Note: Inspired from a daemon!AU of Nirvana in Fire on AO3. I’m too lazy to think of any names, hence the use of familiar names and direct translation of random Korean words, lol. This is a very lazy writing, so the ending is kinda...???

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Daemons are really the exact reflection of oneself, Dongwoo thinks on one fine evening.

Sungyeol’s daemon has settle very early during his teenage years, he has heard. The golden retriever represents Sungyeol whole being, with it’s free and playful character. Everytime the member calls Sungyeol asking his whereabout, the two are always somewhere else travelling together and trying out new things.

He recalls back when Sungyeol badly want to try water skiing for the first time, but Aga (weird name, but it used to be so cute like a baby back then when it was still small, he had seen the picture) who was afraid of water, flat out refused and stubbornly stayed with Sae under the shades, not wanting its paw to touch the salty fluid.

Sungyeol, who had not yet to master the art of parting with his daemon at that time, had to pretend he slipped from the board and drowned, but that did not make Aga falter. Byeol had to transform into a dolphin to save him. Dongwoo remembers the sour expression on Sungyeol’s face when the daemon dragged him onto the surface, not liking the fact that his own daemon would not risk its trivial dislike to save its significant other.

Sunggyu who was drinking his coconut drink on the lounger at that time mused with “Undivided loyalty and unusual level of stubbornness, you two are a match made in heaven.”

Sungyeol had swore to make his daemon’s paws to touch the water one day, and he has yet to achieve the vision. He is still making progress, though. The latest update he heard, Sungyeol manage to make Aga shower for he promised the retriever a date with a pretty Alaskan Malamute. Which cost him $100, because Byeol insisted to be bribed with the most expensive cat treat to transform.

Myungsoo’s daemon is as permissive as its owner.

Most people would hesitate to admit that their daemon has not yet to settle into their true form, but Myungsoo thinks otherwise. His easy-going nature lets Byeol to decide when would be the right time for it to settle. That explains his agreeable behaviour to Sungyeol making his daemon doing nonsense things, because, “If Byeol wants to do that, who am I to say otherwise?”

One thing Dongwoo notices, Byeol loves transforming into non-active form. Elephant, sloth, koala, giant panda, and the list goes on. The only time it managed to make Myungsoo panic was when Byeol suddenly transform into a goldfish and Myungsoo had to run around the waiting room looking for a container and fresh water. There was once it transforms into a tortoise, and Woohyun just had to approach the idle daemon in confusion.

“Why tortoise?”

Byeol just slowly let out its head out, one eye closed.

“This shell makes thing less noisy. I can focus better in here.” As perplexed as everyone was at that moment, all Woohyun could do was to respect its privacy and took back his urge to ask what in the world the daemon was thinking that it had to focus so intensely.

Talking about unsettled daemon, Sungjong works hard to try to hide the fact that Beya’s (actually it’s “Bear” but child Sungjong has interesting sense of language. He still is, to be honest) polar bear form is not its true form. Dongwoo found it unfortunate that Sungjong tries to hide it, but then not everyone is like Myungsoo and unsettled daemons do make people suspicious of you, too.

Because, when your daemon hasn’t settled, it means that they have not yet to find their true selves, that they are not trustable.

“You’ll end up having you back stabbed had you trust them,” Dongwoo recalls the market aunties’ remarks back when he was in charge of groceries.

Beya is so big and fluffy and white and cuddly, but Dongwoo doesn’t think that fits the daemon. It feels like Beya is trying to go for an admirable form, and it doesn’t suit it at all. Not when Beya is all clumsy and loves to please everyone, not complaining once even when all six of them tried to hug the daemon together. There was a slight change on its face and Dongwoo wished for it to tell them if it was uncomfortable with it. But Beya just give a hearty chuckle and wound its large furry arms around them, giving them a warm embrace.

At least Sungjong would throw tantrum when he had had enough of his hyungs.

(This is a secret, but Dongwoo likes it the most when Beya transformed into a peacock secretly in their bedroom, when it thought no one else was there, and prance around in pride of its beautiful feathers)

Woohyun’s daemon is as small cute as its significant other. It’s a flying squirrel, and he heard it settles as soon as Woohyun joined them as a trainee. Woohyun named it as Sae, which ironically means bird, but this is Woohyun and he named his cat Mang-mangie.

