Pairing: Nicholas x Euijoo (Nichojoo)

Trope: Recording studio closeness • feelings masked by lyrics • music as emotional exposure
Vibe: Slow burn, nervous tension, almost-confessions🎙️ Scene: The Studio

The studio lights were dimmed low, soft gold bleeding across the floor.

Nicholas leaned against the mic stand, earbuds in, mouthing along as EJ laid down another take. The room smelled faintly of lemon tea and stress. It was their third hour, and EJ's voice was hoarse—but he didn't ask to stop.

He wanted this cover to be perfect.

Because it wasn't just any song.

It was this song.

"We can blow this off

And go on a date"

Nicholas looked up at that line every time.
Like he wanted to say something.
Like he wasn't sure if he should.

🎧 Scene: Playback

When EJ stepped out of the booth, Nicholas was already replaying the take.

He didn't speak for a while. Just stared at the monitor, jaw tight.

"It's good," he said finally.

"Just good?"

Nicholas didn't look at him.

"Your voice on that chorus? It sounds like you mean it."

EJ paused.

"Maybe I do."

A silence stretched between them.

Nicholas finally met his eyes.

"Who's it about?"

EJ smiled, slow. Like someone testing the weight of a risk.

"Does it matter? You're the one harmonizing with me."

Nicholas swallowed.

🎵 Scene: The Line That Breaks It

Take seven.

Nicholas's turn in the booth.
EJ at the console now, quiet, watching.

Nicholas sang through the first verse smooth, practiced.

But then the line hit:

"Baby, I can't breathe because of you

Aiming so high ma bae"

His voice cracked. Just slightly. Barely noticeable.

But EJ noticed.

He clicked off the track.

Nicholas stepped out, eyes down.

"Redo?" he asked.

EJ stood up.

Walked across the room.

Stopped in front of him.

"You didn't miss the note," EJ said quietly.
"You just told the truth."

Nicholas laughed under his breath. Nervous.

"That obvious?"

EJ shook his head.

"Only to me."

A beat.

"That's kind of the problem, isn't it?" Nicholas asked.

EJ looked at him.

Then—softly, like a chorus without drums—

"No. That's kind of the answer."

The last take was different.

Not perfect.

But real.

Two voices. One harmony.

And when the final line faded, neither of them spoke.

Because the silence said:
"You know, don't you?"
And the answer was already in the music.

🎤 Scene: The Live Performance

They didn't plan to perform Cupid live.

But the showrunners asked. The fans had been begging.

And deep down, EJ had always known the song wasn't finished until they shared it like this.

Nicholas didn't speak much during rehearsals. Just nodded. Practiced. Stayed steady.

But on the night of the performance, backstage, he was fidgeting. Tension in his jaw. Hands in his pockets. Head down.

EJ leaned close.

"We okay?"

Nicholas met his eyes.

"I just don't know how to sing it without saying it."

EJ's throat tightened.

"Then don't say it. Just sing it to me."

Nicholas nodded, almost like a bow.

Then they walked out—together.

🎙️ Scene: The Moment It Hits

The lights dimmed.

First verse: soft. Steady.

Nicholas started.

"All I ever think aboutIs your pretty faceYour pretty body line with a little taste

EJ joined in the next verse

"You're the closest to my ideal styleOut of all others I've met beforeSmile for me often, with the best smile"

But something shifted on the second chorus—the one where they harmonized live for the first time.

"My cupid where you at right now

Shoot on and shoot on"

Their voices laced like a promise.

And the crowd?
They felt it.

The screams after that line weren't just about pitch or delivery.

It was the way Nicholas looked at EJ when he sang it.

And the way EJ didn't look away.

The bridge came.

Nicholas's solo line—sharp, breathless, bruising:

"I didn't mean to feel this much—but I did, and I do."

He didn't sing it at the crowd.

He sang it to one person.

And EJ let it hit him full in the chest.

The crowd went wild.

But the stage?

It had never felt so quiet.

🎧 Scene: The Breakdown (Backstage)

After the show, Nicholas slipped away.

EJ found him in the back hall—headphones in, crouched against a flight case, playing the final mix of Cupid from his phone.

He didn't notice EJ until the song hit the bridge.

That line again.

"I didn't mean to feel this much—but I did, and I do."

His shoulders trembled.

He didn't cry loud.
But his fingers curled into his knees.
Like hearing himself say it—not live, not on stage, but alone—was the thing that finally undid him.

EJ knelt beside him. Took out one earbud.

"Hey."

Nicholas didn't look up.

"I thought I could handle it."

"You didn't have to."

Silence.

Then, hoarse:

"I meant it. Every word."

EJ nodded.

"I know."

Nicholas finally looked up.

Eyes red. Voice wrecked.

"So now what?"

EJ didn't hesitate.

"We write something new."

And he pulled Nicholas in—forehead to forehead.

Not a stage.

Not a song.

Just them.

The next song they record isn't a cover.
It's original.
And when fans hear it—
they say it sounds like a confession.

Because it is.

🎵 Scene: The New Song

It drops at midnight.

Fans refresh the album page out of habit—but they pause when they hit Track 08.

It wasn't on the teaser list.

Just a title: "Us (demo)"

Soft cover art. Faded lyric sheet background. No dance teaser. No concept photos.
Just the audio.

The first verse starts with EJ's voice, low, clear, unfiltered.

The second?
Nicholas.

By the chorus, they're singing together.

The melody's simple. Clean. No heavy production.
Like they didn't want to hide behind anything this time.

And then the lyrics hit:

"Didn't say it in the spotlight / didn't dare when the mic was live—
But I wrote your name in every line."

📲 Scene: The Credits

It doesn't blow up right away.

But the fanbase notices fast—not just the lyrics, not just the harmonies.

But the liner notes.

On the official site. The press release. The streaming app metadata.

Lyrics: Nicholas, Euijoo
Composers: Nicholas, Euijoo
Arranged by: Both. Together.

No aliases. No hiding.

Just their names.

Side by side.

For the first time.

📝 Scene: The Interviews

When the press asks, neither of them flinches.

"What was the inspiration?"

Nicholas smiles, soft.

"Real life."

EJ just nods.

"We always said it best in songs."

No scandal.

No denial.

Just a quiet truth, finally let out.

And when a host jokes, "You two harmonize a little too well,"
EJ just grins and says:

"We've had practice."

Nicholas doesn't look away.

💬 Final Line:

The song climbs charts.
But more than that—
it becomes the one track fans replay when they miss someone.
When they finally tell the truth.
When they feel brave.

Because it came from two people who finally were.