Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

To say you were excited was an understatement.
You’ve been waiting weeks, scraping together every penny you had, even a portion of your savings to see 4TOWN perform in your city.

Being outside the skydome really set it in for you. That today was the day you were gonna see your idols you’ve adored since you were 16 LIVE.

Your friends grabbed your arms parading towards the stadium, hardly any of you could keep your anticipation at bay as you chatted amongst yourselves, the bright dome lights getting closer.
Making your way through the long lines you managed get to the front to pay for your tickets, not wasting any time rushing into the stadium.

It felt surreal, Hundreds of fans surrounding you in a large open atmosphere with a buzz in the cold night air. You felt electrified, a type of giddy you hadn't felt since you were a kid.

"We gotta catch a spot at the front before it's too crowded!"

Your friend Carmen shouted before you all made a run for it through the crowd who was picking up a chant.

Squeezing your way through, you found a decent spot near the front. It was almost deafening how loud it was. Feverish energy came bursting through your chest, gaping as the lights turned down.

Grasping your friends with a death grip, your eyes wide and heart pumping a mile a minute as a countdown started.

4…3…2…1

Not being able to contain your excitement you all jumped and screamed shaking each other as 4TOWN rose up onto the stage. Seeing them there, 4TOWN in front of you in the flesh made the dent in your bank account and extra shifts so worth it.

All 5 boys were riding in a cage before breaking out dramatically, the crowd pulling you closer while your friends losing their minds and then finally, Robaire breaks out from his cage.

God he was gorgeous, looking better than any poster you had in your closet or magazine you've seen. Touching his mic, his eyes scan the raging crowd.

"Toronto! Who knows what's up?"

Making their way to the centre stage you are so transfixed on their forms it took you a second to process one of their iconic songs starting up.

"You wanted it, you went for it and baby you got it"

And then there were wings. Angel wings sprung from their backs and they started to fly off the stage in your direction, your brain officially overloaded.

"I wanted it, I went for it, and baby I did it on my oh oh oh oh own"

Your friends surprised you by hoisting you up on their shoulders to get on top of the crowd as they whooped and cheered.

Once you were done flailing on their shoulders your laughter died down as you finally looked up. Your breath caught in your throat as you caught Robaire’s eyes for a moment. He did a small double take, before locking eye contact with a smile on his face.

"Oh, oh, oh, oh, own did it on my own"

Life didn’t feel real as you reached your arms out, reaching for any sort of contact with your idol. Life officially stopped being real when his hands closed over yours, grasping them pulling you closer, until you were a wisp away from his face. A focused smile present on his face, amused by your reaction. This small reality only lasted a few seconds before his head whipped around to see the side of the dome

Following his look, your vision focused on giant red glowing eyes that made you go still. Before you could process anything the weight under you started to move away causing you to lose your balance, the hands holding you suddenly gripped tightly hoisting your arms to wrap around a pair of shoulders, the support under your legs gone all together.

"MEI MEI!"

Dangling there, you could hear people screaming and shrieking. Your eyes not knowing where to look as your brain tried to comprehend what had just happened in the last 30 seconds.

"ROBAIRE? WHY IS THERE A PERSON HANGIN' ONTO YOU? LET THEM DOWN!”

A new but recognisable voice yelled out as your eyes finally focused on Jesse flailing in your direction.

Oh. OH.

You were pressed up against Robaire dangling in the air, your arms gripping on his shoulders while he supported your waist. Your mouth went dry trying to understand the circumstance, you honestly couldn't tell if this was a fever dream or a nightmare. The frantic look on Robaire's face didn't help.

"I- I DON'T KNOW, IT WAS APART OF THE ROUTINE. I CAN'T LET THEM DOWN NOW IT'S TOO HIGH"

He yelled back as the dome shook, people started booking it to the exit. You could see your friends calling out to you as they got shoved and dragged away in the crowd.

"MEI MEI WHERE ARE YOU?"

“What IS that?”

Tae shrieked out, the dome trembled more as it was being ripped apart leaving us to swing dangerously while hearing the sound of groaning metal. Just as it couldn’t get more nightmarish, Robaire looked up to the roof and gasped.

"OI! WHERE ARE YOU GOING? RELEASE US ONTO THE STAGE- NO! - GET BACK HERE!"

He thundered out as the aerial performance crew at the top of the dome started to run off. From what you could tell they're probably the ones that control the wings and harnesses.

"WHAT?"

Aaron T screeched, gripping his head while Aaron Z started to call out to them angrily, desperation clear in his voice.
What in the world was happening?

“You alright?"

Robaire spoke to you quickly pulling you back to reality. There was pure fear written all over his features, his jaw clamped shut and eyes wide, sweat now formulating and it almost felt like you could feel his rapid heartbeat from his shoulders. You were reflecting the same dread he was.

"I don't know-"

"JUST PULL THE DAMN LEVER!"

You replied before being interrupted by a spiralling Jesse as a last attempt to get the Aerial team to get back to the control station.

As you hung there you came to the realisation that you were fucked. No one is coming save you or the boys anytime soon. Huge chunks of the stadium were now smashing into the ground, the giant terror making its way inside while you were stuck suspended in the air until your arms gave out.

Your morbid train of thought stopped as a idea popped into your head.

A very desperate and unsafe idea, but what options were there? You didn’t want to become deadweight and possibly let the boys die when you could do something. Praying you all get out alive isn’t enough.

“Robaire, I have an idea. I need you to boost me onto your back so I can climb the cables- and get to the controls”

You tried to sound confident, to convince him and yourself you were sure of your death wish of a plan. Your bravery was crumbling when a giant mammoth of a foot entered the stadium, the boys shrieking in terror.

“What? That’s way too risky, you don’t have a harness!”

“We don’t have many options here! I-I’ll just end up being a deadweight and eventually fall or I can climb and we might have a chance of getting out of this alive, please Robaire-“

Your voice shook, Feeling the stadium shake you tried to get your resolve together; Mentally saying goodbye to everyone in case of disaster. What the hell are you doing?

Looking around at the boys you met desperate, terrified faces. These weren’t 4TOWN members anymore. They’re scared people who can’t help themselves.

Your eyes settled on Robaire.
His face was contorted to panic and concern thinking about all that could go wrong.

“Robaire please”

“I… alright let’s get you up there”

With some help and a lot of upper body strength you were able to balance on his back, preparing to use your muscles you haven’t touched since gym class.

Holy shit you were going to do this.

It was quite the climb but you mentally got your resolve together and placed your feet on each side of the metal cords while grabbing the thick wires with your hands.

“No way..”

“WHAT ARE YOU DOING?”

“THEY’RE GONNA FALL”

You could hear them calling out to you but you needed to focus. You were making decent progress, sweat dripping down your forehead as you scaled up as fast as possible.

When you were getting closer to the top you felt your life flash before your eyes. The giant beast jumped down into the centre of the dome causing a shockwave and the ground break open. The impact caused the cables to swing wildly; your muscles gave out as your hands and shoes slid down the cables as you let out a pained cry.
Your hands were burning, your chest tightened and eyes screwed shut with agony as blood began to seep out of your palms.

