Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

At first she thought she was hallucinating. Ever since the Idol Awards, Rumi’s mentality was somewhat stable, though she still grieved the loss of Jinu. He was the one that understood her. The one that really knew what it felt like to be marked with these weighted patterns. Made her finally accept them, and the strong feelings that it carried. Even so, the impact he engraved in her was deep, deep enough to dream of him in the purest form of guilt and grief. Those were the nights that sleep never approached her and had her cancel a few interviews on her schedule, much to her dismay. The girls had honestly insisted on it, seeing the distraught that hung on her back like a vest

But whenever she felt like she was falling, she had two pairs of strong hands that caught her. It was a feeling she had not experienced in her whole lifetime, and it made her feel warmth that always settled on her chest and lately in her stomach, though she couldn’t place a name to the feeling. Anyways it took a few weeks prior of improper sleep before she had finally come to terms with the events that she had gone through. And it only took another sleepless night that she decided to try and settle down with meditation. 

That night, Rumi had rolled down her blinds, and closed the curtains. She made sure to dim the lights that were scattered around her room, even lighting the candles that were gifted to her by Bobby. She hummed in satisfaction as she made her way to her bed, trying to see if she could settle herself in a comfortable position. Rumi closed her eyes, her vision all black and spotty, breathing in and out deeply as she let her body relax and mind go through body checks. 

‘In..4..3..2..1..Out’ She counts from 4 as she breathes in, and out for 3 and would do this a couple of times. ‘Focus your breathing and imagine it flowing from the toes to the head’ She repeats again. As she visualises her breath flowing from the bottom to the top, she has a feel at how she physically feels at each limb. It wasn’t until she reached her heart that her vision that was supposed to be black faded to a warm white. 

Facing her, standing there was- “Jinu..?” She whispered, afraid that it all might go away. The demon in front of her stood at an arms length, smiling somberly as he looked at her with fondness that she was familiar with when they were singing during that one night. Rumi stepped forward, one foot after another as she closed the distance between them with a tight hug. She didn’t even realise how tight she hugged him until he started to pat her back rapidly as he wheezed out pleases. 

“Holy-! Urghh….Rumi..Please let me-..Ack! Too tight!” He coughs up as he tries to put a bit of space between. The braided woman realised the tightness of her grip and loosened it immediately, letting him catch his breath. Seeing the man in front of her act like he did a few weeks back made her giggle. Something about her laugh carried a frequency that she hadn’t made in a long long time. The sounds of her laughter made Jinu look up and in turn exchanged his own laughs as he finally relaxed.

As they both calmed down, he rubbed a hand against the back of his neck as he smiled sheepishly. “I think you’ve gotten much stronger since the last time I saw you.” Instead of standing still, he stepped towards her again, enveloping her into a proper hug. It felt like a long time before the two separated and a comforting smile settled between them. “Let’s walk?” He offered as he held his pale hand out. 

Huh..it's not..purple?

Rumi took account of his complexion. His appearance as a whole. He wore the old traditional hanbok that were common during the Joseon Dynasty, and on his wrist he wore the string bracelet that she gave him. She could still see his patterns, however they were more translucent now that it was against his pale skin. He wasn’t even purple by the looks of it and his eyes still held a glint of amber that was more muted against the brown. 

When she grasped his hand, she slightly tensed as she felt nothing but a slight warmth buzzed under his skin. She finally remembered that she didn’t know where she was or how she could even interact with the ex-Idol. As if he could read her mind, he decided to speak up. 

“I don’t know where we are honestly.” He started. “I was with my family, singing to them, and before I knew it, I was basically whisked to..here.” Jinu gestured out to the white space with his free hand, the beads on the threads of his Gat shook as he moved. “Wherever here is.” He shrugged in the end. ‘Maybe some sort of mindscape..’ Jinu tried to deduce. 

“I’m not sure why I’m here too, I was trying to meditate and just like you, I ended up here.” Rumi said, looking around, trying to see if she could make out a clue. “Did you feel anything before you appeared here?” She questioned him, to which he only responded in a tilt of contemplation.

“Hmm..I think I felt a pull, of some sorts, from my chest. Like something…” He paused. “..Or someone needed me.” Jinu frowned slightly as he looked down towards the woman beside him. He could feel the woman tense at the tone of his words as she felt his attention on her. Trying not to upset her, he waited for her to say something, only staying silent until she was ready to talk. 

“I couldn’t sleep..” Rumi started. To be honest she doesn't know how she could form a sentence right now. Her mind was in a jumble and her mouth was dry. “For a couple of weeks now.” It was all she could afford to say. She didn’t know what to say. To him , especially. But before the silence could get any louder, he cut through it easily. 

“It’s about me…or well, about everything that happened isn’t it?” He said, a teasing tone carried through at the beginning. Though he didn’t make fun. Rumi could only nod as she couldn’t really deny the obvious. Sensing that she wasn’t in the mood to talk, he let go of her hand that was in his hand and before she could say something about it, he pulled his bipa out of the air. To his amusement, her initial disappointment was replaced with surprise 

“How did you…” The patterned girl asked in surprise. It was partly awe as well as she didn’t know that he could even manifest his instrument out of literal nothing. Before she could question further, the string on the bipa was struck, the note carrying through the space around them. And suddenly the tense atmosphere tilted and loosened to something that she could relax to. 

She could feel her skin buzz in a steady rhythm, her patterns glowing slightly as she takes in the music that the man plays out. Before she realises it, she had suddenly started singing. Lyrics that she never thought of, suddenly flowed like a fleshed out song. It felt…right. Freeing. Rumi finally realised that the sleepless nights that she strolled through was not only caused by Jinu but by also the absence of freedom that she felt when they sang together. 

It was like their way of communicating their true feelings to each other. Feelings that were carved so deep within their skin without prying open the layers of themselves forcefully. This is what she missed. She forgot the feeling. Before the Idol Awards. Before even debuting, she forgot the feeling of singing freely. Sure, she had managed to finally show her true self to Mira and Zoey but she had forgotten the passion she once possessed held.

In the past Rumi could sing and compose songs straight from her heart quickly. It was the reason why her voice was so important when it came to the honmoon. She wasn’t repressed and wasn’t as pressured as she felt recently. The growing anxiety of her patterns and expectations had snowballed until it all just exploded. That's why feeling freer wasn’t something that she could easily grasp. 

Finally reaching the end of the song, Jinu plucked the last note, letting it ring out through the space. This time, a comfortable silence settled upon them. “That night was something that I still hold close to me” Rumi muttered before her back straightened as she continued to walk endlessly. “It hurt but we turned it to something that we couldn’t break.” She smiled tightly, memories of weapons pointing towards her with hesitation flashes. “And we got a single out of it right?” She chuckles, causing Jinu to smile fondly at her. 

“What you did…giving your soul to  me.” She continued. “It felt like I truly lost something I loved that night.” Rumi looked back over her shoulders, before looking back in front of her, trying not to see his expression. “I did end up…feeling something for you in the end if you hadn’t noticed” As much as she tries to play it off, she’s still nervous.

“I did.” He stated, giving her a reassuring smile.

“A-Anyways, even if it was romantic or maybe platonic. You became one of the people that I hold close to me, and you basically disappearing stung a lot .” Rumi nervously said, twiddling with hair that managed to drape over her shoulder. 

She slowed to a stop, prompting Jinu to stop just behind her. The taller of the latter flinched in surprise as Rumi turned around quickly towards him. “But! Now that you’re here..I’m not really sure what to feel..” She yelled out but quietly went down to a whisper. 

Rumi felt conflicted. Her feelings about Jinu weren't out of the blue. It was something that cultivated from the night that he asked to see her after the fight in the bathhouse. It all built up even during the duet but the more she thought about their moments together, was the only reason she had developed feelings for him were because he was the first to fully see who she truly was? If that was the case, why did she also feel those feelings when she had sung that final song with Mira and Zoey? Or when she shared lingering hugs with each girl as they left for whatever agenda that was on their schedule.

Before she could think any further, Jinu had disrupted her from her thoughts. 

“It’s okay. To be honest…” He hesitated, like how he did back then when they were parting ways the night before the Idol Awards. “Look. What we had was something that we could never throw away. But..even if we could still talk in this..mindspace. I-..” Jinu looked like he was fighting with himself, trying to put together feelings into words that couldn’t even be explained. Rumi understood what he was trying to say and it’s saddening but, it’s true. 

She stepped closer to him, grasping his hand and giving it a reassuring squeeze. Jinu looked up, surprised that the look that she gave him wasn’t of rejection or disappointment, but of acceptance. Maybe even bitter acceptance. The braided woman understood him like she did before and had come to terms with what he was implying. As she gave him a solemn but fond smile, it was as if a weight that he had been carrying had lifted. The same thing seemed to happen to with Rumi. 

After moments of silence, the white space had started to pulse slowly, from light gray to white, and the pair knew what it meant. Without words exchanged they embraced each other one last time, it unnerved Rumi that she could see herself slowly crumble and fade into the air. Before she could fully disappear, Jinu had leaned down, placing a soft kiss at the forehead. He leaned back up with a watery film that clouded over his eyes, exchanging his final words with a genuine smile.

“Listen to your heart Rumi..’til we meet again.” Was all she heard before her vision cleared as she opened her eyes, greeted with the first rays of sun that peeked through skyscrapers. 

She blinked once, then twice. Then huffed out a muffled sob as she fell back onto the soft bedding. This time however the weight that these tears carried weren’t burdening nor were they grievances. It felt like the tangled cord of tension that she had bottled up for weeks was finally being cut open and it was freeing . Like the duet with Jinu, and like the performance with Mira and Zoey. 

It was that night that she finally had a good night’s sleep the following nights. She had also discovered that with Jinu’s soul given to her, she could call upon the man whenever she needed to, and she had to do is meditate. So whenever she felt a bit conflicted with anything, Rumi would just calm herself and enter the mindspace where he would be there strumming his bipa. 

“How is your family doing by the way?” She would ask on some occasions as she tries to braid the loose hair into miniature braids. 

“They’re doing good, I missed the way my sister would drag me in with her when she plays.” Jinu chuckles. It was a sound that became a common occurrence, and neither of them minded it. 

Sometimes it could just be her ranting to him about a variety of things. It ranges from music blocks, to annoying interviews that became too uncomfortable for any of the girls. It didn’t have to even be a rant about anything that frustrated her. Sometimes she would talk about the little things, like when she told him of her worries about the time she caught at how late Zoey was overworking herself. Or whenever she worried about Mira and her frustrated fits after the occasional phone call that the taller girl would get from her family. 

This time though, she had a different worry. 

“I mean I have been showing more skin but I feel like they have a problem with it y’know?” Rumi paced around, her arms crossed as if she was trying to hide her patterns like before. 

“Why would they have a problem with your patterns? I thought they already accepted that?” Jinu was floating this time as he was fiddling his bipa out of boredom. He knows that the girls wouldn’t actually think badly of her patterns now. He was actually sure that they would’ve been fine with them if Rumi would’ve just told her members about it when he told her around the time where he walked among the living.

“Well..yeah I guess, but ever since I wore this crop top during practice today. Their stares felt different this time.” The idol finally stilled, this time with tense as she looked at Jinu. It was clear that she was feeling anxious about this new predicament. The anxious pulling and fiddle of said top was a clear indication. They had no problem with her in crop tops or skirts before, so why did it seem like it bugs them now with the patterns. 

The ex-demon only hummed to which irritated her. “Did you even ask them what’s up?” He said non-chalantly. Jinu let out an amused chuckle as he saw her pout and gave him an annoyed glare. 

“Duh. I asked them what was wrong and they like clammed up and just said that it was nothing. I’m not even kidding, I swore I saw Zoey slip on air.” She sighed in a huff. “Maybe I should cover up or something..” The braided woman finally mumbled out in defeat, and before she could say anything else, she felt a grasp on her shoulder. 

“Hey, let’s not do that, yeah? I’m sure they were just tired from the new schedule.” Jinu tried to reassure her, the baby blue tint of light that illuminated from her patterns bounced off the colour of his skin. 

That was actually a recent development too. Ever since she started to explore her demon side, she discovered that her patterns have the passive effect of changing colours, and it all depends on her emotions. So far they found out that:

• When it’s translucent, it’s just a neutral state
• If it’s this pale yellow, it means she’s somewhere along the lines of happiness.
• If it’s golden, she’s excited.
• Light blue means that she’s sad about something.
• It’s red if she was mad about something, or irritated about things
• And it’s purple if she’s in her demon form.

Her demon form is another thing. She could finally access them willingly and whenever she does, parts of her skin turns purple. Her fingers get sharper, and her left eye turns into this amber gradient that seemed to pull the looker in if they tried to look at it. 

Rumi could only mumble in force acceptance. “I guess so..even if Celine’s been more lenient with us, the additional training to hone these new abilities just added more to our plate.” She rubbed the back of her neck, feeling herself start to show signs of consciousness. “Thanks again for listening Jinu. I always appreciate it” She stepped forward to hug him.

“No problem, I’m always here. Soul bound and all.” He slyly added, before his smug smile turned soft. “Don’t ever try to hide again okay?” Was all he could say before her consciousness faded awake. 

The idol looked at the clock nearby and it was around 6:30pm, which should be around the time the girls come back from the studio. Rumi decided to get up and put on a loose long sleeve with the bottom half cropped. She had wanted to believe Jinu but her anxiety couldn’t let her. So she settled with sweatpants that were loose enough for mobility, and put on a cropped hoodie that ended just above her belly button. 

Rumi was sure that the girls were tired so she made dinner for them all. She checked the fridge and the pantry for the ingredients she needed and made a start with the Kimchi-jjigae. As she finished prepping the ingredients, she heard the elevator ding, signalling the entrance of the girls. She looked behind her discreetly as they sat down on the couch and noted down the atmosphere. Neither Zoey or Mira were talking which made sense. A day of talk shows, solo fanmeets, a brief training session, and spending some time in the studio can tire out even the most experienced performer.

So she let the girls have their silence, placing down glasses of water next to them, and giving them both a head pat before she made her way towards the kitchen. Thankfully, the kimchi that was sautee-ing hadn't burnt and added the marinated meat next. She made sure that sauce didn’t overflow as she filled the hefty pot up. The vocalist felt herself warm up as the temperature of the kitchen rose. Removing the hoodie off her had caused her shirt to ride up further than she thought it would’ve been. 

As she fought her hoodie, she swore she felt stares bore into her. Like a predator watching its prey. Finally she got the damn thing off, and the intensity just vanished as if it never was there in the first place. She looked towards where it seemed to seep out from and it was in the general direction of the two heads that were peering over the couch. Maybe she really was just crazy or something and shrugged it off, rolling up her sleeves as she grabbed a ladle and tasted the soup that was bubbling. 

Once she was satisfied with the taste, she set the table, placing utensils down as well as the pot and side dishes. After that, she made her way towards the couch, settling behind it as she leaned down, placing hands on each girl’s shoulder as she ushered them to the table. Rumi watched as they sat down, swearing that Zoey had flinched at her touch earlier, but she decided to put that off for now. After a few minutes of comfortable silence, light conversations started.

Topics vary from lyric options, to unsavoury show hosts, to different training regiments, and everything in between. This warm atmosphere had become the norm with them as their bond grew stronger. It felt..domestic. But that was another thought reserved for another day. For now, Rumi was satisfied with their new found dynamic. 

Over the next few days, Rumi was sure the stares that came from them were on her patterns. No matter how little skin she showed, she swore she could feel the stares on her. She even caught Mira wacking Zoey out of the corner of her eye, jolting the girl back out of..whatever was happening and back to what she was doing initially. At first she tried to cover up more , but that was met with disapproval from the pair, and whatever jacket she decided to wear that day was stripped off her and the singer had to choose something else that would show more skin. Though that still didn’t stop the staring. 

It confused her. They didn’t mind her showing her skin and her patterns, but they seemed to always drill holes into her with whatever chance they got. She even told this to Jinu who in return laughed like he had gone senile. 

“ BWAHA! I-I can’t breathe- They are being too obvi-.. HAHAHAH!”   His giggles would interrupt his sentences, rendering useless at trying to receive opinion, much to her growing irritation. All she got from that exchange was a final word from Jinu about wearing more exposing clothing. Something about getting better results or something. Whatever the dumbass meant. 

So she did. The days following, she continued to wear more shorter things. Tank tops, sleeveless turtle necks, shorts, whatever short piece of clothing she could find, she would wear them. Now, Rumi had worn short shirts before and they were fine with it. But with the patterns showing (and glowing), it seemed to always catch both girl's attention.

Rumi had a suspicion as to why Zoey or Mira would turn (adorably) dumb whenever she would stretch and show a lot more skin, but she wasn’t fully sure. Jinu wasn’t much help the last time she talked to him about it and she doubted he would be helpful this time. So she upped the exposure of her skin more.

