#dxefillz

     silver didn’t consider herself a particularly restless person, but after tonight’s concert — she couldn’t seem to fall asleep. that happened sometimes. most nights, she felt disconnected from the performances she gave on stage but that didn’t change the fact that they took a lot of energy. and while her body was screaming from a reprieve, her mind was wide awake, reeling from the screams and energy within the stadium. sure, she could have just pulled up netflix and see what new random show was dropping but that didn’t sound appealing enough. she needed to get out of her head and rio de janeiro seemed like the perfect place for that. this was her first time in brazil, so she planned to make the most of it. and from what the brunette heard, the city’s nightlife was a hell of a time.

    so, silver got dressed. as she applied her makeup for the night, the leader grabbed her phone, contemplating who could join her. obviously, her sisters first came to mind — but she’d just spent all night with them onstage. it felt wise to give each other a breather before they had to do it all over again tomorrow. so instead, her fingers tapped away to text another, someone whose company she never minded sharing:

          to DAE 🥁🙄: you up ?           to DAE 🥁🙄: detach yourself from that boy, we’re going out

     “ good morning, everyone ! ” jinnie greeted with perhaps far more energy than needed. dance practices could be a bit of a grueling process, especially on a monday at eight o’clock in the morning. so, it seemed like mustering as much enthusiasm as possible was necessary. carefully cradling three drinks from starbucks in her arms, the maknae first approached deiji to offer up her usual pistachio latte. then, she walked across the studio to dae, smiling politely as she handed over the iced black coffee. “ i got your coffee order from your managers. ” she explained as she bowed her head. jinnie honestly couldn’t believe that the older woman drunk it black. how hardcore.

     now that her arms were freed up, she clutched her own drink in her hand — just a hot chocolate for her. the brunette’s sweet tooth would always outweigh any need for caffeine. “ i hope everyone slept well. ” taking a slow sip, jinnie hummed in satisfaction as the warm, sweet sensation coursed through her. she already felt more than ready for the day. her excitement for this sub-unit was at an all time high. “ i thought. . . maybe we should work on the chorus first ? ”

     haneul pulled the joint from his lips, inhaling the smoke with ease. he’d definitely been in a more relaxed mood compared to the start of tour. it was probably because he’d been sleeping better than he did back in seoul. one of the reasons was a stunning soloist who owned his heart. another was the purple punch he was currently breathing in. teeth clenched together as he exhaled, the bodyguard leaned his head back against the wall as he extended the joint to his friend sitting closest to him. he really enjoyed hanging out with both kai and dae. like him, they were perfectly content to vibe in silence. he’d never expected to make friends on tour; he’d expected to keep his head down and do his job protecting misa. to not only rekindle old dynamics but make new ones as well, it was always strange to think about. or maybe, he was just high.

    “ shit’s good. ”

     jinnie looked over at the two older women, her sloppy smile and flushed cheeks betraying any sign of sobriety in the moment — but she was enjoying herself too much to really care. for the past couple of months, the three of them had worked diligently to make v!olet a success and now it felt like all of that pressure was in the rearview mirror. the sub-unit finally debuted and was being received well by the public. that was all the maknae could have ever hoped for. it only seemed right that the three of them celebrated all of their hard work. the best way to do that ( in jinnie’s opinion ) was with food. that was exactly how the small group found themselves at a secluded table in the corner of langosteria, the surface covered by plates of pasta, steak, and wine. happily, jinnie forked more linguine between her lips, humming in satisfaction at the warm, delicious flavor that filled her mouth. milan was definitely going on the top of her list for stops, solely on the food alone.

