "For now, just worry about feeling better. I healed your injuries as best as I could, but as I've said, that part of my power isn't very strong. There could still be some damage under the surface, so don't push yourself too much."

Romance lets out a long breath and lies back across Abby's muscular stomach, staring up at the celling.

Abby wraps his arms around him and turns onto his side, pulling him back against his body. He slides his hands up under his hoodie and plants a kiss on top of his bare shoulder. Romance exhales a shaky breath, leaning back against him. Abby's hands are warm, and the pressure of his touch leaves him breathless.

"Abby... I just showered."

"You can take another one," he says, grazing his fangs against the side of his neck, and they both laugh softly.

***

Romance groans softly before he slowly opens his eyes, blinking a few times. He's exhausted, and it's comfortable and warm.

As his vision focuses, and he gets more of a bearing on his surroundings, he bolts upright with a gasp. He's not at home—he's lying in someone's bed. What the hell happened? Where is he?

A small noise catches his attention, and his eyes go wide at the site of Abby in bed beside him, breathing softly while he sleeps. He's got his back to him, his skin marred with hickeys and bite marks, and there are dark scratches down his arms and across the back of his shoulders.

Romance covers his mouth with his hand and closes his eyes, taking slow, deep breaths to try to calm himself as he recalls the events of the night before.

What the fuck were you thinking? He's a demon!

Abby has left a set of clothing for him to wear, with his reading glasses and hair tie on top. It's just a dark purple hoodie and shorts, not something Romance would normally wear, and there are demon patterns in the fabric, but he can't afford to be picky now.

As quickly and quietly as he can, he gets dressed and throws his hair up in a messy bun before he rushes out, grabbing his shoes by the front door and leaving Abby alone in the quiet apartment.

The cold morning air helps wake him up and the sunlight feels good on his face as he makes the long walk back across town to his own apartment. He sighs at the thought of the Boys waiting at home. They are going to be upset and demand answers.

He slips into the apartment as quietly as he can, kicking his shoes off by the door. He's not surprised when he turns around to find Jinu, Mystery, and Baby all sitting in the living room waiting for him.

"Can we please do this later?" Romance asks. He's exhausted and really doesn't want to try to explain anything to them right now.

"No," Jinu states, crossing his arms. "You've been missing for three days. No texts, no calls... Then you just walk in here wearing someone else's clothes."

"Where the fuck have you been?" Baby asks, eyeing his outfit. "Whose hoodie is that? Are those demon patterns?"

Romance sighs, rubbing his tired face.

"I don't really remember much. I got struck down by one of Gwi-ma's stronger demons," he says quietly, and the Boys' eyes all go wide. "They helped me heal up, that's all."

"Is it?" Mystery asks, and Romance shoots him an angry look. "Nothing else happened?"

"I'm tired," he states. "I'm going to bed. If you want to discuss it more in-depth, not that it's any of your fucking business, we can talk later."

"Ro, wait. We just—"

Romance isn't listening. He immediately rushes down the hall to his own room and slams the door shut.

He drops onto his bed and lets out a long breath and closes his eyes. He rests his hands on his stomach, and he shudders at the memory of Abby's hands and mouth on his body.

"Shit," he breathes, curling up on the bed. Abby's hoodie is much too big, but the material is soft and comfortable, and it smells like him. It lulls him back to sleep for a few hours.

***

Romance is curled up on his chair at his desk, working on lyrics to a new song. He's got a pair of pink wireless headphones on while he messes with the sounds in a music program, trying to figure out the melody at the same time, and nearly jumps out of his skin when Jinu places a hand on his shoulder.

"You scared the shit out of me," he says, pushing the headphones off his ears, leaving the headset around his neck. Jinu sits on the small stool next to him, leaning against the desk and eyeing Romance up and down. "What are you doing?"

Romance is still wearing the enormous hoodie he came home in, and he's got a pair of matching shorts on, one bare leg up on his chair while he leans on his own scarred knee. There are faint bruises on his thigh in the shape of a massive hand, and Jinu can see the tiny wounds and bruises from a bite mark on his wrist, peeking out from under the sleeve, and more marks on his neck and shoulder.

