Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

She always took the amaryllis. That was a thing that Zoey noticed right off. The girl was gorgeous in every way imaginable. She kept her purple dyed hair in a long, elegant braid and carried herself with a quiet confidence that Zoey found appealing. She took roses sometimes too, and a few other flowers.

"Flower girl is back," She told Mira. "I was worried we'd never see her again it's been months."

Her wife looked up from where she was scrolling her phone, "Yeah? You're just going to let her steal our flowers again?"

"She only takes a few." Zoey leaned against the wall as she peered out the window, "I wonder who they're for. It has to be someone amazing, you know? Like on your level."

"I better be the top level." Mira joined her at the window, "She's hesitating today."

"Oh do you think they broke up?" Zoey glanced at her. Sometimes she looked sad, which was another thing Zoey had noted. It didn't seem like that happy of a relationship and something in Zoey wanted to see this woman's smile. Maybe be the one to make her smile.

"Hopefully."

"Mmm." Zoey smirked at her.

"Shut up."

"I didn't say anything."

"Get your shoes on." Mira stepped away from the window, "We're going to find out who this asshole is and if they're worthy of flower theft. And her."

"And if they're not?" Zoey asked, rushing to get her shoes.

"Then … we'll steal her." Mira decided. She paused at the door, looking at Zoey uncertainly, "That's… okay?"

"Yep!" Zoey bounced out of the house, course plotted and set, right for the pretty flower thief. It wasn't the first time they'd talked about opening their relationship again, but it was the first time Zoey saw someone that she actually wanted. She grabbed her jacket too, the one with a dozen pins on it that she liked to wear like it was a lighthouse. To show people they weren't alone and it was safe around her.

If she was honest that feeling had been there that first day she'd seen the girl clip an amaryllis with expert, if trembling, fingers.

"Hey you!" Zoey called out, skidding to a stop at the fence.

The woman startled, jumping a foot and clutching the peony she'd settled on against her chest, "Uhm."

"Caught red handed," Mira drolled, leaning on the fence next to Zoey.

"So imagine my surprise when I keep seeing this gorgeous angel stealing our flowers," Zoey said, leaning in and grinning at her. The woman was wearing a yellow leather jacket with the sleeves rolled up, revealing a tattoo of vines wrapping around her left forearm. There was something that looked like a purple foot with claws that just peeked out from under the sleeve that made Zoey super curious.

"Uhm." Leaning back, the woman smiled nervously, violet eyes darting between them, "I can explain."

"I mean I'm cool with it but I've been dying of curiosi—are you wearing colored contacts to match your hair? That's so fucking cool!"

"What she's trying to say is we want to know if your partner is worthy of theft," Mira offered. "And you. Because you're fucking gorgeous. Those contacts are sick. Love the tattoo too."

Zoey stared at her wife a moment. She'd never seen her this flustered. Not that most people would notice, but Zoey did.

"What?" The woman blinked, looking between them with a blush on her cheeks, "I think that you have the wrong—"

"So we're gonna go with you. Give them a proper shake-down." Zoey smiled.

"You're both ridiculous," the woman laughed and Zoey's soul ascended. She did notice the look over of her pins just before those pretty yellow-clad shoulders relaxed.

Zoey's eyes lit up, "That doesn't sound like a complaint."

"It's not." But she looked nervous again, chewing on her lip in a way that made Zoey want to chew on that lip and she could tell that Mira was clearly on the same wavelength as her.

If she was actually as sweet and nice as she seemed they were in trouble. Zoey clipped an amaryllis and offered it to her, "I'm Zoey, and this is my wife Mira."

"I'm Rumi." Rumi took the flower and looked like she was going to say more, but let out a breath and started to walk. Zoey quickly caught up on her right, Mira moving to Rumi's left in a way that felt ridiculously normal.

"Your flowers are really lovingly grown," Rumi said, after a moment's silence. "I'm a … well I dabble in gardening but most of my plants are the non-flowering kind."

"It's a team effort," Mira replied. "I planted some originally, then when Zoey moved in she planted a few others. The moon lilies were planted by our ex. We parted on good terms so we kept them."

"It helps that they're really pretty."

"That sounds like an interesting story." Rumi's cheeks had gone a little pink, "And a nice tradition."

She seemed sad again, which got Zoey's mind racing. She moved ahead, turning around and walking backwards as she spoke, "It is! I love making up little traditions. Not just for Mira and me but also friends."

Looking Rumi up and down, Zoey asked, "So is it every time you come down our street, you steal a flower?"

Rumi blinked, opened her mouth, closed it, then shrugged, "I guess that's kind of a tradition at this point. I don't always take this street on these walks though."

Mira pressed a hand to her chest, "I can't believe you'd steal flowers from other people. I thought we had something special."

The laugh that came out of Rumi was louder than before, a little unexpected, and included the most adorable snort that Zoey had ever heard. Mira's face went through five different stages of falling in love which Zoey felt every one of but she'd already been there at 'steals my flowers hotly.'

"If it makes you feel better," Rumi said after she'd recovered. "I only ever steal from you two."

"It does," Zoey said, unable to contain a little giggle.

Nodding Mira replied, "I'm appeased."

The sadness that seemed to dog Rumi's steps had evaporated. Zoey turned around and nearly ran into a light pole. She recovered by grabbing it and spinning around it and back to Rumi's side. She needed to get this woman's number and she and Mira needed to have serious talk time.

"Thank you." Rumi indicated they should cross the street.

"For what?" Zoey looked both ways, an old ache in her ribs from the last time she hadn't.

"Days like this aren't usually good ones," Rumi said, her eyes downcast. "Which you're about to find out because we're already there, and you've been so nice and I appreciate it. I kind of feel bad, but I haven't had the heart to tell you what the flowers are really for."

"It's okay!" Zoey touched Rumi's shoulder, staring into her eyes. She liked the violet contacts, but she wanted to know what color they really were, "You don't have to feel bad about anything."

"Zo." Mira jerked her chin, and Zoey turned her head and—

"Oh." They were at a cemetery. Suddenly, Zoey felt awful. She hadn't even given Rumi a chance to explain and just assumed.

Rumi rolled the flower stem between two fingers, "It's for my mom."

Oh, she was the worst person ever.

"She loved amaryllis and they always remind me of her." Rumi's eyes fell on the other flower in her hand, "But I wanted to bring a peony this time."

"It can symbolize healing," Mira said quietly.

Rumi nodded, exhaling lightly, "This year's been hard. But I thought she'd like to know I've been doing better. It's also my favorite."

"I'm sorry," Zoey said. "For your loss, and for assuming something and not giving you a chance to respond."

"No, god no, it's okay." Rumi took her hand and squeezed it, "I haven't felt this at ease around people in forever. I promise it's okay."

"You did always seem sad." Mira lifted her hand, then dropped it back down like she'd thought better of that, "I thought it was a bad relationship and I was fully prepared to throw down for you."

"I appreciate the thought," Rumi replied, smiling at them both in a way that felt like the sun was warming Zoey's skin. "Would you like to meet her?"

Zoey nodded.

"Okay. I just want to talk to her real quick I—" Rumi squinted an eye up, "That sounds really weird doesn't it?"

Mira took her hand, briefly rubbing her thumb over the knuckles, "Not even a little bit."

"Thank you." Rumi looked between them, then kissed each of their cheeks before jogging ahead.

Zoey stood there stunned, "Mira?"

"Yeah?"

"I've been feeling like the universe is telling us we need to be her friend. She just looked at us like she's…"

"Opening up like a flower to the sun." Mira let out a tiny little choked sound, "And yeah. I'd like her to be more, she's perfect, but I can do friend."

They'd stopped on a path, far enough to not accidentally eavesdrop, but close enough to see Rumi as she placed the flowers. Zoey had a better relationship with her parents than Mira did and this was a little harder to watch than she thought it might be.

"I'll remind you to call your mom later," Mira promised, taking her hand and squeezing it.

"Thanks." Zoey's throat bobbed, "How are you feeling?"

"Sad." Mira shrugged, "Mostly for her. When my mom's dead she'll be lucky if I show up at her funeral. But I wonder what it would be like to … want to go. To be close enough to…Miss her." She stared in Rumi's direction, "You know?"

"I know." Zoey laughed softly, "Not the feelings I was expecting to process when I chased after her. But we made her smile on a day that's obviously hard for her and I'll take all the feelings to do that again."

Rumi waved at them, and Zoey tried to walk at a normal-for-her pace to close the distance.

The headstone had the name Ryu Mi-yeong on it, and was engraved with flowers all around the edge. Zoey looked at the years and swallowed; it had only been one since she'd died.

"I always had trouble making … friends," Rumi admitted. "But I think she'd have liked you. If that's okay. Can I call you that? Friends? I know we just met officially—"

Zoey took her hand, "You're our friend, we claim you, your ours now." She glanced at the grave, "Don't worry we'll take care of her and make sure she has lots of fun and flowers."

"And gets out more," Mira said.

"I get out," Rumi protested.

"You're really going to lie like that in front of your mom?" Mira asked.

Rumi's face broken into a grin and she giggle-snorted again, "You have no idea how funny she'd find this."

"Because Mira's not wrong is she."

"No, she's not." Rumi looked back down at her mother, "It's so strange. Six months ago I couldn't have imagined laughing here like this. But she'd like that, she loved to laugh."

"I hope us being really stupid helped."

"Very much." Rumi wiped at her eyes, "But you weren't being stupid. You were being really sweet."

Mira hesitated, then squeezed her shoulder, "Would you like a little more time alone? We can wait outside. But I'd like to buy you coffee, maybe lunch."

"I'd like that, thank you." Rumi touched Mira's hand and patted it, "I won't be too long."

Mira was not a touchy person with people who weren't named Zoey. She seemed a little out of sorts once they'd stepped away. Zoey took her hand, squeezing it until they'd exited the cemetery.

"Sorry I'm feeling a little…" Mira murmured. "It's like she activates every protective instinct I have."

"She's princess coded and you're knight coded."

"My favorite color is pink and you wear pants more often then I do."

"Your second favorite color is black," Zoey pointed out helpfully, "And battle skirts are totally a thing."

Mira rolled her eyes.

"I feel like if someone looked at her wrong I'd bite them." Zoey nodded, as if that was the natural order of things, "Mostly I just want us to be the ones making her smile."

"Yeah." Mira sighed.

Zoey lowered her voice to a whisper, "I haven't felt like this since I met you, Mira."

"Same," Mira whispered back.

Hearing the sound of foot steps, Zoey turned in the direction of Rumi and smiled at her.

Rumi's eyes were a little red rimmed and she'd removed her contacts, revealing beautiful brown eyes, "Sorry."

"Don't be." Mira offered her hand and Rumi took it. Then Rumi reached for and rubbed her finger along some of Zoey's pins.

"So is this a lunch date or a date date?" She asked.

Zoey grinned sheepishly, "Uhm. It's whatever you want it to be. This is a day for you and your mom and…"

Rumi smiled, then dropped her hand to take Zoey's so they could walk together, "You're both lucky you're cute."

"… were we that obvious?" Mira asked.

"My other moms both call me emotionally constipated but I'm not that bad." Rumi squeezed their hands, "So what if today it's just a getting to know each other lunch, and … tomorrow, we can do dinner?"

"I'd like that," Mira said.

"We're free," Zoey said, understanding. It was the anniversary of what was probably one of the worst days of Rumi's life. Who wanted that to also be the start of something new? "Do you want to go out somewhere or can we cook for you?"

Rumi chewed on her lip, then smiled, "If it's not too much trouble, staying in sounds cozy…"

"Oh, no trouble at all." Mira looked like she was taking the idea as a challenge.

Maybe they'd already changed the day, Zoey thought. Rumi could have been alone at the grave today. She wasn't sure why her other moms plural weren't here. Maybe Rumi would see them later, maybe there was a story there. Maybe some day Rumi would share it. But for now Rumi wasn't alone.

And if Zoey and Mira had their way, she would have friends-or-maybe-more to make sure it stayed that way.

"Important questions," Zoey asked.

"Yes?"

"Favorite animal?"

Rumi smiled, "I'm partial to tigers."

"Favorite reptile?"

"Iguana."

"Opinions on turtles?" Mira asked wryly.

Face crinkling up, Rumi laughed, "I love them."

"You're officially my favorite non-Mira person," Zoey declared.

Rumi beamed at them, exactly as Mira had described, opening up like a flower to the sun.

Chapter Text

A year ago, Rumi experienced the worst day of her life. It had been a long time coming. Expected even, in that way with long illnesses. Her mother, strong and vibrant and like joy itself given form, slowly became weak and fragile. And then she was gone.

They'd been so close that her absence felt impossible to fill.

It had been the four of them. Rumi, her mother, her aunt So-Yi and Celine, the love of her mother's life. Three mothers for Rumi, twenty-four years of a good happy life, but it was only after Miyeong had passed that she'd realized how fragile it could all be.

A crack formed between Celine and So-Yi, who loved each other as fiercely as Celine and Miyeong had loved each other. Other than losing her mother, it was that which tore at Rumi's heart the most.

Rumi took everything onto herself. Her aunt rarely left her room. Celine became closed off and distant. Rumi made sure they ate. Made sure they didn't drink themselves to death. Made sure they took in the sun, if only for a few minutes at a time. Conversations were short, terse affairs and sometimes Rumi feared they'd simply forget how to speak.

She'd thought it would all leave her precious little time to grieve for herself, but instead it let her dwell and it made her so afraid. Afraid of what the future might bring. A house of memories. Memories of her mother. Memories of what they'd once had as a family. That memories would be all she'd have.

She needed to escape.

Her escape became walks just to get away from the oppressive black atmosphere of her house. Very often she found herself at the cemetery, talking to her mother about their favorite subjects or telling her how her herbs and plants were doing. Sometimes asking her for advice though she knew none was coming. Pleading with her, sometimes, to help her. For herself. For the mothers she still had but were slipping away day by day as though Miyeong's illness had somehow infected them too.

Celine says I'm rebelling, she hates the tattoo. I think you'd love it.

I wish you could see what these contacts do for me.

I pet a stray cat.

Should I change my hair? I see you in the mirror and I know they just see you sometimes too.

I miss you so much.

We're so broken, how do I fix it?

There were no answers, of course, except the ones she provided herself. Or the ones she found late at night searching the internet, old forums, discord chats with her ex and with people who were almost-friends on the other side of the world.

But it was her mother's grave that provided a strange sense of solace.

It felt somehow wrong to come empty handed, but there was a cute house along one of her walking routes with a garden of flowers, and while she couldn't say what possessed her, she stole a couple one day to lay on her mother's grave. It felt like something they'd have done together, and she could almost hear her mother's voice egging her on.

It became a sort of habit. Whenever she found herself taking that specific route, she'd snatch a flower or two and wondered about the people who lived there.

The garden was so well made and so vibrant with life that she didn't think a few flowers would be missed and she always clipped ones that wouldn't disturb the rest of the garden, almost like she was pruning it.

She wasn't sure who lived there. The car was ten years old but nice, the rear covered in stickers. A progress pride flag flew beside one window. There were little turtle figures and statues throughout the lawn, too. It gave her a welcoming feel; like she could walk up and knock and whoever answered would be safe. Safe to talk to, safe to make friends with, safe to share herself with.

Celine would call it 'advertising for broken windows' if she saw it. So-Yi would shrug and say she liked the turtles. Her mother would have called them family.

Slowly, the sun started to poke through the clouds. Maybe it was the talks at her mother's grave that helped. Maybe those walks reminded her that there was still a world out there. That there were people who flew a rainbow flag and had turtle statues in their yard and sometimes they put out a huge twelve foot skeleton and dressed it like Santa.

Maybe it was just that felt like an inviting place and Rumi took that as an invite to let herself start to heal.

Months passed. Rumi smiled more, starting humming again while cooking or cleaning. Celine started to drag herself out of her own hole, her eyes less hollowed out. So-Yi spent more time in the garden. They shared dinner again, eating at the table, eating with her. Rumi could see them tentatively reaching for each other, the way they used to do before her mother died.

It made her breathe a lot easier when she could hear them laugh sometimes.

Celine finally looked at her tattoo, understanding it. There were tears, painful tears, but good ones. Needed ones, as though she'd been stuck in a single instant in time and only now realized she had to take a step forward and then another and another for the rest of her life. Not just for Rumi but for So-Yi and herself.

The plants in the house had been her mother's, she taught Rumi how to care for them. Given her a love and affinity for them. Rumi now wore patterns of vines around her left bicep and forearm.

So-Yi suggested she should add something of herself to it, so she did.

And things started to get better. Maybe they always would have eventually, but she liked to think the tattoo was a needed catalyst. A reminder of who Miyeong had been to them. Mother, sister, lover.

And so she decided next time she took a walk, she would pick a peony to show her mother that she was finally healing. Sometimes, she thought she should grow her own flowers, but then she'd no longer have an excuse to see the Turtle House.

A year ago, Rumi experienced the worst day of her life.

Yesterday, two beautiful women had cornered her over stealing their flowers. Yesterday, she hadn't had the heart to correct their assumptions as to why because they were so eager and their smiles made her feel so warm and welcome. Yesterday, listening to them speak had awoken something tiny and hopeful in her heart; they were understanding and friendly and made her laugh. They'd felt just as safe as she'd always thought.

Yesterday she spoke to her mother and introduced her to new friends and told her she really liked them. She imagined her mother embracing her and telling her to try.

Yesterday, she smiled like a flower facing the sun.

