1275 days ago
After that first meeting, Kiolle didn't push. That wasn't his style. Not anymore. Instead, he made himself available. He even registered as a member and booked the next studio room. It made the perfect excuse to watch them, and maybe he could go back to composing, he could use a career that needed no education.
He lingered at their rehearsals, pretending to just be nearby. He offered to fetch coffee during studio sessions, brought the right drink for the right person—no sugar for Eldrin, oat milk for Briar, protein shakes for Loran and so on. Nothing big. Just… little things. He made himself useful. Harmless.
It was Briar who cracked first. The bright-eyed youngest with the fastest smile. "Hey, do you wanna sit in on one of our recordings you are always here but never stay to listen to us sing?" he asked one day, mid-break, towel flopped over his head and grin as open as the sun.
Kiolle blinked, the warmth radiating off that statement caught him off guard. He wasn't used to kindness. He also hadn't planned for Briar to be so… likable. "Only if that's okay," he replied with his most carefully measured shyness. "I don't want to interrupt."
Eldrin glanced over from the booth; gaze cool but not unkind. "It's a free studio. Up to you." That was all Kiolle needed, the in he had been waiting for.
He sat quietly the first few times, making mental notes. Their weaknesses. Their tells. The way Loran's left shoulder stiffened during falsettos. How Corin was always one beat behind Eldrin, but one step ahead of everyone else. How Deon never met anyone's eyes for more than a few seconds. And how Eldrin was always carrying the group.
Eventually, someone handed Kiolle a mic. Just as a joke. But he took it. Sang four lines from their new song in a voice that could tear skin from bone if he wanted it to. The room went still.
"…Damn," Corin muttered first, smiling like it wasn't a threat.
"Where the hell did you learn to sing like that?" Briar breathed.
Kiolle smiled, sheepish. Harmless. "I just… practiced. A lot. I mean, you see me here most of the time too. I'm not just here to see you guys you know" He answered voice gradually getting smaller as he talked.
Eldrin was silent for a long moment. Then spoke, "Show up again tomorrow. Maybe we can practice together."
Weeks Passed. Then a Month. Then Two. They started calling him in casual passing. He started showing up early. Staying late, joining them in their music practice and recordings, they were a small unknown band by then but they clearly had talent.
Someone joked about buying him a Staff jacket, and Briar did it unironically. And somehow, without realizing when or how it happened, Kiolle became a member of their small band.
Officially? No. Not yet. They had yet to ask that from him and he didn't want to impose nor force himself in.
But the moment Eldrin handed him a lyric sheet and said, "This part's yours," Kiolle knew. He was in.
He watched Corin's smile tighten.
Loran's gaze linger longer.
Deon narrowed his eyes for a moment too long, he could tell something was off, but didn't know what.
But Briar beamed like he'd won a prize, and Eldrin...
Eldrin didn't smile much, but when he did, it was worth more than gold, more than blood, more than all the power Kiolle had ever chased. Eldrin didn't know it yet, but Kiolle would make himself indispensable.
No one else would see the dark parts. The hunger. The past. The manipulation curling like smoke behind his every "oops" and "I'm just lucky." He'd be what they needed. He'd become what Eldrin needed. And when the time came?
He'd make sure nothing stood between them. Not even Nyxx.
1138 days ago
The moment the studio door shut behind Kiolle who had just left the room, leaving only Loran and Corin, Loran's lips curled. He leaned against the sound proofed wall, arms folded, eyes fixed on the last spot Kiolle had stood just seconds ago.
"…You saw that too, right?" he asked, voice low and tinged with amusement.
Corin, perched lazily on the edge of the couch, didn't need to ask what he meant. "The voice or the passion?"
"No," Loran smirked, tongue flicking against the inside of his cheek. "The waist."
Corin snorted, tossing a waterbottle at him. "You're insatiable."
"Don't act like you didn't notice. He's cute. Skittish. Like one of those street kittens that hiss even when they want to be pet."
Corin rolled his eyes, though the corner of his mouth lifted slightly. "And you want to take that home?"
"I want to see how fast he purrs when the hissing stops."
A beat passed. Corin simply unimpressed and bored. Then, more seriously, Loran turned to him, sharpness glittering beneath the lazy grin. "He's gonna be trouble."
Corin didn't answer right away. His gaze drifted toward the now-empty mic stand Kiolle had just used. There was something off about him. Something polished, too polished. Like someone who had studied them all too well and wanted to be well liked. But then again, Corin was used to masks. He wore one himself. And Kiolle hadn't slipped. Not even once.
"Should we keep an eye on him?" he asked.
Loran shrugged. "Of course. But maybe from underneath first."
Corin gave him a look, half amused, half warning. "You're going to ruin everything if you go full heat-hound again. Don't forget this is a group. Not your own personal harem."
Loran chuckled. "I'm not stupid. He's new. He wants to fit in. I'll just… nudge him in the right direction."
"And if he bites?" Corin asked.
Loran's grin grew wider. "Then I'll enjoy the scar. Besides, he's just a kitten, he couldn't possibly cause any harm to me"
Corin just hummed, not giving him another word.
Later That Night
In the privacy of their shared suite, Corin leaned against the doorframe of Loran's room, watching him scroll through rehearsal footage on his tablet. Rewatching Kiolle's performance. Again. "You're already obsessed."
Loran didn't look up. "I'm interested."
"There's a difference?"
A hum. "He's interesting."
Corin stepped further in. His voice softened, but there was an edge in it now—one only Loran would recognize. "You want him."
"I want a lot of things," Loran replied, finally looking up. "Doesn't mean I'll break them." Then paused staring at Corin's full lips. "Or leave you"
Corin moved beside him, gaze flicking across the paused video—Kiolle mid-step, eyes shining under stage lights, lips parted like he had just finished a note. "He's dangerous," Corin murmured.
"Maybe," Loran admitted. "But I've tamed worse."
Corin leaned down, brushed a casual kiss on Loran's temple, and murmured: "Just don't forget who has your leash."