Work Text:
“So I have a couple of ideas for the collab song,” Zoey explained. “The tricky part is figuring out how to combine sound and aesthetics. Saja Boys are bright and bubbly, Huntr/x is a bit moodier. So the challenge is to find the middle ground.”
Mystery sat across the cafe table as Zoey rattled off all her ideas. Huntr/x was two months off from their world tour, with Saja Boys opening. Zoey had the bright idea to write one big collab song that both groups could perform together as a closing number. The project alone took up an entire notebook full of Zoey’s pen. Snippets of lyrics, drawings of costume designs. A job that was normally reserved for production had now been snatched up by one third of the stars.
Not that Mystery minded. He wasn’t much of a talker, and so he was more than happy to hear everything that spilled from Zoey’s bursting brain.
“I have a couple of detail ideas for your costume,” Zoey said. She flipped frantically through the messy pages of her sketchbook. “I’ve been wanting to show them to you. I just need to find which page I drew them on…”
Mystery leaned closer over the table to get a closer look. Just then, his nose caught a strong whiff of something. He turned his head to glance out the window next to their table. Crossing them on the sidewalk was a man holding a leash—connected to the biggest, fluffiest Saint Bernard this side of the Honmoon had ever seen.
Immediately, Mystery sat up straight and stiffened. Zoey glanced up from her page-flipping.
“Mystery?” she said. “What’s wro—”
“WOOF!”
Mystery sprang up from the table and darted towards the front door, pushing past patrons and nearly knocking over one poor waitress and her stacked stray of coffees.
“Mystery!” Zoey called.
She dashed after him through the cafe, apologizing to each person he nearly barreled over. Zoey followed Mystery out onto the sunshine-lit sidewalk down the street away from the cafe. Thank goodness for demon huntress powers, because she was able to speed fast enough to grab Mystery by the back of his collar right before he could throw himself on the dog.
The man walking his dog stopped, and turned around to see what commotion he was hearing. The Saint Bernard made a confused sound and turned to look as well. The man lowered his sunglasses at what he saw: A girl with tiny pigtails holding a purple-haired boy by the back of his scruff while he hissed at his dog.
“I’m so sorry!” Zoey chirped. She gave the man a nervous smile. Her eyes flicked between him and Mystery, whose shoulder rose and fell with each hissing breath. “My boyfriend, he…just really, really like dogs.”
The dog’s owner gave them both a strange look, then pushed his glasses back up his nose before turning around. The Saint Bernard followed close behind his master as they disappeared up the sidewalk and around the block.
Once the man and his dog were out of sight, Zoey pulled Mystery up by his collar and forced him to look at her.
“Mystery!” she scowled. “How many times do I have to tell you not to go chasing after pets?”
Mystery’s expression wilted. He pursed his lips and made a low, sad sound. Zoey sighed and shook her head.
“What am I going to do with you?” she said.
Mystery leaned down and pressed the tip of his nose down on the top of Zoey’s head, a gesture she’d come to learn was his way of communicating “I’m sorry” or “Are you mad at me?” She scratched the back of his neck.
“You take on a human body so easily,” she said. “Are human instincts much harder?”
It’s a question Zoey and the other Huntr/x wondered for a while. Even the other Saja Boys weren’t certain how they were able to act human enough, but Mystery got animal behavior in his deal.
“I guess it makes sense,” Zoey said. “Not all demons take human forms. I guess you guys are more…fluid when it comes to species, huh? Human body, dog instincts?”
Mystery cocked his head and gave her a look. Zoey shook her head.
“Nevermind,” she said. “Human-passing or not, we’re both cut from different cloths, aren’t we?”
Mystery made a small, sad whimpering sound. Zoey ruffled the top of his hair with her hand and offered him a smile.
“Doesn’t matter,” she said. “I still like having you around.”
Mystery immediately perked up, then grabbed her hand and started licking it. Zoey snatched it away.
“Hey!” she giggled. “Human kisses in public, okay?”
