forum Why Would a Star, a Star, Ever Be Afraid of the Dark? | Hero x Villain x Mutual Friend (CLOSED 3/3)

Started September 03, 2023 by @Vitae_

tune

Callum, a sweet but slightly fluff stuffed in between the ears and the smooth brain audio, waited eagerly for his friends. Like usual, he was dressed like he had been invited to the met gala, wearing a pretty soft and flowy sage green long sleeved shirt and a very simple underbust corset. He work black pants, and wore gold accessories. Currently, he was wearing his favorite classes too, they were big and round with gold chains hanging down and wrapping around his neck. He had bundled up in his favorite long black jacket (he always said he felt like sherlock holmes) and a soft sage green scarf to match with his shirt. His nails clicked against the screen of his phone as he checked his friends messages before he giggled. Poe always seemed to be late, no matter what time they agreed to meet. That was fine with Callum, it allowed him time to sit back with his favorite drink, book, and put on a soothing kpop playlist while he sat in the cafe and waited for his two friends.

He looked up when he saw Poe and he set his book down quickly and waved with just as much enthusiasm. "Poe!!" He smiled warmly, beckoning his dear friend over to the booth he had claimed. "What happened?" Callum settled down in his chair, his eyes bright as he shoved his hair back from his face and tied it up into a messy ponytail. "Give me all the details!" He gasped a little when he saw his friend accidentally smack Hye-ja promptly in the face.

"Ah you big goof!" Callum gently pats Poe's hair, playing with it for a second before grinning at Hye-ja, "The friend is right here! Glad to see you made it, Hye-ja!! I was just about to call and make sure you made it okay!" Ever the clueless crow, he didn't notice the tension between his friends. "Come sit! Come sit! I want you to meet Poe! He's a close friend of mine. I wanted you two to meet! I figured it just made sense for my closest friends-" He took a deep breath, "to meet!" The words tumbled from his lips, but he was excited, that's all. He loved his friends. And if he loved his friends, why wouldn't they like each other? In his mind, it was a brilliant idea.

Hye-ja watched their breath as it was exhaled into the cold air. They had not contacted Callum at all between getting distracted and focusing on getting to the rendezvous point. They hurried through the parking lot, eager to escape the frigid weather. They only had a little bit of time before they had to head back to the taekwondo place.
They wore a cream-colored scarf and a long overcoat, that was the most of what could be seen of their outfit. Underneath was their taekwondo uniform and casual pants over it. They didn’t wear much makeup today, and the only jewelry they had one was a pair of small, teardrop shaped earrings. This was an unusual look for them, and it was clear they were out of sorts. Maybe they should have postponed this.
They weaved through the crowd of people, looking for a familiar head of blondish hair. When a sudden shout cut the chatter off, Hye-ja winced. That voice… sounded familiar. They looked around, but couldn’t see who the voice might belong to. Well, Callum did say he had someone they wanted to meet, so maybe that was it. They kept going, and soon found themself at Callum’s side. They opened their mouth to speak.
Something immediately slapped against their face, covering their vision and sending a stinging sensation flashing across their skin. They winced again and moved back. Their eyes took in the one who had slapped them, soon finding themself blushing. Him? Really? He’s lucky he’s cute.
They couldn’t resist letting out a soft sigh. Why was Stitch here? As they watched him sit down with Callum, a part of them wanted to scoff. Now they knew why the voice that had shouted was familiar. Hye-ja raised an eyebrow and said nothing, sitting down at Callum’s other side.
“Crow.” They nodded. “I…. I see…. I’m okay by the way, traffic was just awful.”

Poe closed his eyes, appreciating the gentle touch in his hair, before his eyes snapped open and he shot back up in surprise. "They're the friend?" he exclaimed. His eyes narrowed slightly as he examined Hye-ja in a new light. All the suspicion left his gaze and he brightened immeasurably. "You didn't tell me you had such an attractive friend! Hye-ja, was it?"

Reaching past Crow, Poe extended a hand, highlighting his orange-painted nails and a blue-green friendship bracelet that matched his eyes—which were currently swimming with mischievousness. "My name is Poe," he added, putting more stress than normal on the syllable to remind the hero that he knew exactly who they were already and he expected to be addressed as a civilian for the time being. "Sorry again about hitting you in the face. It really was an accident."

