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Shame and guilt were old friends to Rumi. They mingled with frustration so often, always there, just under the surface, but this time was so different.
She hadn't meant to yell at Mira, hadn't meant to hide even more from her and Zoey, but how could she ever explain why the lyrics made her feel like drowning? How could she talk about how Jinu felt like the first person to ever actually see her, how could she expose the fear that she would never be accepted or loved by those she craved it from the most?
Zoey's lyrics were wonderful as always, that's why Rumi felt something inside of her die every time she heard Takedown.
Ever since she'd first met with Jinu, Rumi had been trying to reassess what she really knew about demons. What she knew about herself.
Demons could feel, they felt a lot, however it seemed that demons born demons were different to those human made demons. There was so much to learn about the soul, about the truth of their existences, about what she was in the middle of it all.
It was eternally frustrating that the times she seemed to accept her heritage led the patterns to stop spreading, to relax and almost fade in color, and yet the moment she felt any of the darker emotions that had lived in her chest her entire life, they flared back to life. She didn't know what it meant entirely, but that paired with what Jinu had said about hate not defeating Gwi-ma, Rumi had fully concluded that Takedown would not do them any favors
If only she had the words, the way, to explain that to her girls.
Hearing them sing as they fought behind her made Rumi want to scream, made her stomach turn. Nothing was right, nothing was good, the whole world felt like it were against her, an open maw of teeth slowly closing around her throat.
She could do this, she could sing for them. It was just another illusion, something to hide behind until she could fix things, a mask to wear so they'd stay by her side.
"I don't think you're ready for the takedown!" It's like something inside her heart freezes as she sings, her legs following the moment she continues. "A demon with no feelings don't deserve to live, it's so obvious."
Maybe it meant her.
She could feel so much, too much at times, and yet, she wondered if it wasn't enough. Did she truly feel as much as other people? Did she feel emotions the same? Could she even truly name the way she felt?
Jinu said he feels, that he always feels, but could she trust him? She wanted to, wanted that connection, but she also wanted to trust her girls.
She wanted to trust Celine. Her family.
If demons felt then did they deserve to live? Should they kill them entirely or should there be some form of justice, some form of trial?
If no demons deserved to live, emotions or no, did she? Could she claim the right as the leader of Huntrix, as a hunter, as the heir to her mother's line, if she was the very thing they were supposed to kill?
Would she ever be more than the mistake?
If demons could feel and they didn't deserve to die, then what had she been doing? What had she been training for all her life?
Why had she been forced to hide?
All of this swirled in her mind in seconds, quick and disorienting and just enough to put her off her game. The demon before her wasn't the same as the hoards they were dispatching easily and by the time she noticed the club swinging her way, Rumi didn't have a chance to fully block the strike.
It hit her with a force that sent her flying, something crackling beneath the skin as she scrambled to grip onto any part of the train so she didn't get thrown off. Her hand changed, claws suddenly ripping into metal, and in her panic to make them go away, she felt her arm slicing across the jagged edges that kept her from slipping onto the tracks.
The club slammed down again, forcing a scream from her throat as her ribs felt like they were going to rip through her skin. A whizzing sound past her head made her shake out of it, the demon that was on her exploding with three Shin-kal sticking out from his chest.
She felt dizzy, breathing hurt and blood was quickly drenching her clothes, but Rumi pushed herself to stand, holding her Sain-geom with trembling fingers.
Not that she needed to do anything.
Even while fighting, Zoey and Mira leapt to her defense, seeming absolutely enraged that she'd be hurt. They moved around her, erasing everything else that came to attack.
For a moment, when they finished and just looked at her, Rumi wondered if they'd see something through the tears in her hoodie. She wondered if there was disgust, mistrust, in their eyes, or if she wasn't able to even see clearly.
She wondered if they thought she was a failure. A mistake of a leader.