They'd talked for hours, and would have talked for hours more if Rumi hadn't needed to get back to check on her mothers. But she'd breathed easier when she got home and saw them in the kitchen, saw them making food. Together.

It had been so nice too, her mother's favorites and they'd held something like a wake. The tightness in Rumi's chest dulled. It was the first time the three of them had been able to be in the same room and talk about her mother. To share tears, laughter, and memories.

Yesterday had felt like a shift.

And tonight, she had a date.

"Auntie?" She walked into the kitchen spying So-Yi at the table. A very good sign that felt like an auspicious start to the day, "I need some help. For an outfit. For a date."

So-Yi inhaled her tea down the wrong tube and Rumi rushed over to pat her back as she coughed, "You have a date?"

"Wow. I appreciate your confidence in me."

"You haven't had a date since Jinu," She pointed out.

Rumi frowned and So-Yi held up a hand, "I just mean it's been a long time."

"A long time which means I don't know what to wear, or do, or how to wear my hair, which I kind of want to cut please don't tell Celine that part."

Sinking onto a chair, Rumi lamented, "I don't even know what kind of signal I want to send them!"

"Them?" Both eyebrows disappeared into her hair. So-Yi leaned forward and peered at her, "How did you schedule two dates for one day?"

"At … the same time."

At least her aunt was smiling. Definitely auspicious. She could do this thing without feeling guilty about enjoying herself. That … had been a legitimate worry. In fact, this all felt so normal that her head was kind of spinning.

"I always knew Celine rubbed off on you. How did you know they were a package deal?"

Flustered, Rumi motioned at her chest, "The shorter one, Zoey, she had all these pride pins and … and they were adorably flustered. Plus, they're already married amd it's not like I didn't grow up with three moms in a very complicated triangle."

So-Yi laughed, "Hold on. BABE!"

"Oh god." Rumi thought her embarrassment was worth it if it meant her aunt and Celine were getting close enough to use endearments with each other again. Maybe yesterday had been a shift for them too.

Celine came in a moment later, "What?"

"This one," So-Yi pointed at Rumi. "Has a date. With two people. At the same time. "

Rumi watched as Celine became the math lady meme in real time. She lowered her head and thunked it on the table, groaning, "I just wanted outfit advice."

"I didn't even know you were meeting people," Celine said, voice gentle. She took a seat across from Rumi and stared at her as if she were seeing something new and feeling guilty that she'd missed it.

"Long story, kind of funny in a morbid way?" Rumi lifted her head, "It's uhm. A cozy stay in kind of date, with them cooking."

Celine tilted her head, "Are you sure this isn't some kind of unicorn thing?"

"A what now?"

"Do they just want sex?" So-Yi asked, "That's fine if so but you have to go into these things with the right expectations."

Rumi gaped at them, stammering, "I don't think…I mean we talked for like…it really felt like we connected, they were so nice and understanding about things. But I mean it was pretty obvious they… I wouldn't say no, I mean—"

So-Yi smiled, "Are they at least cute?"

Rumi smiled brightly, "The two most beautiful women I've ever seen."

Her mothers exchanged a look. Rumi knew that look, knew it meant she'd done or said something that reminded them of her mother and when they looked back they'd be so sad—And they smiled at her, like they were happy.

Inexplicably, Rumi started to cry. She wiped at her eyes, "I'm sorry. I'm…"

"I'm sorry," Celine said, reaching across the table. "I know we haven't exactly been there for you. I know you've been trying to keep us and yourself afloat at the same time."

"We weren't there for you while you've been here for us," So-Yi took her other hand. "I realized that yesterday. My sister would be so pissed for that. For me and Celine nearly…" She glanced at her, "For grieving apart instead of together."

"You're going to make me cry before my date," Rumi said, while crying. She squeezed their hands back.

Celine nodded, "Better now than after we get your make-up on."

"If its a comfy home cooked meal, then you don't want to go too fancy," So-Yi mused. "But you want to let them know you could go fancy next time. Oh maybe something with a bit of mid-drift, or cleavage, but still screams 'you make me comfy' in case things get a little heated."

"So!"

"She's an adult!" So-Yi laughed, "And honestly the girl could stand to get laid."

Now Rumi was too embarrassed to be crying, which was probably the point, "That's getting a little ahead of things okay."

They did not need to know her search history this morning at all.

• How do thruples work

• How to woo a married couple

• Perils of polyamory

• how do you kiss two girls at the same time without getting a concussion?

• threesomes for beginners

• ALL GIRL threesomes for beginners

• All girl threesomes technical diagram

• All girl threesomes technical diagram -porn

• All girl threesomes female gaze

• trans all girl threesomes

• trans all girl threesomes -fetish

• trans girl porn for trans girls

• why does the internet suck?

"There's some wine in the basement, I'll give you a bottle," Celine said after a moment.

Rumi nodded, eyeing her, but didn't say anything. She doubted there were many bnottled left, but it would be better it be enjoyed with friends than risk one of her mothers disappearing back into the bottle. She made a note to herself to go down tomorrow and maybe remove every drop that was left.

"You mentioned cutting your hair?" So-Yi asked.

In front of Celine.

Rumi shot her an annoyed look.

"You want to cut your hair?" Celine's voice wavered.

Swallowing, Rumi looked at Celine, "I've been thinking about it for months. I don't always see … me… when I'm looking in the mirror. And you can't tell me my braid doesn't remind you of her constantly."

Celine pursed her lips, but didn't deny it, "What time is your date?"

"Uh, seven?"

"Good." She got up, "Get dressed, I'll take you to the salon, if you're going to do this you're doing it right and getting it styled."

"I'll figure out her outfit," So-Yi said.

"No." Celine put her hand on So-Yi's arm. "We should make a day of it. All three of us. If that's all right, Rumi?"

"Yes, I'd love that!" Rumi bounced to her feet, rushing to her room to put on some clothing. She paused before leaving, staring at the picture on her desk. It was all four of them, taken a few years ago on a trip to Korea to visit family that Rumi had never met before.

"We're okay, mom. I think we're going to be okay."

It was going to be okay. It really was. No matter what happened with Mira and Zoey, she was pretty sure she had her moms back and that meant more to her than she'd ever realized.

Chapter Text

Mira stood in the bedroom, staring at an array of clothing sitting on the bed. She was familiar with Zoey's tastes and knew what to wear to keep her on edge all night, but she had no idea what might set fire to Rumi's blood.

"Cool it," she murmured. "She wanted cozy."

If this was a fancy going out date she might have had an easier time picking. But cozy? Some kind of sweater or turtleneck maybe, but she didn't want to overheat because she hoped to use the fireplace, plus she'd seen Rumi check out her neck. It was one of her best features besides her legs and deserved to be shown off anyway.

Zoey's head popped in, "I got everything — are you still trying to figure out what to wear? Rumi will be here in like twenty minutes!"

Poking a skirt with her finger, Mira lamented, "What's the line between 'I want you to be comfortable around us but also I want you to desire me carnally'?"

Her wife stared at her, then threw her head back and laughed, "She says that wearing that for underwear."

"I'm taking away couch cuddle privileges."

"Aww baby come on no." Zoey came in and hugged her from the side, "Save carnal desire for like, the second date at least." She pulled back and smiled up at her, "Wear stuff that you feel comfortable in. This isn't a battle. You don't need your boots and fishnets."

Mira stared at her almost plaintively, "Are you sure? What if she shows up dressed to kill?"

"I'm pretty sure anything she shows up in will be very cute, very cozy, and murder us anyway."

"Okay, okay. But I reserve the right to bring out the fishnets if we get a second date." God, what was that woman doing to her? It was like when she'd met Zoey and their first date had been a carnival and she'd spent two hours trying to decide what to wear she'd been so nervous. She had actually approached it like a battle; skirt, fishnets, boots, eyeliner that could kill a man.

But none of that screamed cozy.

"What are you wearing?" She asked, after another moment's thought.

"Those jeans you got me for my birthday. They're super comfy and just stylish enough to still be date material," Zoey let go and bounced over to the closet so she could dress too. "And that pastel green shirt, the one with all the turtle patterns knit into the sleeves."

That helped. Mira had a pink skirt that went down to her shins but hugged her hips, in a comfortable fabric. It would compliment Zoey's shirt and she could wear her favorite shirt with it, a black one with a v-neck and the words 'SPICE QUEEN' emblazoned on it in angry glitter.

Mira dug through her jewelry, picking out a necklace with an electric guitar hanging from it. She left the rest of her usual assortment of earrings, eyebrow rings and nose stud alone.

Zoey wordlessly handed her a black choker with 'BITCH' bedazzled on it, "So how do you feel?"

Looking at herself in the dresser mirror as she adjusted the choker, Mira said flatly, "Cozy and comfortable."

"And that is the sexiest you can be."

"What would I do without you?" She leaned in and kissed Zoey.

"Wallow in misery." Zoey thread her arms around Mira's shoulders, leaning in and kissing her again. She nipped at Mira's lower lip then pulled away when something beeped from the kitchen.

"We better make sure we don't ruin dinner," Mira said, holding onto Zoey. Zoey tried to escape and they ended up waddling out of the bedroom, down the hall and into the kitchen attached together and giggling uncontrollably the whole way.

They had grilled Rumi a little bit on the kind of foods she liked (Zoey now had a list of Korean, American and Mexican dishes Rumi loved) and had decided to go with some Korean cuisine. Zoey was finishing up some bibimbap and a spicy kimchi stew was simmering on the stove. Mira checked the rice and then glanced at the clock on the stove, a nervous knot settling in her stomach.

"She said she really liked kimbap maybe we should have made that too…" She realized Zoey was watching her with a huge smile on her face and stuck her tongue out at her, "Oh shut up."

"I didn't say anything!"

"I could hear you thinking it."

"You're acting like me." Zoey laughed, bouncing on her heels because she was utterly incapable of keeping her own excitement contained, "You're excited and it's adorable."

"I'm nervous!" God, she really was and it was kind of pathetic. Mira sighed, leaning against the counter and folding her arms. She remembered her first few times she'd hung out with Zoey, even before they'd gone on a real date. The same twisting stomach knot, the same nervous anxiety, feeling like she could mess it all up by either being too intense or too aloof.

Back then, Zoey hadn't known her well enough to see the nerves, but now Mira couldn't hide them from her.

"You really are." Zoey came over, sliding her arms around Mira's waist and leaning up to kiss her, "Say it with me baby. It'll go fine, we'll have a good time. She won't think we're weirdos."

"But you are a weirdo." Mira looped her arms around Zoey's shoulders, "Notebook of Rumi Facts and everything."

"I'm your weirdo." Zoey grinned, pulling away, "And I had one for you. Still do, only it's like six notebooks and a power-point presentation now."

Mira's smile softened and she gazed at her wife in abject adoration. Maybe some people might find that creepy, but Mira knew better. It was one of Zoey's ways of making sure she didn't forget a thought or an observation. Page one of Rumi's had been all of Zoey's flower girl observations. Page two had been feverishly written after they'd gotten home. Facts, things to learn, even random lyrics and poetry about her in the margins.

How Rumi reacted to Zoey's habit of writing her thoughts out like that would be one of the bigger tests on how any of this might work out.

A knock disturbed her from her thoughts and she grabbed Zoey's sleeve and tugged on it, "She's here!"

This somehow was the funniest thing Zoey had seen all day, because she started giggling hysterically before shoving Mira's shoulder, "Then go answer it you lovestruck idiot."

So nervous was Mira that she didn't even object to that statement as she rushed to the door without trying to seem like she was rushing to the door. Probably failing at that.

Taking a deep breath, she pulled it open and damn near dropped to her knees and proposed the second she saw Rumi.

Rumi had cut her hair, styling it in a wavey sort of shoulder-length hairdo. The purple somehow seemed even more striking like this and she'd chosen not to wear the contacts again which made Mira happy as she'd wanted to see more of her natural eye color.

Under her yellow jacket was a lavender shirt with a neckline just low enough to be daring and her pants were dark navy jeans.

"Hey," Mira managed, somehow sounding cool even as every neuron in her brain was colliding like a massive trainwreck.

"Hi…" Rumi smiled, a little shy but with warmth behind it, her eyes darting across Mira's face and outfit, "You look nice. I was afraid this might be too much."

"It's—" Amazing, beautiful, jaw dropping, I am so gay—"Fine." Mira stepped aside, "Can I take your jacket? I love your hair. Oh is that wine?"

She was babbling like Zoey, she really was absolutely fucked.

"Sure." Rumi shrugged out of it, "And thank you! Uhm yeah I didn't want to come empty handed."

Her smile was that big bright one that Mira was falling fast for but it wasn't just that that utterly floored her.

Rumi's shirt was shoulder-less and Mira glanced up to see Zoey gaping from the kitchen and shared a helpless look with her. She hung the jacket up on auto-pilot and clung to the wine bottle as Zoey came into the living room. Mira swallowed, unsure of Rumi had gone for 'desire me carnally' on purpose or on accident but either way the effect was the same.

Zoey sounded a little breathless, "I forgot to ask yesterday, but would you prefer eating at the table or on the couch?"

"Whichever is most comfortable for you two," Rumi said, tucking some hair behind her ear in what was a critical hit to Mira's heart.

She focused on Rumi's arm, on the tattoo around her bicep and forearm. The vines wove around all the way up to her shoulder, and within them was a figure of a woman. She had tiger stripes, and a violet coloring to both her skin and the hair that seemed to wrap around her like a cocoon. Fingers and toes ended in claws, but her face was human, expression soft and vulnerable.

"Your tattoo is so pretty," Zoey said. "Oh and your hair!" She looked like she wanted to touch, either the hair or the tattoo or both but refrained with a mighty effort.

Not trusting her voice, Mira just nodded.

Flustered, Rumi seemed unsure what to do with her hands before sticking them in her pockets, "Thanks."

Zoey exhaled, then clapped her hands together, startling Mira, "Lets eat in here." She took Rumi's elbow and guided her their recliner, shoving it closer to the coffee table, "You sit here. Mira and I will bring you your food!"

Then Zoey grabbed Mira's arm and dragged her to the kitchen. Once inside she whispered, "Holy shit."

"Forget cozy I feel like I've ascended straight to kindling in the fireplace and Rumi is the match," Mira replied, putting the wine in the fridge to chill, sticking her head inside for ten seconds, and then spooning up the strew while Zoey handled the bibimbap. The effort soothed her nerves as she fixed her expression into something that wouldn't read either like she was infatuated or horny.

Zoey paused next to her, leaning up on her tiptoes and pecking her lips, "We just need to breath and chill."

The kiss helped center her, "Was I this much of a wreck with you?"

"Yes, but you were hiding it better then. Or I just know you better now."

"I really hope its the second thing," Mira took a few deep breaths before following her out into the living room.

She could feel Rumi's eyes on them and when she looked there was an adorable smile on her face. Like she was a little smitten herself. Mira's heart did a somersault as she put food in front of their guest, then went to retrieve her own food, taking a seat next to Zoey on the couch.

Zoey's hand rested on her knee a little, squeezing in a way that told Mira she was trying to center them both, which was appreciated and mildly alarming because they both knew Mira was the impulse control in this marriage.

She waited—literally—with bated breath as Rumi tasted their food, and then immediately groaned and started to inhale it.

"I'll take that as approval," Mira laughed, lifting her bibimbap and wolfing hers down.

Zoey was also one to inhale her food, and was grinning ear to ear the whole time. Mira wondered how Rumi kept being so perfect.

Wiping her mouth with a napkin, Rumi looked down at her bowl that had formerly contained bibimbap and flushed, "That was really good."

"Give the kimchi a try," Zoey suggested. "We weren't sure of your heat tolerance so we went with me spicy instead of Mira spicy."

"It could be worse, it could be our ex's spicy," Mira pointed out, staring into the middle distance. "She had that hot sauce that requires a waiver."

"So your ex does exist and wasn't an obvious attempt to clue me into you two being poly?" Rumi asked. She took a bite of the stew and her eyelids fluttered.

Mira smiled proudly, "Yes, she's a real person. It was just never really an emotional thing between us."

"She caught feels for someone." Zoey tapped her bowl, "Tall. Taller than Mira, legs for days—huh I guess I have a thing for taller women!"

"Everyone is taller than you," Mira snorted.

"Shut up! It's a defense mechanism against all you giants, duh."

"Your defense mechanism is dating taller women?" Rumi asked, and there was that laugh again, the big one like Rumi just couldn't contain it.

Zoey beamed and Mira felt the laugh light up her soul.

"What do you do for a living?" Zoey asked, leaning forward and looking at Rumi like she was the most interesting woman in the world.

They'd avoided that topic yesterday, along with personal family stuff. It had been a sort of silent agreement to save some things for this date. Or maybe in six to nine months, in Mira's case. Fortunately they'd had plenty to talk about when it came to likes and dislikes and getting Zoey talking about reptiles. The way Rumi had listened and paid attention to Zoey had made Mira like her even more.

"Nothing, at the moment." Rumi took a few more bites of her stew, clearly thinking something over before swallowing, "I was in a theater before my mom got sick. I finished the show we were doing but quit right after so I could help take care of her. I haven't … really looked into seeing if they want me back yet or not."

She set her bowl down, "I'd really like to."

Feeling like she desperately needed to give this woman a hug, Mira asked, "What kind of shows?"

"Oh musicals mostly. Some plays and not just Shakespeare, but I love to sing." Rumi's smile was soft, and Mira could tell that she genuinely loved it. She squeezed Zoey's knee in the universal message of we have got to hear her sing.

"You seem pretty amazing to me," Zoey said. "So I'm sure they'll jump to take you back. Or at least let you audition."