"Are you going to tell us who you were with the past three days?" he asks, and Romance rolls his eyes. "Please don't be difficult, Ro—we were worried about you. You vanish for days and then just stroll in here like nothing happened, wearing someone else's clothes, smelling like a cologne that we know isn't yours."

"I told you what happened," Romance says with a sigh, grabbing his water bottle off the desk. "I got attacked by a demon, and they helped me out. I was badly injured, and my phone is broken. It's not like I had much say in the matter."

"Fine," Jinu says. "And was that before or after you let Abby fuck you into oblivion?"

Romance's face goes bright red as he nearly chokes on his drink, coughing and gasping.

"Jinu!"

"I told you I knew him... I was just waiting for you to come clean. Although I am surprised, since you were so absolutely convinced that he's a demon."

"Um..." Romance clears his throat, using the sleeve of Abby's hoodie to wipe the water off his mouth. "He is."

"WHAT?!" Jinu and Romance jump at Baby's loud voice. He's standing in the doorway with wide eyes, and Romance groans in frustration.

Baby rushes into the room and grabs Romance's beanbag chair from the corner and drags it over to them, dropping down beside Jinu and staring at Romance expectantly. His eyes are wide with excitement and he grabs the arm of Romance's chair.

"Tell us EVERYTHING."

"There's nothing to tell," Romance says, and Baby and Jinu share a "yeah fucking right" look.

"I seriously doubt that," Mystery says, leaning in the bedroom doorway with his arms crossed. "If we're talking about Romance's little rendezvous with Abby, I kind of want the details too."

"You're all ridiculous," Romance tells them, his face bright red. "There's nothing to tell. I got hurt, he found me half-dead in an alley, and he patched me up."

"How did that lead to you fucking, though?" Baby questions.

"That's not—it didn't! We... It was a mistake, okay? I just... got caught up in the moment. I'm never going to see him again."

"What?" Baby frowns. "Why not? You're clearly into each other. Abby hasn't shown any interest in anyone in all the years we've been frequenting that club, and all of a sudden he's got you in his bed? Come on!"

"He's a demon, Baby. We're Hunters. I made a poor decision and I am rectifying it by never seeing or speaking to him again. It's for the best."

"The best for who?" he questions with a pout. "I don't know why you're so afraid of being loved."

"I'm not going to grace that with a response." Romance puts his headphones back on and turns his attention back to his computer screen. "I have work to do—you guys should also be working on your parts. There have been more Honmoon breaches recently, and the demons coming through are getting stronger. We need to step up our game. I'm trying to write some new songs for us to release."

"I bet Abby would know why there are more demons coming through," Jinu says with a wink, and Baby laughs. "Maybe you should call him."

"My phone is broken, and even if it wasn't, I wouldn't call him! Get out of my room!"

***

Abby is sitting at his desk, resting his head against his hand while he thumbs through a stack of paperwork. There's a scowl on his face while he struggles to maintain his Glamour.

I told you he didn't care about you. He used you for your body, just like everyone else, and vanished once you gave him what he wanted.

You don't know that. He probably just went home so the other Hunters would know he was okay.

Don't think I've forgotten the part you played in that. How do you intend to rectify it?

Abby inhales a sharp breath as his patterns start to glow hot pink, burning into his skin. He tears into the stack of paperwork with his claws as his muscles tense.

Fuck you.

You belong to me! No matter how hard you try, the Hunter will never accept you. You'll never be one of them again!

He jolts when there's a frantic, relentless knocking on the office door.

He gets up with a frustrated sigh, his temples throbbing with every loud knock on the door.

"What is it?" he asks in a loud annoyed tone as he yanks the door open, and he's met with the sharp sting of a hand across his face, the slap echoing through the office and hallway.

The Soda Pop Compilation

A series of Saja Boys x Saja Boys pairings

1. Romance x Abby / Enemies to Lovers

This is a KPDH AU where HUNTR/X (as a group, not the people) doesn't exist, and some of the Saja Boys are the current Hunters instead.

His Hunted Heart

A Hunter and a Demon cross paths

But which of them is really the one being hunted?