Zoey rubbed her hand dry on her pants. Then she lifted a hand to pet Mystery’s atop his fluffy purple hair. Mystery twitched his leg and his longue panted from his mouth.
“You know,” Zoey said. “If you don’t figure out a way to behave yourself in public, I might have to get your collar and leash just to keep you close.”
She snickered after she said that. But Mystery suddenly went quiet. His leg stopped twitching and his tongue returned to his mouth. Even if she couldn’t see his face under his hair, Zoey could feel his eyes shimmering at her.
Zoey moved her hand from his head.
“We should…probably head back to the cafe,” she said. “I left my sketchbook at the table and I still need to pay for our drinks.”
Mystery was quiet, but he followed Zoey all the way back to the cafe. He did not say a single word the rest of the day, but he lingered close to Zoey, squeezed her fingers tight between hers.
~
“And then I told him if he didn’t behave himself, I’d have to get him a collar and leash,” Zoey said. “I mean, crazy, right?”
“Super-crazy,” Mira said.
The Huntr/x girls were gathered in their apartment the next day having lunch. It was their last day off before they began rehearsals for their world tour with the Saja Boys, so they were enjoying the peace, quiet, and copious amounts of takeout while they could. Rumi shoved a chopstick-full of ramen in her mouth and swallowed.
“I’m just glad you’re keeping him in check,” Rumi said. “Dating demons is tricky.”
“Especially when you’re famous,” Mira said, in her typical deadpan. “Even if they don’t expect some supernatural nonsense is going on, seeing a Huntr/x and a Saja Boy on a date in public…they’d have to get the cops for the crowd control.”
“We’ve been pretty discreet so far,” Zoey said. “It’s just that he gets…way too excited too quickly. Anytime he smells something—a dog, a cat, any other animals, really—he just takes off. And I have to go hunt him down.”
“I guess Celine never taught us we’d be chasing down demons for reasons other than killing them,” Mira said.
“Maybe a collar would be good,” Rumi joked,stirring her chopsticks around her noodles.
Zoey’s face suddenly turned pink. She tapped her fingers nervously on her soda can.
“Funny thing,” Zoey said. “I brought that up as a joke, but then he got…all quiet. He suddenly went from really energetic to completely silent. He didn’t say anything to me even after we went back to the cafe.”
Dread filled her stomach. She set her soda down on the table and ran her hands through her hair.
“Do you think he took offense to that?” she said. “Oh no, what if he’s mad at me? What if he hates me now?” Panic rose inside her. “Oh, I must have hurt his feelings! He must think I see him as just some animal! We haven’t even been together that long and already I’ve gone and—”
“Zoey,” Mira and Rumi said together.
Zoey paused and looked at her groupmates. Rumi set down her ramen.
“First of all,” she said. “You two have been dating months.” She gestured around the group. “All three of us know what it looks like when a demon is down bad. And I don’t think any of the other boys are as down bad as Mystery is for you. He’s not going to quit obsessing over you because of one little thing.”
“Plus,” Mira said. “He knows you’re like…the nicest person ever. He’s not gonna think you’d say something to purposely hurt his feelings.”
“So then why did he go all quiet after I brought it up?” Zoey said.
Mira smirked, and set aside her drink. She crossed her arms over the table and leaned over closer to Zoey.
“I think he’s into it,” she said.
Zoey’s face went from bright pink to deep red.
“Into it?” she said. “You mean…like…”
Mira nodded.
“I mean, he’s a demon,” she said. “Human guys are into some weird shit. Demon guys are probably into some even weirder shit.”
Zoey narrowed her eyes at Mira.
“That makes sense coming from the girl with two demon boyfriends,” she said. “When was your last threesome with Abby and Romance?”
“Two nights ago,” Mira responded immediately. “I made the two of them get on their knees on the floor and—”
“Mira,” Rumi hushed her.
The pink-haired girl shrugged, then leaned back in her chair and took another sip of her soda.
“Whatever,” she said. “Point is, it sounds like Mystery went quiet because he was thinking of you putting a leash on him and realized he might be into it.” She smirked at Zoey over the rim of her soda can. “Maybe he kept quiet because he didn’t think he should tell you.”