It went from crop tops to comfortable sport bras and tight leggings during training or short shorts and oversized sweaters of either members, and this time. The results were much...fruitful.

Chapter Text

Something is up with Rumi, they know it, she knows that they know it. But neither of them could figure it out. It all started from a few weeks back, a few days after the Idol Awards. After the whole incident, the company had spent a lot of time writing up official statements that can somewhat ‘explain’ for the concert that was held by the Saja Boys. It also took a long time to think of what to explain the boy group’s disappearance. They settled with silence, letting the netizens form their own conclusion, which luckily didn’t spiral into something too big. That time was also spent leading lost souls back to the world of the living, back to withered bodies. 

And finally, the bath house. It was what Mira and Zoey were waiting for, and were excited to show their leader the wonders of it. Like always, they were right about the benefits of it, and after a brief cry sesh in it, the hunters walked out feeling relaxed and rejuvenated. That was also the time that they noticed that Rumi was showing signs of vulnerability. That she was comfortable enough to show her pattern in the form of a long sleeved shirt with the sleeves rolled up. Mira even had to nudge the maknae back from the blatant staring. Though she would admit that she had to keep herself in check once in a while.

Another thing is the patterns itself. It sprawled everywhere there was skin, in the bath house they noticed that it covered her back, arms, and face, and it was possible that it was in more places that could be seen privately . But that was something that they shouldn’t think about. Not only were these patterns everywhere, but they had this translucent glow to them. Swirls of pastel colours could be seen floating around if you looked close enough, and if you ask Mira (and mostly Zoey), the soft colours did float like it was swimming.

But the next coming days afterwards had worried the girls. They had come to notice the growing eyebags that the braided woman sported as she moved around the den. Mira tried to coax Rumi out, letting her know that she’s always there to lend an ear, that was met with a sombre rejection. Zoey even tried to take a shot at it but she was also gently shut down. The two get it, Jinu and Rumi had something special and it was something neither could forget. Even if their undefined relationship bugged the two of them, they try not to mind it. So they let Rumi try and move on on her own terms.

Luckily that seemed to work because after weeks of dread that they could feel on her, Rumi had walked out of her room the next day looking much better than she did before. It did raise suspicion though, but it wasn’t until the two of them were seated down, that they found out that Rumi was able to talk to Jinu in this mental-like-scape. At first they couldn't believe it but seeing the girl’s bright appearance had made them accept it (begrudgingly of course). They didn’t like the fact that only Rumi could talk to the Saja Boy but they had to forcefully accept it for the sake of Rumi’s happiness.

And it seemed like it was really true. The following days, the two members could see the purple haired girl get her confidence back day by day. They could also see what that confidence brings out of her and damn was it appetising. 

It was one morning. Mira was making herself a simple grilled cheese sandwich that Zoey got her addicted to, in the kitchen. She was listening to the shorter girl talk about this kdrama that she was currently watching. Aside from the expected douche-men and two faced women, it was kind of interesting. As she sat down beside Zoey at the counter, she heard the elevator ding, indicating that Rumi came back from doing her new training regiment in the private gym. 

“Hey guys! Whatcha up to?” Mira heard the girl cheerfully ask. She turned around to answer the woman and the sight in front of her almost made her drop the sandwich that she was holding onto the floor. She then nudged Zoey for attention, disrupting her from her rant as she turned around to where Mira was looking.

“Mira! What gives-..” Zoey tried to scold the taller woman for interrupting her but the words got balled up in her throat when she looked at what got Mira distracted.

Rumi approached them. A sheen of sweat seemed to glisten off her as she walked and it looked like her patterns glowed with it. Damn , her patterns. It was glowing pale yellow, which they found out that it glows that colour when she’s happy. The shade of the colour paired well with the purple of her hair. Aside from the patterns, their leader had worn her tight leggings, hugging her curves perfectly. She also wore a tank top, with bra straps that could be seen peeking out from under the top. 

What got the girls practically drooling was the obvious muscle that Rumi was sporting. They knew she was fit, but after they discovered that her demon abilities granted her a big boost in her athleticism, that also meant she is able to work herself harder. Since they mostly train in calisthenics, they knew Rumi can perform superhuman tricks that a normal person would find hard to achieve after years of training. As a result, it turned reasonably-fit-Rumi into a chiseled goddess. It was to a point where the two members could see clear outlines of ab muscle through the cotton material of the tank top. And don’t even get started on the biceps. It flexed when the woman would move her arms, even if she didn’t, muscle would still be prominent. 

But since Rumi had her arms covered up initially, the girls hadn’t given it much of a look. Now though…their vocalist was much more open with exposure, choosing to wear more shorts and tank tops often. It did arouse suspicion though, not that Zoey noticed first, but Mira sure did. One evening, the taller woman had caught a glimpse of Rumi standing in her walk-in closet as she carefully thought out what article of clothing she would wear the next day. Mira tried not to get distracted when the droplets of water were rolling down Rumi’s neck as she could hear muffled disapproval of either shirts or whatever she held in her hands. Luckily, the braided woman had her robe on, though it was rather loose. Dangerously loose. 

“Hmm..not it’s enough..but if I pair this with this…” Was all Mira could faintly hear before she quietly speedwalked away from Rumi’s room. If she was much warmer than before and needed to take a pretty cold shower, that is something that she will keep to herself. Unfortunately (or fortunately for Rumi), if she stayed a bit longer, she would be able to overhear her and Zoey’s name. 

When someone thinks of Zoey, she is often associated with cutesy, clumsy, oblivious, or something along those lines. However behind closed doors, she was far more observant than the average person. That may be due to her hunter abilities, but Zoey had always had the passive ability to sense change. It had always been like that through her entire life up until Mira, who could read anyone like a book with a one look. With the amount of time she had spent being an observer hadn’t let her miss the way Rumi’s behaviour changed.

Lately, she has been choosing to wear short clothing, sometimes she even wears clothing with material that could stick to skin easily. As an appreciator of muscles, she did not mind that part, not one bit. But every time, whenever she would see the older girl lean or stretch, causing clothing to expose more surface, her fingers twitch with temptation. Despite being kept in check by Mira, there had been multiple times where she was a lean or stretch away from lightly tracing the glowing scattered patterns with her hands. There had been mornings where she would be by the counter, dawdling with her cereal as flashes of memories from heated dreams cloud her, and it wasn’t until Mira would flick her out of her delightful daze that she would (painfully) pull her sanity back together. 

The confidence that Rumi is openly showing was driving her mad. It didn’t help that she couldn’t do anything about it. Mira and her agreed to let the woman settle with her feelings before springing theirs on her. They may be smitten about the woman, but they weren’t so low as to not respect her wishes, even if it meant that the vocalist would rather be with the demon boy. Anyways, it was an unspoken agreement that their oldest was practically touch-starved, and for her sake, they had to majorly restrain bold touches, only settling with hand or arm holds, and hugs. Now though, Rumi was more outward with her touch, the girls would let her give them a cheek kiss, head pats, and would be delighted to provide her with cuddles if need be. 

But with new profound affection comes with consequences, and whether it was bad for each girl or not, they couldn’t really tell you. 

There was an incident where lines were almost crossed, and it was for good reason too. It was around the time of the week where the trio would spend an evening in their private gym to train together. Sometimes it’s when they need to slim a bit for a comeback, this time however, it was for hunter duties. 

Sparring was a normalcy with their dynamic. If one would hurt the other, they didn’t really take it to heart, and would patch up and do another round. Usually all three would be focused as they each would take turns trying to take each other down. This time, when Zoey and Mira were waiting for Rumi to come down, they began their stretches and warm-ups. When they finished their warm up, their missing member still hadn't come down yet, so to kill time they both decided to lightly spar with each other, just so they could jump start their bodies into action. It was when the girls were in the middle of their spar that the elevator had dinged, indicating Rumi’s arrival. However, the two were so engaged in their fight, that they hadn’t noticed her striding in, settling down on a nearby bench, stretching and doing her warm-ups on instinct. 

Mira was lost in the spar, dodging jabs, jumping over sweeps. She knows the way Zoey fights, so she puts as much distance as she can away from the grappler. After years of being trapped between locks or tight grips, she still finds a way to make it harder for the taller girl, always using her smaller frame to her advantage. However that doesn’t mean Mira wasn’t putting up much of a fight, in fact with her brawler style of fighting, the speed and strength she puts behind her blows makes it hard to recover quickly. 

As the pink haired brawler dodged another attempt of a leg lock, her eyes caught a glimpse of purple. In a single second, she saw the way Rumi’s patterned muscles ripple as she throws jabs through the air as she goes through her warm up routine. In that same second, she hadn’t noticed the kick that connected with the area above her pelvis and the ankle sweep that she could’ve dodged. The impact and force of the hits forced her momentum onto the padded floors hard, knocking the air out of her as her leg was put into a lock by the maknae. 

Mira quickly tapped out in pain, as trying to get out of the hold proved futile. When she felt the hold on her loosen, she stayed onto the mat for a moment longer, letting herself reflect on what just happened. ‘What the hell are you doing..’ She thought, scolding herself for the rookie mistake that she just made. As she laid there she could hardly pay attention to the girls that were worrying about her at the side. 

“Oh my god! Rumi, what if I actually hurted her for real this time!” Zoey was sure she almost killed the girl. When she loosened her grip on her legs, she saw at how hard of a breath the taller girl took, trying to put air back in her lungs. “She hadn’t been this winded since..like ever!” The hair-bunned girl could only shoot her hands up in a panicked state. She always knew that Mira could take a blow and get back up quickly, but seeing the said woman on the floor, and not getting up after a minute or two was a bit alarming. 

Before she could spiral, she felt a tight squeeze on her shoulder. The lights of the gym must be against her because when she looks up, she swears that the lights dimmed around Rumi’s figure. Highlighting the edges of her silhouette, while simultaneously making the shadows of her muscles stand out. Her throat suddenly dried up, her words in a jumble as she tried to say her worries to Rumi who in fact was quite worried herself, dashing towards the sparring mats where Mira was just laying there. 

Zoey could see the way the oldest’s back flexed and tightened as she jogged her way, finally noticing the skin-tight attire that the woman had on. She had a black tight cropped tank top made out of spandex, which hugged her deliciously, muscles basically being put on display as she went down to help Mira back up. As the woman crouches down, the grey sweatpants go down for a bit, revealing what most likely is another pair tight leggings that she usually wears when sparring. The patterns are lit up in a dark blue hue, indicating her worry. As much as it was worrying situation, Zoey couldn’t help but drool at the patterns that littered the leader’s body, peeking out from fabric that folds over skin. 

In her heated haze, she hadn’t noticed Mira getting up from her position, equally in a daze. It was most likely that she finally caught her breath, only for it to be grabbed and chucked out from the tower by the walking half-demon. She only worked on instinct as Rumi went through the proper check up procedure, only shaking her head or nodding whenever the bewitcher would ask her a question. It would be an amusing sight, if Zoey wasn’t as equally broken as Mira, looking up towards Rumi as she had worry sketched all over her face. 

After a few minutes of recovery, Zoey and Mira’s soul was somewhat back in their bodies, trying to function normally as Rumi was finishing off her warm up. 

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Zoey asked, worry still etched onto her face. The taller girl couldn’t help but snort out a fond laugh as she compares the sight to a sorry bunny. 

“I said I’m okay Zo, nothing that bad.” She tried to comfort her, holding the maknae’s shoulder in reassurance. It still didn’t lift the guilt off her shoulders, so she decided to change the subject. “I swear to god, that woman is actively trying to kill us.” Mira mumbled, luckily Zoey latched onto subject change like fish to water. 

“I know! I am on the brink of breaking Mira! She is single-handingly undoing all our training on resistance.” The shorter girl pouted, her hands fisted, trying to keep them from twitching. “And she seemed to be so oblivious to how it’s affecting us!” She said as she crossed her arms. Suddenly she turned around, her arm reaching out and pulling the taller girl closer inwards. “Why does this suddenly affect us? We usually didn’t have a problem with her showing skin before! I feel like a teenage boy, and that’s so ew.” Zoey said, mimicking a gagging expression as she said the last sentence. 

Mira hummed, listening to the needed rant from Zoey. “Maybe it’s because of her patterns? We’ve never really seen them up close since she used to hide them, now that she’s more confident to show it off, we’re just unused to it.” She tried to reason possibilities, hoping that it didn’t come down to unattended needs. 

The rapper leaned back, her face in a thinking expression. It was quite entertaining seeing her be so expressive. “I mean, if you’re right, maybe we’ll get used to this in a week or so right?” Before she could say anything else, her attention was brought over towards the centre of the sparring mats. 

“Hey! I’m done over here, who do I start with first?” Rumi waved cooly at them, her hands on her hips as she smirked smugly, an expression that was more than welcomed by the two. The girls burned the image in their memories as they tried not to stare too hard at the sight. It wasn't only the attire that had them distracted, but the confidence that dripped from her. The patterns that adorned her glowed in that golden colour of excitement as she bounced from one foot to the other. 

‘I really hope we get used to this..’ Mira and Zoey nervously thought as they made their way towards the mats. 

‘We’re fucked.’ They thought again. 

It had been a week and a half since they theorised the reason as to why they’re acting the way they were towards their leader. News flash, it is so not because they weren’t used to the patterns. They begrudgedly admitted that the patterns just added more charm to Rumi, concluding that she wasn’t the problem, but it was themselves. The unresolved tension that they were brewing had made both Zoey and Mira restless, needy. The addition of Rumi’s newfound confidence in showing more skin just added a huge splash of sugar into the bubbling pot. 

To be fair, they didn’t really complain. They’re basically spending their 3 month hiatus admiring and being pathetically whipped for the braided woman. Always there to receive touches from Rumi, always there to reciprocate or initiate. It had gotten to the point where kisses to the jaw or nuzzles to the neck were the norm. Sometimes hands would find themselves slotted onto smooth stomach under shirts or hoodies, even Mira or Zoey had a hard time prying the clingy off whenever they needed to get up for something. It was adorable seeing their leader act the way she did. Very needed, and very adorable actually, and neither Zoey or Mira could complain. 

But there were too many moments that lines were almost crossed. Like, on one evening where the trio decided to do a movie marathon night, they three of them huddled up on the bed in Rumi’s room, somehow being able to have some form of touch with each other. During the middle of the 5th movie, The three were intimately close with each other. Rumi was between the two girls, Mira slotted to her right, and Zoey to her left. Rumi finds her hands occupying either leg of each woman, her leg somehow on top of Mira’s lap. Zoey’s right arm slotted itself around her waist, under her hoodie, lazily tracing lines on the flat area of her hip. Mira’s chin was on her shoulder, her breath tickling the nape of her neck as the taller girl’s left arm was on the lower back of Zoey. 

The movie in front of them was playing, colours on the screen reflected onto the wall of her room, small lighting fixtures were on dim. She was feeling sleepy, and she knew the girls were too, seeing as she could feel Zoey nod off, even noticing the way Mira tried to fight sleep. This domestic position she found herself in filled her heart with this warmth that she had never felt before. Unbeknownst to her, the patterns that show were lightly glowing pink, pulsing to the frequency of her heartbeat. It was a colour she couldn’t match a feeling to, and it looked like neither girl didn’t have an answer either. 

“Woah unnie ..have you seen it glow pink before?” Zoey slurring ask, sleepiness clear in her voice. Rumi could feel her breath hitch as she felt lithe fingers trace over patterns on her hip. This prompted Mira’s attention, since she was positioned further behind her, she could feel gentle fingers trace over patterns on her neck, sending a shiver down her spine. 

“Does this mean anything?” She could hear Mira’s voice mumble, a husky tone prominent. Their fingers continue to graze over skin, tracing her marks as if it was an adventure being mapped. Rumi tried to keep in a shudder but it proved futile, a soft heedy gasp escaping from her lips. The sound was enough to still the movement of both girls, she froze, afraid that she might’ve overstepped her boundaries. 

She should’ve spiralled, but the equally heated gaze that clouded their eyes had put a firm stop to it. Rumi sensed the way each girl’s breathing got deeper, the way their eyes hood over, the way their grip on her skin tightened slightly. It made her throat go dry, the warm feeling moving lower. 

‘This is getting really dangerous..’ She nervously thought, another part of her about to melt into temptation. It was a haze at this point, and one moment she could see equal want in their eyes, the next, a phone call cut through the growing tension.

Chapter Text

The ringing of Zoey’s phone broke the hypnotic daze that the three were trapped in, scaring them out of it. 

The smaller of the trio scrambled towards her phone, cursing under her breath as she forcefully peeled herself from her position on the bed.

Mira and Rumi were left on the bed, faintly missing the warmth that their youngest was exuding. It wasn’t when Rumi turned towards Mira that she finally realised that they were a breath away from each other. She flinched back on instinct but the taller girl on the other hand stayed still, looking at her with that same need that was dripping from the two earlier.

