Work Text:
Mystery’s blade cut clean through the smoky air, his movements sharp and deliberate, the same as always; cold precision wrapped in silence. He was a hunter, the eternal sentinel against the chaos clawing its way through the night. His mission was to seal the honmoon golden and for that, they had to defeat the demon girl-band, Huntrix, first.
Zoey danced through the battlefield like she was at a festival. Her knives glowed dark purple as they were thrown in his direction, licking the side of his cheek with color as he barely managed to avoid them. Every strike she made was punctuated by laughter, bright and unrestrained.
“Careful, Hunter,” she called, ducking under the arc of his sword with a grin. “You almost nicked me. Can’t have you ruining my pretty face.”
Mystery’s eyes flicked to her, briefly, before returning to the advancing horde of demons behind her. His voice was low, calm, as if they weren’t surrounded by carnage.
“You’re not supposed to enjoy this.”
“Oh, but I do.” She pirouetted, flames trailing from her heel as she kicked an enemy straight into him. The demon shrieked and vanished into ash with the cut of his sword. Zoey blew a kiss toward Mystery, knives still glowing in her palm. “Besides, fighting with you makes it fun.”
He didn’t falter, didn’t change expression, but his sword’s rhythm stuttered for a beat too long.
“...Focus.”
“I am focused,” she teased, springing over his shoulder, her long dark hair brushing his cheek as she landed in front of him. “Focused on you.”
Mystery’s jaw tightened.
“That’s not—” He slashed through another demon. “That’s not what I meant.”
“Ohhh,” Zoey teased, tossing a knife past his ear to defeat a lunging demon. His heart stuttered, and she giggled. “See? I protect you even when you’re mean to me.”
“I don’t need protection.”
His voice was clipped, calm, as though they were discussing the weather. Mystery didn’t want to think about how so far, besides one, none of his attacks have been directed at her. Or how she throws her knives only when she knows he can perfectly avoid them.
“You don’t need anything, do you?” Zoey darted forward, her face closer to Mystery than it had ever been before. She was analyzing him, a bout of seriousness when only playfulness had been. Like this, it would be so easy to slash her, to end this. But he didn’t move, feet stuck in his place. She smiled and for a heartbeat, the battlefield was empty. “But you’re stuck with me anyway. Lucky you.”
He let out the faintest huff. Almost a scoff, almost not. He mindlessly slashed a nearby demon. Mystery was completely lost on her bright golden eyes, and his throat felt dry.
“Lucky?”
“Mmhm.” She leaned over his shoulder, throwing her knives at demons coming from his back. Her silky dark hair brushed against his skin, and she smiled wildly when he shivered. “I’m fun. Admit it.”
Mystery’s blade stilled for half a second, the tiniest hiccup in his rhythm.
“You’re… unpredictable.”
“That’s practically a compliment coming from you,” she sang, darting away just as his sword swiped where she’d been standing. She spun back at him, tongue poking out playfully. “Careful, you’ll make me blush.”
He blinked. The word caught him off guard. “Blush?”
“Oh, don’t act so innocent.” Zoey threw her knives at him and as predicted, he evaded. Then she pointed back where they had fallen and when he turned around, Mystery saw the knives forming a heart in the ground. “I’m flirting with you, Mystery.”
His blade nearly slipped from his grasp.
“…You’re what?”
“Flirting.” She flicked his nose with a long nail, then pirouetted away before he could react. Her knives appeared back in her hand, and she mindlessly swirled them around. “Y’know, batting lashes, shameless compliments, heart-eyes… all directed at you. You really didn’t notice?”
His eyes widened a fraction, realization dawning slowly and awkward. Mystery stared after her, unblinking, even as another demon charged. His body moved on autopilot, sword cleaving through the enemy, but his mind lagged behind.
“That’s… what this is?”
Zoey clapped her hands together in mocked applause.
“Ohhh, he’s catching on!”
The faintest flush touched his ears, though his face remained otherwise unreadable. “I thought you were… distracting me.”
“I am distracting you,” Zoey said with a wink. “That’s what flirting is.”
Mystery paused mid-swing, and that half-second of hesitation nearly cost him. Zoey threw her weapon strategically, so they wouldn’t hurt him but instead, catch onto the robes of his cloak. Leaving Mystery effectively stuck on the wall behind him.
The horde of demons disappeared in a second, burning like a wildfire and leaving only ashes behind. His sword disappeared like threads onto the honmoon.
For once, Mystery was silent. Not stoic but utterly undone. His hand lightly trembled, as if deciding whether to summon his sword again or not. If not for the faintest twitch at the corner of his lips, Zoey might’ve thought she’d broken him.
But she only leaned closer, voice a playful purr.
“Don’t worry, Hunter. You’ll get used to me.”
And disappeared onto the same fire that had engulfed the other demons.
Finally alone, and free of her knives digging onto his clothes, Mystery covered his blushing face and slid onto the floor.
Perhaps, he’s the one that needs to focus.