Opening your eyes you looked down to the boys calling out to you with tears in their eyes, fearing for their lives.

Your lip wobbled as you gathered yourself, gripping tighter you hissed and gasped through the excruciating pain and made your way up again.
When you finally reached the top there was pained tears falling from your eyes, assessing what to do next. You had to jump onto a railing a few feet away.

Mustering the courage you intentionally swung the cables closer before you jumped across and winded yourself on the metal bars, climbing over. Panting you propped yourself on the railing, finally having solid ground under your feet. Lifting your head you could see how big the beast-panda thing was.

“YOU ARE IN BIG TROUBLE YOUNG LADY”

Confused on what is going on you head back on task; finding the controls and getting them the fuck outta there.

Running to the control station you looked down to see a bunch of buttons and levers; You had no idea which one was which as you began to panic.

Recalling what Jesse said apparently there was a specific lever, scanning with your eyes there was a lock lever next to 5 droid sticks. Before you could second guess yourself a booming voice called out making your blood go cold.

“IM SHUTTING THIS DOWN RIGHT NOW!”

Fear filled you as the beast ripped the giant sign right in front of the boys causing the dome to shake.

“EVERYONE GO HOME! WHERE ARE YOUR PARENTS? PUT SOME CLOTHES ON”

Movement quick as lightning you flipped the lever and pull all the sticks backwards. Hoping and praying it’ll work to stop them from crushed.

“THIS ISN’T YOU”

In some miracle you saw them all moving back towards the centre stage out the way of the falling sign. Before you could have some relief you realised they were still dangling in the air.

Your eyes zipping around when it landed on a cable lowering buttons
Quickly pressing them all you sighed as the members went out of view towards the ground.

“IM COMING!”

You yelled out before running down the staircase towards the stage, your legs felt weak and your hands felt on fire from the cold night air hitting the gushing blood as you raced down the metal staircase.

Reaching the bottom you see Robaire attempting to undo his harness mid air, the ground was a fair jump and he could definitely hurt himself.

“WAIT!”

Without thinking you rush forward as you barely catch him and stumble so he doesn’t fall on his face.

With an oomph you both land on the ground, your body used as a landing pad. After a few seconds of being promptly winded Robaire tries to help you up.

“Oh merde- I’m so sorry here- that was stupid of me”

Finally pulling you up you regained your vision to see his frantic face.

“Robaire we need to get down!”

Called out T snapping him out of his panicked daze about landing on you, he turned his attention to his boys hanging there before turning back to you.

“I-I’m sorry to ask you for more help but could you help me get them down?”

Giving him a affirmative nod, you could feel his leadership and authority come back to him

“T! You’re with me first, then Jesse and uh..”

He looked at you for your name. He thought he should at least know who you are for saving their lives.

You gave him your name a little embarrassed.

“Right, could you please get Tae and Z?”

“On it”

Coming underneath a curled up Tae Young you positioned yourself holding your arms out, not really knowing what to say. His eyes were screwed shut from the commotion around him

“Hey Tae- uhm I know it’s a lot right now, but I need you to undo your harness so you can come down. It’s much safer down here, I promise I’ll catch you”

You called out in encouragement, hoping it’ll get through to him.

He opened his eyes and gasped. You were okay! He didn’t know what happened to you after you climbed your way to the control room. With shakey hands he starts to undo his harness before setting hand on the final clip looking down at you with a scared expression.

“Come on down Tae it’s alright”

You smile comfortingly before he nods and undoes the clip. In seconds he comes down landing down into your arms, you stumble but regain your balance.

“Good job!”

Robaire calls out as you let Tae out of your hold.
Before you can react a pair of arms wrap around your neck.

“Thank you.. thank you”

He sniffles and clings tighter as you process that you were getting hugged by one of your idols. Tae releases you with glossy eyes before looking at Z who was waiting.

“Aaron is a little bigger than me I’ll help you get him down”

You both position yourself underneath him as he grunts releasing the harness. He was a bit heavier but got him none the less.
 You look at him sigh in relief for finally having him down on solid ground.

“You okay?”

“You’re asking me? Are you alright?”

He counters your question before checking you for injuries before settling on your hands as you let out a hiss in pain.

“Shit that’s no good, wait- here”

He hastily takes off his wrist bands adjusting them over your bleeding palms. Surprisingly soft.
By then everyone was on the ground, much to your solaces you all hurried over to a safer spot on the stage, things having calmed down somewhat.

“You scared us a lot back there, scaling up those coils”

Jesse said putting a hand on your shoulder, While T fanned you with his hat.
 You felt touched that they were so worrisome towards you, you’re basically a stranger to them.

“Ah well… there weren’t any better options at that point, me hanging there wouldn’t do anything useful”

You swallowed, finally having a moment to calm down. Trying to grasp the intensity of what just happened in the last 10 minutes.

Looking up, you tried to understand what was happening; the giant panda was fighting something while puffs of pink smoke are appearing around it and what looks to be… another smaller panda? What is going on?

Robaire stepped forward and took your hand delicately but before he could say anything he was interrupted by a couple of kids running towards us.

“HEY! HEY! WE NEED YOUR HELP-“

A tall girl dressed in green called out as a small troupe followed her.

As she regained her breath, you looked amongst the other kids to see stars in their eyes staring at idols, one girl seemed to be vibrating with excitement.

“I know this is a weird request, but I need you guys to sing from your hearts! It’ll- it’ll uh make the big panda go away”

“If it helps the situation-“

“WE WILL CREATE A BEAT FOR YOU”

A girl dressed in purple called out excitedly gripping a microphone.

“GREAT, THANK YOU!”

Before anyone could say anything they all started zooming off to the side of the stadium.
Suddenly there was a sound from the big panda that caught your attention, you looked up and your heart stopped.

A colossal wall of fur was making its way down towards you.

The panda was falling.

It felt like slow motion, everyone started dashing off the stage, you managed to grab Tae’s arm who was frozen in place.

You ran as fast as your legs could carry you, hoping and praying you don’t get crushed. A scream ripped from your throat as you reached the end of the stage and dived off, roughly landing on the concrete.

Behind you could hear a deafening crash, bringing your hands around your head to protect yourself. Panic filled your brain, your breathing shallow as you curled onto the ground; what was happening? Did everyone get out? Were you going to die?

You didn’t know how much time passed trying to regain your breath but you could hear yelling going on around you. You felt delirious as your body was still in a state of shock. Your skin jumped when you felt a hand on your shoulder blade.

“THEY’RE OVER HERE! Shit- Come on- please be okay, are you alright? Can you stand??”

Robaire’s panicked voice was next to you as you try to unfurl your arms from your head, no words could come out as the boys surrounded you. Next thing you knew you were being held up with your arms around Aaron T’s and Z’s shoulders while a hand grabbed your face examining you.

Robaire gently checked you for injury, you had managed to graze your jaw and cheek and your underarms on the concrete, as well as your hand abrasions from earlier. This was far from ideal. His boys got a little scraped but they could manage for a while.

