Archive of Our Own

Kaeki is what they called them, Kaelix finds out.

Which first of all—yum. It reminds him of the cheesecake he had the misfortune of leaving at the dorm, as their managers continued to whisk them to their busy schedules. On second thought, it might have already been dealt with by a certain Seible, which momentarily dampens his mood until the TikTok playing on his screen starts again, snapping him out of his trance.

KAELIX STAND UP LMFAOOO????? is blaring at the center of the video; a shaky footage of him and Uki bowing at each other. It was another end of an awards show, where idols circled around the stage an ramp to wave at their fans. Kaelix had held his breath when he saw NOCTYX closing in on them, steered by their leader, Alban Knox, in front. Uki Violeta was at the back, walking at a relaxed pace and taking his time to greet those at the very last row of the stadium.

He remembers he had heard Freo, Zeal, and Seible exchanging pleasantries with Alban and Sonny.

He even vaguely recalls himself thanking them for complimenting their stage, but his focus? Solely, completely zeroed in on Uki.

The video captured a mere five-second interaction they shared: Uki, now a few steps away from the rest of NOCTYX, responded to Kaelix' bow with a bow of his own, and reached out for his hand, which shook Kaelix to his core—a senior reaching out to him?! His eyes had widened, and his jaw dropped when Uki went as far as to tap his shoulder. Good job today, he had told him. Kaelix spluttered a reply (Thank you so much Uki Violeta, he had said, but the camera was not able to catch that) and scrambled off, tripping out of the frame.

Admittedly, it wasn't Kaelix' finest moment. Alban and Sonny gave them almost the same treatment, reaching out for their hand and complimenting them—but they're not Uki Violeta!

The same Uki Violeta pre-debut Kaelix fawned over. The same Uki Violeta he listened to on the bus to and from singing and dance practice. The same Uki Violeta that seems to be everyone's bias, or bias-in-law.

Again, wasn't the best Kaelix moment. But certainly not the worst! At least, he thought until he opened the comments.

bee 🐝
this was embarrassing asf jsjsjsjjsjsjsj HE WAS SO STARSTRUCK
08-20 Reply
    :p
    my shaylas… my kaeki
    08-20 Reply

    deli.a.a.900
    KAEKI OMFG…? IS THAT THEIR SHIP NAME
    08-20 Reply

kaelix' microphone | SAW BTB 03.01.25
HE LOOKS LIKE HE HAS A CRUSH ON UKI HAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHA
4min Reply

Anna Banana
Aww, poor Kaelix. He looked at Uki like he was god himself LOL xD Has he talked about Uki in the past?
07-19 Reply
    UKI UKI DAISUKI! 💜🔮
    he covered gnarly during his trainee days, but that was it, as far as i remember >_<
    07-19 Reply

    giga jan
    kae-chan rarely talks about idols who aren't in the same gen as him,,,,
    08-20 Reply

BTB IS FOUR | 💛❤️💚💙
100k words, actor x bodyguard au, angst, pining, uki is bad at feelings, slow burn, angst with a happy ending, WHOS GONNA WRITE THIS?????
06-20 Reply
    ophelia ;; stream Deja Vu
    girl over a 5 second video?
    5min Reply

    alban knox' baby daddy
    why dont u do it LOL
    1min Reply

Despite the horrifying realization that it was that bad, Kaelix finds himself intrigued at how a blip of their interaction was enough to snowball into a tiny community of shippers.

Thumb hovering over the #kaeki tag, Kaelix suddenly feels a presence beside him and he quickly clutches his phone nearer to his chest.

"Woah, it's me," Seible says from his left. "I know you read our fics, Kae-chan. No need to be so secretive— oh, ah, Uki Violeta?"

Kaelix nods, his phone now shoved into Seible's line of vision. "The people of TikTok say I am in love with him."

Seible snorts. "Why do you sound scared? You of all people should enjoy this. You are literally Y/N."

"I'm ignoring that last part," Kaelix cringes, pulling his phone back down to watch the video once again. "I don't look like I'm head over heels about him, do I?"

"You've managed to dodge every opportunity to word vomit 'bout Uki in all of your lives. Nobody knows you were-er, are, obsessed with him," Freo's voice materializes from his back. Kaelix turns around to find him leaning on the counter, a sheet mask plastered on his face, and a tablet on one handd.

And who invited Freo, really?!

Kaelix whines, kicking the air pathetically. "He greeted me and I wasn't ready. I wanted to kneel before his presence."

"Oh, Jesus," Seible exhaled.

"Do not let him near Uki alone," Freo warns Seible, lazily scrolling on his own device.