CHAPTER 5: Transgression

"You can't be serious," Romance says. His entire body is trembling with anger. How can he accept what Abby just told him? "Why would a Hunter turn their back on everything they swore to protect and join the Demon King?"

"It was a long time ago."

Romance holds his head in his hands, taking deep, raspy breaths while he fails to calm himself down. He doesn't know what he expected when he asked Abby about his ability to affect the Honmoon, but it wasn't this. What could possibly have motivated him to do something so awful?

"You can hate me for it—I'm used to it," Abby says, brushing his fingers through his hair as he lets out a tired sigh. "Everyone else does."

"Why?" Romance asks again. "I just want to know why."

"I don't owe you an explanation," Abby tells him with a furrowed brow. All the fun, flirty energy is gone, and his eyebrow twitches like he's trying to control his temper.

"Yes, you do!" Romance snaps, glaring up at him, his eyes still full of angry tears. "You owe it to me and to every stolen soul and to every Hunter that followed after you!"

Faster than he's ever seen any demon move, Abby is leaning over him, one hand holding himself up against the arm of the couch, the other firmly around Romance's throat. His Glamour is completely gone now, glaring down at him with glowing yellow eyes and baring his fangs, dark purple patterns sprawling across his skin. He's so close that Romance can feel the heat of his breath when he speaks.

"What are you going to do about it?" Abby asks, his voice low and threatening like a growl. Romance is paralyzed and silent, staring into his eyes. Abby's grip isn't so tight that he can't breathe, but it's enough to keep him quiet, and frozen in fear. "Some of us don't have the luxury of doing whatever we want, especially when people like you think people like me don't deserve to live."

Romance's breath comes out in small nervous huffs as he reaches up and grips Abby's wrist while the demon still has him by the throat. Abby loosens his grasp, eyeing him curiously.

"Please," Romance says softly. "I just want to understand. There had to have been some other way to—"

"There wasn't an alternative," Abby interrupts. His anger is gone as quickly as it came, and he releases Romance as his Glamour returns, his demon patterns fading under his rosy skin. He lets out a heavy sigh and shifts so he's sitting on the edge of the couch beside Romance. "I gave up my soul to protect another Hunter."

"What happened?"

Abby is quiet for a long time. He looks conflicted, like he's trying to decide what to tell Romance, if anything at all. He finally lets out a long breath and shakes his head before getting up.

"Don't aggravate your injuries by moving too much," he scolds. "Your boyfriend will have my head if I send you home in worse condition than when you got here."

"My boyfriend?"

"Yeah, the other Hunter... That lanky, moody guy you're always with."

"Jinu?" Romance can't help but laugh out at the idea. "He's not my boyfriend. He's not even my type."

"I'll keep that in mind," Abby says with a wink. He stretches his arms over his head, and Romance quickly averts his gaze away from his muscular stomach as his shirt rides up. "My bedroom is just down the hall if you want or need anything."

"A hot shower would be nice," Romance says in a dejected tone. He has no idea how long he's been lying on Abby's couch, and he was running around the city fighting demons before that.

Abby gives him a curious look, then holds out his hand to him.

"I have a shower, you know. I'm a demon, not an animal."

"I can barely stand," Romance says, not bothering to take the hand he offered. "No way I'll be able to shower in this condition."

"Then I'll run a bath for you instead."

Before Romance can protest, Abby is already gone, and he can hear the rush of water from the tub. He sighs in defeat and lies back on the couch with his eyes closed.

Don't get too comfortable. A demon is still a demon. Just because he pretends to be nice doesn't mean he won't kill you when he gets the chance. He's just waiting for you to let your guard down. He chose to become what he is—that's not your problem.

Romance shrieks in surprise when he's suddenly scooped up off the couch, quickly grabbing Abby around the neck and shoulders out of fear of falling. Abby just laughs softly as he carries him effortlessly to the bathroom, placing him down gently on the edge of the tub. Romance can feel the heat rising from the water in the tub, which is hidden by a thick layer of bubbles.

"There's shampoo and stuff there," Abby notes, gesturing to a small corner shelf. "Body wash and a scrubber too. I'll bring you a towel."