Your head hurt but you managed to get your strength back to stand up and look around, the beast was passed out on the now crushed stage while the boys were asking you questions. you counted all 5 members and you felt like you could breathe again.

“Is anyone seriously hurt? Everyone’s okay??”

“You’re the only one with serious injuries, we will take you to an ambulance as soon as possible okay?”

“COME ON GUYS DO IT NOW!”

The group of kids yelled before getting in position and started beatboxing?

The boys seemingly going along all nod as you make your way to a large pile of debris, the boys helping you climb.

Standing on top Robaire pulls you close, he didn’t want anything else to happen to you; being close was the safest option.

With confidence they burst into song, an angelic sound filled the air as a blue glow illuminated your face. Robaire’s eyes trained on you.

“I’ve never met no body like you”

You gasp as you see the group jump into formation and begin their routine, performing on the unsteady terrain with trained skill.

“I’ve had I’ve friends and I’ve had buddies, it’s true.
But they don’t turn my tummy, the way you do”

He clasps your hand in his, encouraging you to join in.

“You’re never not on my mind, oh my oh my”

Before your very eyes the panda begins to float into the air.

“Im never not by your side, your side, your side”

Your chest flutters as you look around to see members faces singing from their hearts, it moves you.

“I’m never gonna let you cry, oh cry, don’t cry”

Tears prick your eyes as the group brings their hands up to their chests, giving it their all. The remaining fans around you start joining in.

“I’ll never not be your ride or die, alright”

A symphony of music fills you, the blue light enveloping your sight.

A few hours later…

Sitting on the back of an ambulance really gave you time to reflect, everything you just did. Putting your life at risk, multiple times, when all you wanted was a concert. Is this really the way you really wanted to meet your idols? Potentially saving them from death? Would they have been fine on their own? The whole ordeal was certainly a setback for them; they would need therapy most likely and they still had a world tour. And what was with the giant red panda?

As soon as you all made your way out the stadium, security and medics swarmed you, rushing you all off to different ambulances to patch you up.
Now you sat in the back of an ambulance, a blanket on your shoulders as you stared down at your bandages.

Snapping out of your daze you hear some commotion ahead of you, looking up you see a small crowd coming towards you.

You internally freaked out, eyes wide trying to figure out who wanted to come see you, maybe the press was let through security? You were caught in your thoughts until you heard a familiar voice. Robaire and his troop came crashing through calling for you.

They finally reached you, the crowd being blocked from view as well as their manager who was having a fuss being held by security per Robaire’s wishes.

You felt strange; what did they want now that it was all over. For you to sign a paper saying never to speak of this again? Berate you for not letting go of Robaire? No, they wouldn’t do that. Then what?

Finally looking up you see Tae promptly burst into tears and run over to you throwing his arms around you for the second time that night.

“I’m so glad you’re safe! You had us all freaked during the whole thing!”

“Clingy are we Tae? Come on let’s give them some space”

A teasing voice called as he let go reluctantly.
Coming into full view was 4TOWN, with concern on their faces looking at your patched body.

“I think I’m okay; I’m all patched up now anyway. I hope you guys aren’t pitying me, I did save you after all”

You gingerly laughed, the tense atmosphere loosened as they relaxed at your calmed demeanour. They worried that you wouldn’t be coping things well and understandably so, but they were glad to see you feeling better.

“Hey now, after all that we wouldn’t dare underestimate you”

Aaron T commented before sitting down near you offering you his hat, not passing this opportunity, you grabbed it plopping it on your head.

“Hey.. how’s your hands holding up?”

Aaron Z stepped forward a little shy, he tried to act put together but you could see his demeanour was still shook.

“They hurt, but those wrist thingys definitely helped from damaging them further, so thank you Z- Oh! I still have them, i-if you want them back that is, but I can’t promise they’re clean”
You took them out of your pockets and gently handed it to him. He appreciated you holding onto them since they were his favourite pair, his grandma had lovingly crafted them for him. He decided to sit next to you; still a little protective after the whole thing.

“Still looking good as ever even with those bandages you know”

Called Jessie with his signature wink.
Your brain short circuited as Tae giggled at your reaction, Jessie made his way to lean up against the side of the ambulance looking appreciatively at you. You did a lot for him that night, he might’ve never seen his kids again if you weren’t there.

Robaire was the last to approach you, gently offered his hand. Helping you up he promptly wrapped his arms around you. He didn’t want to cross any boundaries but by god tonight was chaotic enough that a hug was needed. He didn’t know when he would get another chance to.

Warmth and comfort spread through you as you tried your best to squeeze back, making sure to imprint this moment forever in your brain.

“I want to thank you for saving me and my boys; you’ve done so much for us yet you were just a fan, hell you did beyond what the people we pay to protect us would have done. I can’t repay you for that”

Stepping back he put a hand on your shoulder, his eyes watery and absolutely tired from the night he just had.

When he saw you in the crowd he saw the charming star-struck look on your face and knew you were the one he wanted to meet. He could’ve never expected what happened next but you risked your life just to get them to safety when he could do absolutely nothing for his boys. He had so much respect for you; You tried to keep your spirits up, to keep everyone going. Helping Tae with his fear and catching him with bleeding hands, he had to give it to you, you were resilient. You were a breath of fresh air, so strong and treated them as people rather than a product or identity.

He wanted to keep you around, he could tell the boys liked you too. Sure as hell they weren’t gonna let you go without rewards. They would spoil you because of how much you’ve done.

Clearing his throat he looked back at his manager absolutely fuming deciding it was best to get back before he gets hours worth of a lecture.

He looked to the left to see the kids from before plus another girl waiting by the side lines waving at them; he turned his attention back to you.

“We will never be able to repay you but it would be an honour if you stuck around to let us try”

He said while reaching forward into the ambulance and finding a convenient pen and paper. He wrote down his name and number and ripped out the page before handing it to you.

“Unfortunately we probably gotta go, the press is going insane and wants to know what happened tonight. I.. hope I can see you soon”

Gently reaching for your cheek he looked at you with sincerity, embedding your soft face into his mind as he smiled genuinely; it left you speechless.

The boys made their way past you, T ruffling your hair, Z with a hand on your shoulder, Tae with a hug from behind and Jessie with blowing a kiss.

You saw them walk up to the small group of kids getting into position for a picture, the lasting warmth from their words filled you with a calmness and comfort that things were going to be alright.

Maybe saving 4TOWN was the best thing that’s ever going to happen to you.

Chapter Text

Not even a day later word spread like wildfire about a mysterious person who saved 4TOWN in Pandapocalypse 2002, everyone and their mother was scrambling for any information of the person who saved the world’s favourite boy band. 

Your name was kept under wraps of course, you expected as much. 

You’ve been seeing news coverage of the incident everywhere; you could see how tired the boys were getting after every press meeting as the public tried to squeeze every last detail from that night as if it didn’t traumatise them. Your heart sank as you remember an interview that got cut short because Jesse ended up walking away crying. 

Of course you didn’t go without overwhelming mental anguish about the whole thing, you ended up being contacted by 4TOWN’s agency which scheduled you for long term therapy as well as covering your medical bills for the next month. 