"The.. Passengers." She panted it out, doing her utmost to stay upright. Zoey was at her side before her knees could buckle, an arm sliding around her waist. Rumi grit her teeth against the pain that rocked her from the touch.
"Mira, she's bleeding really bad." Panic laced Zoey's voice which confused Rumi for a moment. They'd protected her, yes, but she was the leader, they were a group. Defending each other seemed second nature.
Hadn't she ruined it though?
The fight, her hesitation, the way she could almost feel them slipping through her fingers.
"Give her to me, Zoey, I can carry her."
"No, I'm... I can do it." Rumi took one step and then found herself cradled against Mira's chest. A pained cry did leave her that time, her insides feeling like they'd been lit on fire.
"Stubborn." It was obvious Mira wanted to scold her, to shake her for even trying, but she must have looked even worse than she felt because when she looked down at Rumi's face, she paled and softened. "Hey, it's going to hurt the whole way home but we have to get you there."
"We should take her to—"
"No hospitals! Celine.. said we can't go there. We have stuff at home and she trained us to look for bad injuries, remember?"
"Fine." Mira narrowed her eyes at Rumi. "But if you have any ribs that are actually broken, we're taking you in, Celine's orders don't mean shit when you're hurt like this."
Rumi didn't answer, feeling woozy as she just nodded and let herself be carried home.
The walk was torture.
Every breath, every motion, made her entirely aware that her ribs were at the very least bruised, if not cracked. She didn't think they were fully broken, she could remember a time in her training when a demon had attacked and thrown her against a tree. That time she had broken two ribs and she remembered extremely clearly how that had felt, remembered Celine's lessons on how to be cautious of a punctured lung.
This was similar and yet different enough she really hoped she was right about it only being a bruise or a crack
Her arm had been wrapped up in Zoey's hoodie sleeve that she cut off, tied tight to try to stop the flow. It seemed to work well enough since she didn't feel any new blood soaking into her clothes but then again, Rumi wasn't entirely aware of the world around her.
"Almost there." Mira whispered to her, worry obviously overtaking any of the frustration she'd had for Rumi earlier.
"Stay awake, Rumi, you can't pass out, okay?" Zoey's voice was jittery, nervous. Rumi shifted her uninjured arm out, flailing until Zoey took her hand.
"I'm okay."
"You're so very not but it's sweet of you to try to reassure me." Mira snorted softly at Zoey's reply. They both knew Rumi was already trying to hide, knew she'd brush this off like it was just another fight.
It really wasn't.
Rumi hadn't been hurt in a long time. Normally, demons didn't get a chance to attack like that and even if they tried, normally they’d block them without a second thought.
Today had been sloppy, uncoordinated, and what was worse, Rumi had taken the brunt of a hit from a demon type they knew hit incredibly hard if allowed to get close. She'd fought them before, had felt her arms shake when blocking a club and knew that even a hit that looks lazy from those demons would do serious damage,
And she'd taken it right to the ribs.
Then on top of it all, she'd used claws she didn't even know she had, nearly exposing herself, and in turn, ripped her arm open on very likely horribly dirty metal.
All in all, one of her worst days hunting in years, possibly ever.
"I can... I can fix it." Rumi felt a little out of her mind by the time they made it up to the penthouse. Mira was still carrying her, aiming for her bedroom with Zoey grabbing the first aid kit behind them. "I'll... I'll do it."
"Rumi—"
"Fine." Zoey looked betrayed by Mira's easy acceptance, eyes wide and hands shaking as she looked between them. Mira just put Rumi on her bed, nodding so Zoey would put the kit next to her. "But if you don't come out of your room within, like, two or three hours, we're breaking the door down and taking care of you whether you like it or not."
Oh. She could do that. Totally.
Two hours was plenty of time to wrap up her arm, she'd stitch it later when her head didn't feel like it might explode, and to do something to keep her ribs steady in case they really were cracked.
Simple. Easy. She could do it fine.
Anything to be sure they didn't see the patterns. The rip in her hoodie was so bloody, the material sticking to her skin, she was fairly certain they hadn't seen.