Romance waits until the bathroom door clicks shut behind Abby to even attempt to get undressed.

At least I don't have to worry about twisting to get my shirt off, he thinks, rubbing the scar on his shoulder. As soon as he gets his clothes off he practically dives into the tub. The water is hot but not uncomfortably so, and Romance enjoys every moment of it, scrubbing blood and grime off his skin and out of his hair. Once he feels sufficiently clean, he lets out a long, tired breath of relief as he sinks down into the bubbles and closes his eyes.

"You'll drown yourself like that."

Romance opens his eyes, blinking a few times. Did he fall asleep in the tub? The water isn't hot anymore, but it isn't cold either, and Romance has slid down so only his nose and the top of his head is sticking out of the water. He slowly shifts to get his face up above it and ties his wet hair up out of his face.

Abby has his back to him, and he places a stack of neatly folded clothes on the counter next to the sink. He turns back to Romance, holding up a fluffy, dark-pink towel.

"Fresh out of the dryer. Do you need help getting out?" he asks. "I won't look."

"How would that work?"

"Easy," he tells him, flexing his large bicep. "I'm strong—I don't need to look at you to pick you up."

Romance tries to get out on his own, only putting pressure on his uninjured arm and leg, but ends up slipping back down into the water a few times. He sighs in frustration and rubs his face with his hands. He doesn't like having to rely on other people, and he definitely doesn't like having to rely on a demon for help, but what choice does he have? What would be the alternative?

The alternative would have been bleeding to death in that alley, or having your soul taken.

"Fine," Romance says, and Abby has that same old roguish smirk on his face, back to his regular self as if his personality hadn't done a complete 180° turn earlier.

Romance is mostly hidden by the opaque, soapy water. Of course, the tub is big enough for Abby, so it engulfs Romance's body easily. The tops of his scarred shoulders are above the water, and he's got his long hair tied back in a messy bun of damp waves to keep it out of his face, revealing another scar on the side of his face. His cheeks get red under Abby's watch, and he sinks a bit lower into the water again.

"Didn't anyone tell you it's not polite to stare?" Romance asks bashfully. "You said you wouldn't look."

Abby chuckles softly and averts his gaze but doesn't respond, holding one arm out to him.

In an instant, Romance is on his feet next to the tub, wrapped up in the warm, plush towel with Abby's arm firmly around his waist to keep him standing without putting pressure on his injured leg.

"There's nothing wrong with relying on others once in a while," Abby tells him. "Humans are social creatures, after all."

"It only works when the other people are reliable," he retorts, rubbing his tired eyes a bit.

"Are your eyes bothering you?" Abby questions. "Did you get soap in them or something?"

"No," Romance sighs. "I assume I lost my glasses when that demon knocked me down."

Abby helps him over to the counter so he can sit on top of the toilet next to where he left the clothing.

"There's clothes here. They'll be too big on you, obviously, but at least they're not covered in dirt and blood. I threw yours away—there was no point in trying to wash them because they were all torn up anyway. I'll replace them. I'm pretty sure I still owe you another shirt."

He leaves him alone in the bathroom, and Romance just sits there for a while in the quiet. The bathroom is just as bare as the rest of the apartment, nothing sentimental or quirky. The only thing on the bathroom counter is a cup with a toothbrush and a bottle of cologne. The closest thing to have any personality is the bright pink rug on the floor beside the tub.

Abby has left him a pastel pink hoodie, and it's enormous. It hangs off Romance's shoulder and his arms are drowned in the light pink sleeves, the bottom almost reaching his knees. The fabric is warm and smells faintly of Abby's earthy cologne, and it makes his pulse race, thinking of the first time he smelled it when they met at the nightclub.

He struggles so much with the sweatpants that he finally gives up—the hoodie and briefs cover enough of him anyway.

When Abby returns, he hands Romance a pair of reading glasses with thick black frames, and he eyes him curiously.

"Try those," he says. "I just use cheap store-bought reading glasses because my eyesight isn't too bad, so they might not help, but it's all I have. I can go to the drugstore and get you some if you need a different strength."

"That's..." Romance shakes his head. "It's not necessary. I really only need them at times, like when I'm working on lyrics or music."