You could tell how unenthusiastic they were to be giving that kind of money to someone who wasn’t within the agency but you got it none the less. 

As you said all this you looked up to your newly acquired therapist as she sat on the opposite side of you taking notes; you weren’t ready to talk about the details of your involvement in Pandapocalypse but she got the main idea from the news she’s seen, and from what the agency had told her.

“Well that’s all the time I think we have available today, now I want you to practice those exercises if you feel any type of flashback or intrusive thoughts enter your system ok? I’ll see you next week”

You said a quiet thank you before slipping out of the room, it wasn’t like she didn’t give good advice, but opening up to a complete stranger so soon after experiencing a near death situation felt rushed and forced, you could barely process it yourself. You sped out of the lobby realising you were 10 minutes late to meet up with your friends. 

What you missed as you exited was the breaking news playing on the radio in the waiting room that included your name. 

The walk took about 20 minutes, strangely you were getting some stares as you made your way down the street. You weren’t sure if it was because of your bandages on your arms and patch on you face or bad hair day but it was unnerving as you tried to fix yourself in passing shop windows. 

Arriving at the cafe you were greeted by frantic waves by your friends as they basically grabbed and fled you to a booth near the back. 

Landing with an ‘oof’ you were faced with nervous expectant looks.

“Whats with the looks? Did I do something?”

“DID YOU DO SOMETHING? YOU’RE ON THE NEWS!”

“I ALMOST CRASHED MY CAR WHEN I HEARD IT ON THE RADIO”

“I CAME 10 MINUTES EARLY I WAS SCARED YOU WERE GONNA GET KIDNAPPED”

You stared in shock. 

Kidnapped? You were on the news? How? Did someone say something? What was gonna happen to you? And what for? What were you on the news for??

“What are you guys saying? When was I on the news?”

“Didn’t you take your car?? Just before”

You watched as Gabby hastily pulled everything out of her purse before pulling out her portable radio, she rewinds it for a minute before swallowing and looking up at you, she presses play. 

“-I need you all to leave the premise this is out of bounds for paparazzi”

“Can we just get a description of what they did? What did they look like? Robaire!”

You heard a familiar voice agitated with the sound of shutter cameras and people yelling. Your blood ran cold. 

“I will not comment further-“

“Did they actually do anything to to help you or is this a publicity stunt?”

You heard an angry yell before your name was slipped. You slowly lowered your elbows onto the table putting your head in your hands; your friends looking worriedly at you not noticing a certain crowd forming outside the cafe. 

“-they saved me! They put their life on the line for my boys while I could do nothing! Don’t you dare say it was a hoax as I saw them skin their hands for the sake of getting us to safety! Now get the fuck outta here, you got your answer!” 

You heard a car door shut and tyres squealing as the crowd on the radio yelled with more questions, Gabby turned off the radio. 

You couldn’t believe it. You were found out. People knew who you were all over America, whether they were angry or happy you didn’t know. Your breath shallowed as you heard camera shutters and voices getting louder.

“Are you okay? That’s a lot to take in-” 

Ross put a hand on your shoulder, before you could answer you heard them abruptly stand up which caused you to blink back tears and look up. 

“Excuse me would you happen to be acquainted with 4TOWN? Maybe you were at the most recent of their concerts?”

A man with a sweaty Hawaiian shirt holding a pen and paper followed by a younger boy who was not so subtly taking photos came right up to your booth, your eyes widened. People knew where you were already?

“Fuck off shit-stain no they weren’t, can you leave us alone now?”  

“They seem to match my description pretty well-“

“What are you? A fucking cop? Get the fuck away before I call a real one!”

You heard them get louder to the point of yelling as you pressed your forehead to the cold table praying this to go away. It was too much. 

“Just a couple of questions-“

Next thing you knew your arms were slowly lifted up by Carmen and Ross. People were staring now as the yelling got louder as they guided you to stand; Ross squeezing your arm to ground you. 

“Let’s take them to my car, I’ll take them home”

It felt like a suffocating blur as you were being walked outside the cafe, people started crowd around you; asking questions and cameras and microphones in your face as your friends fought them off and moved through them, some trying to grab to get a reaction out of you with tears staining your cheeks.

“ARE YOU THE ONE WHO SAVED 4TOWN?”

“LOOK THIS WAY FOR ME”

“DID YOU HAVE ANY INTIMATE MOMENTS WITH THE BOYS?” 

“LOOK HERE, TELL US SOMETHING!”

 You finally sat down in a car. Your breathing felt like fire as you sobbed. you got strapped into a seatbelt and words were being said but you couldn’t understand. What was happening?

“It’s gonna be ok babes I promise you, we are here for you through whatever shit is happening. It’ll die down eventually”

Grasping your hand through the window Ross tried to comfort you, having someone familiar to hold onto made it slightly easier to breathe. 

 “I..”

“I’m gonna take you home ok? Just hang tight. Thank you Ross, I’ll keep you updated” 

You leaned back trying to take breaths as you felt the car speed off, occasionally looking at Carmen focusing on getting you home as fast as possible. 

“How the fuck did you get in this mess? One moment we were screaming as 4TOWN came on stage next you were dangling there! And you saving 4TOWN?-“

Carmen stopped as they saw you put your hands to your face. 

“I’m sorry babes, we are almost at your apartment ok? Do you need me to call the group to come in or just me? Any food?”

Carmen put her hand on yours as you practiced your breathing exercises you had conveniently learnt today, things were becoming clearer now. 

“No- no Carmen it’s okay, I can manage. If you come up with me you might start getting harassed as well, you guys have done more then enough”

Carmen looked unsure but didn’t want to upset you, what you said was very true and they did not need paparazzi following her around right now. 

Pulling up outside your apartment complex you picked up your bag as Carmen bent over to hug you. 

“As Ross said it’ll pass over babes. Call and text us if you need anything okay?”

You nodded as you got out of the car, making your way upstairs you reached your level you stopped and stared; there was a man in a uniform assorting flowers outside your door, a lot of flowers. 

You passed the man getting your keys out. 

“Oh, this order is for uh-“

“Please give the rest to neighbours or your family. I have enough, thank you” 

A little unnerved by your answer he said nothing as you slipped inside and locked the door behind you before sliding down the frame. 

What the hell? 

You just got rushed home from being harassed in public, flowers at your door from most likely the boys or management at 4TOWN. 

Why was everyone suddenly interested in you? Everyone knew you saved them but why couldn’t that be end of story? What were you meant to do now? 

Slowly you picked yourself off the floor and went over to your shitbox of a tv and tuned it in. 

Huh. 

There you were. Your crying face looking back at a camera while your two friends drag you through the crowd as a man spoke about you. You couldn’t even understand anymore as you sat down barely processing. 

You sat there for a couple of hours, the program only lasting about 4 minutes about you before moving onto real issues. You felt numb.

You picked up your phone responding to the plethora of worried texts from your friends as well as relatives, and then you heard a knocking at your door. 

“Hello is anyone home? I’m with Sky News agency and we were interested-“

Your breathing hitched as you slowly laid your head back. 