Rumi gulped hard, trying to think of some way to change the subject, but no words came up, only drawing in the dancer. Mira seemed to be stuck in a trance, boring a heated hole into her, setting her body a light as she saw the way Mira’s eyes were trailing all over her body. The pink of her patterns deepened, turning darker. A colour that she could finally put a match to a feeling. Arousal . It was unfamiliar but it felt right to associate the deep pink with how heated she feels.

If this continued any further, she knew she wouldn’t be able to hold back. It looked to be the same with the punk haired woman in front of her. When she decided to be more vulnerable and show more skin to the girls, she didn't think it would show results like this. It was supposed to be a test to see if they want her the way she did, and let’s just say they’re passing with flying colours.

Zoey then walked back in the room, phone in hand with a clear annoyed look on her face. That got the attention of both of the girls, finally blinking out of the spell-binding moment. “It was Bobby, the company wants Rumi to do a public appearance at this event. Something about needing the public to be more engaged with her new look or something.” She grumbled, flopping back in bed, her head nestled right between both girls' legs, her arms wrapping around each waist.

Rumi’s public appearance was briefly talked about, they knew how some fans would be about modesty and some did outwardly vent their anger online. That quickly ended though, other Huntr/x fans would always be in the comment sections, tearing into the user, sometimes even exposing their disgusting behaviour too. Safe to say, most of their fans had accepted Rumi’s new look, some even expressing their excitement of it, especially when there would be this-patch pictures of her in her sleeveless tops whenever she was out on an errand.

But an official appearance hadn’t been a topic that was discussed after Bobby made the demand to let the girls rest. This time though, his command didn’t last long enough and the company needed something so that they wouldn’t lose face. So hence, the phone call.

Rumi looked down towards the maknae, a fond look present on her face. She then started to stroke her fingers through the short loose hair, gently giving an occasional scratch on her scalp. Mira then started to do the same, her hands rubbing the back of Zoey. The rapper practically purred under their touch, succumbing to the drowsiness that kept clouding over her. “Mhm..you both’ll..put me to sleep with..yo..ur..touc..” She mumbled, her voice eventually lowering down to a quiet sigh. A moment has passed, and another. With no other signs of movement, and the even-ning of her breaths, it was clear that she had basically drifted off to sleep. 

The sight made the two softly laugh, finally looking back up at each other. The earlier exchange should’ve made the air between them awkward but it..didn’t. In fact, they looked at each other with this equal warmth. Something fluttering. Something familiar. It didn’t take long for the two to lay down onto the soft bedding, limbs wrapped around Zoey and somehow being within reach of one another, simply enjoying each other’s embrace. With this peace and settling feeling in their stomachs, sleep came easy. Then again, it’s always easy when they’re together.

It was the next morning that the ravenette woke up. Usually she would be up much later but something made her body forcibly get up at the ungodly hour of the dawn. Blinking her sleep away, she felt warmth on her right, looking over, she softly looked at the sleeping expression of Mira. The usual subconscious lines of her frowns creased over, smoothing as she steadily breathed in a steady rhythm, indicating her deep sleep. Zoey expected to feel that same warmth to her left, but when she turned over, she found the spot next to her vacant of the usual warm body of Rumi. 

A soft rustle echoed through the room, drawing Zoey’s attention to the ottoman near the window. There, sitting hunched with her knees tucked to her chest, sat the missing body, seemingly in deep thoughts. Rumi’s eyes were closed from where the maknae could see, breathing in and out steadily, which shouldn’t be that worrying, but the way body shakes with every breath she takes alarms her. 

Slowly, she got up, trying not to disturb the sleeping pink head beside her. She made her way towards the purple-haired woman, footsteps soft but firm enough to indicate her approach. When Zoey was behind her, she made sure to not trip onto undone hair. It was beautiful to be honest, it hasn’t been that long since the first time Rumi had let her hair down around them, and it was an action that really showed how much they meant to her. It was something that is always handled with care, and is something that tells them that she fully trusts them. 

Zoey stood beside the older girl, her hand on her bicep, trying to get a glimpse at her. The first thing that Zoey saw was Rumi’s eyes. The way it glowed in the dark, the amber of her left buzzing along the patterns that glimmered in a mix of deep and light blue. The next was the way her hand had turned into a claw, talons digging into her own flesh as she gripped her arm. She was in her demon form, a sight that the rapper never really gets to see often, but it was a sight to behold. Rumi is beautiful, everyone knows this, but in this form. There’s a sense of divine beauty that exudes from her, dripping with allure that you can’t help but be addicted to. 

It took a moment for Zoey to break out of her thoughts before she kneeled in front of Rumi, grasping hands over clawed ones, peeling it off skin, attempting to stop from further hurt. The ravenette took the calloused hands in hers as she held them in comfort. With arms away, Rumi’s position shifted, only sitting properly this time, however still with the attempt to make herself smaller. Zoey frowned at the extreme sadness that was trying to be forcefully put away, only wrapping patterned hands around her cheeks, her hand still over the vocalist’s. 

“What happened Rumi..?” She asked skittishly, afraid to scare the purple-haired woman away. The rapper may be labelled as impatient at times, though if need be, she can be as patient as a monk, maybe even more. So she waited, letting the saddened woman in front of her gather her bearings, unsure if she would even try to talk. “If you wanna talk about it later, that’s alright, we can just stay like this.” Zoey added as she kissed the inner palm that hummed under contact, making sure to tell her that she had a choice.

It didn’t take long until the silence was broken, at first, Zoey didn’t catch it, then she managed to hear the faint mumbles. 

“Do you still have them..?” Rumi’s voice cracked, it pained Zoey to hear it like this. It was always full of warmth and emotion, always thick with emotion, no matter what it may be. She blinks and-

(A painful memory flashes, dimmed glow emanates from her shin-kal, sharp point faced towards a vulnerabLe..deMon?..Ru-)

Zoey blinks again, pulling herself from that hollow void. She looked back up, boring her eyes into Rumi’s. 

‘ Oh. ’ She realised.

Suddenly, there was a heavy ball in her throat and sting that threatened her vision. She nodded, fully understanding what she meant. “Nightmares of that night?” The ravenette asks, mostly to herself, trying her best not to break down as she relives through that wretched memory. “It haunts me.” Zoey chuckled mirthly, a tone that couldn't usually be associated with her persona. She looked up, finally seeing the tears that welled up in Rumi’s eyes, two-toned irises shining against brown. “There hasn’t been a day since that I haven't thought of it.” Guilt lacing itself between words.

Rumi was silent, taking in the confession. “There hasn’t been a moment where I didn’t hate myself for even doing that to you, I-..” Zoey’s voice then breaks, a small tear escaping from her eye. “..I am.. so so sorry. I don’t know why you think you could forgive me, I wouldn’t and yet-..” The tear turned into more, her arms wrapping around Rumi’s leg as she lay her head on her lap, crying in despair as she trembled. “Why did you forgive me? I- I hurt you! I pointed my blade towards you . I don’t-..” Before she could spiral into a sobbing vent, she was stopped by a kiss on her temple. It was Rumi. She hunched down, wrapping Zoey in her arms, holding her, comforting her. Like she had any right to be comforted.

“You’re not the only one to regret what they’ve done..” A new voice speaks up, a raspy voice that belonged to Mira. “When I pointed my gok-do at Rumi..I couldn’t believe that I did it, feeling betrayed or not, I still fucking hate myself over it.” Despite the sleep that’s prominent in her voice, there was the growing tone of guilt that weighed on it. “I still get nightmares of it, of how hurt she looked.” The two girls didn’t notice the extra pair of legs close the distance. She kneels next to them, her arms wrapping around the two shaking figures. “And I will spend my entire lifetime and beyond trying to make up for it.” She firmly said, a tear rolling down her eyes as two heads break from the tight embrace. “And that still won’t be enough.” The dancer mumbles, a slight tremble present.

In the silence, they held each other, picking up each other’s breaking pieces. They knew that the events that happened during that night will always hang over them, plague them. They were hurt of a secret that was kept in the dark that they would've been accepted from the get go. And Rumi was deeply hurt by the two versions of them and it was something that a simple apology won’t fix, something that a song couldn’t heal the cavern that they carved into her, be it intentional or not.

“..Lifetime or whatever, all I need is you both.” Rumi spoke up this time, dispelling a bit of the heavy weight. “I understand why you did what you did, I couldn’t blame you.” She mumbled, her voice strained, reigning in built up grief. “Yes, it’s something I wouldn’t ever forget but..I could never blame you both for it.” The genuine tone elicited a cracking sob from Zoey, who was still curled up around her legs, and a silent weep from the usually-hot-headed Mira. “I’ve always..” She paused for a moment, a brief hesitation. “..adored you all, and what happened backstage won’t stop me from doing so.” The vocalist looked up from her hunched position, this time grabbing Mira’s hand in hers while the other was on Zoey’s head.

“I will always forgive you, with every apology, with every gesture. I forgive both of you.” She said, firmly, well as firm as a sobbing person could be. A dam bursted, rushing waters of built up guilt, grief, and regret spills. It washes over the trio, at first drowning with salty tears and hysterical, desperate apologies, but like with every rushing river, it slows to a gentle stream. As the whispers of the morning quietens, the fingers of the sun reach through the transparent curtains, warming the cold skin of hurting girls. It was..comforting, like a blanket was being wrapped around them after a tiring day. 

Zoey, who was still kneeling on the floor, huffed a small giggle, filling up the space with contagious laughter. “Haha..Rumi..your hair is tickling me..” She hunched, shaking, not with desperation this time, but with the  sudden laughter. The noise travelled to the two older women, their faces turning into soft smiles as they watched their youngest laugh in that adoring tone of her. 

It elicited soft giggles from them, finally laughing in genuine joy at what felt like weeks of bottled up feelings. It was needed, the thick canopy of underlying guilt, and sleepless thoughts were beginning to eat them up. Now though, it felt like a big cloud of weightlessness settled on them, burdening weight finally lessen. Unspokenly, they knew their situation and shared trauma wouldn’t go away soon, but with time, it can heal. As long they’re together, side by side, always there to catch whoever is falling.  

Later that day, the hunters meet up with Bobby as he takes them to the fitting studio for the dress that was tailored for her to wear to the event. The four of them managed to get past squealing fans as they headed inside the building. There, Rumi was given the dress to try on, with a suspicious look that she gave the staff, she stepped inside the changing room. While she was getting into her dress, Bobby sat on a bench while Mira and Zoey sat on the love seat as they faced the thick curtained changing room. They chatted lightly about the event that Rumi was attending, going through proper security to escort her, the itinerary for that night, etc.

It wasn’t until they heard Rumi’s voice through the curtain that they stopped their conversation. “Uh..I think I have it on.” She said in a nervous voice, a tone they haven’t heard in a while. Mira and Zoey merely looked at each other in concern, a silent conversation exchanging between them.

“Why don’t you show us Rumi!” Bobby, the ever supportive manager/dad of the group, excitedly encouraged her from the outside. He's always excited whenever any of the girls get offered an opportunity, doesn’t matter if it was a solo event or a group. The man was always supporting them, and they could tell that he was a bit hissy when Celine would come over to see Rumi. They all agreed that he would be the only person they would tell about their ‘side job’, knowing him, he would either storm off and strangle Celine for her A+ ‘parenting’ or try to fight demons alongside them even if he lacks the training for it. They just have to pick a good time for it.

There was still a bit of silence from the braided woman, only worrying the two members more. “Is it too much Rumi?” Mira speaks up, hoping her voice soothes and coaxes the older girl out.

“More like too little..” Rumi murmured, a sentence picked up by trained ears, only causing confusion. 

Before they could say anything, the curtain finally opened to the side. The sight in front of them renders the two women speechless. There, standing with unpracticed confidence was an otherworldly being. Rumi stood there with a white floor-length dress that curved around her body perfectly. The v-cut of the fabric on her chest ran deep, a bit of loose material pooling below her breasts, revealing her sternum. Looking downwards, the length of the dress had a side cut on both sides that ran down from below her hips.

“Let’s see the back too!” Bobby exclaimed briefly, breaking the two girls out of trance, but as quickly as they caught their breath, their entire body system just shutted down.

The cause? The dress was backless. The massive cut only ended at the dip of her lower back, with every flex or movement made, muscle only twitched and tightened. It was delicious . Not only that but her patterns were like a dessert, and the two women were ready to greedily eat it up. The way it curved around her skin, imprinted on her as it glowed translucently, seemingly making Rumi look like a descending angel ( or an alluring demon ).

The dress was tailored perfectly to Rumi, the way the silken satin flowed with every movement, putting a smooth contrast against the rigid body that she maintains. It showcased her patterns that none of the girls could even put out a word to the sight. 

They should be excited about it, telling her that it’s perfect. But why did they feel this sense of need to keep this sight to themselves? Besides Bobby, the thought of the public seeing Rumi in the delightful dress makes them feel this specific bitterness. Not towards the braided woman, no, never . But towards potential leering eyes. 

The sense of shrouding confidence buzzing off Rumi pulled Zoey and Mira out of their thoughts, finally paying attention to her. She looked a bit uncertain about the dress, the way she hugged herself in that nervous way she does, and the way she was slightly biting her lip, her marks glowing subtly in that dark blue of nervousness.

“You look so good in it! But I think it might be too much. Mira?” Zoey spoke up, and the way that Rumi’s expression relaxed in relief pulled on their hearts. If the dress really made her uncomfortable, then they’re happy to play the disapprover.

“Mhm, kinda overkill if you ask me. Maybe save it for a..special occasion” Mira said, trying to maintain her calm exterior, a bit excited to see Rumi’s cheek light up in a light blush. And she was kind of right, this type of dress deserves to be praised intimately, away from prying eyes, and if they could imagine that special occasion to just be the three of them..well..they could just keep that to themselves. In a single moment, the women stared at each other, an air of understanding settles above them, with an under lining of something else. They didn’t even notice Bobby setting out to talk with the staff about a change in the dress, talking about Rumi’s preferences and how he’ll get that in a day or two.

When Rumi stepped back into the changing room, she lingered, subconsciously the two of the girls stood up, taking a step towards her. She gulped nervously, her eyes tracking every step that they took as they closed the distance. Rumi couldn’t even hear the excuse that Mira came up with for them to go inside the changing room with her, all noise outside of their bubble was muffled by the sounds of her heartbeat.

She could feel warmth radiate from the two, Mira stood behind her while Zoey was in front on her right. Rumi felt her arm grabbed with manicured hands that belonged to Zoey, Mira’s head close to her ear. In front of her, she could see in the mirror the hunger that dripped from the two, the way they eyed her in want, the heat was enough to make her warm. The patterns start to glow in that same deep pink again. Mira’s eyes lower in recognition, her hand finally settling on the soft material of the dress near Rumi’s waist. She didn’t want to make eye contact with her, not out of discomfort, but out of trembling control. If she met the heated gaze, she would have no telling of how her body would react. And she was sure that the look that Zoey is boring into her face would eat her alive. 

“G-Guys..?” Rumi asks, she tries to sound as stable as possible, but the breaths that she could feel on her ear on her left  and other lithe arms wrap around her waist on both sides makes her words come out in a shaky sigh. 

“Hmm?” Both the girls hum out, the rumble in their seemed to echo to her, sending a shudder down her spine. Rumi could feel the way Zoey's loose hand got closer to the exposed skin of her thigh and how the distance between her and Mira closed, her breath hitching as she felt the front of the taller woman. The air between them was thick and heavy. Her fingers twitch with a need to pull them even closer . Looking at the mirror, she could see their eyes dilate, their focus of the pulsing deep pink patterns, as well as manifested purple claws that she didn’t even notice. Another wave of heat washes over her.

She was about to close her eyes in a flutter when- “Girls! It’s time for us to gooo!” Bobby’s voice echoed through the curtain, muting the heat that was searing between them. Neither of them moved, still lingering by Rumi’s side, heat pooling where their hands were. 

Feeling Bobby’s presence on the other side finally made Zoey and Mira painfully peel off of her, and it wasn’t until Rumi gripped their hands that they stopped. They turned around in confusion, a searing heat still present in their gaze. 

“I-..” Rumi started but was hushed by a kiss on the cheek by Zoey and a smooth caress of her jaw by Mira. They both pulled back with this fond look in their face

“We’ll be waiting.” Mira said, before peeling the curtain to the side so that they could walk out. Rumi let out a breath that she never knew she held. It was like this lingering weight that she was carrying was lifted. To be honest, she was uncertain if the two of them really did like her the way she loved them. But these past weeks showed more than that, and that relieved her. Now she was sure that she could confidently tell them her true feelings about them, though she had a feeling they already knew, and it was somewhat comforting that they were waiting for her. Even if it took her an embarrassingly long time to figure out.

