Dreamers, Dancers, and DJs

AN: The art that inspired this fic can be found on kofkofNSFW's Deviantart and is titled "Dearest, Darling Dreamers, Dancers, and DJs" and is SFW even though it's still marked as NSFW on the site.

Fun fact for anyone who cares, I got to be the one that named the artwork and I, of course, chose the title because D4 and DJs, LOL!

Watching the quartet now, joking and laughing, it was almost hard to imagine that barely an hour prior, they were locked in bitter battle.

"But that's honestly something I've always liked about us," Ibuki said, laughter trailing off into a warm smile. "As competitive as we are, and even though we aren't all in the same unit, our friendship feels real."

"Of course," Dalia's laughter echoed Ibuki's. "Wouldn't let something like this get in the way of all our good memories!"

"Yes!" Saki nodded enthusiastically, clutching a hand over her heart. "Music is what brought us together, after all! Therefore, we should never let it tear us apart! That would be such a great disservice to something that means so much to all of us!"

The only one to stay silent was Saori.

"Something the matter?" Dalia asked. There was no judgment in her voice, only gentleness.

"I'm not really one for sap..." Saori muttered, looking away and wrapping her arms protectively around herself.

Dalia chuckled softly to signal to Ibuki and Saki that there was nothing to worry about. Oh, Saori, you say that, but... The tips of her ears were starting to look a little red...

No matter what Saori said, Dalia knew the truth. She was just as relieved as any of them that their recent DJ Battle wasn't going to leave any hard feelings one way or the other. Ibuki wasn't just talking about herself and Dalia when she described them as competitive. Saori could have quite a bold streak too, being a member of M4 brought that side out of her. And Saki, demure and subdued though she could be, was always ready to do her best when it came to the things she loved. She may have been the youngest of the quartet, but she was still equally talented. It was another element that made the DJ Battle between the mer-maids and Photon-maids so fun! It was a fully fair fight, two dancers and two DJs.

But even though they were rivals "in the streets", they were friends "in the sheets". The contest ended in loss for one of the teams, but there was no bad blood between any of them.

"C'mon, Saori, there's no need to be so reserved! Competition's over," Dalia teased. She had the discretion not to tease Saori about her discomfort with overt affection, but she didn't mind teasing Saori about how stiff she looked, especially compared to the rest of them.

Before Saori could shoot back with a snide rebuttal, Dalia swept her clean off her feet.

"Woah! Hey! Stop! Put me down!" Saori squealed as the floor suddenly fell away from her.

"Sorry, Saori, no can do! Not until I see you smile!" Dalia grinned, giving a rare display of her playful side.

"Dalia! Please! This is embarrassing!" Saori whisper-yelled, eyes flicking over to Ibuki and Saki. They were also taken aback by Dalia's boldness, but a second later, they were smiling again. Ibuki managed to conceal a laugh by biting her lip. By contrast, Saki's eyes were honest and earnest, wide as she watched Dalia and Saori. She noticed that Dalia was looking at Ibuki.

You thinking what I'm thinking?

Oh, yeah, totally. I'm down.

They shared a secret smile. All right then, let's do it!