"Probably. Still nerve-wracking. Now, what is it you do?"

Zoey grinned, "I? Am a housewife."

"Bullshit," Mira said. "She streams and on weekends teaches kids sick skateboard moves."

"Getting paid in cheeseburgers is not a job," Zoey protested.

"It sounds really nice. Maybe you could show me your sick moves?" Rumi fidgeted with her utensils, "And I'd like to see your streams some time."

"You won't leave this house without the deets," Zoey assured her.

"Cheeseburgers count." Mira poked her finger against Zoey's cheek, "And you also write music."

Already interested in Zoey's work, Rumi perked up even more, "You do?"

"Just lyrics and stuff, it's not like I'm going to do anything with it," Zoey said. "It's for fun, not profit."

"That's the best kind," Rumi said, expression soft. "I'd like to see them sometime. Or hear you sing them."

Zoey ducked her head and giggled, tucking some hair behind her ears, "All right, maybe. But now Mira needs to spill!"

"I've done a lot of things," Mira said, feeling compelled to share because if Rumi kept looking at them like that she wasn't sure what she was going to do. "Washed dishes in a diner, made it all the way up to cook before I decided to go in another direction."

"She teaches dancing and its hot."

"Thank you, Zoey."

Now Rumi's full attention was on Mira instead of Zoey and it was endearing and also a little intimidating. Rumi had a way of looking at her like she was patiently waiting for Mira to spill everything about herself. It made Mira want to.

"What kind of dance?"

"Uh." Mira blinked, then smoothly—in her estimation— recovered, "Modern and contemporary mostly. It's stressful but in a good way. The cooking I was doing was stressful but in the bad way. I started hating cooking at home, so Zoey convinced me I needed a career change."

"I could tell." Rumi still had her gaze locked on Mira, "It's in the way you move, the way you carry yourself. Zoey is this ball of energy and I'd bet money she can dance too, but with you it's…" She gestured with a hand, "Every movement is deliberate, aware."

"The three of us should go dancing sometime," Mira said, voice thick. She wasn't sure she'd survive it, but it would be a death worthy of song.

Rumi nodded, face flushing somewhat.

"I'm going to pour us some wine," Mira decided. She got up, grabbing the bowls despite Zoey's protests, and took them back into the kitchen.

She gave the bottle a look over, then squinted through her glasses, "Jesus."

Mira knew her wines, one didn't grow up with the family she'd cut off without learning a thing or two about wine. This wine wasn't up there up there, but it was pricier than one would expect from a theater actress.

Would it be too rude to check on if Rumi had grabbed the wrong bottle? Would it be rude to just pour and apologize later if Rumi got upset?

The thought of Rumi upset made her heart hurt so she came back into the living room with three glasses and the bottle, "Rumi?"

"Yes?" Rumi had moved to the couch, with Zoey looking very pleased at herself for getting her into the center cushion. Good girl she thought.

Taking the seat on the other side of Rumi, Mira put the glasses and wine down, "Before we open this, is this the bottle you meant to grab for our date?"

"It's what my moms had in the cellar," Rumi explained, shrugging. "They gave it to me especially for this."

"I just want to be sure," Mira said, looking at her with concern. "Because a five hundred dollar bottle of wine isn't exactly what I'd normally order on a first date."

"Five hundred what—" Zoey asked, making a choking sound.

Rumi blinked, then picked up the bottle and inspected it with a sigh, "I don't really know my wines so I didn't think to ask if it was appropriate. I haven't restocked our alcohol in months. But this has been down there for years and I don't think it was ever going to see the light of day again except … "

She turned to Mira and put her other hand on her knee, "It's okay. I'd rather share it with you two than let it either waste away in the cellar or be … whatever."

Rumi was clearly unwilling to talk about this 'whatever' but Mira could make a few educated guesses. Not wanting to push, she let the subject drop, "Okay. Just wanted to make sure, you know?"

"I know." Rumi leaned in and kissed her cheek, "Thank you for checking, but you'd be worth wine ten times that expensive."

Mira nearly fumbled pouring them each a half a glass. It took all her willpower to try to savor it instead of knocking the whole thing back to steady her nerves. She watched Rumi though, and the way she sipped the wine was so calm and collected that Mira relaxed.

Slowly, she moved her hand behind Rumi's back and rested it lightly just above her waist. Rumi glanced at her, smiling warmly and Mira smiled back. She felt like they were getting a good grade at a first date.

Maybe some games, definitely some karaoke, she decided.

Chapter Text

Across from Mira, Zoey fidgeted. Mira raised her eyebrows at her, waiting for her to get her thought out.

"Rumi?" Zoey rubbed her finger around the rim of her glass, "Do you want to do some karaoke? I've got this app and it might be fun."

"I wouldn't mind," Rumi set her glass down. She flashed Zoey a knowing smile, "But if you want to hear me sing you can just ask."

Darting her eyes, Zoey smiled sheepishly, "I wasn't sure how."

"I don't know, that thing spits out some interesting music," Mira said. She grinned, "Might end up with something you can't handle."

"Give me the app," Rumi said. Her eyes flashed like challenge accepted, "I'll deal with whatever it gives me."

Grinning, Zoey offered her her phone, "All ready to go! Just hit the center button and it'll give you something random. It's already hooked into our speaker system."

"We'll play too Rumi," Mira assured her. And if she got something she could dance to she was going to make Rumi melt.

Rumi moved to the center of the room, hitting the button. Mira watched her brows furrowed, then Rumi snorted and put the phone down on the coffee table before hitting play. There was a dangerously sexy confidence in her voice, "I can sing this one in my sleep. In fact I'm pretty sure I have!"

Mira recognized the song as soon as the first notes played; it was a Sunlight Sisters song, and one of her and Zoey's favorites. Zoey had discovered them before they'd met and gotten Mira into them.

She leaned over to tell Zoey that there was no way Rumi could compete with the original singers—but then Rumi picked up the opening lyrics at the exact right moment without even needing to look at the phone—and her voice was angelic.

Pitch perfect, clear and bright, hitting every low note and reaching the highs with no apparent effort. As she sang, she closed her eyes and just leaned into the singing, body moving in a soft, gentle approximation of some of the choreography as though it were muscle memory.

Zoey's hand clenched Mira's tightly as they watched Rumi belt out that song like she'd been born to sing it; but Mira couldn't help but catch a few tears on Rumi's cheek as she finished and wiped at her eyes.

"Wow," Zoey whispered. "That was amazing, it was perfect like you hit every note and all the timing and everything and you didn't even look at the phone!"

"Uhm." Rumi shifted on her feet, "I'm sorry, I got really into it. Mom loved that song and we'd sing it all the time together and I guess … it just felt good to sing it again."

"You don't need to apologize, Rumi." Mira gestured for her to come to them, taking her hand and sitting her back down between them and giving her a too-short hug. She wanted it to last longer, she wanted to kiss away those tears, she wanted… god she wanted, "That was beautiful."

"It's my favorite too." Zoey nudged Rumi's shoulder with hers, "It was playing at the diner where I first met Mira."

"Really?" Rumi looked at Mira, "That's amazing."

"It fits I guess." Mira shrugged, "A song about seeing someone for the first time and just knowing that you're meant to meet."

"And that hopeful sort of, is this a romance thing? A new friend? A rival?" Zoey bounced, "I love how open to interpretation it is."

A soft, knowing smile spread across Rumi's face, "Sometimes it's all of the above."

"Rumi, honey, if we try to rivalry you at singing we're going to lose," Mira told her.

"That's why I'm rapping and Mira dances," Zoey assured her.

"Zoey might be obsessed with that old band for some reason but her strength is definitely rapping," Mira teased.

"As if you aren't," Zoey countered.

"Old?!" Rumi started laughing so hard that she fell back against the couch.

Mira stared incredulously.

"You have—you have to say that—" Rumi dissolved into giggles, "If you ever meet my moms, you have—in front of them. You have to."

Zoey started to giggle too, "Sounds like we'll make them feel like they're like eighty."

"Fans I take it?" Mira shook her head, now looking at her wife and Rumi like they were the most beautiful people on the planet. Because they were, especially when laughing.

"You could say that," Rumi said. Her eyes were closed and she laid against the couch, sighing as she recovered herself, lips still forming a smile.

Before Mira could stop herself, she reached over and tucked some hair behind Rumi's ear. That smile grew as Mira trailed her finger down Rumi's cheek. It was joined by a slight blush when Zoey ran her hand along Rumi's shoulder, and then Rumi's lips parted when Mira traced her jaw and then down her throat.

And there was so much throat and shoulder in this shirt of Rumi's that Mira licked her lips, imagining tasting her skin. She tore her eyes from it to stare at Zoey, who smiled at her knowingly and nodded, then tilted her head towards Rumi as if saying whatever she's okay with.

Mira hoped that what Rumi was okay with included straddle and ravish her because she was so close to snapping already. She forced herself to calm down—if she was honest even a single kiss could probably wreck her.

Rumi's hand touched Mira's side, resting it lightly there. Her fingers gripped the fabric of Mira's shirt when Mira shifted closer, splaying her hand out against Rumi's neck and shoulder and gently moving all up and down it.

Zoey's hand reached up to Rumi's face, caressing her cheek. Her thumb brushed across Rumi's lips and a shiver ran through her. Slowly, almost painfully so, Zoey pulled Rumi's head towards her. She stopped when their lips were dangerously close, but before she could say something, Rumi closed the distance and kissed her.

Smiling into it, Zoey giggled softly, fingers threading into Rumi's hair as she kissed her back and Mira found herself giddily grinning. She rubbed her hand along Rumi's shoulder and neck, caressing with her fingers as the hand that Zoey didn't have tangled in Rumi's hair sought out one of Mira's and gripped it tightly. They were all connected—Rumi to Mira to Zoey and back to Rumi—and it surged through Mira like a bolt of lightning.

The kiss was bubbling joy, an infectious feeling that kept that stupid smile on Mira's face because Zoey was happy and Rumi looked like she was about to melt and everything about this felt natural. It hadn't quite been so easy the last time they'd tried this but Mira was going to worry about what kind of footing they'd find with each other another day.

Zoey leaned in more, answering a needy sound from Rumi with one of her own, deepening the kiss in a way that told Mira she was actually restraining herself. She knew Zoey. She knew how badly Zoey wanted to just dive in and give Rumi everything she could, just like she knew herself.

Eventually Zoey and Rumi pulled away from each other. A little bit of saliva joined their lips before it broke and Mira's eyes darted from lips to lips, not wanting to break the moment and not wanting to do anything that might startle Rumi. Or Zoey. Or honestly herself.

But then they both turned and looked at her, Zoey squeezing her hand reassuringly and Rumi smiling that smile that could cause an entire field to flower and Mira pulled her in and kissed her. Because words had never been her strong suit. Because she wanted nothing more than fall into these women and know nothing else until the world ended.

Mira kissed Rumi like she did everything else once she'd decided on something—boldly. Rumi was melting into Mira now and Mira poured all the jumbled emotions and attraction she felt, kissing Rumi hungrily, tongue brushing against Rumi's mouth until the woman opened up and let her in.

Then Rumi sucked on her tongue, the hand at Mira's side clutching at her, fingers digging in. Mira had been afraid she was coming on too strong, too needy, but Rumi pulled her against her, whining deep in her throat. Mira answered with a groan, arm sliding around Rumi as she pressed against her. When she pulled her tongue back, Rumi's chased after and Mira's head spun at the feel of Rumi in her mouth.

She might actually cry.

Or crawl onto Rumi and never leave. Mira's hand slid into her soft hair, fingers kneading at her scalp and the only reason she broke the kiss was to nip at Rumi's jaw, then trail kisses along it and down the side of her neck. She bit lightly where neck met shoulder, entire body catching fire at the sound that Rumi made, then she flicked her tongue at that spot. Another moan was muffled by Zoey's mouth as her wife excitedly picked up where Mira had left off.

Mira slid a hand along Rumi's thigh. Rumi tilted her head back, breathing heavily. Mira could feel her trembling and she lifted her head to look at her as Zoey pulled back. Rumi's face was deep red and flushed and her eyes were blown wide and dark. Mira was pretty sure she and Zoey didn't look much better.

"You okay?" Zoey took her hand and squeezed it between both of hers.

"So… how many dates was it before you two first…you know," Rumi darted her eyes between them.

"Is this moving too fast?" Mira asked, searching Rumi's eyes.

"I climbed her like a tree on our first date," Zoey proudly said.

"I understand that urge," Rumi's cheeks darkened but her voice was so low and thick that it went straight to Mira's core.

"Rumi, baby." Mira stroked her fingers through her hair, "You don't need to compete with that. We can slow down. Get some cold water, catch our breaths."

"Turn the fans on high," Zoey nodded, rubbing Rumi's other thigh. "Maybe put five feet between us. Start talking about soup. Let us sing for you, or we could play some games. I like you a lot, Rumi. I just want to spend time with you."

Rumi shivered and made a sound that was part laugh and part whine, "I don't know what's normal for this. I don't want to stop but I don't want to fuck this up either. All I've ever done is kiss before."

"I've been flying on vibes all night," Mira replied. She still had a hand on Rumi's thigh, the other in her hair, "I think I speak for Zoey too when I say we want to take care of you but we're not going to push anything."

That pulled a shuddery breath from Rumi. She closed her eyes for a moment, then put her hands over the ones on her thighs, "I don't know why I'm scared. I've always felt like the people who lived here were safe…"

"What would you be scared of?" Zoey chewed her lip.

In a strained voice Rumi replied, "Your hands were just about to find out."

Mira looked down at the same time Zoey did.

"Bulge!" Zoey leaned in and kissed Rumi's nose. "Cute. We want you to be comfy, okay?"

"And safe." Mira held her gaze, smiling as reassuringly as she could. Rumi had been so interested in Zoey's pins, but Mira hadn't been sure which one was of most interest at the time.

Rumi was staring at Zoey with a big goofy grin on her face, "Did you just call it cute?"

Almost as one unit, she and Zoey wrapped arms around Rumi from other side of her. The proximity and her scent was still killing Mira but this was more important.

Rumi relaxed in their arms and sniffled, "Now I'm emotional and horny."

She said it with such a plaintive tone that Mira couldn't stop her quiet laugh, "You are so adorable."

Zoey stared at her with unabashed adoration, "The sweetest!" She pulled back, touching Rumi's cheek and turning her face, "But serious talk, if we continue where do you like, want us to touch you? Or not touch you?"

Rumi kissed Zoey, pulling away after nipping her lower lip with her teeth, "Everywhere."

Recovering quickly from a stunned expression, Zoey slid her hand up Rumi's thigh, "I want my mouth all over you, Rumi. I want to see you get so high from our hands on you that you start floating."

Mira leaned in, kissing the side of Rumi's neck, "Bedroom?"

Rumi nodded, her breath catching.

This … was really happening. Mira lifted her head and stared at Zoey with wide eyes. Zoey just grinned nervously back as she stood. Togther, they helped Rumi to her feet. Mira pulled her against her, tilting her head back by the hair and kissed her. Rumi let out a low, needy sound at the hair pulling, which Mira noted with delight.

Rumi's fingers dug into her shirt and then she felt them clench into the fabric and smiled into Rumi's lips. Zoey pressed into Rumi's back, kissing her shoulder and looping her arms around her as Mira broke the kiss and gazed down at them both. They swayed there a moment, all trying to catch their breaths, before Mira reluctantly pulled away from Rumi's warm body and started to lead her to their bedroom.

"I have so many ideas," Zoey murmured to Rumi.

"For what?"

"Lets just say most of them we can save for other nights."

Rumi's laugh warmed Mira right down to her toes. Mira didn't catch what Zoey whispered to Rumi but Rumi sputtered and choked, "ZOEY!"

"~That's not a no~" Zoey sang.

Mira stopped at the door to the bedroom and Rumi bumped into her and— "Okay whatever that was she's into it, but please don't scare her off, Zo."

"Oh my god," Rumi whispered, covering her face with her hands as Mira turned around to smile at her. Rumi peered at her through two fingers, "I can just go home you know."

Taking her hands and kissing her fingertips, Mira asked, "Do you want to?" She didn't want her to, she wanted to take her right here in the hallway, worship her from head to toe, "Do you want to just go back to talking? Games? It's okay if you do, I'm serious. Don't feel like you have to or that we're pressuring you."

"Definitely don't want to go home," She shook her head, leaning back against Zoey as Zoey nuzzled her hair, hands playing with the hem of Rumi's shirt. "And you're not. You're being so sweet, Mira…"

"You're so pretty, Rumi." Zoey kissed Rumi's ear, "I kinda obsessed with your eyes. Your laugh. The way you snort."

"Same."

"That smile you get when you're like, really feeling everything. The soft way you speak sometimes. That you get loud with us. I feel like you've like always got these walls up and they come down around us and you trust us and that feels so nice."

"Zoey…" Rumi turned her head, kissing Zoey's cheek. Her left hand was on Mira's chest again, fingers hooked into her neckline. Her right arm was around Zoey, hand stroking her shoulder, "This all is… it's really okay? To want you both? I don't want to get between you. God I want you both."

"Rumi babe, we want you to be the center of attention right now." Mira's voice was deep and husky and her own hands were rubbing across Rumi's back and across her stomach.

"We'll give you everything," Zoey's voice was soft. "Let us take care of you this first time, okay?"

Rumi let out the cutest whine, "What if I want to touch you?"

Mira's voice hitched, "You'll get your chance."