All she has to do is not mess anything up, which she hoped that it wouldn't be.

Chapter Text

In the end, the attire she settled with was a magnificent jump suit. It was made in velvet silk, the colour this time was in matte black, somehow making her translucent marks stand out. It wasn’t as revealing as the dress but it was enough to showcase them. The back was partially backless, allowing a view of the patterns that wrap around her back. Her waist was hitched with wrapped fabric as well as it being sleeveless. The mix of the masculine clothing and the feminine makeup that she had, brought out this eye-catching charm that many fans didn’t get to see. 

The event on the other hand had done amazingly well. Fans that were present in the crowd had let out screams of excitement the moment Rumi pulled off her jacket covering, revealing the shimmering patterns. The excuse that she and the company came up with, is that her patterns were tattoos made with white ink, and it changes colour because of the glitter that they applied on her. It was enough because everybody had accepted it without argument, though some did have their opinions on it. She was about to dwell on them but when she heard voices of Zoey and Mira in her head, telling her that they shouldn’t matter, it filled her with this unshaking confidence. Rumi continued the event without even thinking about those comments, fully throwing their words over her shoulders. 

When it was time for her to leave, Rumi managed to get online to see if people actually took it well on the internet. Honestly it actually surprised her with the amount of positive feedback they gave her. She even saw edits of her in all sorts of audios, some made her laugh with how the people commented under it. Some were flattering, but there were a few that did leave her a bit flushed. However there was this one post that a fan put up, and that had her fluttering.

“ I bet Mira and Zoey love to trace all them tattoos huh? 🤭 ” She read out loud, thanking that there was a divider between the front of the car and her, she’d be so embarrassed if she was overheard. Though, that still didn’t escape her lovely manager.

“Oooh, the internet is loving your look Rumi!” Bobby exclaimed excitingly through the divider. Or at least that’s what she heard. Her heart was still beating for a bit, partially scared with the public’s opinion of her relationship with the girls, and partially because of the implications of the comment. Her patterns were everywhere, even in her most intimate places, but that is something she won’t talk about. Well…not just with anybody . 

The braided woman was so lost in her thoughts that she didn’t notice Bobby pull the divider down, calling out for her. “..-umi? Could you hear me?” That snapped her out of her thoughts.

She embarrassingly laughed a bit, rubbing her arm up and down. “Sorry Bobby, what was it again?” 

He smiled adoringly before it faded into a line. “Well..I know we’ve made the statement about your tattoos, but I can’t help but think that there’s something else to it.” Bobby looked to the side, avoiding eye-contact, hoping that he didn’t spook Rumi. When she didn’t say anything, it prompted him to continue. “During the Idol Awards, when uhm..the break-up happened..” He paused, most likely out of nervousness. 

“The screen showed purple marks on you, not white. And it was in the same place as your tattoos, and I might sound crazy but I swear I saw them change colour.” He tried not to sound irrational, but the slight waver in his voice tells her otherwise. “And..and I know what special effects are like, what harnesses are like, what happened at the end? The three of you floating? There were no harnesses, I even asked the backstage crew after the concert if there were any rigs up, but there were none!” 

Okay, Rumi is feeling a bit bad about keeping Bobby in the dark. The man really did seem shaken about the whole event, even if the public was convinced of the statement that their company released, it was clear nothing could really get past him. “Hey Bobby, it’s alright. I believe you.” She reached through the gap, holding his shoulder in reassurance. He looked a bit surprised, which you know, makes sense since you’d think others would perceive that you were a tad bit nuts. “Come up to the penthouse and we’ll explain everything.” Was all she said before leaning back into her seat, and resumed to stare out through the window. 

“We?” Bobby’s voice muffled as the divider went back up. 

The elevator dinged, announcing Rumi’s arrival into the den. Mira and Zoey were laying on the couch, weirdly flushed, the both of them stuck to their screens to the point where they didn’t even notice Rumi approaching them. 

“Hey I’m home guys.” She said softly, hoping that she didn't suddenly spook them. Unfortunately, no matter how trained their senses were, somehow they still managed to jump up in a fright. She sighed, secretly adoring the reactions that she could only pull from them. “What’s got you so focused?” Rumi hummed, genuinely curious since she rarely sees not only Zoey but also Mira so glued to her screen. 

She was expecting an answer, usually Mira would ask her how the event went, then Zoey would follow up with questions of anything interesting that happened. But this time, nothing. They just stared at her, clutching their phones as if it was the only thing that kept them alive. Rumi’s brow only lifted in confusion, a silent question as to why they were acting so strange. “Guys..?” She said, standing still with her clutch bag in her hands. 

What she forgot was that the two never saw what she actually wore for the event, only a hurried text of her new wear since she had to leave the studio in a few minutes. So imagine how ( rightfully ) speechless they were when they saw fans post photos of her at the event on social media. 

It was when Zoey and Mira decided to spend the evening off on the couch just lazing about. Since they were a bit tired from the live that they did, the duo was just scrolling silently on their socials. It was peaceful for an hour or so, until Zoey saw a notification that tagged her in a post. Usually she would tend to have these on mute, but when she saw the words that say: ‘Rumi’, ‘outfit’, ‘tattoos’, who wouldn’t click on it. 

However, she didn’t expect to get punched in the throat with the photos that were attached to it. One photo was her standing in front of the camera with this confident smile. Rumi’s hand was resting on her hip, angling in a way where light shines on her perfectly. Not only that but her outfit. The jumpsuit was hugging her right, accentuating her waist in a way that could attract any passerbyers. Oh how she wanted to dig her fingers under the fabric just to pull her close. Another was her talking, her hands accompanying her words. Her patterns were more visible in this one and if Zoey saved the photo and put it into her ‘Rumi’ album, well, that’s something she would only know.  

Zoey could show Mira the photos, but knowing that their feeds are practically the same, she had a feeling that taller woman would eventually see.

Mira’s breath hitched. It was a post that scrolled onto her page. The post was from a fan account with a zoomed in picture of Rumi stepping out of the car. The lights from the other cameras were reflecting off the gloss of the car, but the brightness of it could not compare to how blinding Rumi looked. Mira was practically frothing at how Rumi’s patterns seemed to be alive on screen as the woman’s bicep flexed. The action shot of the photo highlighted the muscle of her exposed arm, as well as the lithe fingers that were gripping her bag in hand. In the growing thread, photos of her mid-action of hand shakes, fan interactions, and posing for professional photographers were being liked rapidly. And every single one of them had the dancer practically brain dead. 

The one photo of Rumi when she was talking to a fan had her back facing towards the camera. The lighting of the place had managed to cast a shadow across the muscled plane, shadows could be seen dipping into curves with patterns glowing in its place. Like the first dress she tried on, it was backless too, and it churned the same daydreams that were filled with marks of nails and bites. Mira quickly shook herself out of it, her eyes ripping from her screen over to Zoey who was already staring at her with the (probably) same flushed expression. 

The two held a silent conversation before resuming their shameless scrolling of photos and posts that have the vocalist's latest outfit captured. They were probably still deep into growing threads until Rumi was finally home. So when Rumi was standing with a confused expression, and still somehow rocking the appetising jumpsuit, that somehow broke their trance, and embarrassingly noticed Bobby behind her, sporting that look on him. At this point, they’re just wondering if they just died then and there.

“Oh. Hi Bobby!” Zoey and Mira greeted simultaneously, though with a bit of a shake in their voice. The man in response perked up from that knowing expression. 

“Evening girls!” The manager cheerfully responded. 

“What brings you here Bobby?” Zoey asked, thankful that the heat on her face had subsided. Now usually it isn’t strange to find the man in their den, but at these types of draining events, he tends to leave them alone for a bit. So him coming up here did have her curious. 

Before he could even say anything, he hesitated, looking at Rumi. Now that was strange.

“I think it’s time.” Rumi said, a certain tone laced in her voice. Oh. So this is what it’s about. Zoey finally got it, turning to Mira who nodded in understanding. “Uh..Bobby, why don’t you sit down.” She patted a spot for him on a vacant spot on the couch. The three of them waited for their manager to sit down. Rumi placed herself between Zoey and Mira, heating up as she felt the warmth that radiated from the two. “Are you guys okay?” She asked, a slight worry present in her voice. 

Mira chuckled lightly before leaning in close. “We’ll show you later.” Her husky voice whispered, sending a shiver down Rumi’s spine, heat suddenly pooling in her stomach. 

The braided woman cleared her throat, hoping it didn’t crack, she really didn’t want to get teased about that by the hot-headed dancer. “We talked a bit earlier in the car, right Bobby?” She talked in a tone like she wasn’t trying to spook an anxious animal.

He smiled nervously, tapping his fingers against his lap. “Yeah..I just-..” Bobby struggled with his words once again, most likely trying to fish together a sentence that didn’t seem like he was going insane. “It’s about what happened that night.” He mumbled, fingers twiddling. “You know when you girls were like..floating?” 

Suddenly it was like this weighted blanket settled between the four of them, Rumi’s patterns pulsing with a silent rhythm. “Right..Listen, Bobby.” Zoey started, trying to get an explanation out. “To explain the floating bit, what do you think of Rumi’s patterns?” She made sure to give a subtle look towards the woman beside her, in a quiet question of consent. Zoey smiled when she saw Rumi give her a smile of approval.

“Her tattoos? I mean it was sudden, but it suits her very well.” Bobby smiled, causing a sudden warmth that she never knew she needed. It felt..nice for the patterns that she once ostracised be approved by an older figure that she respected. “I mean it kind of changes colours but that's just the makeup or ink right?” When he didn’t get a response, brows furrowed in confusion. “Are they…not tattoos?” 

Rumi takes a breath in, gathering courage as she feels her arm hugged by Zoey and her shoulder held by Mira. “No Bobby. These marks aren’t tattoos.” When she looked him in the eye, she quickly connected the panic that Bobby’s eyes were telling. “They aren’t scars! Uhm..if that’s what you’re wondering..” She in fact, nailed her assumption, and..she couldn’t blame him. The aversion of bathhouses, always up in sleeves. She’d seen it with other hoobaes that were laid off from disbanded groups. That’s why she will always interact with all the younger groups and trainees whenever she has a chance, same goes with Mira and Zoey.

Her exclamation had kind of reassured him but the confused lines on his face didn’t wear off. “That’s…good, I didn’t want to think of the worse you know? I’m glad that you didn’t..hurt..yourself.” He trailed off as he tried not to dwell on painful memories of friends during his idol days.

“Thank you..and uh like I said, these patterns aren’t tattoos.” Rumi smiled, trying to clear the heavy fog that settled on them. “You remember the night right?” She asked.

He nodded. “Yeah, I was in the crowd at Nam-San tower watching the Saja Boys' performance…huh..” The manager trailed off, this time, it made the girls curious. “Now that I think about it, the whole thing seemed..weird. Not like bad CGI weird, but like…something there was off. And I’ve already mentioned this but there were no rigs that were set up for you three to just be floating up in the sky.” It was kind of amusing, a little refreshing to the hunters. To them, the spiritual world was something that they’d grown used to, so seeing a normie trying to put pieces together from strange occurrences was kinda funny.

“That’s ‘cause we were floating Bobby.” Mira smoothed in, stating the facts rather bluntly, earning a side eye from Mira, to which she just shrugged it off. “What? Might as well give it to him straight.” She said coolly, crossing her leg over the other.

Zoey sighed. “I guess..well, she is right Bobby. We really were floating, right Rumi?” She turned to Rumi, who nodded.

“What do you know about demons Bobby?” Rumi asked, a part of her nervous and afraid at what his reaction would be, causing her pattern to glow dark blue.

Immediately he spotted the colour change and his eye brows raised in surprise. It took a moment for him to process the question, his eyes flickering from Rumi’s patterns, to her eyes. “Well apart from old folklore, not much. But what does that have to do with your…glowy tattoos..” He eyed the marks like he was waiting for them to change colour once again.

“Demons are actually real. They’ve been around for who knows how long.” Rumi started, hoping that she didn’t come on too strong. “And with them, there were generations of demon hunters that would fight them. To prevent them from taking the soul of a human.” She stopped, trying to see if Bobby had any signs of disbelief. He did have some, but as he looked from girl to girl and seeing the seriousness in their expressions, it slowly melted away.

Rumi gripped a hand from either of her side, holding Mira’s with her right, and Zoey’s with the other. “We..are the new generation of hunters. Aside from our idol work, we have a duty to protect the people.” She squeezed their hands out of nervousness, only smiling slightly when she felt a squeeze reciprocated from both of them. “Using our song.” Runi felt this sudden wave of confidence flow through her as she held her girls beside her. 

As Bobby processed the information, his disbelief was turning into an expression of understanding. “Demon hunters?” He questioned, the three of them hummed simultaneously in agreement. “That…kinda makes sense.” He leaned back, his finger tapping against his chin as if he was trying to recall buried memories. “I mean, I never saw proper papers of commission about those weapons of yours. They always pop and go…” 

Suddenly his face scrunched up ina frown. “Wait- that means those ‘extras’ with these wild makeup and special effects that happen when they disappear. Those are demons?!” He yelped, his skin a touch paler. When he received surprised nods, his eyebrows knitted so unfathomably close. “Hang on. So whenever you three disappear during odd times, or sometimes even on stage. You were practically working yourselves more?!” He exclaimed, his look kind of settling into a disapproving ‘dad’ stare at them. “You practise as an idol and fight and seal away demons at the same time? I-..” Bobby runs his hand over his face, trying to keep his composure.

Rumi, Zoey, and Mira looked at each other worryingly, hoping that they didn’t actually scare their manager off. 

“And I was never around where you could’ve needed me?” Bobby’s face was now contorted into a worried frown. Oh.

The trio could only smile affectionately at his words. “Bobby..it’s okay, we’ve been training for this since like..forever.” Zoey reassured him, smiling comfortingly at him. 

“Plus it’s practically no sweat, much easier than stuffy photoshoots honestly.” Mira light chuckled, her way of easing complicated situations. 

Bobby sighed fondly, before he had that look of curiosity again. “But..what does demon hunting have to do with Rumi’s tattoos?” He asked, taking account of hesitation from the leader.

Rumi sat there, feeling that same anxious swarm crawl down her spine. Suddenly the confidence that she had balling up had gone undone. She tried to speak but her throat just went dry, before she could spiral, she felt a squeeze on her hands. The woman looked up, meeting the gazes of both the people that had her heart. In their eyes, a swirl of reassurance was flowing, reaching out to her.

She breathed in, bracing herself for the inevitable. “Demons…could be identified with patterns on their skin, most of them being purple..” Rumi looked down, tracing her own with her eyes. She could feel his gaze follow her, settling on the pulsing dark blue glow. 

She wasn’t the only one nervous about what the man feels, Mira and Zoey could barely breathe. The three of them could hear the cogs in his brain chug as he pieced together the tidbits of information that they gave him. 

Seconds go by, maybe a minute or two before he stands up. Curiously, the girls didn’t say anything, afraid to break an important moment that could take place.

Bobby walked calmly towards Rumi—who gulped nervously—before he kneeled on one knee in front of her, placing a calming hand on her covered knee. “Were you okay Rumi?” He asked, genuine concern all over him.

Simple words shouldn’t have affected her, but it did. Those simple words had opened an unknown lid of a buried jar that she must’ve shelved away. And suddenly, the room felt too tight and too open at the same time. Her vision blurred as tears pooled along her eyes. He stood up, his arms open, encouraging her into them.

With no wasted time, she jumped up and practically bulldozed the man as he wrapped her in an embrace. Bobby rubbed circles on her bare back, as he soothed the sobbing girl in his arms. “It must’ve been painful to hide it from them right? From us, from your girls .” He whispered, glancing at the two seated women who also had tears running down their faces. Bobby may not have noticed their demon hunting side gig, but he certainly was acutely aware of the tension the three of them held for one another.

The manager gestured for them to join the hug, which was received rather quickly. His knees buckled at the weight of the hug as the girls towered him, sobbing all over the place.

For Rumi. To be a renowned idol whose duty is to kill demons, whilst having the blood of the same kind that they were sworn to kill. And also while harbouring feelings for your best friends that you didn’t know if it could be reciprocated. Yeah, that is some burden that you had to carry. It all makes sense now honestly, Bobby wondered. He did question why Rumi had always stayed up way too late in the studio even if he nagged her to go home. The walls, the forced distance. It was because of this.

For both Zoey and Mira. The two must’ve spent so much time wondering if the other girl liked them in the first place. They must’ve thought that they weren’t liked enough to have time made for them. That thought alone made him sad for them.