Sae is almost as free-spirit as Aga, only it had its own period when it would disappear all of a sudden and you would find it hiding in its warm, comfortable nest it created itself in its transporter. Given how Woohyun also has his own moment, both the daemon and owner are just alike in all ways.

Despite that, they can always find Sae on top of Beya, its small arms spread wide on Beya’s fluffy white chest(?) fur, taking comfort from the warmth. Other daemons often coddle on him, and Dongwoo always found Sunggyu’s daemon throwing nuts and berries and the other daemon, in which the smol thing would gladly catch and devour.

Freya, on the other hand, is one mesmerizing phoenix.

The fact that it insists to name itself, rather than letting Sunggyu to bestow it a name, makes Sunggyu grumbles in annoyance ‘til this day.

One thing about it that Sunggyu is satisfied with: it’s that Freya thought that its name means "fire" in an edgy tone, but in fact, it just means “lady”.

And one thing that Dongwoo had to agree with Belle: is that both Sunggyu and Freya are idiots, despite the mesmerizing aura emitted by the both.

“It’s a shame, I can feel the second-hand embarrassment knowing people admired those two so much, they have no idea how birdbrained that pair is,” Belle comes to rest on Dongwoo’s shoulder, joining its significant other watching the others in the waiting room.

“Belle!” Dongwoo exclaims with a hearty laugh. The cockatoo daemon looks like shrugging it off and just flew to the wooden desk, pleasing itself with the bowl of cherries treat.

Woohyun who is sitting opposite to them, raises an eyebrow in question.

“You know what? People says that daemons are often the replica of their significant other, but both you and Belle are not similar at all,” he remarks while munching on his oat biscuits. This earns a surprise reaction from Dongwoo.

“Really? Is that so…” Both Dongwoo and Belle look at each other, and when Dongwoo bursts out into laughter, Belle just snorts unprettily. Woohyun smiles at the reaction and gives a “See? I told you so” shrug.

“I mean, besides Beya who has not settle yet because the personality it chooses contradicts to how it actually is… You’re probably the only one I know that have opposing character to your daemon,” he explains.

“You knew about Beya?” and Dongwoo thought Sungjong hides it well. He only knows about Beya because they are roommates. Then maybe Sungjong can’t hide it that well, he concludes.

“Who else would bring a peacock feather into the bathroom? Beya is not that discreet, and I believe Byeol doesn’t really favour a peacock form to begin with,” Woohyun says, and then he points to Sae who is resting on Beya’s head in peace. “Sae told me. It feels like Beya’s form is unstable, not like I can tell anyone else though.”

“I see…” Dongwoo caresses his non-existent beard, acknowledging. “Say, is being different from your daemon means bad thing?”

“Are you trying to say I’m a bad luck?!” Belle shrieks dramatically.

“Not really… I think. I mean, if you’re looking from an orthodox perspective, that means Myungsoo and Sungjong and bad, but they aren’t. Moreover, they’re actually wonderful people.” Woohyun gives a sloppy grin. “Then doesn’t this mean that you’re also a wonderful one, too?”

“What a joker!” Dongwoo laughs and picks a cherry, throwing it at Woohyun who ends up catching it with his luscious lips.

“No, I mean,” Woohyun lets out a laugh too and munches on his cherry. “People thought that daemons reflect their owner, but isn’t the daemons themselves a mystery? Besides, keeping up to the normal standard is boring. Look at you oddballs. Sometimes being different is a good thing, try to keep my word.”

With that, Woohyun stands up and left for Sae.

One thing Dongwoo forgot to note about Woohyun, it is that he is pretty observant, and he would approach you in silence, trying to cheer you up without you noticing.

Just like a flying squirrel, ha.

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List of everyone's daemons:

Sungyeol – Aga, a golden retriever

Sungjong – Beya, a peacock

Myungsoo – Byeol, has not yet to settle. Final form maybe a cat...? lol

Sunggyu – Freya, a phoenix

Woohyun – Sae, a flying squirrel

Dongwoo - Belle, a cuckatoo

Hoya's daemon is a wolf, but it's two a.m. and I've been writing for three hours. So I hope you can excuse me :3