"He's so pretty," Kaelix sobs.

Maybe his fans were right—Kaelix stand up LMFAO.

Kaelix' first mistake was thinking the entire Kaeki debacle would die down after awards season.

To give Seible credit, he kept to his word and glued himself onto Kaelix' side during the end of every show, providing enough small talk to prevent Kaelix from opening his mouth and potentially spilling out a horrifying confession, like how a collection of Uki photocards from debut to current comeback sits in an album under Kaelix' bed. No biggie.

Of course, Kaelix should have expected that once someone crackles a spark towards a certain ship, however niche it is, a community is going to pick it up and make content for it. Regardless how rare or how peculiar it was. Kaelix should know this, he has been in this industry for two and a half years, knows how fandoms move like the back of his hand. He just certainly did not expect it to happen to him? Not with his bias nonetheless.

His TikTok feed that consisted of incomprehensible memes, cat videos, and farming/planting tips and tricks, now had the occasional Kaeki sprinkle between them.

Since, other than them bowing at each other, nobody has anything to go by, he discovers that everyone scrabbles to make their own moments for themselves. Slideshows of Uki and Kaelix wearing the same clothes, fan-art, and the like. It feels surreal to see him being linked with a senior, not when he has never entertained the possibility of getting shipped with him anytime in his idol lifetime.

The second mistake is letting his guard down in front of fans.

It starts with a fan call.

"Kae-chan, I hope you aren't overworking yourself," a tinny voice rings through his earphones, and Kaelix pouts, clutching his heart.

"Oh, you're so sweet," he says, genuinely. "I'm fine, really! I have my boys with me, they make everything easier."

The fan beams at the mention of BTB, eager to find out that her favorite group loves each other off-cam as much as they do on-cam. They look up at something on the screen, and begins rushing the words: "I love you guys so much, sorry. I had a lot to say but I completely blanked out. Can I ask a question? Who do you like most in Noctyx?"

And that throws Kaelix off guard. Fans ask them about groups of the same generation as theirs—Denauth, TTT, Krisis, especially since Seible is close with Ryoma and Claude, Freo was spotted once with Vanta in a PC bang, and Zeal's good friends with Klara, who also was his co-host in MCountdown before. Rare do they ask about the seniors, with mostly BTB mentioning them only when asked what their audition songs were.

Kaelix can almost smell the ulterior move here.

"Noctyx?" Kaelix giggles nervously. "They're all so handsome, though!"

"Yeah, but, if you had a...bias, who would it be? Who's the most handsome?"

Kaelix clears his throat, looks up at the timer blinking 0:10 seconds on top of his screen. "Uki Violeta is really pretty, no?"

The call cuts just in time for Kaelix to hear the fan squeal. He hears Zeal snicker beside him ("No, sorry, continue, I wasn't laughing at you," he tells the fan).

Well, yes! He was laughing at Kaelix' misery. But before he could play footsie with him, a call connects on his end, and another teary-eyed fan fills his screen.

He could only hope no one makes a big deal out of it.

vee @hzbeet
250930 yzy fancall

hi i'm sorry i had to ask LMFKDODJDKS

#KAELIX #KAELIX_BTB #BYTHEBEAT

6:37 PM • 08/30/2025 • 646.5k views

          cherié @seifuris
          NO FUCKING WAY VEE ARE YOU KIDSING ME
          vee @hzbeet
          @seifuris CHER IM SO SERIOUS IM STILL SHAKINGPLEPSLROFMG

         🎣 fish @ginjonkers
          HHESAID PRETTY WHAHDHJRNFJEJRNR??????????
          vee @hzbeet
          @ginjokers i said who was handsome and he was quick to correct me. uki's PRETTY 🙄

          Pie @kaelixsoty
          Hi, please refrain from being weird in fancalls. Kaelix is cleary uncomfortable.
          vee @hzbeet
          @kaelixsoty bruh whos uncomfortable ?! He was literally laughing at my reaction.

          stella @exenani
          Hey non oomf did u knw uki played btb's song on his live yesterday and harmonized to his lines only
          vee @hzbeet
          @exenani WHSG THE AVTUAL FUCK

Kaelix finds himself in another situation of sorts, one Tuesday night.

He currently has gathered all of BTB in the living room, sitting in a circle on the floor with his phone in the middle. Freo's manager walked in on them in this position and slowly backed away, too scared to ask any questions.

"Um," Seible says. "It wasn't that bad."

Zeal snorts.