Bobby could still hear Rumi sob and mumble bottled up feelings that should’ve been spilled years ago. He only listened, understanding her perspective, it went from the pressure of album releases to hunter duties to the weight of her secrecy. Not only that but more was piled on when the other two started to unbottle feelings. Of course, he took track of them all. Apologies of what happened backstage ( pointing their weapons at her?! ), the breakup, exhaustion, pushed insecurities. Everything was being said, being laid out to each other. And he listened to them all. He listened and whispered comforting words, and reassurances at the fragile girls in his arms. 

It felt like forever until the noises dialed down to hiccups. They peeled off each other, the three girls still holding onto each other in mutual understanding. It wasn’t until they caught a glimpse of Bobby that they bursted out into giggles. The manager was somewhat amused. “What?” He questioned, a bit of a giggle threatened to break from his tone. Only when Zoey pulled up her camera on selfie mode did he finally see what they were laughing about. Bobby’s shirt was damp with tears, his jacket was smudged with colours that came from Rumi’s makeup, and his jaw shined in what most likely is tears. He scoffed fondly at his appearance, happy to look like this if it meant his girls would be reduced to childish giggles. Something that they should indulge in freely, especially Rumi.

A thought occurred to him. “So your mother was a hunter? And your dad was a…demon?” He asked, breaking the giggle fit that the girls were trapped in. Rumi nodded, a smile still stuck on her face. “Wait, Celine must’ve known then.” The manager said it as a fact, which got a slight flinch from the purple-haired girl. Odd.

Rumi swallowed. “Uh..yeah. She was the one who practically raised me, remember? The one to hide my patterns..” She trailed off, covering her patterns on her arms subconsciously. 

Bobby could start to feel his temper bubble under his skin. It was rare for him to feel anger, but from what he got about the information of her demon heritage, as well as newly acquired knowledge of the supernatural, and the way she flinched at the mention of Celine–who probably had a hand in Rumi's walls–the way she anxiously held herself afterwards. It was enough to make his vein bug out. But he calmed himself, finally taking account of the tense hesitation that Rumi was holding back. 

“Actually..I haven’t told anyone this yet.” She started. “When I left, I went to the tree, went to Celine.” Her voice stammered as she felt attention washing over her. “She..never really loved me. The way a mother would be to her child.” Rumi continued, forcing the ball in her throat to unfold. “So..I asked her to do what she should’ve done when I was given to her.” She stopped, trying to gather courage, trying to stomp down the burn that threatened to eat up her lungs. 

“..What was it..?” Mira asked hesitantly, her hand making way to Rumi’s arm. 

Rumi took a deep breath, preparing what little courage she could bring. “I asked her to kill me.”

Chapter Text

Silence. 

That was the only thing prominent in the air of the den. Rumi stood between Mira and Zoey while Bobby was in front of her a step away. It was like a bomb had dropped, like a hole had opened up under them. Only sounds of lingering hiccups could be heard. And suddenly it felt like Rumi was on fire. Like needles were piercing her, piercing deep within her. She was meant to keep this to herself, to bury it. 

Why all of a sudden, she gave in to the urge to confess incriminating information. Information that she was meant to keep between her and Celine. She cursed herself. Berated. She shouldn’t have blurted this out right. Especially to Bobby, especially to Mira and Zoey. Rumi blamed herself–blamed her pathetic vulnerability–though a deep part inside of her knew why. It knew the warmth that she could feel from the people that currently surround her. It was easy to give in, to confide them about the sagging pressure that she had been carrying since that night. 

Yes, for a second it was..freeing. In some way. But it all came back in a rush as she scanned each and every one of their faces. Taking in their expressions. Taking in the shock–the horror. 

Rumi blinks, and suddenly she was backstage again during that night. She could hear herself talk, she couldn’t remember what she said. But when ripples of violent purple bounced through the honmoon, she felt herself stop. The floor in front of her illuminated as the blades of weapons were pointed limply against her. She blinks again, this time, kneeling on the dirt in front of the tree. She remembers vividly. Her head hung so low–a sight that would never be seen from the half-demon–and her arm outstretched, offering her blade towards her guardian. 

She remembers the resignation leave her. Her fight, her hope, her voice ..leave her. She was over it, and she just needed to breathe . However, no blade had slashed through her cursed skin, no matter how long she waited with baited breath. 

What came, however, was a tackle of some kind. Like an animal had latched onto her. Rumi blinks, and in front of her is Zoey and Mira. She could feel them shake against her, the tremble that buzzed along her skin as she reciprocated the embrace. Rumi looked through the gap between them, trying to make out Bobby’s expression. 

When she did so, shivers shook down her spine. It wasn’t like anything she’d seen. The mere look at the man had on him was worrying. His face was eerily blank, only the twitch of his eyebrow was a giveaway at his current emotion. 

She could smell the sick iron scent of pure anger that emanated from him. Rumi had never ever seen him so angry before. Irritated, yes, but angry to the point of tight stoicism. It was something you couldn’t even imagine to see on the bubbly man. And fear pumped into her veins, suddenly her thoughts were running. She started to blame herself, condemning herself. 

“Did she try to?” 

What..? Rumi snapped out of her spiral. “What?” She asked outwardly this time, a tremble prominent in her voice.

Bobby saw the look of fear on her, and he felt the fire within him mute. Who wouldn't? 

Rumi is a confident young woman and here she was, reduced to a child the moment she sees the look of anger like it burnt her. He couldn’t imagine what it was like to grow up around the woman who was supposedly your ‘mother figure’ who also told her to repress herself. She was a child . A child who had responsibilities pushed onto her since birth, because of a birth that was possible between opposite sides. She was repressed, constantly under pressure, constantly working. Constantly hiding . Only ever confiding with Celine, and he doubted the woman had any kind words for her. So, for the sake of Rumi. Bobby calmed himself, taking in a deep breath, feeling the tension leave his body briefly.

“Did she try to kill you, Rumi?” He asked calmly this time, like he was trying to coax a frightened animal from a dangerous situation. The silence that she was withholding stung him. He didn’t think he’d see this expression on any of his girls again. Memories of what he saw on the screen that night flashed, causing his jaw to tighten.

“..N-no..she couldn’t..” Rumi whispered out, remembering the way Celine’s voice was breaking as she recalled her promise to her. 

“ So I did my best to accept you and help you.” A voice echoes.

“Accept me? You told me to cover up, to hide.” Her own echoed back. 

It was like she could hear their conversation all over again. She lowered her head, boring a piercing stare through the floorboards. She could feel the sorrow stares on her, Rumi knew she should’ve told them, but how could she when the others were also hurting. As a leader, she didn’t want to burden them with things that could’ve been brushed away. 

“I’m glad she didn’t.” Was all he said, like his other one-liners, it cut the thinned rope of self-control and like before, she cried. Sobbed into the arms of her girls as they held her steady. They weren’t crying this time, possibly out of respect for her. Zoey and Mira wanted to cry, but this was something that Rumi needed to get out. The two didn’t say anything, even when Bobby put a comforting hand on their shoulders. 

“We’re glad she didn’t.” He emphasised, earning a shattering cry as she babbled out worlds. The manager only stood there, holding onto his girls as they had Rumi wrapped in their arms in comfort, extremely glad to be next to her as she let herself fully go. Even if neither of the two hadn’t said anything, the actions of solace had told far more than what he had said. 

It took a while until Rumi was empty, only hiccuping here and there. Currently she was sitting on the couch, obviously crying non-stop would make anyone incapable of holding themselves up. Bobby only sighed fondly as he witnessed the way Mira held Rumi’s forearm–tracing comforting lines along her patterns–and the way Zoey hugged the side of her, her arm intertwined with the vocalist’s as she held her hand. It was intimate, something that he was familiar with as the years with them went by. He could see Rumi smile at the sensation, the patterns seem to glow a soft yellow colour.

Bobby knew the girls needed their time now, and he was willing to give it to them. 

“Alright girls, I think I need to head back for tonight.” He called out, briefly stopping the quiet conversation that the three of them were engaged in. He pocketed his hands as he grinned brightly at Rumi, throwing her a wink—to which he huffed a laugh as he saw her cheeks tint—as he walked towards the lift. Bobby pressed the button and stood in front of the door as he waited.

“I’m always with you girls. Demon, demon hunters, and whatnot. Someone’s got to take care of you three right?” The manager’s back was towards the door as it dinged, indicating its opening. He stepped in, before hitting a button. Bobby made sure to do a final head nod as the doors closed, finally closing him in privately. 

And just like that, his anger flooded back into his veins, his blood bubbling as the dreaded face of Rumi flashed through his memories. His nails dug crescents into his palms as he saw the hurt that Mira and Zoey were weeping. It wasn’t their fault for the way things happened, in fact, he knew who he had to talk to. For now, all he needs is a warm bubble bath while he processes the gut-wretching confessions.

‘Yeah..I think I need more than a bubble bath.’ Bobby thought, a vein was threatening to pop as he ordered himself a box of chicken and soju. ‘Don’t worry girls, I’ll do everything to be there for you.’ He hummed out, thoughts of actual schedule breaks and among other things for his girls distracted him from his rage. 

Mira had always known that Rumi was hiding something, even after the whole situation. So when she heard that Rumi basically begged for Celine to kill her, the dancer felt her stomach drop to the ground. At that point she was practically holding her breath, trying to understand what Rumi had said. 

“ I asked her to kill me .” It echoed endlessly and Mira couldn’t get rid of it. She didn’t even know when her body moved but it did, and it moved to pull Rumi into a tight embrace. Her mind was frozen. Blank. She couldn’t even imagine living in a world where Rumi was gone, where Zoey was gone. It didn’t feel right.

She was sure Zoey felt the same way, maybe even worse, and she was right. When Zoey listened to what Rumi said, her heart practically shattered for her. To ask the person who took care of you to basically kill you? It was heartbreaking. Zoey always knew the relationship between Celine and Rumi weren’t ordinary, she’s not stupid. Whenever the two of them would think no one else would be around, the mak-nae would see carefully hidden berating and forced silence. It didn’t matter if she knew about the patterns, her temper would rise whenever she catches the slightest glance of Rumi folding in herself as she could faintly hear Celine scold the oldest in a cold tone. Zoey would usually make Rumi’s comfort food whenever Celine leaves, sometimes Mira would go out and buy drinks for the three of them. 

So hearing about Celine’s involvement in the way Rumi is ashamed of her own (mesmerising) patterns, she didn’t even know she could get even angrier. But she had to keep that under control for the sake of Rumi. 

Zoey and Mira didn’t even notice that Bobby was about to leave until he announced his departure, it still didn’t stop from comforting Rumi in the best way they knew as of the moment. 

It still felt different whenever the girls would run their fingers over the patterned skin. Somehow it was much softer than before and Rumi’s already perfect skin was smooth, currently though, it was like you were running your fingers through a cloud. The silence was comfortable as they kept rubbing circles or traced lines along the marks of her skin. Zoey even scolded herself for even thinking of what it would be like to follow the lines into hidden places, especially during this moment.

The silence didn’t break but it got lighter when Rumi spoke up. “Thank you both for…y’know.” She accompanied with a shrug, earning a light giggle from Zoey to which Mira chuckled breathily. Rumi fell silent as she watched the two girls laugh distraught lines off their faces. Something about being able to freely watch as the joy they show her made her feel..content. Happy in a way that she rarely feels. Without the walls that she had built over the years, it made her more appreciative at any opportunity of vulnerability that the two show. 

Honestly she didn’t know how her mind didn’t explode from how long she kept her secret for–well except that moment backstage but she’d rather not think about that again–and even with the walls, they would still support her with whatever she does. Be it in person or through messages, they would send never ending support whenever she would have any solo gigs in her schedule, and it did come through especially with migrating talk shows. 

Wait, that reminds her..

“Mira.” Rumi called out, her stomach weirdly twisted at how instant Mira’s attention was to her–at how soft Mira’s usually steely eyes are. “What were you saying about earlier?" She asked, suddenly remembering how her throat dried up after their brief conversation. 

Mira smirked inwardly at Rumi’s question, throwing Zoey a telling glance as she hummed. “Hm…what about earlier?” She knows what Rumi meant, but she wanted to see how this would play out, just for the fun of it.

The braided woman huffed out. “You know what I mean.” Her voice was low, exhaustion could be detected as she melts under Zoey’s innocent grasp on her.

She pretended to ponder, humming out a thought before she leaned a bit closer, relishing the way Rumi stilled her movement. “We never really saw what you wore properly, isn’t that right Zoey?” Smirking as she saw the way the mentioned woman immediately caught her intentions. 

Zoey leaned closer, her side pressing against Rumi’s arm—to which it pulsed in that pink colour that she missed out on. “Not even a single pic, left us with nothing honestly.” She pretended to pout as she lightly pressed her chin on Rumi’s shoulders. “Now though…” The rapper grinned wickedly, a known expression of mischief. 

Rumi stiffened, sucking in a breath as she felt pointed fingers smooth down material on her back, caressing lightly along the cut of the jumpsuit. Suddenly she was much more aware of the two girls’ presence. Mira’s hand tightly gripped her arm, running fingers down as the other laid painfully high on her thigh. She could feel Zoey’s breath on her ear when she rested her head on the older girl’s shoulder, occasional shivers would tremble up and down her skin every time the sharp points of the rapper’s nails would graze against the skin on her back. “Uhm…now..?” The leader cursed herself for how shaky her voice came out.

Mira was next to make a bolder move, somehow leaning more closer, the tip of her nose practically brushing across her ear. “Now..” She draws out, leaving Rumi buzzing in surprising anticipation. “We get to cherish this more closely .” Her tone was husky, low enough to vibrate the very bones of the half-demon. The dancer warmed at the way she could reduce the usual confident leader into a breathy mess, it was mouth watering. 

Quickly recalling every interrupted exchanges that happened between them had Mira immediately stand up, her fingers lingering as she trailed them down from Rumi’s arm to her calloused hands. She tugged the older girl up oh so gently, her lids hooding at how easy the vocalist obeyed the usher. Being the quick person that Zoey is, she managed to get what Mira was insinuating and trailed closely behind Rumi, prowling behind her like a predator waiting to jump its prey. 

Rumi couldn’t deny them, she could feel the way Zoey eyed her as they walked agonisingly slow towards her room. She practically hears her heartbeat in her ears as if her body was alight by familiar fire, her hand buzzing and whirling under the skin contact between her and Mira, the hairs on her back prickles with every breath that leaves Zoey. God , was she really that touch deprived? To the point where the simple touch of any of her girls would feel like she walked on pleasant charcoal? 

She was so lost in her thoughts that she didn’t even know that the three of them were already inside her room. It was exactly like the way she left it that afternoon before the event. However, the atmosphere seemed to have changed . Something in the air smelt sweet, mixed with a spice of some sort, and she thought that her eyes were fooling her but she swears that she could see Mira and Zoey’s eyes illuminate a little bit against the ambient lighting around her room. It was kind of…soul-sucking. Usually she’d be glad that she gets lost in those pretty browns but right now, it feels like she could drown in it, and the thing is, she would be glad to.

Her breath hitched when Mira stepped closer, her hands still laced around hers. She didn’t think she could still breathe with the way Zoey practically pressed up against her back, bare skin feeling all of the younger’s front. Rumi’s stomach tensed up as she felt Mira’s other hand graze against it before finding place on her waist. She shivered when she felt Zoey’s hands press against the valley of her neck, forcing her to crane up towards Mira–who was eyeing her with this need . Her patterns were pulsing in that deep pink of heat, warmth blazes through her body, choosing to keep her stomach on fire. 

“G-Guys..” She stammered out, not shedding a single care at how cornered she sounded. Rumi could feel a whine build up in her throat at the gentle squeeze that Zoey applied on smooth skin of her patterned neck, and she could feel the sensation of her claws, prying to replace her hand the moment Mira had her lithe fingers hooked onto the wrappings around her waist, tugging her closer.

“ Yes ..?” The two of them purred out softly. Damn them, she thought she was on fire earlier but now…it was like she was doused in gasoline and took a plunge into open flames. Her throat was dry, painfully dry. Her mind was practically in hysterics and her palms were sweaty, at that point she could barely remember what she had said a second ago. 

“Will we..” ‘Make this official?’ ‘Finally do something about this straining tension?’ God, why can’t I say anything?

There are so many things going through Rumi’s mind right now. She never actually pursued a relationship before, y’know, demon marks and all, plus idol schedules and hunter duties. The leader never really had the time to date, let alone do something about her feelings for the girls. Her and Jinu never worked out because let’s be honest, the man was like 400+ years old, and he is kind of dead, so yeah no, that was never going to work out. Plus she liked him better as a fossilised (platonic) soulmate than anything else. 

But now, with everything out in the open, the possibility of actually getting into a relationship with her favourite girls nonetheless was, exciting. And hella scary. She had spent actual months scrutinising this over and over again, that’s why she got more comfortable with showing skin now, with showing more of her patterns. 