At least she hoped they hadn't in the panic.
"Okay, deal." The confidence in her voice was much more present than what she felt in her heart but it still got them to leave her room. Reluctantly, she could tell. Mira kept her eyes locked on Rumi as she walked out backwards and Zoey kept shooting her little wounded looks, almost pleading for her to let them help.
But she couldn't.
No matter how much every inch of her screamed to let them in, to cry into Mira's chest, to hug Zoey to her side.
She couldn't.
Instead she waited for the door to close before she ripped the rest of her sleeve off, wincing when it stuck and pulled at the wound. The cut was jagged, running along the side of her forearm. It wasn't as deep as she'd worried with how much blood there had been, but it was wide and still slowly weeping.
With her uninjured hand, Rumi found the antiseptic and bit onto her remaining hoodie sleeve to conceal her scream as she poured it over the open wound. It burned, bubbled, and she winced when she saw tiny bits of metal shavings be flushed from where she'd initially hit.
It needed stitches, it needed something, but her entire body was trembling. She'd fixed herself up before, she always had to, but Rumi had never had anything like this happen.
Her abdomen hurt, she couldn't bend or move well, and the blood loss had her woozy. So instead of stitching, she just placed wide swathes of gauze over it and wrapped a bandage tight to keep the wound packed.
The pain nearly knocked her out, radiating from multiple areas of her body, but she held on, wheezing through it until her mind cleared enough to continue.
Next she prodded at her chest, slowly but surely moving as best she could. Nothing crunched or shifted beneath her fingertips, nothing impeded her breathing as she pushed through the agony rippling across her entire being.
From what Celine had taught her, she guessed nothing was broken. Definitely bruised, possibly cracked, but not entirely broken.
With that resolved and her arm wrapped, Rumi's body gave in. She fell back into the bed, doing her best to wrap the blankets around her body to keep her arm covered as she felt her eyes flutter. This wouldn't do.
She had to stay awake. If she didn't go out of her room soon, Mira would come in and she'd see. This couldn't be hidden, the slash on her arm was over some of her patterns. If they helped they’d see, if they helped they'd know, and while a large part of her ached to tell them, her fear and Celine's lessons won out.
Rumi just had to stay awake.
Resting for a moment was fine but she had to get up.
She had to.
"I get why you agreed to this, Mira, I do, but I still say I hate it and if she's really sick, you're the one cleaning up any vomit." Zoey's voice was full of nerves, bordering on guilt, that made Mira feel a little sick herself.
Rumi had been careful about not letting anyone see her upper body ever since they'd met her. At first, it was just from the elbow up. Then, over the years, she'd gone to wearing full long sleeves at all times, even preferring high neck tops or anything that made sure her shoulders were also hidden.
Celine had just called it traditional modesty when pressed. Mira had asked her to try to chase the darker possibilities sparking in her mind.
So they just supported her, didn't press after a while, and just tried not to be disappointed whenever she'd pull away, or turn down invitations out with them.
She knew if she'd pushed then, forced Rumi to bare herself to them for medical treatment, it would have tipped things over the edge. Rumi was injured, already feeling exposed and weak, if they'd gone further right away, Mira couldn't handle the thought of them possibly doing something that made Rumi feel violated just to soothe their own worries.
That's why she set the time limit.
Rumi knew. If she couldn't take care of herself within a few hours, they'd help her, even if it was uncomfortable.
The idea still made Mira feel a bit wrong about it but she also knew she'd do anything to protect Rumi. Especially after the past few days.
Something was up, she knew it and she knew Rumi was hiding, so she'd pushed. She'd needled her, kept battering forward without stopping, and it had led to the squabble on the train. It led to Rumi being so distracted she'd gotten hurt.
"I gave a safe time frame for how quickly we heal. Besides, I remember all of Celine's first aid training and I know you do too. So, if she is as bad as we're worried she will be, we can handle it." Whether that was a statement of truth or something to try to convince herself, Mira didn't want to know.