Taking a breath, Rumi looked into Zoey's eyes, then Mira's, then she started to fumble with Mira's shirt, lifting it up. Mira laughed as she held her arms up, forcing Rumi to pull it up the rest of the way. Once the shirt was off she gazed at Rumi's face, eyes wide as saucers as she saw the red lace of Mira's bra.

"I wasn't expecting anything but I did have hopes," Mira admitted.

"In," Zoey ordered, nudging them into the bedroom, Rumi's hands on Mira's stomach as Mira backed towards the bed.

Mira cupped her cheeks, kissing her when the backs of her legs hit the mattress. She could feel Rumi's hands inching around to her back, then up and down it like she savoring her. It only made her heart beat faster. It only made her want to worship Rumi more. Then Rumi pulled her arms back around and pushed her.

Laughing, Mira fell back onto the bed and bounced a little. Rumi's face was red and she pointed at her as if to say 'I'll get back to you in a second' before turning to Zoey and capturing her lips in a hungry kiss. Mira pushed herself up on her elbows, her heart swelling with joy, hunger coursing through her veins at the same time.

She watched them, studying Rumi's posture, the flush of her skin, the excitement she clearly had as she kissed Zoey. Finally, she let herself relax enough to enjoy this.

Mira wondered what Rumi liked for breakfast.

Chapter Text

They undressed each other, slowly, as much for Mira as for themselves. Zoey's sweater landed on the floor, then Rumi's shirt joined it. Zoey left only once, giggling, returning with some towels that Mira placed on the bed after shoving the comforter off to the side.

Then, sitting up fully on the edge of the bed, Mira pulled them both in, placing kisses on each of their tummies, hands moving up their backs, then down again so she could squeeze— finally finally finally —the perfect butts.

"Yep," Mira breathed, massaging the two of them. They were both staring down at her, Rumi's shoulder-length wavey hair falling forward. Mira sighed happily, "This is the happiest I've ever been."

Rumi started giggling, then Zoey, their laughter feeding on each other until Mira was unable to stop her own.

Once she'd recovered, she took Rumi's hand, scooting back and guiding her onto the bed. She slid to the left a bit, making sure Rumi was at the center as Zoey stalked up the bed towards them. First, to Mira, hooking her fingers into the waistband of her skirt and tugging it down and off of her legs. Rumi's eyes watched the whole way, her breathing deepening as she got her first look at Mira's thighs.

It made Mira feel amazing, honestly, the way Rumi's eyes dilated and her tongue darted out to slide along her lip.

Rumi's eyes then locked on Zoey as Zoey shimmied and kicked off her jeans. Where Mira had gone with red, Zoey's underwear was black but even more lacy. Mira gazed at her; that was her favorite pair on her.

It was about then that Mira felt air on her breasts and looked down in time to watch Rumi toss her bra aside, "What?"

"I've learned to change very fast," Rumi murmured, running her hand just high enough to touch the underside of Mira's left breast.

Her face felt like it was on fire and Zoey's giggling didn't help matters. Mira tried to will Rumi's hand higher, but she seemed content to just study her.

"You're so beautiful, Mira." Rumi lifted her eyes, leaning in and kissing her jaw, "Inside and out."

Zoey curled up on Rumi's other side, having shed her own bra, "She really is."

"Now I'm emotional and horny," Mira whispered.

"What do you want, Rumi?" Zoey kissed her shoulder, eyes fluttering closed as she placed little kisses all the way to Rumi's neck.

Hand sliding up and finally cupping Mira's breast, Rumi murmured, "I want everything…"

For the moment, Mira forgot all her plans and wants and just arched into Rumi's hand with all the desperation of a drowning woman as Rumi explored her chest with her hand, squeezing and kneading, gently tracing her nipples. Rumi even gave one a lick and Mira wasn't sure which of them shuddered harder.

But then Zoey pulled Rumi over to her and Rumi switched her focus to Zoey's breasts. Mira watched them like a hawk, drinking in her wife's expressions and the whiny little gasps and moans that escaped her lips. It was with obvious and great reluctance that Zoey peeled Rumi off of her and gently pushed her against the headboard.

Mira slid her hand behind Rumi, unclasping her bra. Zoey pulled it off of her and tossed it high enough that it caught on the ceiling light, but Mira barely noticed, eyes locking onto Rumi's chest. Leaning in, she kissed Rumi, then trailed her lips down her throat, cupping her left breast as Zoey kissed Rumi and massaged the other. Rumi's little shudder and whine destroyed the last remnants of Mira's restraint and she sucked her nipple into her mouth and groaned around it before flicking her tongue.

Whatever Rumi would give them she'd take, happily. Whether scrap or feast, whether friendship or lovers or something deeper, she craved it. She just wanted this woman in their lives as though "Mira and Zoey" and always had an "And Rumi" just waiting to be added to it.

Rumi's hips squirmed as Zoey teased her waist band, Mira's hand running up and down her thigh. Humming, Mira lifted her head, looking up into Rumi's eyes, tongue pressed against her nipple but no longer moving.

"Can I?" Zoey tugged where her fingers were hooked into Rumi's pants and Rumi nodded, lifting her hips.

Mira sat up, sliding against Rumi's side and running her fingers through her hair as Zoey yanked the pants off, leaving Rumi in cute, violet boxer briefs.

"All of it," Rumi whispered, face red, hand suddenly clenching Mira's.

Being naked with someone for the first time could be nerve wracking. That vulnerability. And Mira couldn't imagine what journey Rumi had taken with her own body, only wishing they'd known her sooner to have been there for her through it if she'd needed them.

"Beautiful Rumi," Mira murmured, tracing her jawline with her fingers and watching Zoey reveal their new lover in all her glory.

"So fucking gorgeous." Zoey tossed the underwear aside and ran her hands along Rumi's thighs, "I know you said everywhere baby. Did you mean that?"

Rumi's voice hitched, "Yes."

"Dibs." Grinning, Zoey lowered her head, kissing Rumi's tummy as her hands teased her thighs a few more times before converging on the hardness between her legs.

Rumi gasped, body jerking a moment before she relaxed with a low groan, "Oh…"

Mira returned a hand to Rumi's chest, rolling her nipple between two fingers, "You good?"

"I wasn't sure I'd like someone else touching me." Rumi's voice was light, her eyes locked on Zoey's face as Zoey bit her thigh, hands caressing and teasing between her legs, "Been…been a long time since I got this…" She waved her hand.

"Hard?" Zoey giggled.

"Yeah…" Rumi's face was even redder, as if the conversation was more embarrassing than what they were doing to her. Mira fell a little more for Rumi, kissing her for a long moment before scooting down enough to replace her hand on her breast with her mouth again because tasting Rumi was her new favorite thing.

"God…" Rumi's head tilted back, somewhat incoherent mumbling turning into throaty groans as Zoey's fingers slid up and down her, Mira's nails dragging along Rumi's thigh.

Turning her head, she met Zoey's eyes before sliding her hand over to nudge Zoey's away, "Stop torturing the woman and use your mouth."

The questioning sound Rumi made turned into another groan when Mira squeezed her, which turned into a high pitched gasp and arch of her back as Mira used her teeth on her nipple. It shifted into something low and deep, Rumi's nails leaving red marks on Mira's back, her other hand bunching in the sheets, Zoey's name drawn out of her like a prayer.

Zoey was an expert with her tongue, something that Mira knew intimately. And thanks to that skill, they were learning that Rumi was not a quiet lover and Mira relished every sound they drew out of her. Mira rubbing and stroking, Zoey's tongue lavishing loving attention before she took Rumi into her mouth in a visual that had Mira squirming.

She watched for a moment before lifting her head to focus on Rumi's face.

Rumi's head was still tilted back, her hips rolling against Zoey's mouth, moaning Zoey's name over and over like a mantra. She was so close that Mira could feel it in the way her muscles were tensing and a tightness under her hand.

"It's okay Rumi, you can come for us," Mira whispered. She reached up, pulling Rumi's head enough so both her and Zoey could see her face, "Let go baby, we've got you."

The effect was almost immediate, Rumi crying out wordlessly as her body shook as though she were shattering. Mira squeezed her, holding her as she and Zoey helped her ride through it, and holding her face as she watched her come undone. Rumi's face in the aftermath was one of the most beautiful things she'd ever seen and she'd helped put that there.

Zoey rested her cheek on Rumi's stomach and peered up at her like she was staring at the stars, "You're so pretty when you come."

Rumi covered her face with one hand, breath ragged, "God, Zoey…"

"Do you want to taste one of us?" Zoey asked, sliding up Rumi's body. Mira caught her face and kissed her.

She pulled back with a groan, "Fuck, Rumi tastes good."

Now covering her face with both hands, Rumi peeked through two fingers, and nodded.

"Do you want her to lay down or would you like her to be on top of you?" Mira asked.

"What about you?" Rumi lowered her hands and rested one on Mira's chest, "I want to taste you too."

"You'll get your chance." Zoey stroked Rumi's cheek, "But I want to see her ride you."

Rumi's eyes widened and she nodded so quickly in agreement that Mira laughed. Her face was probably as red as Rumi's as she peeled her panties off, "Oh so you've decided that? What if I want her on top?"

"You love it," Zoey shot back.

"Then I want Zoey on top of me," Rumi murmured. "So it's fair."

Zoey stared at her, and Mira smiled, "I think you short circuited her."

"Plus I already can't move my legs right now."

That broke Zoey out of her blue screen and she pecked Rumi's lips, "Are you sure? It would be a lot easier for your first time if I'm not trying to suffocate you."

"Maybe…. yeah." Rumi nodded. Zoey kissed her again then rolled onto her back next to her. Rumi took a breath, rolling onto her side and just… running her hand up and down Zoey's body. Mira scooted closer, half spooning Rumi as Rumi trailed her fingers along Zoey's stomach.

She didn't say anything, just let Rumi explore Zoey's body on her own. It felt strangely like she was reliving her first time with her wife. Not knowing what made Zoey tick, wanting to do everything in her power to make Zoey feel good. Now she knew what made Zoey tick, and she could do so much to make her feel good. Mira prayed she could learn Rumi, too.

Then Rumi pushed back against her a bit, hot skin against hot skin that reminded Mira of the fire that still smoldered in her core. She couldn't help but savor the feel of every inch of Rumi's body against hers. Mira kissed her shoulder, the tattoo down her bicep, hand sliding over her breast as Rumi's hand dipped between Zoey's legs.

Mira felt Rumi's shudder when she touched Zoey's heated, wet folds, drawing an answering groan from Zoey.

"Good girl," She murmured against Rumi's skin. "Listen to her, watch her. You don't need words to learn what she likes. But she'll probably tell you anyway."

"Mira babe." Zoey's voice was light and airy, "How wet are you?"

"Pretty fucking wet." Mira swallowed, rubbing her thighs together.

"Why don't you check?" Zoey turned her head, holding Mira's gaze with a teasing smile, "And then Rumi can taste you too."

Mira's hand was between her own legs before she fully registered the action. She was much more sensitive than she'd realized, shivering with a soft groan as she moved her fingers through her wetness. Her breathing shifted heavier and it took a smirk from Zoey for her to pull her hand away. As soon as she brought her fingers up to Rumi's face, Rumi licked them. Taking that as a good sign, Mira slipped them into Rumi's mouth. The woman immediately sucked on them, her groan sending a tremble through Mira.

Zoey's smirk only got wider. These women would be the death of her.

Rumi's eyes were sharp on Zoey's face, her tongue moving around Mira's fingers as she sucked on them. Mira couldn't help but tug a little, forcing Rumi to look at her with her fingers in her mouth and fuck how did she have the two sexiest women on Earth in her bed?

When she pulled her hand back Rumi whined, "Mira…"

"It's Zoey's time now," Mira prodded. Rumi didn't need any more nudging as she pushed herself up and leaned over Zoey. Slowly, she leaned down and kissed her. It was Zoey's turn to whine when Rumi broke the kiss, but her eyes lit up as Rumi kissed her way down her body.

As Rumi settled between Zoey's legs and peered up at her in awe, Mira ran her left hand up and down her wife's tummy, "She looks good down there."

"Yeah," Zoey breathed. Her eyes were locked on Rumi's face as Rumi lowered her head and gave a tentative lick.

That seemed to completely do her in and she grabbed Zoey's hips, pulling her forward a bit as she tasted every inch of her. Zoey's hips jerked so suddenly that Rumi made a pained sound, but didn't stop. If anything that spurred her on.

"Rumi…! Rumi!" Zoey's voice rang in Mira's ears and she kept looking from Zoey's face to Rumi's head as she moved her mouth and tongue. She unfortunately couldn't see everything but was grinning anyway.

"She's enthusiastic," Mira commented, like this was her favorite show.

"Hhnnnn…."

"Rumi honey, use your fingers too."

There was a muffled 'oh!' and then Zoey shuddered, one hand clutching at the blankets and the other digging into Rumi's hair.

"You're a natural," Mira purred, adding to Zoey's torment by dragging her nails along her hip. It was almost enough for her to ignore her own need. The fire that had been there all night still burning inside her, the brief touch of her own fingers only sparking it hotter.

She wanted Rumi to touch her next almost as much as she'd wanted Rumi to touch Zoey.

Zoey was close and Mira took the hand tangled in the blankets and squeezed it. Almost as if Mira had willed it, Zoey's hips and most of her torso lifted up off the bed when Rumi made her come. Mira laughed ecstatically as her wife crashed back onto the mattress, panting heavily, and gazed at them both in awe.

"Ru..rum..ru…please…" Zoey tugged at Rumi's hair until Rumi lifted her head and stared at her through heavy eyelids as Zoey started to giggle uncontrollable while trying to speak, "Did good…please…need break."

Rumi looked delighted by this development. She carefully lifted Zoey's legs off of her shoulders then laid them back out. Mira pulled her back up, against her body, kissing her heatedly, Zoey's taste on Rumi's mouth making that heat in her impossible to ignore.

Grinning into the kiss, Rumi slid her hand between Mira's legs and set her body aflame.

"Getting confident?" Mira gasped.

"I need a lot more practice," Rumi replied, lips moving against Mira's as she ground herself against Mira's leg. "But you're both pretty easy to read right now."

"Brat…"

"You're a fucking prodigy." Zoey's head appeared behind Rumi's shoulder and brushed some hair out of her face.

"I read a lot," Rumi whispered. Her face turned red, but she didn't stop moving her fingers around Mira's folds or teasing her thumb around her clit.

Mira's head was spinning. She moved her hips with Rumi's fingers, the touch making her feel like she was going mad. She was so sensitive it was too much, but Rumi was still figuring her out so it wasn't enough.

And they were supposed to be giving to Rumi and here was Rumi giving herself to them and Mira broke just a little, "Do you want me on top, on my knees, my side? Suspended from the ceiling? Floating through space anything you want, I just need you Rumi…"

She couldn't keep a soft whine out of her voice, hips rolling against Rumi's hand.

"What do you want?''

"You. I want you inside."

Rumi smiled, gazing at her adoringly with that quiet confidence earned from wrecking Zoey, "Fingers or…?"

How was she so perfect? How was Mira not going to fall in love with her day one? "Yes!"

She could hear Zoey laughing at her and her head would have thunked back against the pillow if Rumi hadn't slipped her hand behind it and kissed her. A second later she felt Rumi's finger and responded with a moan that was actually embarrassing.

Rumi pulled her face back enough that Mira could drown in her eyes as she moved her finger. She wasn't shy about it, studying Mira's face and then adjusting her movements depending on what she was seeing there. On what she was hearing. A curl of her finger, a drag of it and Mira trembled as she completely failed to bite back a thick moan. It only got worse after Rumi tried a second finger.

She'd touched Mira all of a few minutes and had figured out how to make her come entirely undone. Mira grasped Rumi's wrist to still it, her voice raspy and heavy and ruined, "I need you baby I need you on me I just need to hold you and feel all of you, please…"

A sharp inhale from Zoey, "She loves riding, Rumi. It's like her favorite thing with our toys so if she wants to be under you she really needs you." Zoey's voice became teasing, "Plus the thing I told you about…"

Rumi shuddered on top of Mira, making Mira wonder once again what Zoey had promised her. She didn't have to wonder long, Rumi spreading her legs like she was having a religious experience, then sliding up her body and murmuring in her ear, "She wants to fuck me while I'm in you."

"Jesus," Mira rasped, sliding her arms around Rumi's shoulders and kissing her neck.

"Would...would that be okay? Not tonight but maybe sometime…" Rumi mumbled the words like she was afraid that Mira might actually say no. One moment Rumi was sexy confident the next an adorable mess and Mira felt like her heart was going to explode.

Mira simply pressed her lips lovingly against Rumi's skin,. "That's very okay."

She could feel Rumi trembling in her arms, hips jerking a little as she tentatively ground herself against Mira's slick heat. She beat back her flames and tried to focus on Rumi. But it was hard, really hard to find her words. With the friction and the heat and the way Rumi's skin felt so perfect against hers.

But Zoey was there and she loved her so much as her wife told Rumi, "It's okay, honey. You don't have to be perfect at any of this. You can be nervous. And you can stop if you need to."

Mira's hips rolled instinctively as Rumi slowly continued to grind her own. Rumi didn't answer for a heartbeat before she spoke, "Never thought anyone would want me this much. All of me, even the parts that don't meet expectations."

"You're so fuck—fucking beautiful, I never wanted anything from you but to be in your life," Mira gasped, the friction shooting signals through her body that left her feeling like she was a coiled spring ready to explode. But she wanted—needed—to tell her, "Every inch of you, okay? I love it, I treasure that you let us touch you and hold you—"

Then Rumi was in her and Mira's eyes snapped wide open, Rumi's mouth on hers as Mira's body shook.