On the sliver of exposed skin beneath Poe's sleeve, an inky blot wriggled onto his hand for only Hye-ja to see. It took the image of his signature villain mask, which winked and promptly receded beneath his skin without a trace. It made him smile, giddy as he always was at using his powers where anyone could accidentally oversee them.

At the mention of traffic, though, his expression returned to the dramatic and long-suffering face from before. "Tell me about it!" Ironic, considering the boy didn't own a car nor hitch a ride on the way to the establishment. "I had to fight three squirrels on the way here! Three!" he announced, shrugging off his navy blue puffer jacket to reveal his outfit of the day. And if he silently compared his look with the other two, then no one had to know—though he may have added another mental tally to Callum's secret list of fashion 'wins'.

He released a torrent of air from his lips, blowing his bangs out of the way, and pulled up the sleeve of his orange sweater to show off several thin scratches along his arms. "Then there was an old lady who promised to give me candy if I helped her fix her car. I don't know jack about cars and I don't really like those weird caramel candies, plus I was coming here to eat, but it was an old lady!" he defended, waving his arms in a what-can-you-do manner. "I wasn't just going to leave her there. I thought something might be wrong with the thingamajig—you know? But I think I ended up making her car worse, in the end… But eh, that's the mechanic's job, and trust me, the old lady could afford it."

Satisfied with the knowledge that he'd done something good, he crossed his arms and mentally patted himself on the back before turning to include Hye-ja in the conversation. "So how long have you two known each other? Wait—more importantly," he gripped Crow's hand, looking uncharacteristically serious. "Do they like K-pop?"

(HI SORRY!! LIFE HAS BEEN HECTIC)

Callum giggles warmly, "Yeah, silly!" His smile was so bright it could rival the sun, and he hummed as he ran a hand through his hair and taking down the ponytail. His friends were indeed very attractive and he prided himself in that. He found aesthetics incredibly pleasing, and found Poe and Hye-ja. He let the conversation flow between his two friends, snickering at Poe's silly antics. "I always offer a ride and you always say no, it's not fair." He puffs out his cheeks before taking a sip of his coffee. Callum truly didn't know that his friends were the hero and villain that constantly fought within the city. He hummed as he leaned his head against Poe's shoulder, looking perfectly content and much like a cat that had found the sunniest spot and decided that would be their home for a little while.

He hummed softly, "I'll bring some candies from home next time I go see Dahlia." Dahlia was the complete opposite of her little brother, and quite the intimidating woman. Oddly enough, the two of them had a good relationship and got along well despite opposite personalities. Not to mention, Dahlia was always skeptical of his friends, and swore that if he was ever hurt by said friends, she'd hunt them to the ends of the earth. Currently, she was in Ukraine for gods know why. But she sent him letters so that he wouldn't have to worry about her. He was grateful for that at least. "She's in Ukraine right now. I can see if she'd be willing to pick out some goodies for me." He took another sip of the coffee and laughed when Poe mentioned the woman got into an accident. "That's unfortunate, but kind of on her for making assumptions."

Crow laughed into his free hand at Poe's excitement. "Not like you and I are. Speaking of Kpop, I got you that album you've been wanting for a while. It's back at my place if you wanna drop by and pick it up at some point." He took another swig of his drink before standing. "I'm gonna grab some food real quick. Do you guys want anything? On me, my treat!"

(Ahaha heyyyyy guys)

Hye-ja crossed one leg over the other. “Poe,” they repeated. They took his hand, and soon noticed the moving mark on his skin. In response, Hye-ja loosened the concealment magic a little. The skin on their hand turned a deep crimson, with claws extending from their nails until they decided to reinforce the magic again and the abnormal features faded away.
Personally, they didn’t feel like taking off their coat. Even if it was warm, the outfit they were wearing didn’t match at all with the environment. It was best to keep the illusion that it did, and Hye-ja found themself readjusting their scarf as Stitch— or Poe— prattled on.
“Maybe you should’ve just been honest with her and admitted you didn’t know anything,” they muttered.
Callum’s laugh seemed to soften their disposition. Though frankly, most things about Callum made them soft. “It’s mid, I guess. I don’t listen to it. Also, we’ve known each other for a good while now I’d say.” Their gaze never left Callum, despite speaking to Poe. “Do you mind getting me a salad with some water?” They asked. “I can pay for it though, really.” They reached into their bag to find a card or something.