Instead she knocked on Rumi's door, eyes flicking to the clock. They'd waited four hours, a little more than she'd initially thought to do, but she'd spent most of the time fighting with herself about what was the best choice.
"Rumi? Time's up."
"If you don't answer within a minute, Mira's gonna knock the door down!" Zoey's words were chirped, playful, but Mira could see the strain in her face. "I'm serious, Rumi, either answer us or we're coming in!"
They waited. The silence felt oppressive, a physical weight that was starting to turn to panic as Mira took in a deep breath.
"Fuck it." With a grunt of effort, Mira drove her shoulder into Rumi's door. She hadn't even checked first, though the way it splintered on her second hit told her it had been locked. When it was wide open, Zoey ran past her to where Rumi was curled up in bed. The blankets were wrapped tight around her but even from the doorway, Mira could see the way she trembled.
"She's hot, Mira." Zoey had a hand on Rumi's forehead, frowning but focused as she fluttered her hands around the blankets. The moment she started to pull them away, Rumi blearily yelped, clutching at the sheets while shaking her head. "Rumi, honey, we have to check on you."
"N-No! Can't see, can't show, can't- I can't- you're not supposed to see!" The almost feral panic in Rumi's voice twisted like a knife in Mira's chest. There was fear in her eyes, behind the hazy fever, but she didn't let that stop her. Not this time. Not when Rumi was so sick.
"Hey, hey, it's okay. Rumi, listen to me." Mira hushed her, carefully cupping her face to try to get her to calm down. Her heart ached when Rumi leaned into the touch, looking so small and terrified as she looked up at her. It was obvious she wasn't entirely seeing what was happening, not fully registering it, but this was better than the panic. "You're running a fever so we have to cool you down, okay? Let us help you, princess."
The nickname wasn't one she used often, a teasing thing she'd thrown out after people kept calling Rumi kpop royalty. She seemed to hate it coming from anyone else but from Mira? She'd always just bashfully smile and roll her eyes.
This time, it made her whine, a conflicted look crossing her face.
"Can't- No- When your patterns start to show, it makes the hatred wanna grow- can't- don't be mad!"
"Why is she quoting Takedown?" Zoey had come around to her side of the bed, helping Mira slowly move Rumi to the edge.
"I don't know. It's been bothering her so maybe that's why." It didn't matter, not when Rumi's brain seemed to be being boiled alive by her fever. "I'll pick her up in the blanket, she seems calm while she's covered. You go ahead and start the bath, we'll get her undressed in there together. Hopefully she doesn't fight it too much."
"She can be upset about it later, when she's not quite possibly dying." There was a tremble in Zoey's voice that said she worried about Rumi's reaction too, but that there wasn't much else they could do.
Celine had always told them to only go to the hospital if it were life or death. While Rumi was burning up and probably needed stitches, this wasn't anything that they couldn't handle. Especially with the accelerated healing they all had as hunters.
"She'll be okay, Zoey. I don't think she'll actually be mad at us. Rumi would have told me not to bust the door down when I threatened to earlier if she really hated the idea of us helping." As she spoke, Mira finally worked Rumi off the mattress. Rumi just groaned, trembling as she curled into her chest. "Remember the last time she got hurt? It wasn't this bad but I made a similar threat."
"Oh yeah! She got so mad!" A giggle came from Zoey then. Strained and sharp but still there. "The way she limped while scolding you for even considering hurting her door was pretty funny."
"Exactly. Rumi was out of it before but not enough to not tell us if she really didn't want help. Or she could have told us to just call Celine. But she didn't." That was all the solace Mira really needed, if she was honest with herself. A part of her felt guilty, a part of her hated to push this boundary before Rumi was ready, but another part of her preened at the realization that Rumi hadn't put a stop to it either.
"Okay." Zoey seemed to feel better at that idea, rushing to get the tub filled with cool water.