Groaning loudly, Mira broke the kiss, head flopping back onto the pillow as she gazed up into Rumi's hazy eyes, before pulling her down bodily on top of her and kissing her again. After a moment, Rumi buried her face in her shoulder and mumbled, "You feel good."

"She's so red right now, Mira." Zoey rubbed Rumi's shoulder, then scritched her scalp. That sent a shiver through Rumi that then went through Mira and Zoey's voice only made her feel needier, "You both look so pretty. Mira, you're almost as red as she is!"

Mira stroked her fingers up and down Rumi's back. She kissed Rumi's ear, "Lets give her a good show."

Rumi whimpered softly, nuzzling at Mira's shoulder before fluttering her lips there as she started to move. Gentle, slow. Mira would have started like that too for her if she'd been on top, but she was content with this.

"You're doing good, princess." Voice breathy, Mira ran her hands up Rumi's back, then down again, before doing the same thing but dragging her nails as she rolled her hips up against the other woman. The action had Rumi arching against her, a low needy sound ripped from her throat. Mira turned her head, kissing the top of Rumi's and looking at Zoey.

Her wife was gazing at them, her expression a potent mixture of lust and adoration. Her eyes met Mira's and her smile grew, "How does she feel, baby?"

"Feels perfect." Mira leaned her head back with a soft groan, "She fits us so good."

Rumi lifted her head, gazing down at Mira's face with eyes dark from need and an expression that mirrored Zoey's. Voice thick but teasing she asked, "Like tab a into slot b?"

Zoey threw her head back cackling and Mira laughed so hard tears formed at the corners of her eyes. When she looked back at Rumi's face, Rumi was smiling that big goofy smile of hers, eyes alight. Mira gazed back, losing herself in Rumi's eyes as she rolled her hips again, matching Rumi's steadier, more confident rhythm perfectly.

"I want you to touch Zoey," Rumi murmured, her gaze giving Mira the impression she was trying to figure out if she was doing things okay. "Can you do that for me while I make love to you?"

She was doing things perfectly, had been all night, just by existing as herself.

"One? You're adorable," Zoey said. Her eyes were locked on Rumi's face like she was the most precious thing on the planet, "Two? God yes please."

Rumi could ask Mira to kill a man and she'd do it. Rumi could ask her to pick up a cast iron pan directly from the oven and she'd ask her for how long. Rumi could ask her to walk on stage naked and sing I Am the Very Model of a Modern Major-General and she would absolutely do it.

Touch her wife? Her hand was already moving along Zoey's thigh when she had a wicked idea.

"Babe, just ride my hand," she growled, repositioning her right hand as Zoey immediately moved herself and then guided Mira's fingers between legs that were drowning in slick heat. Mira curled her fingers, digging her nails into Rumi's hip at the same time as Rumi's eyes flitted back and forth between Zoey's thighs and Mira's face.

One of Zoey's hands gripped Rumi's other shoulder, the second holding onto Mira's forearm for dear life as she feverishly ground herself down against her hand.

Rumi's smile was that same gentle one that had stolen Mira's hear to begin with, "I just ... I just want us all connected."

I'm so fucking fucked Mira realized, her heart pounding in her chest as it swelled at the words, "We are, baby…"

Rumi's eyes got somehow even more blown wide as she watched. They slid back to Mira's face, her cheeks damp as she leaned down to kiss Mira. Then her teeth nipped at Mira's lips as she started to match the frentic pace that Zoey was setting with Mira's hand.

Mira shuddered as that spring in her coiled tighter and tighter, head leaning back and body writhing under Rumi as she tried to match both Rumi and Zoey at the same time. It was something that turned out to be as natural as breathing, but she knew she wasn't going to last much longer. None of them were. Her nails raked up Rumi's side, Rumi's movements increasingly erratic and a frankly adorable whining sound deep in her throat.

Zoey very loudly called out how close she was and Mira…. god. She'd never wanted anything more, never needed anything more than for her girls—Rumi was hers too it was decided that was law— to come with her. It was hard enough to time it with two and likely impossible with three, but Mira wanted it anyway.

So she begged and she pleaded and she gasped their names like a prayer just before the spring snapped and her vision exploded in white stars as Zoey's voice echoed and Rumi's harmonized with theirs. Mira wrapped her legs and left arm around Rumi, holding her as their bodies shook and Zoey's thighs clamped down around her right hand.

Then she crashed back onto the bed, Rumi on top of her, Zoey dropping onto her side and pressing hard against them both as if leaving air between them was too painful a thought.

It was too painful a thought for Mira too. She wanted as much of them both against her as they could all manage. Her skin felt like electricity was crackling over the surface and her heart was pounding. Rumi's face was pressed into her shoulder, hot, wet tears against it. Mira stroked her back gently, reassuringly trying to bring her back down as Zoey threaded fingers through Rumi's hair.

Mira was kind of obsessed with Rumi's new haircut, lifting a hand and stroking it through Rumi's hair too.

"You okay?" Zoey asked.

"Yeah," Rumi was muffled against Mira's skin as both Mira and Zoey cradled her. She was shaking, breathing heavily. But Mira felt her smile, "Just… a lot."

Zoey met Mira's eyes and mouthed I love you at her. Mira mouthed it back, though in her mind it was—maybe just a little—also directed at Rumi.

Chapter Text

Zoey felt like noodles that had been cooked too long and were super extra noodley.

But like, in a good way. A thoroughly relaxed way.

Every time she closed her eyes she saw Rumi. Her haircut had nearly taken Zoey out on sight and she'd kept watching the way it shone in the light or how it brushed her shoulders or the way Mira kept unconsciously reaching to touch it.

And Rumi's evil, sadistic shirt that had nearly made her burn the kitchen down! Okay not really but she could have.

When she closed her eyes she could hear her sing. Hear her laugh.

Hear other sounds that would be forever seared upon her memory to keep her warm on lonely nights. Zoey just knew that she was going to end up calling Rumi's name with Mira at some point and she wasn't even entirely sure she felt guilty about the prospect.

It had been the worst imposition upon her person ever that they had to separate from each other long enough to clean up and take care of assorted bodily functions before they could actually sleep. She hadn't made it easy though. Zoey was clingy and she knew it and she reveled in it. Honestly she was the sort of person that fell head over heels for someone pretty immediately if they ticked all her boxes.

It had happened with Mira. It was definitely happening with Rumi. Hell Mira had taken her jacket last night and Zoey had damn near fainted.

Evil! Sadistic! Shirt!

And yet? Best shirt ever.

The best part, if one asked —not that anyone had— was that Mira had looked utterly wrecked, both emotionally and physically, too. And they'd talked about it but they hadn't really talked enough about this.

About Rumi.

About the way she'd looked and felt and sounded. The unguarded smile that seemed to exist just for them. That soft laugh that made the whole world stop just to listen.

What did it mean? What could it mean? Knowing they were open to a third was a lot different from it actually happening and Zoey hadn't been prepared for the level of attachment she was already developing.

How had they gone from stolen flowers to an angel in their bed?

Zoey watched Rumi, who lay curled between them, her arm loosely across Zoey's torso and one of her feet swept back between Mira's ankles as if in her sleep she had craved connection to both of them. The sheet had been pulled up, obscuring most of her gorgeous body from view, but that was probably for the best. Trailing her fingers along the tattoo on her left arm, Zoey admired the vines. She'd wanted to ask questions about it; it wasn't just the vines that interested her. The gorgeous woman with purple skin and tiger stripes made her insanely curious.

It wasn't usual for Zoey to be up first, but she was, and it let her study both of these women in a way that she rarely let herself.

Rumi stirred, a little. She smelled like Zoey's shampoo and her fingers started to trace circles in Zoey's side and Mira was spooning Rumi from behind, her arm over them both, her fingers also tracing circles in Zoey's skin.

She might cry, really. Mira looked so peaceful and soft, her lips turned up in a gentle smile. Zoey's eyes flicked to Rumi, roaming over Rumi's face as her eyes opened.

Rumi's lips pressed against some freckles on Zoey's shoulder, voice low and sleepy, "You look like stardust."

Critical hit.

"You really do," Mira murmured. Zoey blinked, looking up and seeing amusement and fondness in equal measure in Mira's sleepy eyes.

"If I'm stardust then you're the moon and Rumi is the sun," Zoey countered, face red because that was unfair how was Rumi so … so Rumi?! It was too early in the morning to be called stardust by a pretty girl.

She felt Rumi smile against her shoulder, felt her nuzzle it and felt something warm and wet that definitely matched the sparkling tears in Mira's eyes.

"Sap," Mira said.

"You love me."

"Like the moon loves the tide."

Zoey's heart seized up and she pressed her face into the top of Rumi's head as her wife landed a second critical hit upon her poor pansexual heart. Rumi's arm snaked around her waist, pulling her close and it was all Zoey could do to keep herself from becoming an emotional wreck.

She didn't want to move, but if she stayed there any longer she was going to declare her undying love to Rumi and it was way too soon for that, "What do you want for breakfast, Rumi?"

"You."

Lifting her head, Zoey looked at Mira again, Help me!

I can't even help myself, Mira's expression told her.

We are so fucked.

Absolutely.

Rumi's laugh sent shivers down Zoey's spine, "Anything with eggs, really."

"I got this, neither of you need to get up yet," Mira said. She placed a sweet, short kiss on Rumi's lips before leaning over and kissing Zoey. She lingered for a moment, as if trying to tell Zoey a thousand things all at once and it was honestly kind of a jumble. But she understood the important parts. That she was loved, that they'd figure all this out together, that Rumi was a piece of them they'd never be able to shake.

That last part scared Zoey as much as the rest of it comforted her.

But as Mira pulled away, she saw the way Rumi was watching them. Mouth a little open, eyes wide and warm and wet, like she was happy to be a part of this.

Their beautiful violet flower.

"Coffee or tea?" Mira asked.

"Tea, please."

They both watched Mira slip out of the bed and she could hear a tiny little whine at the back of Rumi's throat. Hooking her arm around her and ogling her wife's butt and legs, she whispered, "Yeah, isn't that a sight?"

"God," Rumi whispered, eyes following Mira as the woman pulled on a pair of sweats and an oversized t-shirt.

Somehow, Mira made that look extra sexy and Zoey blamed how messy her hair was. Zoey echoed Rumi's assessment, "God…"

Rumi giggled and Zoey snuggled into her with a laugh.

Mira paused in the door, smile tender and eyes soft, before she stepped out of the bedroom.

Zoey felt something in her chest squeeze at that. The way Rumi had disarmed her wife was still astonishing to see and she knew Mira well enough that volunteering to make breakfast was her way of trying to sort through her feelings and her way of showing she cared.

She turned her head, seeing Rumi looking at her with an open almost awed expression. Rumi's fingers brushed Zoey's cheek, running along her freckles.

Smile lopsided, Rumi murmured, "I feel like I should say something profound. I just… it was so nice waking up like this. It was … warm."

"Warm…" Zoey leaned into her touch, "Yeah, it's like that, isn't it?"

Rumi's lips replaced her fingers on Zoey's cheeks and Zoey grinned, giggling a little as her heart started doing a Sunlight Sisters choreography. She turned her face enough to catch Rumi's lips, eyes fluttering closed as Rumi kissed her back.

"We should get up," Zoey muttered, not moving an inch.

"Mmhmm," Rumi replied, before kissing her again. Then too soon a moment later, Rumi was pulling away and Zoey whined pathetically.

"Gotta pee." Rumi rolled away, rising to her feet with an unfair level of grace that left Zoey breathless.

She stood there a moment, long enough that Zoey filed away the view, then turned back to look at Zoey, "Is there something I can borrow to wear?"

Laughing, Zoey climbed out of bed and bounced over to the dresser. She pulled out one of Mira's faded band shirts and tossed it to her, then went a drawer down and found some extra sweats, "There, now you can be decent and not walk out there and break Mira."

Rumi's answering smile made Zoey want to fly, "What if I like breaking her?"

"I actually love seeing it," Zoey watched as Rumi pulled the sweats on and then the shirt on over head.

"I'll have to figure out her weaknesses," Rumi said. She paused in the doorway a moment, then added, "And yours."

Then she was gone, a tornado of a woman leaving Zoey's heart a wreck. Zoey ran both her hands through her hair, then bounced in place giddily for a full thirty seconds before pulling some clothing on too.

She emerged from the bedroom, making a bee-line for the kitchen where Mira was making egg rice. Zoey remembered Rumi saying if she had to pick between pancakes and gyeran bap she'd pick the latter every time.

There was also bacon because Zoey loved bacon the morning after good sex.

She leaned up on her tippy toes to kiss her then said, "Mira, we have to marry her. I am drowning in emotions, she's utterly devastating when she flirts and her smile makes my chest feel like I've got an open chest wound. In a good way."

Turning towards her, Mira pulled Zoey against her, "Open chest wound feeling? Yeah I get that."

"I don't wanna mess this up." Zoey leaned into her, "I'm wrecked."

"I love you," Mira's soft, affectionate laugh helped loosen some of the tension in Zoey's chest. Her hand rubbed circles into her back and Zoey relaxed even more.

She could do this. She could face the temptress of her heart and act like a normal person and not like a lovestruck dork. Zoey took solace in the fact that none of this felt awkward yet. Just … oddly natural.

Somehow, that made it a little scarier.

A soft shuffling of footsteps drew Zoey's attention to where Rumi was standing on the threshold between kitchen and hallway. Zoey shifted a bit, sliding around to Mira's side and then holding out her arm as Mira matched the movement.

Rumi slid into place with them like the missing piece to a puzzle. Zoey wrapped her arm around her and hugged her against them both, Mira's arms holding them close.

The only reason they had to break apart was so that Mira could finish cooking, but Rumi stayed in the kitchen with them like she'd always belonged there, exchanging Casual touches as Zoey 'helped' Mira cook. The kitchen echoed jokes and laughing as they traded stories about breakfast disasters.

"—we're covered in flour and my mom walks in and then immediately walks back out like she didn't even see it," Rumi said as Mira slid a plate in front of her. "Jinu thinks we're safe. I knew better."

Jinu. Zoey wasn't jealous, not really. Even if Rumi sounded pretty fond of this Jinu. Her ex-something or other. High school boyfriend and long over with.

Rumi wasn't in his kitchen after having been given the best night of her life.

Though the way Mira grabbed the mugs for tea made Zoey wonder if she wasn't a little jealous herself.

That was ridiculous.

Zoey reminded herself that they had exes too that they were on good terms with and it wasn't making Rumi a jealous maniac. At least as far as Zoey knew.

"Celine comes in next and just stands there. Arms folded." Rumi folded her arms and made a disappointed expression with her face, "Jinu says nothing and just… starts cleaning up and honestly so do I because when Celine gives you that look it's life or death."

"Okay but importantly how were the pancakes?" Zoey asked.

Rumi pursed her lips together, two fingers in front of her mouth, "Terrible. We should have done the egg rice."

"Then I chose well," Mira replied, taking a seat and clacking her chopsticks together aggressively.

"They smell amazing, Mira." Rumi glanced at her, smiling affectionately, "You two are being cute."

"I mean we're very cute," Zoey agreed, sliding some bacon over to Rumi because bacon with gyeran bap was a guilty pleasure of hers.

"No, I mean the jealousy." Rumi put the bacon into her bowl and gave it a try with a satisfied groan.

"No jealousy here," Zoey choked.

Mira frowned, "Not jealous."

Rumi leaned her chin on her hand, "You're a little jealous."

"You're allowed to have a past, Rumi." Mira leaned on the table and smiled at her, "It's not like I don't have people too."

"Maybe I kind of wish we'd known you back then," Zoey admitted, suddenly keenly aware of the fact they'd only officially met Rumi like, two days ago. "There are so many adventures we could have gone on!"

"I'm not upset." Rumi apparently nudged Mira's foot under the table, from the way Mira jumped, "I told you, it's cute."

Mira looked at her, and then her shoulders relaxed and she muttered, "Maybe a little jealous. But it's more like what Zoey is saying."

"We can have adventures," Rumi assured them. She took another bite, "Oh that's so good…"

Almost preening, Mira dug into her bowl too.

Zoey looked down at her bowl, sighed and asked, "Will your moms send a search party for you?"

Rumi laughed, "I told them not to wait up."

Mira's chopsticks screeched across the bottom of the bowl and she put them down, pressing her fist against her mouth and blinking several times.

Fair. Zoey was also trying to process that.

"I didn't mean… I didn't assume," Rumi waved her palms back and forth in front of her. "I'd hoped? I know I wasn't the only one, Mira."

"She's got you there," Zoey grinned.

"Now that we've established we were all hoping," Mira said. Her lips turned up, face red in that way that Zoey struggled desperately to not tease her about, "What are you hoping for today?"

"I don't know," Rumi answered, expression honest and earnest. "Anything, as long as it's with you."

"How about a walk?" Zoey suggested, "We could get coffee, go to a park. Just enjoy the day together?"

"Then lunch," Mira's hands slid across the table, her right on top of Zoey's, her left brushing Rumi's.

"Then you both owe me a show." Rumi turned her hand palm up, Mira's fingers lacing through hers. She glanced at Zoey. Zoey moved her hand over, quick and eager, and laced her fingers through Rumi's too.

She liked the feeling of being connected like this. It was cheesy, it was romantic, it was the best thing ever, "Mira, don't you have a baking disaster story to share?"