They knew where you were. You can’t have a moment of peace after today. You can’t stay at a friends place or parents as it would cause the paparazzi to follow them. You’ll just have to wait it out, as annoying as it would be. 

You drowned out the voice as you looked around your apartment before settling on the fridge where a torn piece of paper laid in the centre hung up by a 4TOWN magnet. 

Robaire’s signature and number wrote down in the middle.

Robaire. ROBAIRE. 

You had to call him! 

Then you stopped. What were you gonna say? Yell at him for making your life potentially hell for the next few months or thank him for speaking so highly of you? Say what’s up? What if it wasn’t actually his number and it was his stupid company number? No he wouldn’t do that. You didn’t think so anyway. 

Maybe calling him wasn’t the best option right now as it was 7pm but you were gonna do it anyway. Wiping your face of fluids you dialled the number before taking a deep breath and bringing the flip phone up to your ear as you waited. 

And waited. 

Until you heard a voicemail and a beep.

Oh. 

He was probably busy, he wouldn’t even know it’s you so it’s understandable but you still deflated as tears filled your eyes. 

The phone was still recording the call, you mustered up the courage to say something. 

“Uh hey Robaire it’s been a little bit, few days a-actually. Uhm. I hope it’s not too overwhelming with everything, being an idol and all with the whole concert incident” 

Your throat felt dry as tears slipped from your eyes as you sat on the floor; you could hear knocking on your door. 

“I heard what you did on the news, saying my name and I just uh- Robaire you didn’t have to do that. They-they followed me to a cafe and home an-and tried to grab me”

You could hear your voice quiver and break with every word until you were fully crying. 

“Robaire I can’t deal with this. It’s too much I’m-I’m not built for this! They’re fucking outside my door knocking for me. I don’t know what to do”

You bent over as you tried to breathe through the tears. You were venting to your idol, great. 

“I’m so scared to go outside, I don’t know what to do anymore!”

You spent a minute trying to catch yourself, gripping the phone til your knuckles turned white. You didn’t deserve this. 

“…I’m sorry Robaire. God I’m sorry I- you didn’t do anything I shouldn’t have said any of this, if you will even hear it.”

You took a deep breath. 

“Was it you guys that left the flowers? They’re.. gorgeous, thank you. Again I’m sorry I know this must be hard for you as it is me, I shouldn’t blame y-you. I just.. don’t know what to do. If you ever need anyone to-to talk to I’m here for you ok? 

Anyways uhm I’m sorry for dumping that on you, I wish I could erase these things haha. Tell you and your boys to take it easy ok? I’m gonna go now, bye”

You pressed the red button as you let your arm drop to the floor. Silent tears running down your face as you focused on the coolness of the fridge on your back. 

Somewhere else in Toronto… 

Robaire took off his hat as he was ushered into a door before being swiftly shut as he sank to the floor.

“ROBAIRE!“

He looked up to Aaron T running over to him as the members followed, flashing a tired smile at their concerned frowned faces. 

“How are you all? I haven’t seen you all day-“

He grunted as he stood up and dusted off his shirt. He knew exactly how this was gonna go, he was being followed and yelled for hours. 

“How do you fucking think? You run off to go to town and we hear you rage on the radio! What the fuck where you thinking?”

Jesse yelled back before setting his arms on the counter, they were all currently stationed up in one of Torontos hotels away from prying eyes. Jesse was clearly angry with the charade he pulled today yelling at the paparazzi. 

He looked over to the others to see T with his eyebrows knitted and mouth in a thin line. 

 Z had a distant look on his face while he crossed his arms. 

Tae had his arms around his stomach looking away.  

“Did you have to pull a stunt like that? You know you could’ve talked to us or your therapist” 

Z commented as he deflated, his eyes glistening a bit. 

Aaron understood how he was feeling completely, but he could’ve dealt with the pressure better, a lot better then cussing at the press. 

“Yeah man anything. We literally have a gym down stairs if you needed to blow off some steam, not a fuckin’ walk during all of this-“

“Trust me I got the memo from our managers. They dug at me all day”Robaire said as he leaned back on the door, this tension wasn’t what him or his boys needed right now. 

“Yeah, you say that if it isn’t the only issue. You said their name loud and clear, you know how the paparazzi are with anyone that we mention. You preached them on live TV DID YOU EVEN STOPPED TO THINK? You’re supposed to be our leader Rob! These stunts affect us all!”

Jesse yelled, Robaire looking away. Of course he realised his mistake. He couldn’t get it off his mind. 

“I know. I know I made that mistake. God it was fucking stupid and I’ve been thinking about it all day Jesse! That stupid reporter asked those insulting questions towards them it was disrespectfu-“

“A fucking press reporter asking something disrespectful and you answering like that?! This could be the end of our career Robaire!”

“I KNOW” 

At that point everyone went quiet. Robaire barely got angry, never angry at them. Was this the unbecoming of the group? 

“Are they ok?”

Small voice called out as they turned to Tae. 

Robaire shook his head. He had no way of contacting you, and he didn’t exactly have the time to ask their staff to track you down either. 

Z went to the couch and turned on the tv changing it to a news station as Tae gasped. 

There you were on a video, being held by people as you got dragged through a crowd tears on your face as you held your head in your hands, people reaching out and too many reporters to count.

Robaire could only stare. 

T covered his face with his hat. 

Z gripped the couch.

Tears welled up in Tae’s eyes.

Jesse frowned pulling his hair. 

“I’m.. going to bed” 

Robaire turning and heading towards his room. Guilt gnawing at his gut as he closed the door. He caused that. He put you through that because he couldn’t keep his mouth shut. What a fucking idiot he was. 

He sat down taking off his shoes before staring at nothing. Today was a lot. 

 He got out his phone no longer standing the silence as he looked down, he got 15 messages from his manager as well as a voicemail from an unknown number; that’s weird, He only has a few contacts allowed on this phone, his boys, parents and some friends and one manager. 

Anything to distract the silence he turns on the voicemail. 

Nothing for a few seconds. 

“Uh hey Robaire it’s been a little bit-“

He paused the message. It was you. 

God he didn’t realise how worried he was before he put it as loud as he could soaking in every word. 

He felt terrible. The press, his managers, his boys now you. 

“Robaire I can’t deal with this. It’s too much I’m-I’m not built for this!”

He couldn’t help it but tears sprung from his eyes as he heard you cry. 

“I’m so sorry- I’m a fucking idiot” 

He sobbed; little did he know his boys were outside the door looking at each other with guilt. 

As the message ended he looked up to see the door open. Tae, Z, T and Jesse looking down at him with tears of their own. 

Before he knew it arms were around him; all of them holding him through his rare tears. Today was too much. 

“W-we all make mistakes ok? This isn’t the end of us” 

T called out in comfort as they hugged tighter before letting go. There was a lightness in the air, the comfort they needed more then anything.

Someone grabbed his shoulder before being pulled into an individual hug. 

“I’m sorry too, I shouldn’t have snapped at you like that” 

Jesse sniffed, he hated seeing Robaire upset carrying the weight he has, he had no right to go off at him. 