Something about Mira’s tone rubbed Zoey wrong.
“What do you mean?” she asked.
“I dunno. Out of the three of us, you seem the most…vanilla.”
For some reason, that strunk Zoey. She stood up from her chair.
“Hey!” she said. “I can be just as…whatever you are.”
Mira threw head back in a loud laugh.
“See? You can’t even say it!”
Rumi reached over to take Zoey’s wrist. Zoey lowered herself down into her seat.
“You just have to talk to him,” Rumi said. “Ask him why he went quiet, how he felt about it. You two can clear this up easily.”
“Yeah, you’re an awesome girlfriend, Zoey,” Mira said. She dropped her teasing tone. “That guy worships you. He’s not leaving any time soon.”
“Problems like this can be cleared with some honest communication,” Rumi said. “Just talk to each other, and you’ll figure it out.”
As Rumi said that, Zoey saw the purple patterns on her friend’s neck—faint as healed scars—slightly glow. If there was anyone who learned a lesson about communicating to the people you loved, it was Rumi. Zoey sucked a deep breath in through her nose, then blew it out of her mouth.
“Okay,” she said. “I’ll see him tonight. We meant to make plans tonight, but I’ve been avoiding him since the cafe. With you two the other Saja Boys going out, he’s probably just at the boys’ place by himself.”
“Good for you,” Mira said, lifting her soda can. “Go keep him company and entertain him with some hot, kinky, communication.”
Rumi shoved Mira’s foot under the table, and Mira responded with a sharp, “Ow!”
The conversation turned to rehearsals. Rumi and Mira argued about a dance set while Zoey quietly sipped at her lukewarm soda. She was nervous to see Mystery again, fearing that he'd still be silent when she saw him, still possibly upset by her pithy joke.
But then, her mind wandered to something else: He pictured Mystery, his fluffy hair and the pretty eyes underneath only she was ever allowed to see. She pictured a collar around his neck, and long silver chain that glinted in the light, running up to her hand, while he looked up at her from the ground—
“You okay, Zoey?”
Zoey snapped her head up to see the two other girls looking at her. Her face turned even redder than it already was.
“Huh?” she said. “Oh, I’m fine. It must be the ramen.” She chuckled nervously and held up her nearly-cold cup of noodles. “Too hot and too spicy, amirite?”
“You’ve barely touched your food in like an hour,” Rumi said.
Mira smirked.
“She’s thinking about all her exciting plans for Mystery tonight,” she quipped.
Zoey could only respond with more blushing. Quickly, Rumi and Mira turned back to their discussion. Under her flustered face, a small smile crept onto Zoey’s lips. She was going to see Mystery again tonight.
But first, she had to make a stop.
~
Mystery had been expecting to spend the evening alone. Jinu and Rumi were off on a date night. Mira was likely back at the girls’ apartment doing unspeakable things to Abby and Romance. Baby Saja was out, likely partying with an intensity that would frighten Gwi-Ma. It was their last free night before weeks of grueling rehearsals followed by the world tour.
It didn’t bother Mystery too much. He’d seen them all constantly once they got started prepping for the tour. A quiet evening to himself would likely be good for him. Still, he’d rather be hanging out with Zoey, who’d been ignoring his texts since yesterday.
He lay on the couch scrolling on his phone. The mysterious magic human kept in their phones and called “the algorithm” had quickly picked up his interests, and his feed was flooded with fan footage and fan edits of Zoey. He swiped onto one under the #zoeystery hashtag and saved it to his favorites.
Then, as if his thoughts had summoned her, Mystery heard a knock on the door. He immediately sat up straight on the couch, ears perked, and sniffed the air. The knock came again. He recognized that knock anywhere. A small, dainty fist, with fingers meant for writing and drawing. He bounded up from the couch and rushed over to the door.