"Ginjoka, please," Freo sighs, massaging his temples. "And, yes, Seible. It's that bad. Kaelix just posted an Instagram story in the group's account with an Uki puppet visible on the side."

"Can you please stop saying it? Please? We get it!" Kaelix whines, burying his head in his hands. "I'm sorry! I didn't think it would be seen!"

"Furi-chan, Uki's face wasn't even seen," Seible, bless his heart, counters.

"That doesn't matter," Zeal shakes his head. "I'm pretty sure a fan would recognize the doll's legs from a mile away."

"Stop provoking him," Freo hisses.

In all honestly, Kaelix feels like he's with Seible on this, not because he's trying to get out of this situation unscathed!

It's just, it wasn't that bad, really! Kaelix had just posted a picture of his bag, as he wanted to showcase his growing collection of keychains, ranging from a funny BTB-related one, to a random Zelda acrylic keychain. The Uki puppet was in the vicinity because, well...he was just curious what it looked like; Uki in a sea of all his keychains hanging off his bag. He removed it immediately, placed it on the side, snapped a picture, and shared it on Instagram; not knowing that the doll's leg was peeking from the side. It was deleted immediately, anyway, and the doll's leg was too short for it to be recognizable.

But...was it? God, Zeal also makes a good point.

"Can you post a thirst trap to distract the fans?" Kaelix says, instead, poking Zeal's knee. "C'mon. I'll look for a TikTok inspiration. The people need to see your abs."

"No."

"I just don't think it's a big deal. So what! Just don't say anything and it'll die down," Seible shrugs. "Or we sneak into Noctyx' dorm and blow up Uki's phone."

"Kaelix," Freo starts, sitting up straight now. "What's done is done. We're all going to brush it off and maybe surrender the group account's access to our managers. We need to…take precautions, um. Even on Twitter."

"God, not twitter! I don't want to sound like an AI techbot."

"Okay, no Twitter," Seible nods. "I can make that happen. But please don't engage with anything inconspicuous, okay? No liking anything related to this."

"Oh god, the Kaeki shippers," Kaelix shudders.

"The Kaeki shippers," Seible nods, solemnly. "They know."

He learns one thing that night: No Uki Violeta paraphernalia should be on site when he's on idol mode, regardless if he's in public or not.

🔴uwuki started their LIVE : late night song writing, accompany me? 𓂃🖊 [MEMBER-ONLY STREAM]

"Hello," Uki's waves at the camera briefly, gracing their fans with a warm smile.

A dressed-down Uki Violeta fills the screen. A member-only stream for Uki means a casual one, often used when he just wanted some company while working. This also meant that there was no pressure to give out fan service, nor act like a typical perfect idol, hence the look. Seated in front of thirty-five thousand viewers is Uki in the studio sitting on their trusty purple gaming chair, in just his favorite cozy hoodie, joggers, and glasses perched up on his nose.

Weirdly enough, this is Uki's most popular kind of Weverse live, as fans really enjoy seeing him just...being himself. And not trying to act like an idol. 

It's also sacred to him since fans really-surprisingly-really respect the "member-only" label, only talking about what goes on in the live privately, instead of clipping/transcribing them on public posts.

"It'll just be a chill live, everyone," Uki's voice floats above the Lamp's Hatachi no Koi, which was playing in the background. "I couldn't sleep so I'm gonna try to work on songs. It's also been a while so...let's catch up? What are you guys up to?"

A flurry of chatters flood Uki's screen, and he tries to chat with them as much as they could. Some try to get a spoiler of the next comeback from him, some fawn over his looks, some try to guess what his next hair color would be, and some just blatantly beg for an aegyo. 

Uki's eyes quickly skim over the chat, and a laugh bubbles out of his mouth. "Hey, no, I just like collecting puppets. Wait- you see them? You've got sharp eyes." He looks behind him, at his...K-Pop shrine, of sorts. It's no secret that Uki's a big fan of K-Pop, what with him having a growing collection of (mostly) girl groups' albums and lightsticks. "But, yes, I've had to fight to get the limited-edition Elira one."

"Hm," Uki looks up at the ceiling, recalling his purchases. "Ah, yeah. Do you guys know By the Beat? They just released their papes. My Kaelix just arrived today, I had to order him separately because you guys literally swept through the entire stock."

A month passes by and Kaelix feels like he could breathe better than before. Seeing Uki Violeta on his timeline no longer jumpscares him, and the thought of waking up with a Panchoa article of his collection being exposed does not cross his mind nor his dreams.

Kaeki also wanes from his TikTok feed, which settles the weird feeling in his stomach.