(Flashback to like a month ago when I had a whole response written out, then my laptop crashed and I lost it all…. And then coincidentally went into an entirely unrelated demotivated spiral. Er–anyways, I'm back for now! Sorry about the wait!!)

At the mention of Dahlia, Poe noticeably perked up. Crow always spoke of her with fondness, and he could relate to his older sister in that they were both what could be considered a tad overprotective. "Ooh yes, please! Just as long as it's not the chamomile ones. With the dark chocolate," he clarified, a slight tightening of his brows enough to convey his apparent distaste for those particular candies. The thought was almost enough to distract him from Hye-ja's answer.

Almost.

"It's mid, I guess."

Poe spluttered. He honest-to-God spluttered. " 'M-Mid?' " he repeated, the magnitude of his horror enough to cause a voice crack. It was a good thing Crow drew his attention away from the hero before Poe's brain caught up enough to cause a scene. That didn't stop him from shooting Hye-ja a glare and a nasty pout, though.

Reluctantly, he sank back into his seat, only finally tearing his eyes away from the hero when he registered what Callum had said. Immediately he straightened, eyes brightening. "Really? You're the best!" he exclaimed, practically tackling the older boy in a hug. "Let's pull cards together. Don't worry—I'll trade if we get your boy. You know I'm always looking for more Han photocards," he rambled, lightly punching Crow's arm and beaming at him.

He pulled back some, enough to allow Crow to stand, then dropped his hands to the table entirely like he was hesitant to let him go. He did, though, in the end.

"Would you order for me? The barbeque chicken sandwich? And a diet coke," he pleaded, though his tone suddenly turned stern. "But I'm paying you back. And don't argue, 'cause you just bought me an album which makes it my turn to treat you." His gaze slid over to Hye-ja, then, and his eyes narrowed before sighing. "I'll pay for the hater, too," he added dramatically, flicking his wrist and slipping his card from his sleeve. When he had placed it there was unclear, as it was the arm with the scratches he'd shown off before.

He waited for Crow to accept the card—though whether he'd use it or not had yet to be seen—and then blinked up innocently at him. "See you in a second! We'll be here… Getting along." He clasped his hands together and leaned forward with a wide grin, gesturing with the slightest tilt of his head to Hye-ja.

Crow beams, it was obvious that he would rave about how wonderful his sister was to anyone that would listen. He adored her to no end. He nods, "Of course! I'll make sure to let her know." He missed Dahlia, she had been gone for almost a year now and it had only been the occasional packages and the gifts every once and a while. She said that once she returned from Ukraine she was going to spend a month home so that was a nice thought at least.

He let out a laugh when he heard Poe stutter at Hye-ja's response. "It's okay Poe. People have different tastes. As long as we can agree that country is… less than preferable then I think we're good." He was practically beaming when he was pulled into a hug, ruffling Poe's hair kindly before nodding. "Of course!!" Crow loved spoiling his friends. Especially Poe and Hye-ja since a) his family had been lucky enough to be well off for generations, and b) his sister tended to spoil him because of her absence. So he paid that luck and kindness forward. "As long as I get Chan I'm satisfied. I've got a couple albums that are still unopened." He chuckles faintly as he stood.

"Ah, no. I always pay." He puffed before pulling out his card. "Besides, I planned the lunch, did I not? Best for me to pay!" He blew a kiss to Poe before writing down in his phone what his friends wanted. "Besides, I enjoy treating you guys. Payment isn't necessary." He nods excitedly at his friends. He was incredibly glad that he had introduced the two, even if they were a bit at odds personality wise it would probably be fine!

With that he bounced off the grab lunch for the three of them.

Seeing Poe’s reaction made an uncontrollable smirk spread across Hye-ja’s face. “Pouting, are we? You K-pop stans really need to chill.”
But before long, the smirk faded. Watching Poe and Callum made them a little… jealous? Left out? At Poe’s offer, they raised an eyebrow, but let Callum insist on paying. Their eyes were still slightly narrowed, though, moving between the other two.
“You’re too kind, Crow,” they sighed. “We’ll be here, yes. Certainly.”

(Sorry for the brevity)