"Oh god. Back when I still lived with my blood family," Mira said, nose wrinkling with her distaste of her family. "I tried to make muffins… And don't judge, I was eight. But everything went horribly wrong."

Chapter Text

Coming home the evening after her date had felt a bit like she had done something wrong. Not that anything with Mira and Zoey had felt wrong, but Rumi still felt like she was sneaking in. It was both nervewracking and exciting.

Even if it was five in the afternoon and a whole Twenty-two hours after she'd left.

Rumi hesitated at the door, unable to keep the smile on her face from dimming. It had been an amazing night on so many levels. Waking up between them had been every bit as good as the why she'd woken up in their bed.

It wouldn't be the last time, she was certain of that and the thought made her skin buzz and her heart speed up. Rumi could wake up to stardust and a steady heart every day and it would never feel anything less than perfect and god she wanted that to be her reality.

Okay. She just needed to get in without her moms noticing her and thus avoid questions that felt too private and special to answer.

She made it inside maybe five steps before her auntie's voice from the kitchen stopped her, "So how was it?"

Rumi froze in place, and she turned to look at her, "…dinner was nice? I sang for them. Karaoke. We walked around the park today, got lunch, watched a movie when we got back. They were very sweet."

"And the part between dinner and breakfast?" So-Yi asked, grinning, eyes sparkling with knowing, "You came in humming. Your mom always did after a good night."

"I was not humming!" Heat rushed up her face, "There's nothing to talk about."

"That bad?" Celine's voice, her other mother stepping into her line of sight.

"What? No! It was amazing—" Making a despairing sound, Rumi covered her face and rushed into her bedroom.

She could hear them laughing all the way from the kitchen. As she shrugged off her coat, Rumi was smiling. A little embarrassment at her expense was well worth the sound of their laughter even if she wasn't going to show her face in that kitchen ever again.

Hanging her jacket up, Rumi could still smell a bit of their house on it. She leaned over, inhaling the scent of it.

God, it had been so hard to leave…

Stripping out of her date clothing, she pulled on a faded pair of jeans and a t-shirt with the text I don’t break character… I break hearts on stage.

Standing at her dresser, Rumi's jaw dropped open at the sight in her mirror; evidence of their goodbye was all over her face, jaw and neck.

Lip gloss and lipstick and bite marks.

So many bite marks.

In a fit of … something … Rumi took a selfie and sent it to them with the caption 'YOU LET ME WALK HOME LIKE THIS?!'

Under her clothing she knew she had more bites and hickeys, nail marks in her back, bruises from Zoey's fingers on her thighs and probably other evidence she wasn't aware it.

She rushed into the bathroom to wash off what she could, face burning even if there was no one to see. (So-Yi must have seen)

She almost didn't want to—she didn't mind, even if it was all moving so much faster than she'd thought it could. Was it too fast? Probably. Did she care? Maybe, maybe not. Should she? Why didn't she? Rumi had never done anything this reckless before but she was running and leaping head first off the cliff and into the water below and she was living.

There was a knock on the open door, Celine's voice interrupting her thoughts, "Hey. Are you okay?"

Rumi jumped, then turned around and let out a breath, "I am. It's just a lot."

"Seems like a whirlwind," Celine said, head tilting a little. She only offered that observation, letting Rumi have the space to let it settle.

"It is." The smile on Rumi's face was soft and filled with light, "It feels like I've known them for years and at the same time like I've met them just when I needed to."

'There's a word. I can't actually remember it," Celine said. "Or maybe it's a concept. Your mother told me about it, years before you were born. That there are some people we're supposed to meet in our lives. A destiny without any expectation beyond knowing them. Some people are just like that. Maybe it's that for you. It was for your mother and your aunt and myself."

A fond smile crossed Celine's face, "Chaos gremlins the both of them. They got worse after you were born in some ways. I've got stories I've been saving for when we get to meet your next partner. Or partners."

"I kind of like that concept," Rumi admitted, pointedly ignoring that last bit. "I'd say of getting to choose who they are to me, but…" She shook her head and laughed, "They're just so wonderful. Like the best friends I've never had. Like they're people I could fall in love with if I let myself."

"Do you want to let yourself?" Celine asked.

Rumi nodded, not really trusting her words just then.

"So-Yi and I'll be here." She held an arm out, and then hugged her, "For the highs and the lows and everything in between."

Rumi let herself be guided out of the bathroom, stomach flipping between joy and nerves, "How soon is too soon for them to meet you?"

Celine grinned, speaking in a way that settled warmly in her bones, "You are so much like your mother sometimes. Are they free next week?"

"I'll ask," Rumi replied, leaning into her.

"Did you find out if it was actually good?" So asked, the moment they stepped into the kitchen.

"I'm going to bed," Rumi tried to turn around but Celine just nudged her towards the kitchen table.

"We tease because we love." So pattered her hand after she sat down. "I ordered take-out, thought we should take it easy on our girl's special day."

Rumi leaned her elbows on the table and planted her face into her hands, "I take it back, they can meet you in ten years."

So sat up straighter, "Serious enough to meet already? That must have been some mind blo—"

"Auntie!"

Celine rubbed Rumi's shoulder before taking a seat, "She's even more smitten than we talked about last night."

"Oh my god." They were talking about her love life? Wait. She had a love life to talk about? Rumi couldn't help the dopey smile at that thought.

"She's thinking about them," Celine noted.

"Yup. You were safe, right?" So-Yi asked, like she was asking after the weather.

Rumi blinked and then she remembered and sank down into the chair. The condoms. That were still in her jacket pocket. That she'd bought in what felt like the most embarrassing moment of her life prior to just now, the new most embarrassing moment in her life.

Her expression must have given her away because Celine's response was immediate, "Rumi!"

The disappointment burned.

"They're on the pill!" Rumi protested. Despite not actually knowing. Despite forgetting to ask. And she wasn't going to text them right now with her mothers staring at her because that would give it away.

"They better be," Celine muttered.

"You're so much like your mother sometimes," So laughed, shaking her head.

"What's that supposed to mean?!"

Me

»Jinu

»I had sex.

»jinu

Hat Boy

»…congrats?

Me

»Sorry. I'm freaking out a little about it but also I'm not.

»I'm actually over the moon

Hat Boy

»how was it? was it good? wait was it those two girls? rumi was your first time a fucking threesome?

» what am I saying

» of course your first time was a threesome you're Rumi Ryu, only you could pull that off

Me

»What does that even mean, Jinu?

Hat Boy

»Do they make you happy?

Me

»Yes.

»I hope my moms like them too.

»They're meeting them soon.

Hat Boy

» Oh you have to marry them if Celine likes them

»But not legally you'll go to jail

» you know what I mean

Me

»I've known them a week!

Hat Boy

»there's a joke about uhauls for a reason Rumi

Me

»Ugh you're so annoying.

»I want you to meet them sometime too. Next time you're visiting your mom.

Hat Boy

»I'll let you know. I'd love to meet the people that had you pestering me at 3am

»you don't message me for a month then you're all jinu I met some girls jinu I have a date jinu what do I do

Me

»Not sorry.

» It's not my fault your 3am is my evening

Hat Boy

»Important question

Me

»What?

Hat Boy

»do they know about the choo-choo bear pjs?

Me

»Zoey wears turtles.

Hat Boy

»Turtles are respectable, choo-choo trains are not

They'd gone on another date, this one Rumi's treat, but mostly Rumi just spent every day she could with one or both of them. They made every moment seem as natural as breathing—and she wanted to take their breath into her lungs.

Celine had made Rumi get tested 'just in case', which had been incredibly embarrassing. She complained—and apologized profusely—to them about it.

And yet— unprompted—they got tested too, texting her simply — we want you to know your safety matters to us.

If that made Rumi feel a certain way, like her insides got all squishy and the sunlight outside got brighter, she kept it to herself.

She had other, more important things to worry about than embarrassing and admittedly responsible things.

Namely, Mira and Zoey coming to dinner. At her place. With her moms.

"So do you call them all mom or what?" Zoey had asked.

"Mom was mom or eomma sometimes. Celine is Celine. My aunt is auntie," Was Rumi's response. "Collectively, my moms."

If she was honest with herself, Rumi thought of Celine as "mom" too. But she didn't know if Celine would like that. If she would think she was replacing her mother with her, somehow. It was honestly a ridiculous thought, but it was still one that made Rumi's stomach ache.

So-Yi refused to let her lift a finger, working side by side with Celine in the kitchen. They'd chosen Korean dishes, because Mira and Zoey had and Celine was competitive.

"You're really going to compete with the meal I had on my first date?" Rumi asked, settling at the table with her phone.

"Of course." Celine grinned at her, "And we're making gimbap too."

Rumi smiled at her, "You're trying to bribe the judge. I'm going to have to deduct points for that."

"Uphill battle," So-Yi replied.

Celine leaned in, brushing her lips against So's cheek, "Just the way I like it."

Rumi couldn't even be upset, smiling as she looked down at her phone.

"I never asked, did they like the wine?"

Her head snapped up and she frowned, "It was really good, but apparently super expensive. Mira knows her wines."

"Huh," Celine turned back to the stove.

"There's still a few bottles left if you want to get one," So-Yi suggested.

Rumi felt her shoulders tighten, eyes darting between both of them. Her voice was firm, unwavering, "I checked a few days ago. There were two. I gave one to Mira and the other to Bobby. I didn't want a drop in this house."

Neither of her moms moved from the stove, then So turned towards her and nodded, eyes glistening, "That's probably for the best."

"Thank you," Celine said, simply.

The tension in her shoulders eased, and she took a deep breath before returning her attention to her phone. No alcohol meant no temptation. No temptation meant it would be harder for a bad day to set them back.

Rumi knew there would be bad days, even if everything felt great now. For them, for her. That was simply the nature of the void left by her mom.

Zoey messaged her a picture of the state of her bedroom, which looked like a tornado had struck. Rumi grinned, her mood swinging back up. She was excited to see what they wore.

"Mira was able to identify that wine?" Celine asked after another moment, as though she'd been pondering that for several minutes. She turned around to look at Rumi.

"Yes?" Rumi looked back up, "Is there something wrong with that?"

"Oh, no. It's just interesting. It's not a common vintage."

"She was a cook before she did dancing," Rumi pointed out. And her family had been rich before she'd gone no-contact, but Rumi wasn't going to talk about something Mira had shared with her without knowing if that was okay.

"That could probably do it." Celine turned back to cook.

"It's what, a ten minute walk?" So asked. "They could leave now if they'd like."

Was it really so weird one of her girlfriends identified that wine? (Was she allowed to call them that?)

Celine did like a good puzzle and honestly Rumi didn't have all the details on Mira's life before she'd left her family. She wasn't sure Mira was inclined to talk about it and Rumi wasn't going to press obviously painful subjects. Mira would share when she was ready, if she even wanted to.

Rumi messaged their group chat to tell them they could head over now, then set her phone down.

The nerves were spiking, so she got up, leaving the kitchen to check her make-up and her hair and her outfit and…

"Breathe," She told herself.

Please let this go well.

Her first serious relationship since she was sixteen, in a house that was just beginning to come out from under a black veil. She looked at a picture of her mom on her corkboard, "You'd tell me to enjoy myself and to relax. And then you'd tease all three of us every chance you got."

Walking into the living room, Rumi settled on the couch to wait for them. This was a different sort of nerves and the same too. She wanted this to go well, wanted her mom to like them, wanted them to like her moms. But it was the same because she didn't want to mess it up and knew she still could.

Somehow.

Even if Mira and Zoey kept looking at her like they were smitten, which fair enough she was pretty smitten herself as even Celine had noticed.

A knock at the door and Rumi practically vaulted over the back of the couch and ran to the door. Pointedly ignoring the double laughter from the kitchen, she opened it. And there they were.

Mira in a casual pair of black slacks and a nice white button-up blouse and vest combo, top two buttons dashingly left open. Rumi tried not to stare at her collarbone. She was wearing all gold accessories including a gold scissor pendant and Rumi would kill her if she didn't look so damn good.

Next to her in a new looking sweater and jeans was Zoey, already beaming her sunburst smile.

"Hey. Come in, dinner is almost ready." Rumi said, after a slightly too long amount of time to be staring at them.

She wanted to kiss them. She just didn't want to deal with either Celine or So-Yi teasing her over it.

The girls took advantage, each placing a kiss on her cheek before following her inside.

"That necklace, really?" Rumi whispered.

Mira grinned at her, "Zoey picked it out."

"Zoey! You two are gremlins I swear to god."

"Somehow I don't think you hate it," Zoey squeezed her arm.

"Unfortunately, I kind of love it." Rumi hung up their coats then led them into the kitchen, "On your left is Celine, and that's Aunt So-Yi." She turned and smiled at her girls, "And this is Mira, and Zoey."

"It's so nice to meet you!" Zoey bounced in place.

"Rumi talks about you two constantly, it's nice to put faces to the names," So-Yi said, grinning. "Rumi why don't you show them your room and we'll let you know when it's ready."

"Don't close the door," Celine said, even-voiced and yet with just an edge of teasing to it.

"I'm not a teenager," Rumi grumbled, grabbing their hands and pulling them away.

Giggling, Zoey whispered, "What you never snuck anyone into your room?"

"No."

Zoey seemed like she was going to say something else when she came to an abrupt halt and stared at something in the living room. It took Rumi a moment to realize what she was looking at and she smiled, "What is it, Zoey?"

Mira followed her gaze and furrowed her brow, "An awards case?"

Rumi watched the real time realization hit Zoey and then Mira, and her smile turned into a big grin.

"Mi-yeong, Celine and So-Yi," Zoey whispered, eyes as wide as the platinum record hanging on the wall.

Almost as one unit, the girls turned towards her. Mira shook her head, "When you said you sang that song with your mom—"

"—you've been holding out on us," Zoey gasped.

"I called them old—" Mira hissed.

"—I didn't even think—"

Laughing, Rumi pulled them closer to the case, "Sure, I could have said something before but then I wouldn't get that look on your faces when it all clicked."

"Mira, our new girlfriend just trolled us," Zoey complained.

Rumi couldn't help the smile off her face. Zoey had just called her their girlfriend. She was girlfriend. She had girlfriends. Plural!

"We'll get her back," Mira promised, a hand sliding lazily up Rumi's back. "I knew she was a princess."

Grinning like she was actually a teenager in love, Rumi guided them to her bedroom and pulled them inside, "I've never actually had anyone in here before. Not even Jinu."

She kept their hands in hers for a little longer than necessary, feeling the warmth of their skin and the rings they were wearing. They both had several, and they'd worn their wedding bands. Rumi felt a complicated series of emotions at that realization, but mostly she was happy. Them hiding their love for each other was not what Rumi would ever want.

Mira looked around the space with a soft smile. Rumi kept her room very clean and neat, but still lived in. Desk and computer, some of her plants. A corkboard with pictures she'd printed out. Her and her moms, one of Jinu, a shot of her with Bobby, her old director at the theater and family friend. And—

"Oh it's us!" Zoey beelined for the corkboard, "Mira look she put us up!"

The four newest pictures. One of each of them, one of both of them, and the last all three of them from the aquarium Rumi had taken them to.

"Of course. It's… you're important," Rumi said, grimacing at how that didn't at all begin to describe the way they made her feel. she reminded herself it's only been a week, that rushing into things could go very badly.

Mira was staring at the pictures, then she turned to Rumi, hand sliding around to the back of her head before she pulled her in and kissed her. It wasn't the fiery need or quiet confidence she usually associated with Mira's kisses. It was slow, honest and tender. Almost reverent.

Rumi barely had the chance to take a breath before Zoey's hands were on her face, pulling her down, lips smiling against hers.

"You're important to us too," Zoey said, eyes glittering. "And like I know it's … "

"Fast." Mira offered, face pink.

"Yeah that. But like, you make me feel comfortable in my own skin." Zoey stroked her face, "So it means a lot to me that we're like, worthy of being up there. "

"You're making me emotional before we have to eat with my moms," Rumi whispered, wiping at her eyes.

Mira slipped her arms around both of them, "You started it."

"Can we see your plant babies?" Zoey asked, "I know this can't be all of them!"

"After dinner," Rumi promised. "The garden and greenhouse are out back."

"Fancy." Mira grinned at her.

Zoey stuck her tongue out, "Fine now can we swing back to the fact Rumi's moms are like kpop legends?"

"No," Rumi replied cheerfully.

"I can't believe you kept that from us," Zoey complained. "You already had an unfair advantage at karaoke with your voice then you pull like, a cosmically aligned song."

"I called them an old band." Mira pressed her face into Rumi's hair, "And you sat there and you told me to make that joke in front of them?"

"I know." Rumi laughed, "But I thought it would be more fun to see how long it took you to make the connection."

"I admit your mom's name was familiar, but then I saw them and heard their names and I was starting to go," Zoey tilted her head. "Like that was familiar, then I saw the case and honestly the mental facepalm—"

"—Was so loud I heard it," Mira commented. "Rumi I don't know how we're going to be normal about this, it's hard enough to be normal about you as it is."

Mira blinked, then clamped her mouth shut. Rumi pulled her head back and peered at her. Expectantly, she asked, "To be normal about me?"

"Girls, dinner!"

"Oh thank god," Mira detached herself at the sound of So-Yi's voice and all but fled the bedroom.

Zoey laughed loudly, leaning into Rumi, "She means that you're amazing and you fluster her, which is like, really hard to do to be honest. Or maybe easy but she doesn't usually show it so easy."

"So that's good," Rumi decided, arm around Zoey as they walked out of the bedroom. Mira had paused at the end of the hall, ear tips red, but she walked with them into the kitchen.