It's also been a month since their puppets were released, and Kaelix finds it weird that their puppet collection had been sold out twice. First, during the week of the release, which was honestly expected given the hype and pre-order frenzy. The second time, however, was two weeks after the first time it got sold out. They tried to reason out that it was just their fans who weren't able to snag their puppets on the first order period, but it never really happened in the weeks after. Honestly, Kaelix thinks it was as if someone had promoted them once again, but who?

It was probably a fandom-wide effort, which he's grateful for.

So, really, there's no need for him to make this tweet. He just saw something in his timeline that made him laugh.

turbo bleep 🍮 @censorsheep
guys I got my btb pape wtf do I do with it fhjgdhfjkl

07:09 PM • 10/05/2025 • 167 views

And, he doesn't take offense to it. Finds it funny, even, because they kind of have a point. Other than being something to display, there's really no concrete use of it. But that doesn't mean he can't find humor in it, hence the tweet:

Kaelix Debonair @KaelixDebonair
17 things you could do with your kaelix debonair puppet™️
1. put him in a little dress and have a tea party
2. vacuum seal him & tape him to the wall
3. bring him to your favorite restaurant
4. encase him in resin & hide him in a geocache
5. give him a little kiss
6. take a bite

11:13 AM • 10/05/2025 • 3.5k views

Kaelix barely thinks much of it, immediately getting swallowed by his tight schedule consisting of back-to-back tapings, dragged from backstages to backstages, recordings for their next comeback, and his poorly scheduled mini catch-up with friends. By the end of the night, he finds himself sinking into his bed, savoring the soft cushion enveloping his tired bones, a perfectly charged phone on-hand, mindlessly scrolling.

It seems, however, that fate's plans for him does not include rest, as he finds himself pausing on a tweet on his timeline.

In the middle of his screen is no other than Uki Violeta. Uki Violeta from NOCTYX. Replying to his Kaelix Debonair puppet tweet.

Uki Violeta @uki_violeta
@KaelixDebonair I'm going to bring him with me to bed so he can protect me while I sleep 💜

03:03 PM • 10/05/2025 • 10.8k views

Like any sane person, he lets his phone slide out of his hands to cup his mouth, poorly trying to contain the pathetic combination of a scream and whimper to spill out his lips. 

"Oh my god," Kaelix gasps out. "No, no, no, this is not real."

He quickly makes a grab of his phone to look at the tweet and it's still there, unmoving. The number of retweets and likes still in motion, as if mocking him. What the hell does he do now. No, actually, what does Uki's reply mean? Why do they have a Kaelix Debonair puppet in the first place? Is he mocking him? Did he see all the Kaeki posts?

On second thought, he might have seen the posts, and is riding the publicity. Which, okay. Cool. Coooool. Yes, of course. They're in the entertainment industry! Haha. No need to get all personal about it. He should learn how to separate Kaelix Debonair the idol versus Kaelix Debonair who had Uki Violeta as his top Spotify artist as a trainee.

Kaelix Debonair @KaelixDebonair
@uki_violeta 🫨🫨🫨

12:12 AM • 10/06/2025 • 2.2k views

There. That's...nonchalant...unbothered enough...right? Ha...ha... 

Almost immediately, his phone buzzes as the notification of Uki DMing him pops up at the top of his screen. In panic, he taps the notification which brings him to their DM thread. God, they have a DM thread?!

Uki Violeta
hello
[IMG ATTACHED: Kaelix puppet tucked into bed, his little arms and head peeking out of the duvet]

 

Kaelix Debonair
,
sorry
hi!!
i hope kae-pape is serving its purpose <33 is he taking care of u properly?

Uki Violeta
ofc
i think he learned from the best
sorry for barging into your dms, hehe. i hope u have a good night.

Kaelix Debonair
its all good!!!!
You can barge in anytime haha!!!!
my dms are open hahaha
goob night, uki!

Uki Violeta
hahaha.
goob night, kaelix.

And…what?

What just happened?

He needs to consult the council.

“Hm.” Zeal taps his lips, peering at the screen thoughtfully. “It looks…safe. Like friendly enough to be considered not romantic, but also flirty enough to be like…hey, if you want to take this somewhere else we could.”

Kaelix said he needed a council. But not this kind, the kind that forces you to mirror your phone screen to the living room TV and dissect the messages one by one. Only BTB is insane enough to do this, and Kaelix is even more mental to allow this.

“He likes you,” Seible shrugs. As if it’s that simple.

“It’s not that simple,” Freo counters, cradling a mug full of coffee. He’s staying late for this, how noble. “Some people just have a quote unquote flirty way with words. We shouldn’t assume.”