Robaire hugged him back before smiling; he didn’t want to upset anyone else as he looked down at his phone, remembering you were out there alone. 

“Is there anything we can do for them? I mean I think we all need support right now.”

Tae called out knowing what Robaire was thinking. 

“We sent them flowers today, and we were gonna send a private chef over Tomorrow-“ 

Z commented with a croaky voice; he wasn’t having the best night either. 

“No no nothing like that! We need something personal, they’re all on their own of no way of going outside”

Tae suddenly standing up thinking very hard about this, everyone trying to come up with something with their emotionally fogged  brains. 

“We could visit them!” 

T suddenly called out which made Tae bright up; he had the perfect idea. 

“Or they could stay with us!” 

Tae almost yelled, excited of the prospect of the idea. You staying with them? It would be perfect!

Everyone was a little loss for words. 

“Okok hear me out. They are all on they’re own right? And they can’t really go out to visit people or leave at all without paparazzi following them like a hawk. And they clearly need support right now so why not.. us?”

“I’m not opposed to that idea..” 

Z commented with Albeit a bit shy. 

The thought of you around made him feel happy, you were a comforting figure in the short time he interacted with you, and if you are both dealing with the same issue why not help each other through it together? Plus, Robaire could definitely use someone to talk to besides his boys. 

Everyone thought about it for a minute, seeing only positives they all had their mind in one place: they were gonna take care of you. 

In the next hour they spent planning, making sure you were comfortable with all aspects and being prepared for anything that may happen, all the while repairing the emotional damage the day had done. They felt better, more close.

You would never expect what was gonna happen the next morning. 

Chapter Text

Waking up against the fridge certainly didn’t do wonders for your neck. As you sat up you grunted, your back ached and popped. Surely you could put a chiropractic session on your newly acquired healthcare tab? 

Making your way to the bathroom with wobbly legs you stopped in front of the mirror. With the amount of crying you did you could see dry tears all over your cheeks down to your neck making a weird dried cast feeling against your skin. Your eyes were puffy, nose inflamed, teeth having that weird coat for not brushing them last night.

The emotional side of you wasn’t fairing any better, still waking up you didn’t have any clear thoughts but the unspoken guilt was slowly seeping back into your waking system. 

All in all you felt like shit. 

Slipping off your clothes as you made your way into the shower, letting your head get soaked under the cold water which took a while to heat up. 

After a while you just sat on the shower floor, it felt like a emotional hangover. 

You didn’t like what you did. You called Robaire as if he didn’t have enough on his shoulders and he didn’t even answer, you should’ve hung up. 

You put your head in your folded arms getting through your emotional turmoil. You were glad you requested leave at your job for a while; you couldn’t deal with your coworkers in this mindset. 

After a while you realised you didn’t want your water bill to be out of the roof so you put on a towel and lied down on your bed.

Embarrassed you shoved a pillow over your head. Robaire’s only memories of you are now saving his ass, him thanking you and you crying to him over the phone.

You punched the bed regretting not getting the more expensive flip phone with the undo feature.

You wondered how the others were handling it too; you could imagine them taking a small break from producing anything for a while. 

 And the whole thing panda thing they had going on? You found out it was a family bicker. Taking out a whole entire fucking stadium and almost killing multiple so they can have an argument. 

A frown now on your face you got up and got dressed out of spite. The boys and you didn’t deserve this for someone to get something off their chest to their mom!

You now stood stalking around your apartment going around getting on with making a fried egg breakfast and cleaning up clothes. You would show them. Who? You weren’t sure; maybe the press or the weird panda family. But you would show them you can live from this experience. 

Before you could take a bite of your bacon there was a knocking on you door. You were already annoyed and now they were back at your door; the audacity. 

“Fuck off! No one’s home and no one is willing to do your shitty interviews. Do yourself a favour and don’t come back!”

You yelled already done with the day. You were about to go check if the door was locked when you heard a laugh. A very familiar sounding voice as your eyes widened. No way. 

You made your way to the door and opened it a little before biting back a gasp. 

There they were, all the boys quietly chatting to themselves before their eyes settled on you. 

You opened the door fully as you stood there in shock. 4TOWN at your door? If you told yourself this a month ago you would’ve thought it was a dream. You noticed another lady standing off on the side speaking on the phone. 

Before you could process a few boys they called out your name with smiles, Jesse and Z just waving. 

“Uh, hey guys what brings you out here?”

Your gaze got caught by Robaire as you looked away embarrassed. You were still not over what you did yesterday. 

“Well, to put it into short we came to pick you up and… possibly take you with us while we are in Toronto… as a way of making amends from what happened yesterday with the press…?” 

Tae called out wringing his hands while the Z pointed to the giant tour bus outside the gates of your apartment complex. Your mouth went slack as you stared at them in disbelief, they stared back at you waiting for a response almost looking nervous. You? With them? In Toronto? Now? What in the world???

“I… what? What do you mean with yo-“

“What they mean is they want you to stay with us for a while the media settles down so we can monitor you because of the little stunt Robaire pulled yesterday”

The nearby woman called out clicking her phone shut. She wore a blue and white striped dress and slicked back brown hair with a fake flower into a bun. Striking right over to you she held a authoritative air around her. 

“I’ll need you to pack your essentials as fast as possible, I also have some paperwork for you but you can do that in the bus. Try to make it quick.”

You nodded not really knowing what to do, a lot of things were catching you off guard recently. 

You turned around going into your apartment before abruptly stopping at how rude you were being, you turned back with a nervous smile glancing at the boys relieved faces. 

“You guys can come inside if you want to.. uh I don’t have much to offer though, this was a bit unexpected” 

Without a word the woman stalked in and went for your fridge and pulled out one of your last beers downing it, the boys slowly made their way into your house looking around when you scurried off to go pack your shit. 

It was a decent sized apartment for one person with all the essentials and a few quirks of its own like dying plants and a pile of books next to the tv. 

The boys not really knowing what to do walked around observing things.

 Z deciding it was a good idea got an empty cup and filled it with water giving it to the somewhat wilting plants, not knowing how long you’ll actually stay with them; he was hoping for a long while.

Jesse made it a point to look at some books you had, reading the backs to see what kind of taste you had; surprised to think you read some books he has. He definitely didn’t miss the 2 4TOWN magazines on your coffee table. 

Robaire went to the kitchen noticing all the artsy looking mugs a now discarded plate of bacon and eggs shaped as a happy face. ‘Cute’ he thought. (He definitely didn’t take a photo) 

T and Tae made their way to your shelf where you had your family photos per your  mom putting them there when you moved in and you didn’t have the heart or energy to move them. 

Tae was giggling at photos of you from your childhood and when you were a teen, especially the one with you covered in their merch when they made their debut; you had a bright smile, he wish he could see the same when you stayed with them.  

T was having fun looking at a camera you left there conveniently, he knew it was a breach of privacy but his curiosity got the best of him. He would turn it off if anything too scandalous was on there anyway. the photos consisted of photos of you and your friends, some pets and someone who looked related. It made his heart flutter that he got to see another side of you and a little relieved that the people holding you on TV were in fact your friends, like in the photos. 