As if the two of them read her mind, she gasped breathlessly as she felt soft lips on the corner of her mouth. Her lids fluttered as she finally found Mira’s eyes before a shiver shocked her spine the moment Zoey placed a kiss on the back of her neck, above her delts. She swore she caught a glimpse of Mira’s pupils dilate like they monitored every movement the oldest makes. 

“We can.” Mira gently said, closing the gap between them, leaving only a breath away from Rumi. Like she was still waiting for Rumi to pull away if need be. 

“Slow..?” Zoey asks from behind, and Rumi feels her heart squeeze at how gentle they were with her. And she could only slowly nod, she didn’t want to dive into this too fast because if she did, she didn’t know if Rumi would be able to control herself.

So, as if she was fragile, she felt a gentle touch on her jaw as Mira guided her in for a soft kiss, her fingers lingering on supple skin. And she melted . It was so soft, the complete opposite of the woman’s personality, Rumi’s arms can’t help but wrap around the taller girl’s neck, pulling her closer as she found her mind to kiss back. There was something satisfying with the way she’s able to comb through Mira’s long hair as the woman keeps pressing lingering kisses on her lips. 

Those gentle, testing kisses faded and were being replaced with increasing searing ones, it was more demanding, shortening her breathing kiss by kiss. It was intoxicating—with the way Mira’s scent wafted around her. Rumi gasped at the gentle bite that she felt on the dip of her neck, her open mouth captured by Mira, practically eating the noise. 

She could vividly feel Zoey pepper her back with open mouth kisses, shivering under the touch whenever she could feel the sensation of Zoey’s tongue graze lightly across the dips of her muscles. The mak-nae’s hands were placed on the front of her neck, fingers under the high collar, pointed nails lightly digging onto patterned skin. 

The sensation on her sensitive neck drew out a breathy whine, prompting Rumi to break the continuous kisses between her and Mira. One of her arms unwrapped around the taller girl’s neck and the freed hand found its way around Zoey’s wrist. She peeled it off her neck and brought it up to her lips, placing a heated kiss on skin. She was sure she was under a certain daze because Rumi made sure to keep Zoey’s eyes on her as she bit the soft flesh with her newly sharpened canines.

The older girl made sure to pay attention with the way Zoey’s eyes dilated and hood over. Once she was sure it didn’t hurt her, she released her bite on her, glancing a quick look at the indent on skin. Something about the mark had put a tight coil under her stomach. Something about the way they looked at each other as she did so sent that sensation lower.

Rumi let out a deep whine as she felt lips placed on the side of her neck, out of the corner of her eye she spotted the familiar pink that belonged to Mira. She couldn’t even say anything when her own lips were captured by Zoey, who stood on her toes as she leaned over to capture Rumi into the blistering kiss. Her grip tightened when Mira sucked onto a certain spot, she was sure that there would be a mark there later but she couldn’t care less at the moment. Especially when she gasped, Zoey took the opportunity to dip her tongue inside, cautiously getting a feel. 

It was open, sloppy, desperate . She could feel Zoey claw into her skin as their kisses had intensified. With the additional sensation on her neck, she was reduced to a melting, whining puddle. It felt too long, but the longer they kept exchanging scorching touches, the more she needed them. She absolutely needed them. 

“..Fuck..” Rumi breathlessly sighed out as Zoey broke their kiss. She was breathing sharply, the half-demon didn’t know how she’s still surviving, with the way Mira was littering lingering kisses along her shoulders accompanied by the way Zoey did the same to her face, yeah somehow she was still standing. 

She noticed that Zoey was now in front of her too, so she wrapped her arms around each waist of each girl, pulling them closer. Rumi placed a more gentler kiss onto the youngest’s lips first, preening as she drew out a soft hum from her. They parted for a bit before she kissed her again, and then again. Each kiss was filled with love that Rumi couldn’t register into words for the animal lover, and it was enough to have her softly giggle out that adorable laughter of hers.

Rumi then moved to a waiting Mira, her breath hitched when she was met with a lovestruck expression. She could only smile so softly at the blatant display of adoration that the dancer was showing. Without any further delay, she closed the distance once again between them and entrapped her into another gentle kiss. Each kiss she placed onto those soft kips felt lighter than the last, and each one could bring out a wide grin from one another. 

When they broke apart, Rumi looked, like really looked at Mira, and then she turned her attention to Zoey, that same lovestruck expression present on her. She could feel that same when she sees Mira and Zoey exchange kisses, the weight in her stomach was comfortable, filling, satisfying. Of course there was that lingering pulse between her legs but that could be sorted in the future. 

Maybe it was the secure atmosphere but Rumi couldn’t feel but softly laugh, only laughing a bit harder when she caught the amused expressions of Mira and Zoey. Rumi could only lean against them as support as she giggled at the overwhelming feeling of happiness that overtook her. She was so deep into her giggle fit that she didn’t notice that they were finally laying down on her bed, something about the way she fit snuggly in the middle between them made her laughs stifle.

“What’s so funny Giggles?” Mira teased her with a raspy tone, she was fiddling with Rumi’s loosened hair ( when did that happen..? ), combing through the strands. 

“Did we do something funny, unnie ?” Zoey mumbled to her left, lazily tracing the lines of her patterns. Something about the little nicknames the two came up with made her feel those same butterflies again. 

Runi could only sigh out in contentment. “So much for slow hm.” Was all she said, and she was rewarded with the hypnotising sounds of their laughter. She savoured the way Zoey’s breath tickles her neck as she giggled, as well the way Mira’s body shook against hers as she silently laughed.

There was something about this little intimate moment that had her feel this type of contentment. It was something that she’s going to look forward to from now on, even after they’ve established their relationship. Moments filled with free laughter, and warm embraces makes her hopeful for their future. Be it slaying demons, or idol work, as long as they had each other—as long as they knew their song, they would never be alone, they would never lose.

They’ll face it together, as one, as a family.

Chapter Text

The weeks that follow their conversation, Bobby made sure to have them rest inside their penthouse. He smiled when he received a text with a picture attached to it from Mira. 

The photo that was taken included the three of them all sat around someone’s bed. It was mostly likely movie night with the way the room was dimmed and the only light captured was the glow that illuminated from the laptop in front of them. What made him smile however was the way Rumi was cuddled between Mira and Zoey, the girl was probably stuffed between the two and with plush sheets around her. Mira had the phone angled to the side and was tilting above a bit. It was enough for Bobby to see the way Zoey was pressed into Rumi’s side, drowsiness prominent on her face. Mira’s other arm was preoccupied with Rumi’s as her arm was wrapped around. The glow of the screen was bouncing off their faces. They looked comfortable, that’s how it’s always supposed to be. 

He texted back about making sure that they all get enough sleep and not to stay up too late before he huffed and closed his phone. 

Bobby was walking along the streets of Seoul, the lamps were casting down onto concrete sidewalks, there were quite a lot of people still out and about considering it was a Saturday. He checked his watch and tsked before he picked up his pace, the metal dings of a protected folder in his hands could be heard. He weaved and side-stepped around people until he reached an alleyway that was lit up with neon signs, all having the common message of bars and restaurants. The man walked down the long alleyway until he slowed down outside of an inconspicuous fusion bar, he made sure that he had the right name before he walked in. 

Greeting him was a receptionist stationed behind a desk who stood up and bowed upon seeing him. “Good evening sir, did you have a reservation?” She asked. Bobby bowed back and answered politely. 

“Yes, under Bobby.” He stated, and bowed as he was led into the building. Bobby took in his surroundings as he walked past the main bar area before going up a flight of stairs towards the private booths. As they slowed down to a door, the manager spotted a silhouette through the opaque side window to which he had to take a deep breath in. “Thank you.” He bowed as he turned to the attendant.

“We’ll have a server up when you’re ready to order sonnim.” Was all she said before walking away. 

Bobby took a moment to gather himself before he opened the door and walked in. There, sitting on a chair opposite a vacant one, was Celine. She had her greyed hair down like always. She had a gray blazer hanging on the back of her chair, the sleeves of her loose button-up rolled up to her elbows. It was noticeable that she had a drink or three by the slight flush of her skin and the empty bottle that was beside her filled glass. 

“Hello Bobby.” She semi-warmly greeted him, and he tried–really tried–his hardest not to pop a vein on the spot the moment he heard her voice. “What was the special occasion that you had to bring me out of the countryside to here.?” Celine asked, her tone was low, oddly low, as she was tracing the rim of her cup.

“Evening Celine, please pardon my tardiness.” Bobby’s tone was tightly professional, unlike all the other times where he interacted with her in friendly formality. That alone made Celine’s eyebrow raise. He sat down onto the chair, placing the protected folder in his hands beside him. Bobby didn’t need to bring it out for now, so he placed his now empty hands in front of him, interlocking his hands in a tight grip. “It’s about the girls.” He said. 

The immediate sour look that Celine's expression morphed into made the man question himself how he didn’t lose his cool right there and now. “What did Rumi do?” It was like an iced wind blew over them, her tone lacked the friendliness that she greeted him with before. 

He smiled, though it was strained, tight. “ Rumi , didn’t do anything.” Bobby’s voice was now laced with poison as he addressed the older woman in front of him. “But I do know everything. Everything as in.. everything .” He hoped she got his innuendo, Bobby was glad that he picked this place because soundproof rooms are very much needed for this type of confidential conversation. He smirked inwardly as he saw an annoyed tick show on Celine’s face. 

“I get that you were present that night, but they shouldn’t have told you. Rumi especially.” Her tone was icy, toxic. He felt sadness for the girl, how she managed to not crumble upon the immense pressure of the older woman, he could never imagine how that feels like. 

“I don’t give a damn. I blatantly don’t care. About the patterns, about her true heritage.” Bobby’s posture was tense, like how a bear is agitated. “You told her to hide? To- to not trust the girls because of reactions that you didn’t know could happen.” His blood was bubbling at this point, but right now he needs to cool it. Bobby may be pissed at the older woman, but he knew that if she was like the other girls, a hunter. She has the ability to snap his spine right then and there. “Hell even if they didn’t know, I had the right to!” His voice raised a level, right now he didn’t care if he was louder honestly. 

“You aren’t their guardian Bobby. I get that you care about them deeply, but their hunter duties were only supposed to be between certain people.” Celien tried to argue back, confused as to why the man was mad.

“I am their manager Celine! Guardian or not, I want to know what goes on with my girls. Your previous manager may not have cared about that, but I do!” His hand was now gripping the table, it’s a miracle that the wood didn’t snap under the pressure. A part of himself did feel a bit bad about the way Celine soured in the way her old manager was mentioned. 

“It doesn’t matter, you were only in charge of their idol activities, something that I made very clear when we first met Bobby.” She scoffed, her hand pressed around the empty cup beside her. Bobby wanted to yell, maybe even flip the table. He knew that she was right. The contract he signed to become the girls’ manager specifically stated that he is only in charge of all their idol activity. Nothing about demon hunter duties. 

“Well I should’ve at least known about Rumi.” He gruffed out, his jaw tight, the sensation of the girl’s tears hovered above his skin. “I thought you were her mother-figure? You were supposed to protect her, let her freely express herself. Not force her to hide, to cower, to fear the others. Now I get why she’s always skittish around you.” His head shook slowly, his disapproval prominent. Knowing that he was acting like this when he was much younger than Celine was making her irritated. 

She scoffed. “If you noticed it, why didn’t you say anything?” Her drunk ridden voice carried a condescending tone. She interlocked her hands as she adjusted her posture on the chair. 

“Because I was a coward at the time!” He shouted at her, clearly his sudden turn of emotions surprised her with the way she flinched slightly as he slammed his fist onto the poor table. “I respected you. Even back when I was a trainee, I didn’t know any better.” Bobby’s volume was at a mere whisper now. “I thought you knew what you were doing.” Not caring about the pulsing pain on his fist, his head hung low, his burning stare boring into his lap.

He heard a sigh across the table. “I never asked for this, for Rumi.” Celine said in a resigned tone.

His head lifted slowly, processing what he heard. “ What .” Bobby’s voice was ice cold, but his stare was like looking into a volcano, it was hot, burning, bubbling with rage that surprisingly didn’t seep out of the man. 

“Mi-Yeong..she was carefree, laughed freely. We shared many. But inevitably, she gave me Rumi. I made a final promise to take care of that child. I didn’t know what to do, Rumi is the embodiment of everything we stood against.” A somber atmosphere now weighs down around them, Bobby could see her stare at her cup as if she was reliving the moment. “But bitterly, I cared about Mi-Yeong more so than the vows that we took as hunters.” Her voice was tight, like she was trying not to cry there and then. Admittedly, Bobby didn’t know what it was like to lose a close friend, maybe not a friend – per say, in Celine’s case. So he did feel a bit of pity towards the woman. 

“Rumi is an unknown anomaly, I had to face the days where her fangs were coming out. Get scratched when she was alarmed. Sometimes it felt like I was taking care of an untamed cat more than a girl. Years of dedicated training had me fear Rumi, for Rumi.” He noticed how her shoulders were tight with shame as she admitted it. “It’s shameful to say that, I know. Even now I couldn’t even bring myself to look at her. Sure partially because she’s a demon, but mainly…she reminded me too much of Mi-Yeong.” 

Celine filled her cup back with the last remaining liquid of the bottle beside her and drank it hastily. “That’s what scared me the most. ‘Our faults and fears must never be seen’...Our mentor drilled that into us daily. So I hid my fear from Rumi. I was scared of being reminded of what I had lost. I was scared that Rumi would end up like her mother when the others would find out. I trained them like the previous mentors did, so knowing that they would come to hate demons had me scared for Rumi.” The older woman looked down. “Then those Saja Boys appeared and I..” She lifted her head, levelling her gaze with Bobby. “.. didn’t know what to do. And suddenly the honmoon was breaking apart.” 

“I love her Bobby, probably not how I was supposed to but I do love Rumi.” She bitterly said, her eyes glassy. She smiled sourly. “You probably think I’m pathetic for feeling this way.” It was clear she was tired, most likely still in muted pain as she recalled the past.

“Maybe.” Was all he said.

She looked at him. Fully looked at him. 

“Why are you really here Bobby? Why did you ask for us to meet?” She asked, finally reading into his true intentions. 

The man sighed before he reached down. He grabbed the protected folder and let it sit on the table. He opened it and took out the components, laying papers out in front of Celine. She grabbed the one closest to her, her fingers tracing under words. 

“Official contracts for an off-branch company specifically for Huntr/x. Still under Starlight Entertainment, but we have full control over creative.” He stated, voicing what she was reading to her. “There are conditions where the main company could handle scandals, rumours, and what not. But otherwise, our team will handle Huntr/x.”

It was silent for a few moments as Celine was reading every clause and points of the contracts. The only indication that she really was reading all was the twitch of her eyebrows. “As long as it doesn’t interfere with their hunter duties, this is fine. Demons are still active even if there isn’t any around.” Was all she said before she handed the papers back to him. 

“And this is a request, maybe a selfish and rude demand.” Bobby spoke up, satisfied that Celine didn’t fight him on that. He wanted the girls to really have their breaks, even if they love their job(s) too much. “You have to limit your visitations on Rumi. She’s still… and the girls..” He trailed off, not sure how to word out his sentence. Bobby knows that this conversation took out a lot from the both of them. 

“I know. I will.” She sighed, knowing what he meant. Begrudgingly he felt pity for the woman, but the angry part of himself didn’t care. 

An awkward silence has passed, before the two stood up, leaving the room to head outside. Bobby paid for the reservation and Celine’s bottles before he headed outside into the cold Seoul air. The two stood outside for the a while, trying to warm up. Celine turned towards him and made a motion that he understood and gave the folder to her. “I’ll hand this to the board and get it approved.” Her voice was still drowsy from the alcohol but it still held that strict attitude that she always carried around.

Bobby only nodded before he headed the opposite direction from where she was at, only to be stopped by the soft voice that he was surprised to hear from her. 

“Take good care of the girls, Bobby. Even if you already do.” Was all she said before walking away. 

The walk back to the Huntri/x tower was silent with the conversation that night running through his mind. He half expected that the woman would lash out on him or be madder than he was. But now..after hearing everything and seeing her true emotions. He can’t help but partially understand why she acted the way she did, even if it pissed him off to no end. Generational trauma, and years of being under the same values as the previous generation would make you a bit fucked up if you held the responsibility of raising your dead best-friend’s half-demon child. He did have a feeling what Celine was feeling for Miyoung was beyond just ‘best-friend’ but he doesn’t want to think about that can of worms. 

Methodically as soon as he got to the tower and pushed the elevator up to his floor, he subconsciously drew himself a bath. He needed it after that whole ordeal, so he lit up the surrounding candles and played a soft tune as he hummed to himself. Once the water was okay, he undressed and hopped in, melting into the water, going over the events that night again. 

The announcement will just have to wait until next week, but for now, relaxation time. 