“Yeah, but we could consider the options,” Seible nods. “And one of the options is that he likes you. I mean—come on!” Seible taps at the TV, at the purple heart exactly.

“Personally, I don’t think it’s something you should fret about. Just go with the flow,” Zeal concludes.

“Mm,” Freo nods. “It’s too early for us to think about the what ifs.”

“I’m literally going insane,” Kaelix says, deadpan. “The worms in my brains are eating through my neurons overthinking this.”

Seible pats his head. “Poor baby.”

Kaelix swats his hands, groaning. “I just hate feeling like this. Like I’m supposed to know what he wants from me from a single DM. I feel like there’s something I’m missing and it’s driving me crazy.”

“That’s why we’re asking you to let it go and to not overthink it,” Freo replies. “You wouldn’t want to be with anyone who can’t be upfront with their feelings. You literally love it when you know what’s in our minds.”

"I think we're missing another incredibly major point here," Seible pipes, tapping at the TV screen once again. "He has a Kaelix puppet. Who he apparently makes sure is safe, comfy, and tucked into bed, by the way. Hey, I'm not saying we should overthink this, but I think this is a big indicator of...something...!"

"Okay, Seible," Freo warns, gently. 

"Right, no big deal," Seible backs off, mouth pursed in surrender.

With BTB's reassurance, Kaelix finds himself mellowing out from the initial panic he had worked himself up into. Freo's right, he shouldn't really dwell on a single (their very first) conversation. Uki himself doesn't seem to mind, if the fact that they messaged Kaelix literally out of the blue just to show Kae-pape cozying it out in his bed. 

But the cherry on top is: it happens again.

And again.

And again.

Kaelix finds that Uki invades his notifications more than his manager does, which says a lot. It starts with the morning after that, where Uki's DM catches Kaelix mid-schedule; a simple, inocuous text letting him know that he hopes he has a good day. He allowed himself a good five seconds to stare at the text, until he was scolded by his make-up artist to close his eyes.

After his schedule, he replied. A polite 'good morning, Uki! You too' was all he could conjure after an hour of overthinking. Kaelix still doesn't know what to make of it, expecting that Uki was just being…well, nice? Friendly? Is this an invitation of sorts to get closer with each other?

Turns out, Kaelix need not to overthink, as Uki's consistency with texting him at random times of the day prove to be the answer to his question—Uki does want to get close. Kaelix realizes that the Kae-pape incident was Uki's way to open up the floodgates of their conversations.

Seeing Uki in his notifs continuously caught him off guard until…it didn't. Until a week has passed and Uki has established themselves as a welcomed part of Kaelix' routine. And that's when he finds himself in a never ending conversation with Uki.

MONDAY | 04:33 AM

Uki Violeta
good morning to you
and good evening from italy
here's my dinner
[IMG ATTACHED: dimly lit photo of Uki's bolognese dish, presumably in a restaurant, given the cutlery and candles]

Kaelix Debonair
fancyyyy
i bet mine's better

Uki Violeta
mmmno
you wouldn't say that if you've tasted mine <3

Kaelix Debonair
if you weren't halfway across the world i'll invite you to prove a point
but alas. woe is me

Uki Violeta
you'd let a few thousand miles stop you?
chivalry is dead

Kaelix Debonair
i believe that distance makes the heart grow fonder

Uki Violeta
you'll rlly cook for me?

Kaelix Debonair
if you'd want!! i make a mean mac and cheese

Uki Violeta
LMAO
wait do u even know how to make bolognese

Kaelix Debonair
ummmmm
with the right teacher sure

Uki Violeta
okay :)
i'll let you know when i'm back in korea
you better not be bullshitting me kaelix debonair!!!

Kaelix Debonair
GASP
i would NEVER
i live with BTB though

Uki Violeta
i love btb
my bias is zeal

Kaelix Debonair
you can't fool me
your favorite is clearly the Kaelix puppet

Uki Violeta
or is it

Kaelix Debonair
you hate meeeeeeeeeeeeee

TUESDAY | 09:20 PM

Kaelix Debonair
do you like cheese

Uki Violeta
i love cheese

Kaelix Debonair
yum

SUNDAY | 03:03PM

Uki Violeta
hello
i know something you don't

Kaelix Debonair
?????
it's 2 in the morning here

Uki Violeta
omg! sorry, good morning!! it's 4pm here

Kaelix Debonair
what do u know

Uki Violeta
do you like me?
i mean! you've liked us??? noctyx????