~
Zoey knocked on the apartment door. The sound made an echo from the other side. She knew at this time in the evening, Mystery was most likely alone. Rumi and Jinu were out on the town, Mira was off doing who knows what with Abby and Romance. Baby was cutting the ribbon at the opening of a new night club. For tonight, Mystery was entirely alone in the boys’ massive shared penthouse.
But not for long.
Zoey turned the knob and realized the door was unlocked. She peeked her head inside.
“Mystery?” she said. “Are you home—”
She jumped when the door snapped open. Mystery was waiting right there, breathing slightly heavily, like he ran over.
“Oh, hey,” she said. “Do you…mind if I come in and hang a bit?”
Mystery nodded, then opened the door and stepped aside for Zoey to come inside. The door shut behind her, and that’s when Mystery noticed a strange looking bulge in one of Zoey’s deep pockets.
She turned to face him, and he perked to attention.
“So listen,” she said. She nibbled at her lower lip. “About yesterday at the cafe…”
Something sad passed over Zoey’s face and her eyes flicked down to the floor. Mystery felt a twist in his chest. Why was she upset? How could he fix it?
“I think I was too harsh on you after you chased after that dog,” she said.
Mystery cocked his head and made a confused sound in his throat.
“When I said…” Zoey swallowed. “...that I would put a leash on you if you didn’t behave…that was over the line.”
She stepped closer to him and tipped her head back to look him in the face. Mystery could feel her body warmth this close, and his lips buzzed to lean down and kiss her.
“I want you to know I really like you, for exactly who you are,” she said. “You’re not just some dog to me. Even if I get frustrated, that doesn’t mean I can just talk to you like that.”
Mystery was fighting between three impulses—confusion on why she’d think he would be upset, dread to see her upset, and the urge to kiss her after not seeing her for a full day.
“So, I just wanted to say I’m sorry,” Zoey said. “I shouldn’t have said that.”
She pursed her lips and flicked her eyes back up to his face. She couldn’t read his expression, not just because of the hair over his eyes.
At the moment, Mystery gave in to one of those three impulses. He gently took Zoey’s face in his hands and pressed a kiss down on her lips. Relief flooded Zoey’s whole system and she pressed her hands over his as she sunk into the kiss. Mystery pulled away first and began enthusiastically licking her face.
“Hey!” Zoey giggled. “See? This is way cuter when we’re alone.”
Mystery wrapped his arms around Zoey’s waist and pulled her close to lick her more. Right as he did, whatever was creating the bulge in her pocket stumbled out onto the floor. Mystery paused to look down. It was a flat, white box with a lid. He looked at Zoey, whose face was bright red.
“There was…another thing I wanted to talk about,” she said.
She stepped away from Mystery then picked the box off the floor. The two of them moved over to the couch and took a seat.
“So, I wanted to ask…” Zoey said. “If what I said didn’t upset you…I was wondering why you went all quiet afterwards.” Her fingers drummed against the box. “I was talking to the girls about it and Mira said…”
Zoey stopped and started nibbling on her lip again. Mystery leaned over the box and gave it a sniff. It wasn’t food, but it couldn’t quite guess what else it could be. It smelled like…leather?
“She suggested…” Zoey continued. “...that…maybe you didn’t just not mind it. Maybe…you liked it?”
Mystery looked at Zoey in her face. She was red as a cherry, and once again, the instinct to kiss and lick her into feeling better hit him. Zoey pinched the box lid, then quickly flicked it off like a bandaid, and looked away.
Nestled in red wrapping paper was a black leather dog collar, hooked with a long, metal chain leash that glinted in the light. Right on the front was a silver tag, his name inscribed across in elegant font. Mystery’s eyes widened and he looked between Zoey and the collar.
Then, Zoey snapped the box shut.
“I’m sorry!” she squeaked. “I didn’t think this through. I mean, what am I doing? I apologize for treating you like some animal, and then I bring you this? Just because my friend said something? This was stupid, I’m—”
Mystery took the box from Zoey’s lap. He opened the lid, pulled out the collar and looked it over. He smooth his thumb over his name, ran the clinking chain leash along his palm. Then, he looked at Zoey.