“So how are you three feeling about your announced comeback?” A woman donned in a casual suit sat across the three girls in matching coloured attires. 

“We’re really excited!” Zoey, the ever giddy person, answered first, her smile bright against her sparkly minimal makeup.

“Especially with those new beautiful patterns that your leader has, I must say it is quite a unique concept.” She said with ease, earning the genuine smiles of the three. 

“Personally I’m glad Rumi can finally show the world how badass they are, right Rumi?” Mira piped up next, a smirk present on her face. 

Rumi’s cheeks tinted pink as she smiled. “It’s something new but we were willing to show a concept like this.” She smoothly said, her charisma flowing through naturally. “About self-love, trusting the ones you care for, and to express yourself freely. It’s not unique at all, but it’s something that we interpret differently from others.” Her explanation made the crowd cheer in excitement, her patterns dimly glowed translucent, barely noticeable to the naked eye.

The interviewer turned her attention to the crowd, talking and providing entertainment commentary for the audience. The trio looked at each other and smiled so warmly. Despite the loud distraction the three could only look at each other in contentment, in support, before turning back to the chaos in front of them. The screen behind them showed a poster of their comeback and a tweet that was posted a few days prior.

Chapter Text

Lately it has been quiet. Too quiet. 

Sure their schedules have been packed with broadcasts, interviews, variety shows and what not. Yeah their idol schedules have been packed since their comeback under the new company, but there was something off about the new honmoon. 

Ever since that night when they made the new honmoon, it was calm at first. There was no indication of demons going through the rift. No miscoloured pulses that would alert the hunters of demon activity, and it was fine. They needed the break especially when there were still too many open wounds that needed to be attended to, and it wasn’t even the physical ones. Since Bobby was in the know, he actually freed up blocks of their week so that they’d actually relax. Of course they didn’t neglect their idol and public responsibilities, but they were so so glad that it was practically cut back significantly. 

But now with the comeback of their new album alongside their newly released single of ‘What It Sounds Like’, it had pushed their hunter responsibilities back into their mind. Only when there's days on their schedule were solely for training was when they’d finally remember about the honmoon. So to prevent neglect of the barrier, they made sure to set reminders to patrol the city in the very early mornings for any tears of the barriers. 

It was tiring but as long as it kept people safe, it was worth it, though that didn’t stop Bobby from fussing over the three about day-offs and lack of sleep that they’d need to catch up on. It was nice, finally, that there was actually a proper adult that tended to needs that they usually neglect.

So at least 4 times a week, all three would go on patrol before dawn and come back to rest for a good few hours before they tended to their individual or shared rosters. That was the norm that they’ve come to settle with. 

And then one day, during their usual patrol route, the honmoon rippled . 

Rumi was hopping from roof tile to roof tile as she lightly jogged across the roofs of the suburbs that she and the two girls were in. From below her, Mira was walking, her hands tucked into the pockets of her hoodie. It was cold that morning, as expected, but that didn’t prompt the dancer to jog like her leader was doing. Zoey was behind her, though she was just walking across ledges and railings of balconies, vaulting over walls, or leaping over alleyways. 

“I don’t know why you guys chose to sweat over patrols. Especially in the mornings.” Mira spoke, sleep still draped over syllables. She knows why they do it, to wake up their bodies for the day ahead, or something like that. But Mira always loved her comfort, more so than Zoey and that girl would rather lounge on the couch all afternoon than do anything. 

Rumi could only chuckle as she leaped across another length of the roof in front of her, Zoey not too far behind her. “You know why Mira, it’s so-” Zoey exasperatedly said, mimicking the low tone of Mira’s voice. 

“-It’s so that we warm up the body.” Mira finished, an amused laugh threatened to expose the faux serious facade she had.

Zoey huffed a laugh as she vaulted over another clothing line, earning a snort from Rumi as she almost tripped over loose clips. “You’re too much of a homebody sometimes, Mira.” She teased, earning an amused scoff from the taller woman. “At least we don’t purposely run across the roofs of houses.” The mak-nae poked fun at her leader.

Rumi, who was currently lining up to jump to another roof across her, tripped over feet to a stop. She sputtered, “W-Wha- It’s good for me! You guys know I always have the extra energy lately.” She explained herself, huffing as she crossed her arms in a pout. And it was true, lately she always had this…ridiculous amount of energy that she just can’t seem to shave off. Even if she sprinted, sparred, or did cheoreos over and over again, she would always still be full of unwarranted energy. It was like she was always pumped with caffeine. 

And…there were times where she had the desire to just.. jump the girls. There were some close calls too, like one time they shared a very intimate moment after dinner, but since they wanted to take their relationship slow, they had to dial it down. Since then, she has been much more jittery. 

Even now, her whole body was shaking with energy, like muscles were trying to break out from skin. Not to mention, right now, she had this ‘looming’ feeling. The air tasted different, the wind felt different, the morning dew smelt different, as if the environment around her was trying to warn her or something, but she couldn’t put her finger on it.

The scent of citrus and sea salt drifted beside her, the source, Zoey, had her hand on Rumi’s shoulder, a concerned expression present on her face. 

“You okay Rumi?” She asked.

Rumi nodded, putting her hand over Zoey’s, and leapt across the stretch of the alleyway. She sensed that Zoey, most likely still worried, lingered before she followed with a run and a jump as the rapper followed after her.

They were close to finishing up their routine and it was around 4:30 in the morning, so that meant more people might be up. As they got to a mostly empty suburb, it’s when it happened.

The honmoon rippled in purple, then a trail pulsed towards a certain direction. Rumi faltered, as did Zoey. The eldest looked to Mira, who already had her head turned towards the glowing path. Like clockwork, Rumi ran. Following her was Zoey, who leaped and cleared walls, ledges, and anything that blocked her way. She can smell Mira follow them closely, the scent of cinnamon and amber trailing back to a scuffed wall that the taller girl must’ve scaled. 

Together they ran along the lit up path, it was lucky that the sun still hadn’t risen, making being acknowledged a minimal problem. Rumi led them to a 24-hr PC cafe that’s tucked down a secluded alleyway near an abandoned playground at a deserted park. The moment she leaped off a roof tile and landed with cryptic silence onto the concrete surface of the street, the pulsing colour stopped immediately. All too quickly her surroundings felt too quiet. Eerily creepy, to the point where the hairs on her neck prickle, all sensitive and cautious of any movement.

Her ears twitched—which was strange since it never did that before—and picked up the soft steps of Mira’s and Zoey’s as they caught up with her shortly. In her peripheral, a glow illuminated from weapons that both girls pulled out from the honmoon, lighting up the pavement under them. Rumi followed suit, pulling out her sword, her muscles tensed as she did so.

The girls practically zeroed in on a sudden noise made in the alleyway in front of them. A second goes by, nothing, two more pass, still nothing. Until there was a sudden metallic bang that echoed behind a dumpster. The trio looked at each other, not moving an inch before Rumi took initiative and stepped towards the sound. 

She was rightfully cautious, that weird buzzing feeling still rippling under skin. As she walked closer and closer to the bin, a soft pink glow was seeping. Her sword was held out, just in case, as she finally made her way beside the bin, and was a bit stumped by what she saw, her arm lowering guard in mild confusion.

The purple gradient that was glowing did indicate a tear in the honmoon, but it was a small one. So why did the honmoon alert-

BOOM!

The deafening sound of ripping overtook Rumi’s senses, strangely overwhelming her, and as much as she wanted to drop to her knees right then and there, she had to look for the cause of her immense pain. She must’ve blacked out or something, because when she looked over, her girls were already engaged in a fight between demons, some seemed to multiply in numbers the more others were slashed or stabbed through their purple decayed flesh. 

She looked around, trying to spot where the demons were coming from, panic or bile (probably both) lumping in her throat. 

‘Fuck. Fuck. Where- There!’ Her eyes immediately focused on the massive hole where demons were just crawling out of. But what got her worried was the type of demons that emerged. It wasn’t the low tier demons that they would usually exterminate. No, these were generals of some kind, they have their own weapons and sport the facial features that low tier demons wouldn’t have. 

What business do upper tier demons have, to even get through the border? Damn it, she had no time to think about the mysteries behind their new honmoon, she just needed to move .

And move she did. On instinct she dodged, parried, and struck armed demons down. Disarming them before she cut a deep enough wound for them to evaporate back into the demon realm. Rumi couldn’t even count how many she was cutting through, she just focused on trying to decrease numbers.

It was when she finished slashing through another that she heard it. Heard them.

“Mira!” A panicked voice echoed across the battlefield of the park. Rumi immediately recognised the voice. Zoey .

Her attention immediately zeroed in towards the direction of the girl. There, was Mira battling a demon that towers over her, equipped with a big spiky club. Zoey, with her best effort tried to assist Mira with a couple of her shin-kals but it seemed like the hide of the demon was too thick, proving futile. 

Even if the mak-nae tried to get closer for help, her hands were full with fast moving demons of her own. Runi could tell that Zoey was getting overwhelmed, it wasn’t until one of them had scr a tc he d the plane of Zoey’s back that Rumi snapped out of her daze . 

Mira. A club slammed against the hilt of her gok-do, the dirt below her giving way from the pressure. Blood running down her forehead from a gash.

Zoey. Scratches add on the more she tries to dodge. Earning more cuts in return. Blood pooling on the ground under her.

“ A r e yOU rea lLy that we A k th At y o U’d l et tH E m g E t hu rt ag AI n? ” 

Fuck. This was getting bad. Mira was losing a lot of blood and if she squints past the burling demon, so is Zoey. Damnit, is Rumi okay? Hell , she didn’t know if she could keep her position up, but if she let up, she would be crushed by the club. 

“Argh!” The shrill voice that could only belong to Zoey went over all the noise. 

She clenched her teeth. “Zoey! I’ll be there! Just- just hang tight.” Mira called out, in hope that the girl could hold her own for just a second longer. For now she just has to focus on not caving under the heavy pressure above her. 

Slash. 

“FUCK! ARGH !” Mira screamed, the rest of her strength gave out, causing her to kneel, the hilt of her gok-do cracking significantly, blood started to flow out from the newly cut wound on her thigh. The culprit? A stray speed demon who did a fucking drive by. Great . 

She was supposed to get to Zoey, to help her, but she really doubted she could go and be of any use at this rate. Mira was dizzy, lightheaded, and rapidly losing blood, her eyes were getting heavy.

Fuck. Not like this.

One moment she was about to pass out, the next, it was like, all of the weight on her vanished. Mira blinked. Blurry. She blinked again. What ..? Rumi-

A roar pierced through the bitter chaos, silence quickly replacing what was once noise. There, standing on top of the massive mount that made up the towering demon, was Rumi.

But it didn’t seem like Rumi. The patterns that cover her were now glowing a deep violent purple, and they looked more jagged. In her hands was nothing, and that surprised Mira, instead what was once her human fingers were claws. Sharp. Dangerous . Weirdly arousing. Her hand is dark with purple, the colour spread across her arm, fading into the regular colour of flesh around her shoulders. Her hair was in a jumbled mess, large strands sticking out from the uniform braid that she always keeps it in. What was most hypnotic was not the glowing and pulsing patterns but the deep glow of her eyes. It wasn’t those soft browns but instead a warm amber, her pupils dilated into slits, similar to that blue tiger that hangs around frequently.

Mira should be frightened. Everything in her body screamed danger at the demonic sight of her leader. But…she wasn’t. Rumi is, in every aspect of the word, beautiful . Dangerously beautiful, like those stories of man-eating sirens who lure sailors from their ships.

She was huffing in a haggard manner, hunched up, her claws still dug deep into an evaporating arm that must’ve belonged to the mammoth demon that was once on top of her, the very same demon that is also dusting away. Then her attention finally focused on Mira, and the dancer could only stare, applying pressure against her wound. She was only evaluated with one look before, in a blink of an eye, the half-demon darted off ripping and mutilating through bodies of others, limbs evaporating in a trail.

And honestly if she was more conscious, Mira would scold herself by feeling very heated from the sight. 

Zoey was numb. Who wouldn’t to be honest. She’s losing tons of blood from the deep cuts along her body while simultaneously trying to avoid attacks that would make more. And she knew if she staggered, she’d be done. Which is why she is trying her hardest to not give in to the bodily function of passing out. 

Well she did try but when her knee buckled, she folded into herself to try and at least protect the vitals parts of her body. What she expected was the painful sensation of claws digging into her skin, however that wasn’t the case. Zoey didn’t expect to see Rumi literally launch herself at one of the charging demons, and this became a fight that she was used to seeing.

One of the things Zoey found hypnotising was the way Rumi would fight. It was brutal but elegant, executing moves with precision and confidence. Always a clean kill, never leaving a mess. This…wasn’t that . It’s as if this was a savage slaughter of prey and predator, and Rumi was the apex animal of both. She wasn’t even holding her saingeom, only resorting to her very very sharp claws, digging deep into exposed stomachs, ripping limbs from joints. Not only her sharpened claws were put to use, but elongated teeth were tearing through skin, ripping out tusks or crushing teeth. 

Or at least that’s what Zoey saw because suddenly, her vision blurred to black. Mhm..sleep seems good right now.

Destroy them.

Rip them apart. All of them .

They touched them. Touched what they know is hers.  

Make sure they never try again.

A beast roars, a deep alto laced with hostility. Its teeth agape, claws still stuck in flesh, hunched over on what were once the evaporating bodies of trespassers.  

Across the cracked dirt, two bodies lay unconscious, humans. Pink hair, and black hair. They smell…familiar? Sea salt and citrus, cinnamon and amber. Familiar. Safe. Home . But the unwelcomed smell of trespassers tried to stomp it out. It could only snarl, a low rumble vibrates bones. A warning . The beast didn’t care for the way the foreign figures whimpered and scampered away towards the crack in the barrier, nor did it care for the way they stepped foot in its territory in the first place. It could only stand there, hovering close, keeping the two humans safe. Safe from any harmful intentions. 

Pain burned through her muscles. Mira couldn’t open her eyes, not yet anyways, however she could feel herself stir awake. Her face must still be asleep because it took her a while to open her eyes. She blinked awake, and admittedly she was a bit light-headed as she did so, her vision so blurry and so disoriented. Mira felt the water before she could even see it, looking down, she was naked , which should’ve freaked her out but apparently her mind was too tired to even feel embarrassed. 

She could see herself underwater albeit a bit foggy due to some sort of soap in the water. Next to her, Mira finally noticed Zoey in the same tub as her, just a stretch away. She could only sigh in relief at the relaxed expression that the younger girl showed, but the cuts on her equally bare body still made her frown. Mira could only thread her fingers through the water, feeling the warmth, then she looked around. Out of caution? Maybe. She did have a feeling there was something else in the room with them.

To her surprise, on her right, sitting on the tiled floor next to the steps of the bathtub, was Rumi. Or at least, the semblance of Rumi. She was still in that form from what Mira could remember. Before she could barely fully process the woman’s demon form, now though, it seemed like time was slower, making the minutes of just looking feel like hours. 

Rumi sat cross-legged, licking a long stripe on a cut on her arm. Mira cringed internally, thinking that the wound should be properly patched up, not drooled on but to her surprise, the wound that once was there, just vanished. 

‘She could heal herself?’ Mira thought in awe, catching glimpses of mending flesh, restoring to regular skin.

What’s more is the noise that emanates from the half-demon. It was a soft rumble, deep, and it made its way under skin, rattling through bones. As if Rumi was a cat, a cat that purrs . Kind of cute actually.

Mira could see how relaxed the woman was, though there was a bit of tension in her shoulders. “Rumi.” She finds herself calling out to her. 

No response. Weird. It was oddly silent, but Rumi kept tending to herself, her top was ripped, leaving no room for coverage and Mira could feel herself finally heat up at the sight. God why is she like this. Thinking that she wouldn’t get a response from Rumi in that state, she turned back, sinking down into the water, feeling her skin practically heal at the sensation.

Mira jolted when she could suddenly feel Rumi next to her, she must’ve made her way silently to the tub, and right now she knelt beside her. The intensity that the older girl was boring into her made her nervous, her throat drying out. Geez, there has got to be some way to deal with those eyes of hers. At the same time, she just wanted to get lost in them.

Mira looked towards Rumi, finally holding a gaze with her. A moment passes, and another, then Rumi moves closer. The taller girl stiffened for a moment, before Rumi proceeded to lean much closer, her nose practically pressed against the side of Mira’s neck.

She let out a breathy exhale at the sensation, the dancer could feel the way Rumi breathes whatever her smell is in. She could feel the warm puffs of air whenever the woman exhaled. And if it did send a shiver down her spine, Mira would flat out deny it.

Then her body begins to rumble too. Along with Rumi’s nose on her neck, Mira could feel the vibrations that came from the half-demon’s chest as it traveled through her own body. Oddly enough, she feels this sense of security and warmth the more she feels the purrs, as if a tight blanket was just secured around her, and she could find herself leaning closer.