Too consumed by running around grabbing your clean clothes you failed to notice Robaire poke his head into your room, watching you frantically scurry muttering check lists under your breath. 

He wanted to come in and apologise about the… whole situation but didn’t think it was the right time, he instead opted to hand you a top that was close to him he heard you say a couple of times. 

“Oh! Thank you I was looking for that!” 

You said before aiming and throwing it into your suitcase and rushing off the bathroom to get the last pieces you needed. 

“Come on we don’t have all day!” 

You heard from the living room before shoving everything into a small bag and bumping into Robaire, muttering an apology you put the bag into your suitcase, you were done. Not bad for 10 minutes.

You lugged your suitcase into the living room a little breathless, a mildly concerned Robaire following. 

“All done?”

“All done”

“Good, let’s get this show on the road. Someone grab their suitcase? Or they can I don’t care”

The lady called before making her way out the door accepting another call. Z made his way over to you and picked up your suitcase before you could object, Robaire put a hand on your shoulder encouraging you to go forward. 

Considering the fact that you all barely knew each other felt a little weird; you could tell that they were trying to make you feel comfortable but that’s what Idols did, they were trained to be nice figures to be around. It was hard for anyone to say anything to each other with the fast paced and tense situation it was. You weren’t sure this was a good idea, doubt flicking across your face; you stopped walking. 

Robaire noticed before coming in front of you with a concerned look, the boys also stopping with some grim seeping into their chests. Were you gonna reject the whole thing? 

“Anything wrong?”

Robaire said softly, calling your name. 

To be honest you didn’t know how to feel, your mouth pressed into a thin line. On one hand why would you reject the opportunity to be with your idols and possibly become friends? On the other you didn’t know if they were being forced to do this, to be nice to you because of what Robaire did yesterday, you being there could just be a hassle for them. 

“I.. I don’t know if this is a good idea” 

You opened and closed your mouth as some fear made its way into you, you wrapped your arms around yourself feeling under a spotlight. 

“I just.. I can’t tell if you’re doing this because you were forced to or.. it’s just your careers are literally to entertain people and if that’s the case I-I don’t wanna be a bother, you probably have enough on your plate”

You confessed a little guilty, you were grateful but you weren’t gonna put more on their shoulders if they didn’t need you around, you failed to notice the boys come closer to you due to your now glossy eyes. 

“Hey now we wouldn’t be here if we didn’t want to be, we just thought it would be a good way to pay you back-ow!”

T spoke before being hit on the back of the head by Z. So that’s all it was? Just a way to repay debts from you saving their lives? 

“That and we genuinely want to get to know you! But I understand that if you think this is just an act that we put on but as Aaron said we are here out of our own volition”

Tae spoke as he took your hand; He didn’t want you to have doubts this early. 

“You shouldn’t have to deal with this all on your own either, we all have each other’s backs here”

“You deserve to have a break and have some fun”

Jesse and Z spoke, glad that you were able to speak about how you feel but didn’t want you to back out just yet. They didn’t wanna lose their shot of a new genuine friend after so long. 

“I understand your doubt but I just wanna let you know that this is coming from a place of us caring, no one is forcing us to be here right now, we came for you. This whole thing is partly my fault and I want to make it right if you’ll let us, it’s up to you of course”

Robaire put a hand to your shoulder with another genuine smile looking at your surprised face, he could get used to looking at you. 

You were genuinely caught off guard to say the least, they were pouring their hearts out to you to try and get you to come. A smile found its way onto your face as your second thoughts melted away with every word. 

p>“Alright, let’s go then”

You called before stepping forward as the boys grinned in victory, the tension in the air dissipated as the ice had been broken. a side eye from their manager as she watched this all go down; it was gonna be an issue. 

You made your way down to gape at the big bright bus in-front of you, the boys looking smug from your reaction.

“Trust me we didn’t need to bring this giant hunk of junk here they just wanted to show off”

The manager lady muttered to you, the boys called out in betrayal as she helped you up inside, you could only laugh.

p> 

“Come on in you get- I don’t think I’ve introduced myself, I’m Loretta Stone, official manager of those idiots; I keep them on schedule, get them nice places to stay, organise shoots yada yada yada I basically keep them in line because god knows what they would do on their own”

You could tell she worked hard, you appreciated the effort she put in especially for today (you couldn’t imagine the strings she pulled for you to stay with them) you said a quiet thank you as you made your way in. 

They were definitely showing off. It was a large dark coloured room that had a curvy pathway lit by LED lights, the chairs in their iconic orange colour and- was that a bar?? Everything was crafted for them in one bus. 

“Do you like it?”

Jesse called passing you before sitting in one of the lounges, the boys in suit, basically lying on the plush seats.

“It’s.. extravagant”

Shrugging he pats the space next to him receiving some dirty looks from the boys. 

You sat down basically melting into the luxurious lounge, Jesse’s arm around the back of your seat. Tae shot up from his lazing around and smiled at you.

“So, tell us about you! We wanna know what you like so we can all do fun things together!”

The others groaning at his innuendo, you restrained a laugh at the comment before you leaned down onto the table getting comfortable. 

“Well I guess-“

“Enough chitchat you can do that at the resort, they have some paperwork to do” 

They all sighed as a stack of paper and a pen dropped in front of you curtesy of Loretta making her way to front of the bus on the phone. 

As you got stuck trying to complete paperwork as fast as possible time passed quickly as the boys made conversation, it felt nice just to see them be natural. Z offering to make you a drink but you 

declined not wanting a liquid near paper. Seeing them banter and talk about domestic things put a small smile on your face. 

20 minutes later you were all excited as you pulled up to a fancy resort, the building was white and tall. There were fountains and pretty trimmed gardens just at the entrance, you guessed there was gonna be a pool. 

You all got out in awe, it was chique to say the least, down to the polished tiles. After Loretta checked you all in you were all rushed to your suite laughing, security trying not to make you seen by the public. The rush of excitement with the luxury made your chest do cartwheels as the boys grabbed your arms running down the corridor. 

The door opened for you as you all poured in, a mix of “ooohs” and “woahhs” could be heard behind you, the place was massive and on one of the highest floors; it felt like royalty. 

“If the bus felt nice that is nothing compared to this holy shit”

T commented coming next to you, it felt reassuring that they were as gobsmacked as you were; felt like equal ground. 

“You’re not wrong”

You said back both grinning like a giddy kids. You both turned around to see a out of breath Loretta looking murderous.

“YOU KNOW ABOUT RUNNING OFF! TAKE IT EASY” 

“SORRY LOR!”

They all said in unison as she calmed down tidying herself and tucking her hair back. 

“Last warning or I’m putting the resort on your cards rather than the companies!Personally I can’t be with you guys for any more of my day so I’ll be in the room a few doors down if you need anything, don’t bother me unless you absolutely need to. Annoy the resort staff instead, the resort is pretty secure so no worries on that department. Now good afternoon to you all” 

With that she shut the door, you all registering what she said. 

“Is she.. okay?” 