Rumi took a look at the table setting and swallowed. Two chairs on one side and three on the other.

"Mira, why don't you take the middle," So-Yi said, smile betraying nothing and yet her suggestion heading off Rumi's instinct to take that spot.

"Of course I'm in the hotseat," Mira mumbled.

"Relax," Zoey whispered.

Rumi shot a look at her moms. Celine's face was impassive but she had that glint in her eye. The one like the times prank wars got out of hand and no one could ever be completely sure she'd even been involved.

If either of her girlfriends — plural, she remembered with awe—noted the lack of alcohol, they didn't say anything. Rumi settled in on Mira's left and inhaled the delicious smell of dinner. It looked good, but then they were amazing cooks. The gimbap looked as amazing as it always did, and someone— So-Yi she thought—had made tteokbokki.

She hadn't had tteokbokki in over a year, since before her mom had gotten too sick to cook anything. Her auntie's was probably the closest thing to her mother's cooking she'd ever have again. Almost too close, really. They'd both learned from their eomma. It made sense.

Had So-Yi even thought about it? Maybe she'd wanted to cry making it, Rumi would have. She thought she felt Celine look at her but couldn't bring herself to look anywhere but the food.

It was just an unexpected reminder and her breathing got a little shakey. It wasn't even an unpleasant one it was just a reminder and god she didn't need these emotions right now in front of her other moms and the two girls who—

Mira's hand moved over her knee, squeezing lightly, thumb running a little circle around it in a manner that was remarkably grounding.

The spiraling slowed, then stopped, and Rumi took her feelings and set them aside to sort through later. In a way, they were almost a relief. That a reminder could still hurt.

She realized that Zoey had kept up a conversation while she'd been grief-spiraling and silently thanked her for it.

"—so I was losing my mind over this pretty girl who kept stealing from our flower garden," Zoey was saying. "And we finally were like. We have to talk to her and make sure that the flower theft was you know worth it. Bringing flowers to someone that was worthy of her."

Strangely, that memory didn't hurt. She even smiled at it, "I spent the whole walk vacillating between being utterly charmed by them and not knowing how I was going to explain just where we were going. They were for mom. It was nice, actually. Standing there with them. Felt like she was there, watching us, listening to us talk."

"Is… that where you go on your walks?" Celine asked, attention on her now. Voice soft, expression almost vulnerable.

"Sometimes," Rumi replied. A lot of the time, "My feet usually take me there. I don't always stop, but … It's a connection even then. To remind myself she was here. To remind myself she's gone."

Celine slid her hand over So's and nodded as she squeezed it. She looked like she was going to say more, then changed her mind though not without an appraising look at Rumi that made Rumi think that conversation wasn't entirely over.

But she doubted Celine was any more willing to dig into her feelings about Miyeong than Rumi was right now, with guests over. Even if Rumi was able to admit to herself that she thought she could find comfort with them on a bad day, if they were willing to let her.

"How's the food?" Celine asked, effortlessly switching the conversation onto less fraught tracks.

At the same time and for the same reason, Mira asked, "Did this one tell you what song she sang at Karaoke?"

"It was randomly selected!" Rumi protested, trying not to think about how similar Celine and Mira could be.

"It was a Sunlight Sisters song!" Zoey exclaimed. "Also this food is amazing, just saying."

So-Yi started to laugh, "The universe was cheating!"

"Which one?" Celine looked curious but there was a smile on her face.

Rumi sighed, "At First Glance."

Celine's eyebrows disappeared into her hairline and then she leaned back in her chair and laughed. Soft and vibrant, the genuine sort that bubbled up from inside her. A laugh Rumi hadn't heard in nearly two years.

Her laughter quieted and she looked between them, "The universe was definitely cheating."

"Would you believe that song was playing at the diner where I first met Mira?" Zoey asked, "And then Rumi is singing it like…perfectly and it was like … like watching sound become color."

"Rainbows," Mira said, grinning.

Rumi looked down the table at them. Adoring their smiles and not feeling worthy of the awe in their voices.

"Ine, I don't think even you could write a song as romantic as all that." So-Yi gazed at her.

Rumi hadn't heard her 'i-nay' Celine in over a year as well. That strange sort of relief-grief returned for a moment, but she allowed herself to be happy about this.

"You wrote At First Glance?" Mira asked.

"Oh all three of us did," Celine replied. "We were trying to capture the way we felt the first time we met each other."

"Will we be friends? Do I want to rip her face off or kiss it all over?" So-Yi elbowed Celine, "We didn't always get along at first. Miyeong kept us in line, smoothed the road a bit until she didn't need to anymore."

"It's a beautiful song," Mira said, looking between them then turning her head to smile at Rumi. "Less face ripping here and a lot more kissing all over."

Rumi flushed, "I'm sure if you met me when I was a lot more insufferable there might be some risk of face ripping."

"Same," Mira agreed.

"You can still be a little insufferable," Celine offered helpfully.

"Hey!" Rumi had set herself up for that one but now she needed rescuing.

"Love your necklace," So-Yi said, spinning her chopsticks in her fingers and smiling at Mira.

No, not like that.

"What can I say, I like to make a statement."

Rumi set her chopsticks down and covered her face.

"Please tell me you have embarrassing stories about Rumi," Zoey said. "I am losing my mind wondering what kind of terror she was as a baby or if she was like, this perfect angel."

"Angel," So-Yi said as Celine groaned, "Terror!"

"She personally had it out for me." Celine said, the corner of her mouth twitching up, "Would not behave, climbing the furniture, if I turned around to do something I'd find her trying to get into the fire place. Meanwhile she behaved like a little angel for the other two."

"Remember when she pretended to be a forest elf and lived in the greenhouse for spring break?" So-Yi asked.

"Or trying to fly and breaking her arm. Twice."

Zoey and Mira were staring at her with huge grins. Zoey's hands were closed tightly as her entire body vibrated, "You were a menace!"

"I did not think I could like you any more," Mira said. "I was wrong."

Rumi turned and stared at her moms, "If you start talking about high school I'm putting on the 2004 drunk demo tape."

"You wouldn't dare," So-Yi said, eyes wide.

"I would."

"You play that tape," Celine said, dangerously. "And I'll put on the video."

Rumi went still, paling slightly as she stared at Celine. The standoff lasted only a few seconds before she replied, "Okay. It's a stalemate then."

"You all realize," Mira said, gesturing between the three of them.

"That we're going to hear and see these things come hell or high water," Zoey finished for her.

"No, you're not," Rumi replied, her mothers echoing her. She grinned and then started to laugh.

It felt so good to laugh like this.

The rest of the dinner went smoothly, Mira talking almost as much as Zoey was, her moms peppering them with questions. Not in an interrogation way but in a getting to know you kind of way. Though with Celine there wasn't too much of a difference. Rumi appreciated the way both of them gave her girlfriends—she had girlfriends!— space to talk and did nothing that might make Zoey feel like she was being too loud or excitable.

Rumi suspected that Zoey had struggled with that in the past.

Once the dishes were stacked up, her mothers disappeared from the kitchen. Rumi felt a little nervous, "They're up to something."

"I'm sure it'll be fine," Zoey said, grinning. "I like them. They're fun."

Mira nodded.

"I think they like you," Rumi whispered. She'd never been so happy to say words before.

Celine and So-Yi appeared in the kitchen again, Celine clapping her hands together, "Okay ladies."

Rumi squinted, not liking the gleam in Celine's eye. That was usually the gleam that reminded Rumi that as much as she'd called her other mothers chaos gremlins, Celine was also one.

"We're going to play a game," So-Yi said.

A game? Rumi's eyes widened as she understood the immediate implications, "Oh no."

"Game night!" Zoey bounced in her chair, staring at the box So-Yi was carrying.

"We don't need to—" Rumi started to say.

"It's tradition." Celine smiled at her.

"We did that with Jinu and we broke up!"

"Only because he lost." So-Yi dropped a weathered, well-worn box on the table with a thud.

Solemnly, Celine said, "He was not worthy." She appraised Zoey and Mira, "With them, we shall see."

"Challenge accepted," Zoey stated. She cracked her knuckles and rolled her shoulders, "Bring it on, I'm the Queen of game night. I'm undefeated at everything but cards!"

"I'm pretty sure you were babies when this game came out," Rumi huffed. But Zoey's confidence was endearing and her expression softened.

Mira's eyes narrowed as she looked at the box on the table, a competitive glint in them that Rumi found incredibly hot.

"This is Dragonmaster." So-Yi pulled the box lid off, "It's a trick-taking card game. Each player is given a supply of plastic gems, different colors representing a different point value. Each of us will get to be the dealer once, with different goals for each hand."

"I am not the Queen of card games," Zoey whispered.

"I am," Mira cracked her knuckles.

Rumi sighed, "Dealer decides which goals best suit their cards for that hand. The other players lose gems depending on the tricks or cards and their gems go to the dealer. Like there's one where you don't want to get any queens or any wizards, or the warrior prince. Another is first and last trick. If you take a card, you pay the dragonmaster the value of it in gems. The one with the biggest pile of gems at the end wins."

"Rumi deals first," Mira and Celine said.

"If you or Zoey don't win," Rumi said primly, shuffling the cards with their gorgeous art. "No sex for a month."

So-Yo threw her head back and cackled.

Zoey started coughing on her drink, beating her chest until her lungs let her breathe again, "Oh my god Mira we can not afford to lose this!"

"I have no intention to." Mira met Rumi's eyes with an expression that dared her to survive that month.

Rumi wasn't sure she could, not after the last week, so she hoped they won.

This was actually kind of life or death—the family in joke was that winning or losing this game was predictive of whether or not you'd make it as part of the family.

Jinu had gotten his ass handed to him with a loss so legendary that they still ribbed him whenever they saw him. They'd barely lasted a year as a couple.

Still…she wasn't going to make it easy on them. If they wanted to keep her they had to earn it, "Lets rip the bandaid off."

So-Yi raised her eyebrows, "Brutal."

"Ruthless," Celine agreed, pride in her eyes.

Rumi set down a hand card, "You can't take first or last trick, warrior prince, and any dragon lords or wizards. Wizards are worth a lot of gems, ladies. So is that prince."

"Of course there's an all of the above." Zoey's eyes widened and she looked down at her hand. She squared her shoulders and schooled her face into an impressive mimicry of Mira's, "Time to lock in."

Hiding her smile behind her cards, Rumi played the first, a low ranked blue, "Either you play the same color of a lower rank to avoid taking the hand.. Highest card of this color takes the hand. Or if you don't have this color you can play whatever. Great way to get rid of a high point card. Like the prince or another wizard."

"It's like a bunch of different card games at once." Zoey looked down at her hand, squinting, then played another blue.

It went through the table, to Mira then Rumi's mothers. Everyone had a blue, Celine took the first trick. Since there were no dragon lords or wizards, she simply used a king to get rid of it and take the minor loss. Then she put down another blue card.

Rumi grinned, and played the prince, who was red, "I have no blues."

Mira narrowed her eyes at her as Zoey whined, picking through the cards and then placing one down. It was high enough that she'd take this hand if everyone else had one lower ranked.

So-Yi cursed vividly as she put down the blue queen and Celine gave her the blue wizard with a smile, like she was rubbing it in. Her aunt exclaimed, "You're rigging this for them!"

Laughing, Rumi pointed at her, "This was your idea, don't blame me because you're losing already!"

By the end of the round, Rumi's pile of gems had grown significantly, mostly from her aunt, but she'd taken some from of all four piles.

Zoey dealt with first and last trick, and Mira chose the warrior prince because he looked badassed. Rumi quickly got into it, enjoying her girlfriends—she still couldn't believe she could call them that—as they enjoyed the game.

By the time the game reached Celine as a dealer, Rumi wasn't sure who was going to actually win. Mira had picked up the game very quickly and Zoey, for all her cheerful grumbling, wasn't doing too badly either.

But Celine was an expert at this game. (Rumi avoided hearts and gin rummy with her if she could help it).

The only hand card left was wizards.Despite her early strength, Rumi's gems had dwindled through the rest of the game, including a painful loss to Mira with the prince.

One of Rumi's favorite parts of this game was how, sometimes, one could swing a game one way or another if they were losing. During her aunt's turn as dealer, she'd managed to get several dragon lord hands to Celine to reduce her hoard.

She wanted to see Celine go down. And from the way Celine was eyeing her, she knew what she was doing too.

Rumi just gave her a big smile. When dealing, Celine couldn't lose any more gems, but if she took every wizard she wouldn't gain any, either.

First hand, no wizards. Second hand, Zoey cackled as she put down an off-colored wizard and Celine was forced to take it.

"I feel like the entire table has turned against me," Celine remarked, sipping some tea as she pulled in a second wizard. "But will it be enough to keep me from winning?"

"Yes." Mira smirked at her, and through a combination of luck and strategy, forced Celine to take the last two wizards and end the game.

Zoey clapped her hands, "Okay seriously that was a lot of fun! The art is so old school too! I think society lost something when this kind of fantasy art went out of style."

"I've been saying that," So-Yi laughed as she counted her gems. She shook her head, "Well that was a pathetic showing on my part."

"I haven't scored this low in like three years." Rumi stared mournfully at an emerald piece in her hand.

Mira spun one of the diamond pieces on the table in front of her, grinning like she was in fact some kind of dragon and looking at Rumi like Rumi was her treasure.

Rumi took her and Zoey's scores, then turned to Celine, "What's the damage?"

Celine leaned back in her chair, rubbing the bridge of her nose with a forefinger, "I'm one emerald behind Mira and a sapphire behind Zoey."

Grinning, Rumi glanced at Mira, "Congrats, you just beat the long time reigning champion!"

"Of course we did." Mira's eyes slid over to Rumi, "The stakes were too high not to win."

Rumi's heart did several flips.

After Dragonmaster, Celine suggested Cards Against Humanity and went to look for it. In the meantime, Rumi took the opportunity to show them the garden and greenhouse.

"You're going to be Forest Elf in the group chat now," Zoey told her. "I don't make the rules."

"I see what you mean, lots of green, but not as many flowers," Mira said.

"We had more, but that was always my mom's thing."

Zoey slid up next to her, arm wrapping around her waist, "You know. You could make it a you thing too if you wanted. Like honoring her somehow."

"I … we brought seeds." Mira shuffled in place, looking around the green house, "In case you wanted an excuse to plant some."

"I'd love to." Rumi took Mira's hand, her other arm sliding around Zoey. She chewed on her lip and then asked, "Would you like to help me, right now? I know they've got a few more plans tonight but we have a few minutes. We could plant one each."

Zoey fanned her fingers in front of her face, "You're going to make me cry."

"We'd love to," Mira confirmed, her voice low and almost trembling.

Selecting some pots, Rumi handed one to each of them before picking up a third for herself. She watched them as they prepared the pots with soil and then planted a seed. Maybe some day, she'd plant a flowers in their garden. It seemed like something impossibly far away—to share their garden meant sharing their house. Which meant moving out. Too soon to consider and yet she could see herself with them when she was fifty. They'd still be so beautiful, she just knew it.

But for now, this felt like its own kind of promise. To plant something they could nurture and grow together, alongside this tender and fragile new relationship.

Me

» My moms love them

» Mira won Dragonmaster

» Zoey came in second

Hat Boy

» I'll be your flower girl

Chapter Text

Mira pulled up to Rumi's house and parked along the curb, putting her Rav4 into park and pulling out her phone. She let out a breath, meaning to tell Rumi she was here. She was…her stomach felt tight from her nerves probably and she was a little tired, also probably from nerves.

And not getting much sleep these recent weeks but no one could blame her for that. Blame Rumi. And Zoey. Not her.

Mira looked down at her stomach. This was not the time to feel gassy, thank you.

This was her first solo date with Rumi. It was okay to feel nervous, right? But she didn't feel like she was cheating. She and Zoey had talked several times over the past two weeks since meeting Rumi's parents about the sheer level of … emotion Rumi made them feel and it had always left her feeling reassured, both about Zoey's feelings about her and her feelings about Zoey.

Rumi just fit with them, at least as a three-person unit. But Mira felt like if they couldn't click with her on their own it would make the whole thing a lot harder to maintain.

"Okay yep now I'm really fucking nervous."

Looking down at her phone she saw that Zoey had texted her an explosion of emojis, telling her to have fun and to 'think before you do it.' Mira laughed. Whatever that even meant. The problem was when she was in the vicinity of Rumi, thinking before doing anything became impossible. The smile on her face was just as impossible to stop as she texted her wife and they got into a little back and forth about what exactly 'it' even was and then Zoey teasing her about preparing for war.

It was only a little war. She'd forgone the boots in favor of heels that she'd probably regret later, gone with the eyeliner, and replaced fishnets with sheer stockings beneath a short skirt.

She double checked her make-up in the mirror and adjusted the buttons on her shirt to give Rumi more of a tease.

Three years married and she couldn't get enough of Zoey and she felt a lot better after talking to her as she swiped to Rumi's contact and texted her that she was here.

Almost as soon as she got a cute little star emoji from Rumi, the front door burst open and out she came.

Rumi wore a short blue dress that hugged her hips. The shoulders were bare—of course they were by now Mira understood that Rumi liked to torment them that way—exposing her beautiful tattoo but what Mira noticed immediately was the way Rumi's face lit up at the sight of the car.

Mira got out to get the door for Rumi and the second thing Mira noticed was the low neckline and she had to tear her gaze up when Rumi ran her hand up her arm. Just as she did so she caught Rumi doing the exact same thing.