      “ this is so yummy. you have to try it. ” she spoke up, enthusiastically pushing her plate towards both deiji and dae. the action was a little less graceful than usual, mainly because she was a little bit tipsy. “ but first, i think we should make a toast. ” the young idol suggested, grabbing her glass of wine to hold up. “ to v!olet and all of our dedication ! ” 

     an hour long lunch break meant the perfect amount of time to nap. as soon as the venue’s stage manager gave the okay, jinnie found herself maneuvering through the sudden bustle of activity as talent and crew headed off stage. it had been an exhaustingly long rehearsal so far, and she honestly felt like collapsing. if she was meant to get through the rest of the day, she needed all the energy she could get. 

     as she passed her makeup chair, she grabbed her hello kitty blanket, wrapping it around her shoulders as she headed for the exit. two days ago, she’d discovered a dark comfy nook under the stairs — a surprisingly comfortable, quiet place to curl up in between practices. it had been jinnie’s secret little spot ever since.

     at least, it had been.

     jinnie paused once she made it to her destination, noticing a sleeping figure already there. her mouth clamped close, in case she was breathing too hard. but it didn’t seem to matter. the person was clearly dead to the world. with a tired sigh, she accepted that a nap would have to happen elsewhere. but still, she laid her blanket over the body so they wouldn’t get cold.

     of all the places to be recognized, jinnie didn’t expect it to happen here. she and dae had just enjoyed some super yummy arepas in this hole in the wall spot, located within walking distance of the hotel. they hadn’t been bothered the entire time there and even though it was clear that one of the servers recognized them, she remained very kind and professional. that all changed on the dime when they stepped outside of the restaurant. the maknae didn’t even have time to enjoy the rays of sunshine on her skin when two overeager fans greeted them at the exit. it was clear that their sudden presence startled her. she never minded meeting admirers in the wild; she was super appreciative that people even cared enough to want to talk to her. but she recognized these two, having spent the past day or two lingering around their hotel. that meant these ‘fans’ more than likely followed them from there, and that made her feel very uncomfortable.

     feeling a bit anxious at the phones pointed in their direction, jinnie’s small hand reached out to wrap around dae’s wrist to keep her unnie close. she knew the drummer wasn’t the biggest fan of being touched but she didn’t know any other way to alert the other of her current worries. not while being filmed. “ ah, thank you. ” she spoke in shy english, bowing her head at the stream of compliments thrown their way. at the plea for pictures, she tried not to wince with a shake of her head. she didn’t think she looked her best today and considering these two were invading their privacy, it didn’t feel right to award that behavior. “ i’m sorry, uh. . . we have to go. ” jinnie pressed closer to dae, allowing the older woman to lead the way around. however, the fans’ pleas turned more jilted and intense, unrepentantly manipulative in how they asked: are you really going to ignore your fans ? guilt coursed through her veins as she dropped dae’s hands, giving her unnie an apologetic look as she backtracked to pose for the picture.

     jinnie clutched the meticulously wrapped gift to her chest as she walked down the hotel corridor, a nervous smile on her face as she approached the door. she was fairly confident that her secret santa gift would be received well but still, it was always an anxious feeling. she wanted to get dae something she would actually love and find useful. sticking to the price limit was hard when the brunette was more than happy to spend any amount necessary to satisfy the drummer, but she didn’t like to break the rules — so somehow, she found a way to make it work. the shirt had been found at wasteland on melrose, which was this really cool vintage shop back in los angeles. the moment she saw it, she thought it suited dae’s style. more diligent research was necessary to find something to pair with the top but eventually, jinnie stumbled upon the drumstick pencils online. not only was it a cute nod to dae’s role in tidal, but it was also something she could use to tap out beats and write them down without any interruptions. the final piece to her gift were homemade white chocolate chip cookies. the maknae made them once for a v!olet rehearsal and dae had been quite fond of them; it only seemed right to whip her up a fresh batch.

     with all of those items gathered together into one gift box, jinnie cradled it carefully in one arm as she knocked with the other. once the door was open to her, she grinned, holding the gift out to dae. “ happy holidays, unnie ! ” she declared loudly with a giggle. “ from your secret santa. ”