Kaelix Debonair
oh my god where did u see this
UKI
WHAT DID U FIND

Uki Violeta
something something kaelix debonair auditioning with children of the stars
you're soooo cute :)

Kaelix Debonair
STOP WATCHING

Uki Violeta
but you're adorableee

Kaelix Debonair
ok fine i did like you pre-debut
like. OKAY 🙄 u were my bias

Uki Violeta
wahhh ;w;
i'm honored
but rlly? why me lol

Kaelix Debonair
allow me to have my secrets uki violeta :D
u will know in time

TODAY | 12:02AM

Uki Violeta
you strike me as someone who loves sunflowers

Kaelix Debonair
how'd you come up with that!!!
but you're correct <3 i do love sunflowers

Uki Violeta
is it true that they lean towards the sun? 

Kaelix Debonair
they follow the sun, yes
and grow towards the light

Uki Violeta
huh
i'd never consider myself as a type of any "sun" variation
but i kinda get sunflowers. kinda hard not to gravitate towards the warmth of the sun, no?
these days, i've been relating a lot to them :)

Kaelix tries not to think too much about it still, Freo's words still ringing as a reminder in his head. However, the flirting doesn't go past him. The good thing is he doesn't freeze up anymore once Uki drops a flirty text; instead, he learns how to ride it! He cannot promise that he wouldn't blush or giggle or tuck his hair behind his ear, but what's important is he sounds calm and collected on screen.

So far, he hasn't embarrassed himself. Honestly, if you ask Kaelix, he learns that it's hard to embarrass yourself with Uki. In the days that they've been texting back and forth, slipping in a comfortable and casual routine, Uki has been nothing but a comforting, safe space for him. Uki jives with his weird memes, laughs at his silly jokes, and matches his energy. On the other hand, Kaelix finds that Uki's not as intimidating as he thinks he was; instead, they're easy to laughter, and is...so...cute?

God, okay. He knows Uki is cute, visually. NOCTYX had cute concepts before, Uki has also done his fair share of aegyo in variety shows, too. But this cuteness he allows Kaelix to see is so cat-like it almost hurts. Makes him want to take cover for Uki and shield him from the world. 

Uki has always spoken to the world that they were a bad bitch, and Kaelix would never deny that, but he's learned that Uki is a bad bitch that requires constant cuddles and affirmations.

Again, cute.

Today, he finds himself in Japan with Freo for some contract signing and brand shoots/advertisements. Both of them thought their schedules would be unrelenting, but surprisingly, their agendas had cleared on their fifth day, making some free time for them. He was going to accompany Freo to cafe-hop, but realized he'd much prefer to walk around and feel the November breeze. 

He settles in a park, making himself comfortable on a bench shaded by a big tree. Almost immediately, a cat hops beside him, staring at him intently. It makes him smile, his heart automatically making it about Uki.

"You remind me of someone," he says to the cat, who's still busy scanning him.

A buzz from his jacket makes the cat's stare break, meowing at the offending device. 

"Ah, speak of the devil," Kaelix says, an even bigger smile stretching on his face. "They're calling." He says to the cat, almost like it was a secret.

Kaelix accepts the call and giddily waits for it to connect.

"Hi," he hears Uki say on the other line, voice deep and scratchy from sleep.

"Good morning, Uki," he chirps, watching as the cat hops off the bench, probably offended that his attention is no longer on it.

"G'morning," Uki pauses to yawn. "I had the craziest dream."

"Oh?" Kaelix laughs softly. "Do tell."

"Okay," they drawl out, voice closing into a whisper. "Imagine, baby Kaelix,"

"Oh god," Kaelix groans. "Where is this going, Uki."

"Baby Kaelix," Uki giggles, still drunk in sleep. "And it's his audition tape. And he sings my song."

"Ukiii," Kaelix wails. "That's not- I wasn't a baby. I was 19."

Kaelix' mind flashes to his audition roll, his god-awful side part, scrawny build, and an even more abominable posture. He remembers how nervous he was, giggling in between his introduction. All he could think about was how many rejections he had faced before this, and how this could potentially be the defining event in his life, what with agencies barely considering 20-year-olds as potential talents to debut.

"Proves my point," Uki says, snapping him back to reality. "Sorry, I feel asleep amidst being in the BTB rabbithole."

"I hope Kaelix six years later is more adorable than the abomination you saw."

Uki's quiet for a while, and Kaelix lets them be. Enjoys the sound of skin snuggling even further into the sheets.

"Definitely prefer Kaelix now, hopefully I see him in person, though, just not through calls and chats," Uki says softly.