He's surprised to find that the ones Abby gave him are actually better than the ones he had been using previously. Has he been using the wrong strength? Maybe his eyes are getting worse from getting hit in the face and head too many times by demons.

"Better?" Abby asks, watching Romance blink a few times, his gaze wandering around the room like he's never seen anything like it.

"They're perfect," he tells him, and the smile on Abby's face makes his heart race and his stomach flip. "Thanks."

Abby kneels on the floor at his feet, and Romance's face goes bright red when he takes his injured leg in his hands. He runs one hand across his bare knee and one up his calf, and Romance is flustered by his gentleness. His touch is warm as he presses his large fingers into his skin until one of them finds the spot that's still injured, confirmed by Romance's loud gasp of pain and instinctive reaction to grab him by the shoulder and try to push him away.

"Relax," Abby says softly, his patterns starting to glow as he holds his hands against his leg, not even budging an inch with Romance's struggling. "I have to heal you in small sessions because I don't have a lot of power for it. I sold my soul for power, I just happen to have other powers that are common across all demons, even though they're weak or useless."

Romance is quiet, just looking at Abby. He looks tired and sad while he tries to heal his leg. When he looks up at him from the floor, Romance's face goes bright red again and he quickly averts his gaze.

"Was that part of your deal to save the other Hunter?" Romance questions, and Abby sighs.

"You're really not gonna let that go, are you?"

"No."

"Let's get you up and walking again first."

"You can't use taking care of me as an excuse to avoid it forever," Romance says, rolling his eyes before taking Abby's hand.

"I could," he says, flashing that mischievous smirk again. He pulls Romance to his feet and wraps his other arm around his lower back, pulling him against his hard body. "But you'd have to let me take care of you forever."

"I don't think so." Romance pushes him back, and Abby allows himself to be moved, putting his hands up away from him.

"But you're doing so well," he says, gesturing to Romance's leg, which he is standing on without pain. Romance sighs and puts his hands on his hips.

"Are you really going to make me beg?" he asks, and Abby chuckles softly.

"You don't want to hear my response to that," he says with a wink, and Romance feels his face get hot as Abby walks away. Where does Abby find all the energy to constantly be flirting? "Now that you're up and walking, I can take you home. I'm sure the other Hunters are worried. It's been almost three days."

"No!" Romance says firmly, following him into the hallway. He grabs him by the arm, and Abby turns back and gives him a puzzled glance. "Stop changing the subject. You're not getting rid of me that easily."

"Getting rid of you is the absolute last thing on my mind," Abby says, eyeing Romance's body up and down, but his flirty smile quickly fades into a frown. "If you really want to know, it was almost 400 hundred years ago. The Hunters I worked with nearly sealed the Honmoon successfully, but Gwi-ma wouldn't have that. He unleashed as many demons as he could on the mortal world, disguised at humans. Musicians, actors, entertainers... anything that could discretely but quickly divert scores of souls away from our music, until the Honmoon unraveled enough for the Demon King himself to invade the mortal world."

"You met the Demon King?" Romance asks, his heart racing as Abby nods.

The thought of meeting Gwi-ma face-to-face terrifies Romance. Demons, especially the full-fledged ones like the one who injured him, are scary enough to encounter. He hates to admit that most of his hatred toward demons actually comes from a place of fear.

"He's more powerful than you could ever imagine," Abby says, his gaze dropping. He looks tired and defeated. 400 years under the Demon King's thumb has clearly taken a toll on him. "He captured one of the other Hunters, and he wasn't just going to take his soul—he was going to destroy him completely in front of us. He wanted to devastate us, to break us down so thoroughly that we could never have any power to strengthen or seal the Honmoon ever again."

"But that didn't happen," Romance says. "Why would he take your soul instead if that's what he wanted?"

"I offered myself to him in exchange for the other Hunters' lives," Abby explains, rubbing the back of his neck. "He thought that by freely giving him my soul, it would allow him to gain control over the Honmoon, similar to how the Hunters control it, and he believed that without me, they wouldn't be able to seal it again. His idea was similar to his original plan, it just involved less bloodshed. I didn't want to lose my partner like that."