"Hey," Rumi smiled, hand reaching Mira's shoulder and then her cheek.

"Hey." Mira smiled back, head empty as she leaned into Rumi's hand. Rumi leaned up, brushing her lips against the corner of Mira's mouth, before pulling back and getting into the car.

Closing the door for her, Mira walked around the front of the car like she was on cloud nine. As if she hadn't kissed this woman extensively and spent hours mapping her body. When she got in, Rumi was staring at her with a quiet smile on her face. Mira's cheeks darkened as she put the car into drive, "Do I have something on my face?"

"You're such a sweetheart," Rumi said. "And you look beautiful."

It felt natural when Mira slid her hand and rested it on Rumi's leg, and Rumi placed her hand over Mira's. Mira's heart flipped several degrees to sideways, "Shoes comfy?"

"Yes," She confirmed. "More than yours."

"Do as I say not as I do," Mira nodded, a dopey smile on her face as she studied Rumi up close. The strong eyeshadow game, the faint sparkling glitter on her cheeks. The way her eyes softened as she watched Mira back.

"I don't mind just sitting here, but I'm sure you have actual plans?"

"Unfortunately, my plans don't include making out in the car like we're teenagers," Mira replied, turning away before she actually initiated that. "No matter how badly I want to kiss you."

Rumi's laugh lit up her eyes and her fingers threaded through Mira's, "We'll see about that."

"Rumi, you are a dangerous woman." Mira lifted her hand, kissing Rumi's knuckles before lowering it again.

"I know."

"Humble too," Mira laughed.

Rumi squeezed their fingers together, eyes focused on Mira's face, "I'm out with one of the two most amazing women in the world. That's something worth singing from the rooftops about."

Mira suddenly understood what Zoey had described as a 'critical hit to the heart' the other day. She kept her voice casual, "What kind of song would you sing, Rumi?"

"Something ballady. The kind of sappy love song they used to play at the end of movies like it was written into the contracts," Rumi replied. Her eyes gleamed and she leaned towards Mira, voice low and almost smokey as she sang, "I used to keep time on my body, now it don't even matter. There's just before and after, I felt you melt into my skin."

Her voice drifted over Mira, settling into her bones like it had been born from them, "And when it don't add up, it's on account of your loving, now that I'm a third of something, I'm the most whole I've ever been."

Mira stared straight ahead, her cheeks growing redder and redder by the second; Rumi's voice reached into her chest, cradling her heart with gentle tenderness before kissing it lovingly. She forced her eyes to stay dry and by some miracle she managed it.

She lifted Rumi's hand and kissed her wrist, "I asked for that."

Breath hitching, eyes focused on their hands, Rumi smiled, "You did."

"Try not to kill me while I'm driving."

"If I was trying to kill you I'd sing something a lot dirtier."

She wasn't surviving this date. Mira made a note to text Zoey to handle all her affairs for her.

Rumi watched her as they drove, hand still in hers, "I heard that song on accident. Maybe not entirely on accident. I was in a mood and looking for romantic songs." Her face colored, "I listened to that one and it just… it's beautiful. And I want to sing the whole thing to both of you. I did make a small change to better suit us."

"Don't tell us the name or who it's by until after," Mira said, glancing at her. The intensity of her emotions was actually scaring her, "I want to hear it from you first. All of it."

Hitting a red light, Mira leaned over and kissed Rumi's cheek, then whispered in her ear, "The before and the after, I really get that."

When she pulled back, Rumi's face was pink and she had a dopey, lovestruck smile on her face. Feeling somewhat like she'd leveled the playing field, Mira settled back in her seat as the light turned green.

"So where are we going?" Rumi asked, "I've got the impression it'll be a little active."

"A light dinner, some dancing, and then a treat after," Mira said, glancing at her. "If all that's okay with you."

"Wow, not even a surprise?"

"I don't know how you feel about dancing yet," Mira admitted.

"Dancing sounds wonderful," Rumi assured her. "I haven't been to a club in… god I think two years? Maybe three."

One less butterfly doing aerobatics in her stomach, at least. Mira pulled into a parking lot and parked in front of a cafe. She knew this place well, they had a nice variety of options for a lighter dinner and also some good and decadent appetizers. It was also just nice enough of a place that she didn't think they'd feel over dressed for it, "Listen, I know you have pop royalty money, princess, but this is my treat so don't even try."

Rumi held up her hands in surrender, "I got dinner the other day, that's only fair." Her face was dusted pink, and Mira retrieved one of Rumi's hands and kissed her palm.

"Save dessert for later," Rumi added. She winked and slipped out of the car, leaving Mira momentarily flustered.

Finally gaining control over herself, Mira skirted around the back of the car, reaching Rumi and offering her arm. Rumi took it and leaned into her and Mira's heart went through an entire aerial silk act by the time they were seated. She ordered them some water to start.

She had it bad. Like, she'd known it, but she kept rediscovering it every time Rumi did something. Literally anything at this point.

Zoey would tease her except she knew Zoey was going through the same heart palpitations.

And from the way Rumi's breath quickened as they'd walked, Mira knew that feeling as mutual. Threetual? That was a word now, she decided, knowing Zoey would be so proud of her for it.

"Classic cafe," Rumi noted, looking over the menu.

"If you want heat their hot wings are actually decently spicy," Mira said.

"You're spicy enough today," Rumi replied with a smile, without looking up from her menu.

"Rumi?"

Rumi looked up at the voice, and it was a familiar one to Mira. A voice a little on the lower side, a voice that drew her eyes up long legs in tight jeans, a loose fitting blouse with a plunging neckline, brown skin and grey eyes and—

"Rin!" Rumi grinned up at her, "I can't believe it."

"I could say the same thing." She rested a hand on her hip, evidently not noticing Mira yet. Mira's mouth was hanging open and she closed it as she tried to process exactly what was happening.

"You look good," Rin added. "I love the addition to your tattoo!"

Mira wondered how new the tiger-striped woman on Rumi's arm as. But there was something in Rin's voice, like concern and relief rolled into one, that left Mira feeling a strange sort of jealousy. Not that she was jealous. She likely just knew that Rumi's mom had been sick.

"You know each other?" Mira hoped she didn't look as incredulous as she sounded. Or as jealous.

Not that she was jealous. Or anything.

Rin turned her head and looked at her. Recognition was instant, her eyebrows raising and her smile widening, "Mira!"

"Wait," Rumi said, looking between them. "You know each other too?"

Mira rubbed the bridge of her nose and shook her head ruefully, "Remember the ex I told you about?"

"Oh you know each other," Rumi said. She leaned her chin on a hand and looked between them again, much more appraisingly, "Rin works at the theater, she joined a few months before I had to take a break for my mom."

"What a small world." Rin nodded, "Bobby misses you, are you going to try out again sometime?"

"I plan on it. And I promised my mom I would before…you know." Rumi glanced at Mira, "I've got a couple of cheerleaders to help."

Rin looked delighted on both counts and Mira knew she was in trouble, "Oh that's perfect!" Her eyes met Mira's, "Take care of this one, she's a sweetheart."

Mira started to relax, "So we're learning."

"And you, if you want some fun secrets and dirty tricks you can pull with them, text me."

Rumi's mouth opened and closed and her face heated up.

"I'll leave you to your date, I just saw Rumi and wanted to say hi. Give Zoey a hug for me!" Rin smiled at them both, another delighted look on her face and the jealousy that wasn't jealousy faded from Mira's chest.

It was replaced by a nervous sort of anxiety because Rin was a romantic and when Rin took an interest in a friend's love-life things got … interesting.

She waved, and walked off to another table, sitting across from a blonde woman with striking golden eyes.

Mira returned her attention to her date, "I can't believe she knows you."

"I can't believe she's your ex," Rumi said. "How did that not work out? Not that I'm complaining, mind you, that benefited me."

"We weren't in love, simple as that," Mira said, looking down at her water. "I think that what me and Zoey wanted and what she wanted were similar but not with each other. If that makes any sense."

Rumi put a hand over Mira's, "All three of you wanted someone you could fall in love with, but it wasn't each other. Except you and Zoey of course."

"Yeah. I mean the sex was great, but yeah."

"Better than me?" Rumi stared at her, a teasing smile on her face.

"She's a ten you're an eleven," Mira smoothly answered, and was rewarded with Rumi's laughter.

"You know I noticed something," Rumi said after a moment. "She didn't flirt. She was relentless at the theater. Never in a way that made me feel uncomfortable and she knew when to stop, but she didn't at all."

Mira nodded, "Noticed that too. Blondie must be serious then. I'll have to let Zoey know, she'll be stoked."

"So I guess we all have exes we're on good terms with." Rumi smiled, running her fingers over Mira's hand, "I thought I'd be jealous, if I ever met this mysterious ex of yours who planted flowers in your garden. But I'm not."

Their fingers laced together and Mira looked between them and Rumi's eyes, "No?"

"No." Rumi lifted Mira's hand and kissed her fingers one by one before setting them down.

Something in Mira's chest got so big that it overflowed. An overwhelming warmth that she had to clamp her teeth down to prevent from spilling out into words.

She was saved by the waiter arriving to take their order, and once that was settled she excused herself to use the restroom. Which wasn't a lie, she really had to pee, but she also needed a few minutes to compose herself and let Zoey know how it was going.

Me

» Date's going well

» Rumi is killing me though

» Also we ran into Rin

❤️Wifey❤️

» She's Rumi you have a weakness for her

» waaaaaaaaaaaat?

» really?

» omg that's hilarious

» how is she?

Me

» Doing good

» She's here on a date too ironically.

» Pretty lady

» Rumi knows her.

» From the theater apparently.

❤️Wifey❤️

» askejtrfledsjtgklds;gjdfghdfs

» omfg

Me

» Same

» I'll txt you when we get to the club

❤️Wifey❤️

» have fun!

» gonna be streaming all night

» special pillow fort edition

» kiss rumi for meeeee

Me

» I love you

» I will plenty

Laughing to herself, Mira washed her hands and returned to her table with Rumi, leaning over and stealing a quick peck on the lips, "That's for Zoey."

Rumi grinned, tugged her back down and kissed her lightly, "That's also for Zoey."

Before they got stuck in a loop of kisses they needed to give Zoey, Mira took her seat. They'd both chosen a salad and they'd arrived along with the appetizer.

"Are you going to share what the treat is?" Rumi asked as she dug in.

"Nope, but after dancing I think you'll really appreciate it."

Rumi lifted her head from looking at her food and said, "I almost want to skip the dancing, except I'm desperate to see your moves."

"Good." Mira pointed her fork at her, "I like making you desperate."

Rumi flushed, shoveling food into her mouth like she was carb loading. It made Mira laugh and she gazed at her adoringly.

"Can I ask you something?" Rumi asked, once she'd swallowed enough not to pull a Zoey and shoot lettuce everywhere.

"Anything, pretty girl."

"When I told Celine about the wine thing, she got kind of suspicious. I caught her the other day muttering about vintages and scouring wineries on the internet."

"Namely how I, a lowly dance instructor, could identify wine that expensive?" Mira asked, amused. She almost wanted to dig a little — she had the impression that someone in that house had had issues with alcohol and that had only been reinforced by there not being a drop served, but it wasn't really her place to pry.

"Yes."

She set her fork down, "You know by now that I'm not on speaking terms with my family? Well, most of my family, I've still got a grandmother I like."

Rumi nodded.

"There's ... a lot wrapped up there. I don't really want to bring down our date so I'll tell you another time. But my family is in wine, like big in wine. Huge winery. Awards for reasons I'll never understand. All that sort of thing."

She stabbed a hot wing with her fork, which was blasphemy but she didn't want a mess on her fingers, "That bottle was a good year for a competitor."

"Why do I think," Rumi laughed. "That you're happy about that?"

"No one deserves to drink the shitty ass wine my shitty ass family produces," Mira replied. "Except for my shitty ass family."

"Your halmeoni?"

"Oh she deserves the world," Mira nodded, leaning back. "But if I start talking about her I'll get emotional and I'd really rather not. But she's the only family I have besides Zoey that ever gave a fuck about me."

Rumi's foot nudged hers, and Mira silently amended 'besides Zoey and you.'

They finished their dinner and except for an embarrassing moment when Mira had loudly burped in the car and Rumi dissolved into giggles, the drive to the club went smoothly.

Rumi was still giggling a little, holding Mira's hand as they pushed into the club.

"You're not letting me live that down are you."

"Nope."

"You already texted Zoey."

"Yep."

"I hate you."

"Nope." Rumi kissed her cheek and Mira melted.

"Nope," Mira agreed.

To be fair, she still didn't let Zoey live down the first time she'd farted next to her and blamed a nonexistent dog because what was love if not ribbing each other for normal bodily functions?

"Do you want a drink?" Mira asked.

""Something fruity."

Mira shrugged, "You can have me later."

Rumi thwacked her arm, "What about you?"

"I'm driving." Mira let go of Rumi's hand only to put her arm around her, "I never drink if I know I'll be driving."

"Responsible," Rumi noted.

"Experience," Mira glanced at her. "Zoey lost someone that way." She never wanted to be responsible for someone experiencing that kind of grief.

Rumi looked sorrowful but said nothing, simply leaning into her as they wove through the crowd to the bar.

Mira ordered a coke no rum, and 'whatever is purple' for Rumi. It lightened the mood again, Rumi's laugh like a balm. She pulled her close, one arm around her waist and the other holding her drink. She liked to watch other people dance almost as much as she liked to dance herself. The crush of bodies, the music pounding into her chest, the only thing better was probably a metal concert and those were much louder.

Then Rumi knocked her drink back, grabbed Mira's hand and tugged. Laughing, Mira finished hers then let herself be led out to the floor. She pulled Rumi against her but immediately thought this would be a lot better if Zoey were here too, Rumi between us.

Next time, Mira resolved. She pressed her nose into Rumi's hair, hands sliding down her sides to her hips, letting the music guide her and moving Rumi against her in turn.

Time lost meaning when Mira danced and that was true on any dance floor. With Rumi there, hands on her, moving, caressing, fingers digging in, it felt like her whole world had narrowed to the absence of the space between them.

But after too few songs, Mira wasn't feeling that great.

"Can we uhm…" Mira waved her hand, "I'm feeling a little gassy. I think the appetizers are getting to me."

Rumi smiled, tangling her fingers in Mira's and gently guiding her outside. Mira smiled gratefully at her, "I'm sorry. Let me recover, then I still have that treat I promised."

"If I'm honest," Rumi said, tugging Mira further away from the club and over to a bench. "It's not the same. I think next time we should bring Zoey."

Mira leaned against her, "I was thinking the same thing."

"It's not that I'm not having fun with you," Rumi was quick to assure her. "But the dancing I think.. that's an all of us thing."

"It's okay." Mira kissed the top of her head, "I feel the same. But the night isn't over yet, Rumi."

"Does it involve making out in your car like we're teenagers?" Rumi asked, sounding excited at the idea.

"That's for later," Mira promised, also feeling somewhat excited about the idea. She just hoped she made it that far, dancing had taken more out of her than usual.

She got up with a groan and held her hands out for Rumi, "Come on, pretty girl, we've got one more stop before you get your make outs."

The look Rumi gave her had her briefly reconsidering the order of her plans, but Mira heroically held firm as she led her to the car. Honestly she was glad to move on this soon—if she was right, what was coming would be the highlight of Rumi's night.

She had Rumi close her eyes when they got closer, and didn't tell her to open them until she'd parked and shut the motor off.

"Okay princess, you can look now."

'Is there anything that Rumi really likes to see or do, that might be special,' Mira had asked.

'Ferris wheel,' Celine had answered immediately. 'And she'll love that you asked.'

Rumi's eyes lit up, the smile on her face capable of outshining the sun, "Oh my god!"

When she looked at Mira, her eyes were glistening. Mira lifted a hand to her cheek and brushed her thumb there, "This good?"

"The best." Rumi placed her hand over Mira's as a tear slipped free, "Celine is the only one of my moms who could handle the height, but the other two tried."

"Zoey doesn't hate them but they're, and I quote, 'too slow for being so high up.'"

Rumi laughed, "Roller coaster girl through and through."

"It's like you've always known her," Mira quipped, before leaning over and brushing her lips against Rumi's. Then she forced herself to pull away and get out of the car. She rushed around to get the door before Rumi could this time and smirked at her when she got an affectionate eyeroll for her effort.

Even though it was a closed car on the wheel it was still a little cold, which meant Mira had Rumi cuddling in against her, which meant it was perfect. It moved slow, giving plenty of time to bask in her presence, and she spent as much time watching Rumi as she did the view as they got higher.

Rumi's smile had softened into something tender. Sometimes she caught her looking at her, other times Rumi's eyes were focused on some distant point.

Unable to help herself, Mira kissed Rumi's cheek, then blew air in her ear, "Enjoying yourself?"

"Immensely."

"Should I have saved this for your birthday or something? You look so happy that maybe this should have been for a more important day…"

"No. This can be our thing," Rumi laced their fingers together. "It's romantic. It's our first date just you and me. That's important enough."

Oh if Rumi was even half as sweet when Zoey took her out, her wife would not survive the experience either.

With her other hand, Mira pulled Rumi's face in, kissing her fully for the first time that night. Slowly and with feeling, her fingers caressing Rumi's cheek as she lost herself in the feel and taste of this woman.

They didn't pull apart until they reached the top, and the car hung there as if suspended in the heavens among the twinkling lights of the city.

"Beautiful," Mira murmured, taking it all in, fingers tightening around Rumi's.

"Yeah," Rumi said, before she turned her head away from Mira to look at the city too.