“Do you…like it?” she said in a small voice.
Mystery nodded, then handed the collar to Zoey. Then, he hooked a finger in the necklace of his shirt and pulled it down to expose his neck.
“Do you…want me to put it on you?” she asked.
Mystery nodded, then leaned closer to her, neck bared. Zoey looked at him for a moment, looking at his Adam’s apple. Then, she gently unhooked the collar and wrapped it around his neck. Mystery sat completely still as she hooked the collar behind his neck and tightened it. Once it was ready, she ran her hand down the leash and gave it a very gentle tug.
“Does…does that feel okay?” she asked.
Zoey was flushed in the face. She hadn’t really thought about what she would do if Mystery liked it, or if she’d have the guts to show him at all. She had bought the collar impulsively, at a tiny shop that did custom collars and tags. The owner had complimented how unique the name “Mystery” was for a dog. If only he had known.
Mystery nodded. Then, he took Zoey’s hand and brought it to the collar. He hooked her fingers into the leather ring and pulled her hand. Immediately, Zoey’s heart hitched in her chest.
“Do you like when I tug it?” she said.
Mystery nodded and made a little, puppy-like sound in his throat. He dropped his hand from hers, and Zoey gave him a gently tug. It was soft, hesitant. Mystery twitched his head forward and whimpered in his throat.
Zoey tugged again, harder this time. It sent a jolt through her, like she accidentally touched an electric wire. But she kind of liked it.
“It looks cute on you,” she said. A small smile crept onto her face. “You’re cute.”
Mystery smiled, tug wagging out of his mouth. Zoey took the chain and yanked him into a kiss. She wrapped the chain around her knuckles, shortening it to keep him close. Mystery kissed with his tongue and pulled her closer. They rolled slowly down onto the couch, Mystery enveloping on top of Zoey like a duvet. He was warm and smelled of floral, and Zoey could have evaporated into him.
Then, Zoey felt something just over her leg. She moved it around and felt it between Mystery’s legs. He was wearing jeans, but they were loose-fitting and didn’t restrict much movement. Include the movement of the erection bulging under the denim. Zoey chuckled in Mystery’s ear as he kissed her neck.
“Naughty doggy,” she teased. “I should make you hump my leg.”
Mystery paused his mouth, then lifted his face to look at Zoey. She could feel the heat of his blush radiating off his face, even behind his fringe of hair. Zoey giggled and brushed away his hair.
“Do you want to?” she asked.
Mystery’s tongue dropped from his mouth and started huff-huff-huffing. He woofed then licked Zoey’s cheek.
“Okay,” she giggled. “Then…down boy.”
Mystery immediately dropped down to the floor, knees to the carpet. He gripped Zoey by the leg, planting thick kisses on her thigh and licking between each one. Zoey could feel his wet tongue through the fabric of her pants and it made her shiver. As he slathered his mouth on her, Mystery reached for the belt on his jeans, and let them fall to the floor with his underwear.
She straightened her leg between Mystery’s thighs. He pressed his bulge against her leg then slowly started grinding against her. He released a high-pitched whimper and his fingers whitened gripping her leg. Zoey watched the top of his purple head and petted his hair.
“Feel better, puppy?” she teased.
Mystery responded with a dog-like wince and nuzzled her knee as he continued to hump. The fabric of her pants was rough against his tip, but he could feel the strong, warm flesh underneath and it made him salivate. His legs spread wide open so he could put his full hips into it and his knees scraped across the carpet as he did.
Meanwhile, Zoey felt something warm stirring inside her. She always found Mystery’s dog-side cute, but now, watching him make himself more animallike at her feet, it excited her. Made her giggly and flustered at once. Cute aggression mixed with horniness in a way she never felt before, but it sent blood rushing between her legs.
Mystery pressed his face down onto Zoey’s thigh and whimpered. His hands tightened around her leg he barreled closer to the edge. He tongue drooled onto the leg of her pants—before his cock began drooling onto the carpet. Zoey watched her pet demon make a mess of himself against her leg and onto the floor.