"But still," Romance says, leaning against the wall in the hallway. His leg is feeling much better, but finally being up and about after a few days is more exhausting than he expected. "None of that happened."

"It didn't." Abby shrugs before he crosses his arms and leans against the wall too. "I also kept my power as a Hunter, able to use my music to keep the Honmoon sealed, even when Gwi-ma tried to make me write lyrics to try to have the opposite effect."

"Is that why your songs are so..." Unable to think of the right word, Romance makes a gesture with his hands, spreading his fingers like claws, and Abby laughs loudly.

"Maybe," he says. "I guess it's pretty different from what you and the other Hunters play. I'm sure your lyrics come from a different place."

"A different place?"

"Despite your hatred for demons," he explains, "you and I both know that kind of hatred doesn't get you anywhere, and lyrics built on that wouldn't bring your fans together in the right way. So, you have the other Hunters, and they uplift you and help you create music about joy and beauty in life, about not being alone and being loved by each other."

"I didn't know you were a Saja Boys fan," Romance says with an amused smirk. Abby laughs softly but then he frowns.

"My music isn't like yours. I write about the pain and devastation, losing everything... I ultimately brought it all on myself, and some of my lyrics are directly from the anger and hatred I have for Gwi-ma and what I allowed him to make me."

"What about the Hunters? They didn't try to help you?"

"Despite giving myself up to save them, the other Hunters turned their backs on me. For a long time after that, I allowed Gwi-ma to use me as he pleased, I hurt a lot people, took thousands of souls, killed a few Hunters. The pain and shame and guilt consumed me entirely. I let despair get the best of me."

Abby lifts his hand to cover his face, and he's trembling, despite trying to keep himself together, and Romance's eyes go wide at the hint of tears in Abby's.

"I became this awful thing... This fucking monster, who was so far gone that I didn't even recognize myself anymore. I've been alone ever since, trying to claw my way back to the person that I wanted to be before I made my deal with Gwi-ma."

"Abby..." Romance's heart is pounding in his chest, seeing Abby in such a vulnerable state. In just the one day that he's spent around Abby, so many of his ideas of what demons were are being shattered. He didn't even think demons were capable of emotion, or that they even remembered or cared about their human lives. He knew that Gwi-ma's most powerful demons were the ones who willingly traded their souls in exchange for power, but Abby was using that power in defiance of Gwi-ma.

Are there other demons who long for freedom? Can demons like Abby be saved, or is he really too far gone like he believes?

"Sorry," Abby says, his voice a bit hoarse. He sniffles loudly and lets out a small, forced laugh. "I'm sure this is all bullshit to you anyway. Demons aren't supposed to have feelings, right? Most of us just feel misery anyway. Gwi-ma torments me every day for my transgressions, even though he can't stop me from what I do now."

Romance is quiet. A distant, thoughtful look in his eyes.

"Are you all right?" Abby asks.

Romance takes a cautious step forward, closing the distance between himself and Abby, who eyes him curiously. He reaches up and uses the oversized sleeve of Abby's hoodie to wipe the tears off his face that have fallen. The fabric slides down to his elbow, and Romance places his hand on Abby's cheek, staring up into his eyes.

Abby is mildly confused, but mostly unbothered by the gesture. He closes his eyes and leans into Romance's touch, covering his hand with his own.

"I don't think I've ever spoken to anyone about any of this," Abby says softly. "I didn't mean to dump it on you like that."

"You didn't deserve any of it," Romance says firmly, stroking Abby's rosy cheek with his thumb.

"You'd be the first person to think that if you really meant it," he says with a quiet laugh, flashing his fangs. "I know how much you hate demons."

"I do mean it," he tells him, giving him a hard stare, but Abby just sighs and lowers his gaze. He still has his hand over Romance's against his face and he moves it to the back of his neck. He runs his fingers up through Abby's hair, and he practically purrs at the sensation.

Transgressions, huh?

Romance grabs him firmly by the back of his neck and yanks Abby forward. He stumbles straight into him into a deep, aggressive kiss, and Abby groans softly before kissing him too and wrapping one muscular arm around Romance's back.