“Just.. a little stressed to say the least”

Z replied picking up a fruit from the nearby island bench, the others exploring the features of the room; you made your way over to the giant curtain that was pulled back exposing the bustling city below you. 

“Guys! They have a huge sound system!”

“I found a cinema”

“They have a stocked bar!”

“There’s a pool, and a jacuzzi!”

All of this sounded too good to be true, you and your idols living in complete luxury together for who’s knows how long. People would kill for something like this. 

Next thing you knew music was being blasted as a impromptu karaoke session was in play, you all poured into the lounge room where the sound system was. It was one of their songs!

“I’ve never met nobody like you”

“Had friends and have had buddies it’s true”

“But they don’t turn my tummy the way you do!”

They all got in tune passing around the verses, hyping eachother up; It didn’t feel routine and was just some fun. 

Then Robaire passed you a microphone, all of them waiting for you to continue the song.

“You’re never not on my mind?”

“OH MY, OH MY”

You half sang back being put on the spotlight before they cheered and whooped at your singing. A bashful smile made its way onto your face as they basically yelled some more of the song, the boys dancing around you. 

“Let’s call it what it is it’s a masterpiece, gotta whole lotta love for them city streets”

“GLENDALE” 

“Tonight is the place to be, got a big boom box and a n-new CD”

“COME ON”

You all hyped as Z had his solo, you cheering made him stutter and smile, slowly removing his tough boy demeanour when he usually performs; it felt nice just to sing free, no expectations. 

 You didn’t see how but there were a big tray of drinks on the table in front of you as you all picked one up continuing the song.

“Everybody let’s tear it up, if you want mad skills you can share with us”

“I WANT”

“everybody to stop and stare, and you know why it’s me Robaire”

In true Idol fashion Robaire casually saunters around you flowing through his solo before he’s behind you holding your arms up gently basically whispering the verse in your ear. You were too stunned to speak as the boys cheered when Robaire spinned you around and danced with you as the song played on. 

It felt unreal, being with them just enjoying time together, seeing a new side of them. The alcohol did help with your confidence as you danced your way around with the boys freely, singing karaoke into the night. 

A few hours later you found yourself sitting on a balcony, your legs over the sides of the tall building as you lightly held onto the railing. The boys were still having a mini party now singing Celine Dion on the couches. 

You heard the glass door slide open.

“..Can I join you?”

“Sure”

You saw a pair of brown legs join the same position against the railing not too far away. Before you would’ve been nervous but you felt okay now, the butterflies in your stomach didn’t stop though.

“So.. are you liking the place so far?”

“You’re joking right? This place is made for ridiculously rich people how could I not love it? It has everything”

“Ah well, just wanted to make sure it’s enough; You deserve nice things like this”

You turned your head to catch Robaire looking at you before his eyes swiftly look at the scenery again, the butterflies spun in your chest. You swallowed, trying to think about your next words carefully; you didn’t have a full grasp on why they are putting in this much effort just for you.

“I just don’t understand why go through the whole length of it all, you have so much to deal with already. I understand that you guys wanna monitor me because.. uh well the thing yesterday. But I could’ve just been put into a different room or had people watch me at my house. Instead I’m having the time of my life doing karaoke with you guys”

You pressed your face into the cold railing, you felt bad still even after they reassured you this morning. You could feel Robaire’s gaze settle on you. 

“Still feeling bad about being here?”

You let a ‘mhm’ as he scooted closer to you putting a tentative hand on your shoulder making you look up.

“As much as you tell yourself that this is a bother for us it’s not. And as far as the monitoring thing I uh only brought that up to try and convince Loretta for you to stay with us haha”

You blinked at his words, they suggested it? It made your lips quirk seeing Robaire’s bashful look trying to explain himself.

“It was actually Tae’s idea to let you come stay with us; he really likes you ya know? And the rest of us of course. And me personally.. I uh haven’t been more relaxed around another person for a long time”

Your eyes went wide as he looked out to the city smiling to himself, he finally looked at you, a little nervous at your expression not really knowing if it was good or not; you went pink, a giddy smile made its way onto your face while your eyes crinkled at his words.

“Robaire.. thank you”

He suddenly felt hot as his heart raced a bit seeing your face. Biting the inside of his mouth; he decided it was time.

“No, thank you. For everything you did, and I just wanted to say that I’m sorry. Really sorry about what happened to with the press, if I had kept mouth shut you.. you wouldn’t be in this mess. Again I’m.. sorry”

He picked up your hands during his apology, putting his head down in guilt. He would try to make everything as nice as possible for you, you deserved more for saving their lives and making you the worlds centre of attention because of his dumb mistake.

You smoothed your still healing hands over his. 

“Sure the whole thing is a huge mess but what happened wasn’t our fault in the first place. And I understand, the weight of it all must’ve gotten to you. And.. if you didn’t do that I wouldn’t be right here right now”

You laughed a little at the end thinking you would probably be pathetically crying at home right now if it wasn’t for him. His hand gripped yours softly as you both looked at the scenery again, there was a lot to process; but you had time. 

“You’re right, and I probably shouldn’t be telling you this but.. we have to go back on tour soon. Even after everything people still want to see us perform which is expected. I just.. wanted to let you know” 

You let out a quiet ‘oh’. You expected as much them being the worlds most beloved group. You would just have to make the time count. 

You both fell back into amicable silence, enjoying each others company. You could hear the boys slurring words singing their hearts out from inside which made you both chuckle, Robaire cleared his throat. 

“I know this is all still very uh, early but I just wanted to ask if- if you’d come with us on tour? Of course you don’t have to!”

You stared at him in shock as you slowly rose to your feet him following. His mouth pressed into a thin line awaiting your response.

“You’re serious?”

“Very”

“Really?”

‘Mhm’

Unable to contain your excitement you threw your arms around his middle. How could you say no? You felt like you were walking on air; they wanted you to come on tour!

“Oh my god yes! I’d be stupid to say no”

He laughed at your enthusiasm, gently patting your back embracing this moment. You didn’t tell him you could hear how fast his heart was going. 

“Did you ask Loretta?”

“Uh well- not exactly”

“Robaire!”

“Don’t worry, it’ll work out”

He grinned mischievously as he let you go. You punched his arm playfully before you both headed back inside to join the rest of the boys. 

You were so excited. 

Chapter Text

Hello hello it’s been a while hasn’t it? I just wanted to give a quick update on what’s happening and see what you guys think

So I do actually do have the main base of this story plotted out but I went on a hiatus due to lack of motivation and life circumstances, but I’m willing to continue.

Did you guys know there’s a manga coming out about 4TOWN?? LIKE I’m beyond excited we finally get to see the boys and their personalities because Disney gave us NOTHING.

But this is where my ideas come in and I would really appreciate feedback for which direction it can go in, you hold the power basically lol.

1. I complete the story how I originally started now.

2. I can wait for the manga to release to get a better idea for the characters and rewrite it and finish.

And I have an idea to make multiple of this fic and vary them up with different 4TOWN boys x reader.

But let me know how you feel and if you guys have any suggestions, I appreciate you all and see you soon ☕️