"You make it seem like I don't wanna!" Kaelix replies. "We need to line up our schedules."

"Or I could go there. Wherever you are."

"How romantic," Kaelix rolls his eyes. "Wait-you're serious?"

"Maybe," Uki replies, ominously. "Only to claim all the cuddles I was promised through text."

Kaelix huffs out a laugh. "Yeah? All men just want one thing and it's disgusting."

"Are you telling me everything was a lie?" Uki says, a pout evident in his voice. "And here I thought you were being completely honest with me. Do you even know how to make mac and cheese?"

"You're so dramatic," Kaelix says, almost sounding convincing if not for the cheesy grin in his face. "And greedy. You already have Kae-pape."

Uki hums. "And I'm telling you out of all the Kaelix variations in the world, I kinda prefer the current one. Current human one."

"Are you flirting with me?" Kaelix mumbles.

"Are you just noticing now?" Uki counters. "Do I really need to fly there?"

"Agh," Kaelix groans, closing his eyes and letting his head fall back. "You're killing me here."

"Kaelix, I slid into your DMs a god-awful amount of times," Uki's soft voice giggles. "Was that not an…indicator, of sorts?"

"I didn't want to assume!"

"All I wanted for you was to assume," Uki continues, still laughing. "Seriously, where are you? I'll fly to you."

"Stop," Kaelix says. "Will you still be in Korea tomorrow?"

"Yeah."

"Okay," Kaelix breathes out. "Okay. Do you want to go out with me?"

Kaelix can't see Uki, but he sure as hell can imagine the smile on his face. "Yes."

Kaelix' last shot to fame was his audition to NIJISANJI Ent. As someone who has trained and consistently auditioned since 15, he knew that that was his only chance to debuting in a group. So his nerves were all over the place, constantly reminding him of the fact that he can't mess this up.

Nothing could compare to what he's feeling right now, seated across Uki Violeta, a random Wednesday afternoon at his and BTB's favorite tteokbokki stall.

"Relax," Uki says. Oh my god, he's really in front of him.

"Right," Kaelix winces. "Sorry, I had something completely different planned. I didn't know our kitchen was under renovation."

Uki waves him off. "No, it's okay, really. It's still cozy."

It really isn't. Right now, the auntie selling tteokbokki has her phone in full volume as she watches her drama. There were a few students nearby laughing at each other, and there are other signs of life and people around. Not to mention that they're not in the most...romantic of places. 

But Kaelix appreciates the thought.

"I thought you'd be different in real life," Kaelix admits. "But you're…just the same."

"Is that a bad thing?"

Kaelix shakes his head, digging into his bowl of tteokbokki. "No," he says. "I'm just observing."

"Observing your bias?" Uki replies, a shit-eating grin on his face.

"Oh here we go," Kaelix huffs, despite the blush on his cheeks. "You didn't even wait before bringing that up."

"I knew you'd blush," Uki laughs. "I had to. You do wonders to my pride, y'know?"

Kaelix knows very much. "I mean, it doesn't take much to admire you."

"Huh?"

"You're really talented, Uki," Kaelix says, honestly. "And pretty. But it doesn't take a lot to learn that everything you are right now's a result of your persistence to be heard in this industry. You had to fight for what you have."

Uki stays silent, head tilted in curiosity, staring at Kaelix.

Kaelix, who feels like the ground should swallow him after what he just said. Not even an hour into the date and he already is admitting how horrendously down bad he is for Uki.

"Huh," Uki says after a beat of silence. "Thank you."

"Um-"

"You so have a crush on me," Uki adds on playfully.

"Says you?"

"I've been very honest with you, Kaelix," Uki shrugs. "It's your fault for not seeing it."

Kaelix rolls his eyes. "You talked about me in a members only live. I like you, but it doesn't mean I'm updated with everything you do."

"Ouch," Uki clutches his chest. "First date and you're already showing your true colors."

"I have a job too, Uki!"

Uki shakes his head. "If he wanted to, he would. You didn't see all the times I liked tweets from your fansites?"

"You—what?" Kaelix exclaims. "Why would you do that?!"

"Hey, I know what I like," Uki says. "I'm not afraid to be messy on main."

Kaelix gasps at the admission. "Please tell me you've not done anything else other than that."

"I will neither confirm nor deny," Uki grins, popping a mini sausage into his mouth. He's silent as he chews, until: "No, I mean. People just thought it was an accident. Normal people, anyway."

Kaelix nods in understanding. "So what I'm hearing is that you're as bad as I am."

"I mean," Uki replies. "Look at you. I'd be crazy not to be."