When he finished, Mystery was whimpering like a kicked dog. Zoey lifted his face with her finger under his chin. She brushed his fringe away, rubbing a thumb along his sweaty cheek. He nuzzled his face into her hand.
“You’re lucky these at-home pants and not concert wear,” Zoey teased. “You have laundry to do tonight.”
Mystery made a little sound in his throat and licked Zoey’s palm. Then, his nose twitched as he sniffed the air. He pressed his nose to her knee, then smelled up her leg and into her inner thigh. Mystery moved his head between her thighs, and Zoey felt a rush of blood down to her crotch.
“You can…smell me down there?” Zoey said.
Mystery lifted his face to give her a look, and she let out a flustered chuckle. She unclipped her belt, then slowly pulled down her baggy pants. Mystery sat on his knees, back bent so he could lean close to her waist, the tip of his tongue hanging out of his lips. She dropped her pants to her ankles. There was a long wet spot on her underwear, and Mystery started to visibly drool.
When Zoey peeled down her underwear, the smell hit Mystery like a wave. His mouth dropped open and his tongue huffed out. A small grin crossed Zoey’s face and she pressed a hand on Mystery’s head. The demon moved his mouth to her knee, then licked up her inner thigh. The sensation made Zoey shiver.
“You really are just like a puppy,” Zoey said. “But I’ve never had a dog that could—“
She was interrupted with a gasp in her lungs as Mystery parted her folds with his tongue. Immediately, he began hungrily lapping her, soft canine growls in his throat. Zoey curled her fingers in his hair.
A normal man may have slowed down or needed a breather. Maybe it was his demon nature or canine hunger, but Mystery didn’t slow his pace. He licked and curled inside his tongue inside her with the ravenous hunger of a starved animal.
Zoey leaned back on the couch, back arching with her rush of pleasure that warped up her body. She wanted to shut her legs around Mystery’s head, but he held her open with two hands clamped over her thighs.
Mystery growled deep in his throat. He savored her taste, every drop that he could slather out of her. Her sighs and moans filled his ears like music. He was hungry for her—not just her pussy, but her. He wanted to please her, pleasure her, feel her melt in his mouth.
Zoey’s face flush bubblegum pink and her chest rose and fell with each breath. She threaded her fingers deep in his purple hair.
“Good boy…” she sighed. “Such a good boy…right there…”
Something those words triggered something in Mystery. His human instincts melted away and he was left all feral and canine. He plunged his tongue deeper inside her, caressing her flesh like he was eating her, and sucked directly on her clit. Zoey tightened her fingers in his hair and squeaked against the intense hit of pleasure.
“Good boy,” she moaned. Her toes curled and she began to buck her hips. “Good boy….good boy…”
She tugged his leash to pull him closer. Her nails were digging into his scalp, but Mystery welcomed it. Zoey fucked his face over the couch, thrusting harder and faster until it hit her like a bolt of lightning. She tugged Mystery’s collar until her knuckles were white and she didn’t release her grip even as every drop drained out of her onto Mystery’s tongue.
Zoey was red and sweating, her heart racing in her moving chest. She glanced down at Mystery, whose head she had to push away as he kept lapping at her. His lips were wet and shiny. She held his head in both hands and ruffled his head.
“Good boy,” she cooed. “My sweet boy.”
Mystery gave her a wide smile, tongue panting out and pointed canine glinting. Zoey tugged the leash and pulled Mystery onto the couch on top of her. He kiss-licked her face and nuzzled his face into her neck with a canine whimper. Zoey giggled and petted his hair.
“Maybe I should include a collar in the tour costume details,” she said. “I can tell Mira I can walk you around in a dance number. That would make the fans lose their minds, wouldn’t it?”
Mystery made an agreeable noise. He wrapped his arms around her waist and cuddled his face into her chest. She rubbed her fingertips through his hair until he was snoozing. He was warm and heavy on top of her, and Zoey drifted to sleep with his chain wrapped around her knuckles.