“Argh..” Mira winced, completely forgetting the wound that she sustained earlier. Fuck, she hates injuries to the legs the most, she needs her lower body motion to be in perfect condition for practise, and right now, this tear in the side of thighs hinder her from doing so. Yeah she needs to text Bobby about this. Mira looks around. 

Runi, still kneeling beside her, had a frown, fangs poking out, patterns aglow. Was she growling?

She looked back away again, this time towards Zoey, who is still asleep and is still sustaining multiple wounds to the body.

Okay, yeah, she needs to tell Bobby about this too. Thank god the man knows about their secret, makes it way easier to excuse themselves out of things whenever necessary. Damn it, this hurts more than she thought.

Apparently Rumi has had enough of waiting, or enduring Mira’s stuttering breaths because the next thing she knew, she was picked up from the tub, and was carried bridal style towards Rumi’s room. 

If Mira wasn’t flustered at the sudden motion and at her currently exposed decency, she would definitely worry about the water getting everywhere, especially on the floors of their penthouse. The dancer lands onto soft beddings with a grunt as she is lowered onto Rumi’s bed. 

Mira was still dripping with water as she sat up on the bed, pathetically trying to cover her lower section with the nearby duvet, but she was stopped. A clawed hand grasped hers, it was gentle, and soft. A simple gesture that stilled the woman and could only stare at what Rumi was up to.

Trailing her every move, Rumi undid the attempted coverage that Mira tried to put over herself and pushed her legs up, tilting them to the side slightly on an angle. Being this exposed, especially to someone who she was supposed to take this relationship slow with, has her heating . Plus, Rumi is not in her right state right now, and whatever demon instinct she’s running on, it definitely didn’t care for any type of modesty. 

From Mira’s perspective, she could see the older girl stare at her wound, that frown still plastered on her face, and it was adorable really, up until the moment Rumi leaned close to the wound and licked it. 

What the fuck .

Mira hissed, jolting away from the sensation of Rumi’s tongue. She may want to bed Rumi like this but right now, this isn’t the ideal situation for the both of them. But it seemed like the hal-demon didn’t even care because she was pulled closer towards Rumi with a grip and the fucking girl just continued to lick another stripe along the wound.

Yeah, no, this is getting way too dangerous for her, she needs to get away and patch this up herself before this turns into anything else. But as her luck would have it, she couldn’t peel herself off. Rumi has her legs pinned down with an iron clad grip, the pads of her fingers digging into the soft flesh of her thighs. Damnnit .

Moments passed painfully and she was finally released. Mira couldn’t even find herself to cover back up because not only the wound on her closed up, but it seemed like the rest of her strength was used up from trying not to give in to anything. Why must the gods give their gayest soldier their most painful challenges? 

Mira lays there on Rumi’s bed, a bit dizzy but oddly enough, secure and content. In her peripheral, she could see Rumi leave the room. Her shadow shrinking away, taking the dense air out with her. ‘She must be walking back to the..’ The dancer trailed off, the wheels in her head turning.

Wait if Zoey is in the same position as her, wounded, and needed to be tended to… does that mean-

“Wha..? Uhh…Unnie?!?!” Zoey’s squeal could be heard from the big open space of the bathroom. Silent steps could be seen approaching the bedroom, sounds of Zoey’s grunting could be heard and Mira could only sigh out.

Emerging from the other side of the door was Rumi, carrying Zoey in the same bridal style position as she had Mira in. The half-demon’s expression was still frowning but it was softer this time and it seemed to get softer the closer they got towards the bed. Like before, Rumi plopped the mak-nae down gently onto the mattress, only grunting at the soft squeak that Zoey let out.

Mira could only laugh quietly at how flushed Zoey was, desperately covering herself up in a spritz before she could even acknowledge the presence of the pink-haired woman beside her. The laugh did catch her attention, and she swore the girl cracked her neck because one second she brought the duvet up to her chest, the next, her head practically whipped towards the source of laughter. 

“Mira! What- What is she doing?” A whine could be heard in the back of Zoey’s throat and Mira could only smirk at how much this is affecting the usually bold girl. The girls really need to explore every single thing about Rumi’s demon behaviours.

The taller girl shrugged, “Don’t ask me..” Her eyes flicker to the way Rumi’s clawed hand tugged down the duvet, silently undoing Zoey as she leans her down on angled pillows. “I’m just as confused as you are.” Mira’s attention was still caught by Rumi’s gentle movement, this time, the leader kneeled onto the mattress next to Zoey, somehow still looming over the girl.

She could tell Zoey was getting worked up by the wicked glint in her eyes, but as of the moment she was still flustered and Mira has the chance to cherish this longer.

Zoey’s arms were pinned above her against the headboard with only one hand. She could feel her breathing get deeper the longer she sees Rumi stare at her with this intensity. Rumi had this expression on her face, like she was upset at something but it wasn’t directly pointed at her. The rapper breathed again, wincing hard, finally remembering the cuts that she sustained from the fight earlier. This caught the half-demon’s attention, the crease between her eyebrows got tighter, and the amber of her eye seemed to glow brighter. Woah…

Then Zoey hissed out at a sudden introduction of temperature, looking down, she saw a trail of saliva pool on her stomach, saliva that is currently dripping from the out-stretched tongue that belonged to Rumi. ‘Holy shit .’ Zoey short circuits. She couldn’t even say anything, only watching the way Rumi’s free hand spreads the fluid all over the plane of her front. And you know damn well that Zoey was trying her best not to make any noise in fear of disturbing this moment. 

The rapper could feel Mira’s gaze on her, and with the way the sheets under her tighten to her left means that she isn’t the only one that's struggling with this level of intimacy. Suddenly a small..thought goes through her mind. Zoey turned her head to the left, but only at a certain angle, a smirk clear on her face. Mira’s gaze went from her bare stomach to the playful look in the younger girl’s eye. She quirked an eyebrow in suspicion, only to suck her breath in when a soft groan slipped past through the open mouth of the rapper. Zoey knows how this affects Mira and knowing that she was watching her every move churns her on.  

“Are you okay Mir?” Zoey purrs out, that same mischievous tone present in her voice. Mira’s grip on the sheets tightens slightly. The scene of Rumi dragging her own saliva all over Zoey’s wounds, and Zoey looking at her with that wicked expression was making the hairs on the back of her neck prickle. Zoey then looked down at her body and she looked in awe. Her flesh was stitching itself back together, somehow still glistening as the light that seeped through the curtains refracted on wet skin. 

Before any of them could even move, they were stopped by a soft rumble that vibrated throughout the room. Looking to where it's loudest, Rumi had sat back, somehow purring in satisfaction. Mira and Zoey couldn’t help but find her adorable in this moment, pushing aside the faint pulsing from their pelvis, they kept their gaze on Rumi. Full of curiosity and wonder as the woman looked not only at Zoey but at Mira too, her patterns aglow in that light pink colour again, softening from its harsher lines. Her clawed hands finally showed signs of retracting, the purple gradient on her skin faded back to that peach tone. The fangs that prodded out from her lips grew smaller, she blinked once, then again, the amber glow of her eyes dulled back to that pretty brown. 

Mira and Zoey looked at each other briefly, before looking back to Rumi. The soft light behind her made her seemingly glow, the droopy eyes, relaxed shoulders, parted lips. Made her seem like she just woke up from the best nap of her life.

“Uhm…Rumi?” Zoey called out first, hoping to finally get something from the older girl. When she didn’t get a response, she sat back up, completely forgetting about covering up, and looked up at Rumi. She was about to reach out and grasp her cheek but that was stopped when Rumi suddenly flopped into Zoey, her entire bodyweight distributing out on the warmth that radiates from the mak-nae. 

Mira giggled silently as she witnessed Rumi practically flatten Zoey with no care in the world. The younger girl could only glare at Mira, her face and the tips of her shoulders fluster, she knows her face is red—hot to the touch even. Why wouldn’t she be? Rumi suddenly decided to morph out of her ( ridiculously hot ) demon form and made Zoey her pillow. They would cuddle sure, but while one is fully unclothed and the other partially? Yeah. Ok.

To be honest, she doesn’t really mind, Rumi never rarely shows them any moment of assertiveness outside of the idol or hunter roles that she leads. So when intimate moments like this where Rumi takes the lead for anything is something to take seriously, and would be cherished for a long long time. 

Mira approaches them, equally bare herself, and slots herself beside Zoey under the covers. The girl could only roll her eyes when Zoey scoffs at her before she wraps an arm around Zoey’s waist, a hand settling on the plane of Rumi’s back. She made sure to text Bobby earlier a brief summary about what happened this dawn, so they didn’t have to get up to the sound of Bobby coming through, especially in the condition they’re in.

“G’night…” Mira murmured, humming out in relaxation as she melts into the warmth that the cuddle pile is providing. Zoey could coo at how soft Mira is right now, unfortunately, exhaustion overtook her sense to tease and lulled her to sleep. 

A bright light wakes Rumi up. She breathed out deeply, letting her body feel the warmth one last time before opening her eyes. The first thing she did was to squint at the brightness, so she turned her head to the side, successfully avoiding the light. She blinked again, this time, a patch of pink took up her blurred vision. Rumi could gently groan out, the pink thing in front of her was tickling her nose, and she would rather not be fully awakened by a sneeze. So she turned her head again once more, this time feeling the soft material of her… duvet..? 

Since when could her duvet breathe like a human? Rumi squints again, harder this time, trying to focus on what's in front of her. This time, her vision clears and all she could just see is just Zoey . Under her. And- 

Rumi opened her eyes wide this time, shock finally waking her up. 

Zoey’s naked. 

What the hell.

The shock wears off and a flush overcomes her. Her cheeks reddened as she realised how her very skin is touching the very bare body of mak-nae’s. Luckily fate likes her this time because all the movement hadn’t woken up the girl. Rumi was about to slip out to gather her bearings when a tight grip on her back tightened, basically bolting her on top of Zoey. She prayed to every god that the hand on her lower back is just Zoey’s magical third hand that’s somehow manifested and wrapped itself around her waist. 

The vocalist looked to her right and suppressed a whine at the simple sight of Mira. Who was also equally unclothed, (un)fortunately Rumi couldn’t see much of..her. The only thing she could see was her long pink hair that went everywhere. Rumi gathered her wits again, and looked back and forth between the two girls pressed up against her.

‘Why is Zoey naked? Why are my clothes torn like this? Why is Mira naked? Why are they naked? ’ Her thoughts were running rampant at this point as she was trying to fight off the hazy fog of morning-brain. Rumi was kind of panicking too, because she couldn’t even remember how they got in this state. Did she overstep a line in their relationship? Did she force herself upon them? Fuck she might have. In the midst of her running thoughts and the sudden flinch earlier had unknowingly caused a stir beside her. 

She sucked a breath in as she could hear Mira breathe out a big sigh. Rumi thought Mira fell back asleep due to the silence that followed after but she found herself let out a small squeak at the turn of the head. Mira moved the strands that were on her face and pushed them back, clearing a good view of the girl’s face. The taller girl looked at Rumi with this affectionate expression, like there was this some sort of glow that somehow developed during her sleep. Rumi could only gulp hard at the brown eyes that stared into her, her face growing warm at the attention. 

“Something on my face, nepo princess?” Mira drawled out, and god , did Rumi want to melt into a big puddle right there and then. Her voice was covered in that rasp and was crackling in the best way. Her eyes were so drooped and relaxed, and never did Rumi lay eyes on something so enticing before. 

Rumi blinked and a flash of wounded thighs in a clawed grip hit her. Oh. 

Another flash hits her again, this time a fuzzy sensation of something soft pulsed on her tongue. Oh .

She blinked once more and her vision cleared out, a smug Mira meeting her. Her head was still on the covers, only her eyes were peeking over, and suddenly the touch on her waist grew hotter. The intensity of the stare just made her sink deeper under her. But doing so resulted in waking the very naked person that she was on top of. 

Zoey’s face scrunched like it normally does before waking up. Rumi could see her blink out the sleepiness from her system and she finally looked down, the arms around her tightening, the little to no distance between them somehow got smaller. “Oh…g’morning unnie.” She greets in a voice dripping in honey, the sweet and warm smile she always reserves for the girls plastered on her face. 

Yeah, the purple-haired woman was sure that her face was practically red. If the blooming heat from her face didn’t give her inner monologue out, then her snitching patterns must be shining pink now, she might consider running out the window if that shade of pink got deeper. As much as she didn’t ask for it, another flash of blurry memory punches her. 

This time, it was of Zoey, all laid down and open, on the very same spot they’re on with her very purple hand pinning her wrists to the headboard, and the other dragging all over carved abs. Fuck. Rumi knows the pink of her patterns were turning darker, and by the looks of the two girls next to her, they see it too. 

Rumi swallowed the lump on her throat before she gathered herself to sit up, accidentally bringing the blanket with her. She purposely scooted a bit backwards, trying to somehow put any bit of distance between her and the girls. Her gaze was solely focused down, suddenly finding the colour of the blanket fascinating. 

“What..what exactly happened earlier?” She stammers out, cursing herself for the noticeable and pathetic shake in her voice. Her face somehow got warmer as she could hear Zoey giggle softly. 

“What do you think happened unnie ?” Zoey’s voice called out, coming out more velvety than usual. It was like a spell was casted on her because for any answer she could come up in her mind, physically, Rumi couldn’t even voice it out, and any chance that she could do so was eradicated by the soft laughter from their youngest.

“What do you remember about this morning?” Mira, oh her saviour, finally spoke up. 

Rumi instinctively looked up, forgetting for a second how open they are right now, especially when she has the blanket with her. Once again, her body failed her because once she practically snapped her head back down, her tongue felt numb and heavy, even if she tried to speak she knew it would come out pathetically. The silence seemed to tell the girls her answer and could only respond with teasing laughter, and all Rumi could do is to just let it happen and hope she wouldn’t implode at the heat that was currently building up inside of her. She cleared her throat, the grip on the duvet under her tightened under her grip. 

“I didn’t push us too far..right?” Rumi murmured out, wincing inwardly again. That could’ve gone out more smoothly, no? God, she must look so hopeless right now. The half-demon thinks she might’ve melted a bit when she heard the cooing from Zoey, who must’ve crawled a bit closer because she didn’t even see the manicure hand cusp her knee. 

“We didn’t actually mind if we’re being honest. Well I didn’t mind in the very least.” Zoey stated, glee prominent in her voice. 

Mira hums out after her. “No, same here. We actually wish you were more forward with your affections.” Softness follows. Rumi knows how she had been holding herself back with initiating touch with them. It has been a very lengthy process and they’ve only gone as close as they did in the morning, that or when they’re a bit drunk. 

“I didn’t even know I could do that.” Rumi suddenly said, attempting to lighten the situation.

Luckily it worked because she could feel the way the girls were smiling. Looking up, she was indeed correct. Mira still had that smug look, accompanied by that softness in her eye, while Zoey was still all smiles, her big doe eyes looking back towards her. “At least your demon-thingy sees us as something to keep safe.” Mira teased. Another flash of memory flew by, this time her clawed hand was ripping a demon that was threatening them in half. 

A smirk as well as an overwhelming sense of pride overtakes her. Rumi’s back goes straighter and the smirk tugs on her face as she preens at the comment that was made by her girls. “At least you didn’t get to take photos of me while I was like that.” She mentioned, though she was curious as to what she looked like in that dream-like state. 

“Aw crap..I totally forgot to take a picture.” Zoey pouted, earning a small nudge from Mira. 

“Duh, we were kind of concussed to even try and take a photo. Plus..” A grin breaks out from the taller girl’s face. “We were too busy being led around by our leader here.” She smirks, finding satisfaction at how instantaneously the flush washes over Rumi. 

And suddenly Rumi remembers that the girls in front of her are very naked and are so not covered. So like a frightened cat, she basically jumped to her feet, tossing the blanket at their faces, the palms of her hands smashing onto her eyes. “I-I’ll leave you guys to uh- to change. Uhm..bye!” She awkwardly said as she used her other senses to get out of the room and she did, only getting away with a big thump to the wall next to her door. The braided-girl let out an oof before she fixed her trajectory and sped out of the room.

She could only groan in embarrassment as she could hear the faint sounds of giggles that fly out of her room. 

Well…that just happened. She will never live this down. Rumi only sighs out in resignation, pausing her walking. She turned towards the room once more, huffing out in an affectionate manner. Yeah..but she loves her girls too much to stay like that. 

Rumi turns back around and walks towards the kitchen, shaking her head with a permanent smile on her face as memories from earlier flash by. Yeah, she needs to figure out a way to go into that form while still keeping her consciousness in tact, for now, a big breakfast for the three of them needs to be made, just the way they like it.