Kaelix looks down at his own plate to hide the blush in his cheeks.

"We'd be happy to have you on our server," Kaelix says, voice bursting with enthusiasm. "I didn't know you also liked playing games."

"I'm not that vocal with it," Uki shakes his head. "Minecraft's pretty much what I do when I don't want to think about our job."

Kaelix watches Uki as he mumbles out his reply. The chilly, cold air of early November has mussed Uki's hair up similar to a sophisticated, highly architectural bird's nest, and it tugs on his heart for a second.

They had decided to walk for a bit after eating, their plates piling up as they had ordered portions after portions of tteokbokki and fishcake. With the freezing breeze, they have no choice but to huddle up as much as they could, their clothed arms brushing against each other as they swing back and forth.

A car zooms past behind Uki, messing up their hair more.

"I wanna see your builds," Kaelix says, gently guiding Uki to his side of the sidewalk, so it's him who's on the side of the cars instead of Uki. He's a big guy anyway. "Bet they're really pretty."

Uki bites back a smile, and instead of allowing Kaelix to drop his hold on their arm, he circles his arm around Kaelix', pulling him closer. "What a gentleman."

Kaelix lets out an embarrassed giggle, willing himself to relax. "These people do not know how to drive."

"Mm," Uki hums. "Good thing I got my knight and shining armor with me, yes?"

"Whatever would you do without me," Kaelix sighs playfully.

The walk to Uki's car was a quiet affair. If not for the cars passing by, all the two would hear are their feet dragging through the ground, and the occasional murmurs of conversations. Uki stays snuggled on his side, and Kaelix learns that he enjoys Uki's presence beside him—his clean scent wafting through the air, his warm hands currently intertwined with his, and their sweet voice gracing his ears.

That's why surrendering him to the confinement of their car was a bit difficult for Kaelix.

"I've got to go," Uki says, making no move to remove himself from Kaelix.

"Mm," Kaelix says, squeezing their hands. "You have to."

Uki looks up at him, rests their chin on his shoulder. "You have to let go of me at some point," he laughs.

Kaelix returns their look. "Can I see you again tomorrow?"

"Depends on how busy you are, Mister Big Shot."

Kaelix pretends to ponder on it, briefly looking up as if to calculate his schedule. "Think I could clear up an entire day, just because you're my bias."

Uki's giggle does wonders to the butterflies in his stomach. "Ah, yes, bias rights."

"Mm," Kaelix nods. "Text me when you get home?"

Uki breaks their gaze, shaking his head at how silly they look. "You too," he replies, already pulling away.

"Wait," Kaelix says, gently tugging on Uki's arm to pull him closer in front of him.

"Hm?"

Before Kaelix could second guess himself, he tugs Uki closer and envelopes him into a hug, resting his chin on top of Uki's head as they swing together.

"Just one for the road," Kaelix says.

"You smell really good," Uki says, and Kaelix could feel their face burying deeper into the crook of his neck.

Kaelix allows himself a second before he releases Uki from the hug. "And you need to get home."

"This night wouldn't end if we keep holding each other," they say, lighthearted. Uki starts untangling himself from Kaelix for good, and Kaelix already misses their warmth.

"I'll see you tomorrow," Kaelix promises, as he watches Uki get into his car.

Uki grins. "I'll text you."

"So, um," Seible says.

They're back in the living room, all four gawking at the TV as Seible screenshares his phone.

Zeal's barely contained laughter continues to break the silence. "Wow."

Freo scrubs his face with his hands roughly.

"Well," Kaelix claps his hands. "That is us alright."

Koreaboo @Koreaboo
Dispatch Exposes Two Famous KPop Idols Wrapped In An Intimate Embrace At The Back Of A Parking Lot

07:08 PM • 11/11/2025 • 167 views

"They made it sound so sleazy," Seible observes.

"It was romantic!" Kaelix pouts, 

"Can we please...talk about... how this happened?" Freo cuts right through their impending squabble. "Seible, I thought I told you not to leave him alone with Uki."

"I can't get between true love, Furi!"

"Hey, they look really good, though. You have to admit," Zeal comments.

"Thank you, Zeal!" Kaelix exclaims. "Freo, you are not invited to the wedding."

"You'll need me to design your suit," Freo sighs. "It looks like you're okay with it...so, did you guys make it official?"

"Nope," Kaelix beams. "That's our first date."

Freo closes his eyes momentarily. "Ay, I'm gonna have a heart attack."

"Oooh, Kaelix' first situationship," Seible grins.

"Do not call it that, Seible!"