Rumi seemed entirely out of it now in Mira's arms, her head lolling against her shoulder. She was still mumbling but it had become too soft to really tell what she was saying. Mira set her carefully on the counter, starting to slowly peel the blanket away.
It stuck to the hoodie, having been pressed so tightly to where the blood had soaked in, but thankfully, it didn't seem to stick to the bandage over her arm. The bandage she'd barely glimpsed before Rumi burst into tears.
"Whoa, hey, Rumi, it's okay. We got you, okay? It'll be okay."
"I don't want you to hate me, please don't hate me, I'm sorry, I'm sorry." Rumi clawed at the blanket, holding it to her shoulder like it would protect her. There was a wild look in her eyes, so much fear and dread and shame that it nearly bowled Mira over. "I need you, I can't, don't leave, don't leave, please, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!"
"Rumi, it's okay, I'm not going anywhere, I'm right here." Mira could feel the tears hot on her face as she pulled Rumi into a hug, cradling her so carefully until she felt how fiercely Rumi clutched at her. "I won't ever leave and neither will Zoey. We're here, we have you, we won't ever hate you."
Sobs hit the air the moment she finished talking, Rumi shivering against her for a different reason now. Zoey came over slowly now that the tub was full, tear tracks stark on her cheeks as well. She reached out, rubbing Rumi's back and the sound it produced, needy and hopeful and yet still so full of fear, left them all crying for a few long minutes.
Eventually, Rumi slumped against her chest, having lost any energy that had sparked in the panic. Her breathing came out in heavy huffs, her fingers losing their grip on Mira as she seemed to flutter between consciousness.
"Maybe we start with her legs?" Zoey's voice cracked, soft sniffling following as she wiped at her eyes. "If we can get her bottom half in the water, then maybe we can work up to unwrapping the blanket so we can treat her arm."
It wasn't perfect but it would at least get Rumi somewhat cooler.
"Yeah, okay."
They worked silently together. Zoey shimmying Rumi's pants off as Mira held up the blanket and Rumi, then carried her to the tub. Zoey sat on the edge, helping Mira lower her in. The blanket was wet, her hoodie was wet, and they'd left her underwear on to give her some form of privacy, but it seemed to work almost immediately.
Rumi shivered more, but her muscles relaxed into the cold. Her breathing eased, head falling to the side like she'd fallen asleep.
They froze, watching her for a long minute, but when she didn't move, Mira unwound the blanket from the side of the hoodie still intact.
"Carefully." The word sounded so loud in the quiet but Zoey's warning came thanks to Rumi shifting when Mira started to fully pull the blanket free. They were holding her injured arm out of the water, not wanting to soak whatever bandages Rumi had wrapped around it.
They'd barely gotten the blanket free, barely slipped it from her shoulder, when Rumi let out another hiccupped sob.
"M'sorry. Sorry, demon with no... don't deserve to live.. obvious." She sounded almost delirious, slurring the words while half aware. "Celine, m'sorry, I didn't... I kept it secret, like y'said. But they saw, they saw, do they.. do they hate me now?" Rumi whimpered, seeming to wake up a little more. She looked at Zoey, the two of them having stopped moving when she started talking to keep from startling her again. It was obvious she wasn't seeing Zoey, eyes glazed and hazy with tears. "I don't want them to hate me, I love them, I can't- why'd you make me keep it secret? I should... should have told them."
"Rumi." She jumped at Mira's voice, eyes wide and shiny when she turned her head. "Hey, we don't hate you. Okay? We'd never hate you."
Something cleared in her gaze even as Rumi shrunk into herself, looking so tiny it broke Mira's heart. Rumi was always so strong, so protective and present and it ached to see her seem so shattered.
"Promise?"
"We promise, Rumi." Zoey kissed her head as she spoke, seeming to startle Rumi who had obviously thought she'd been Celine. For a moment they just stayed there, letting her adjust, but then she sniffled and nodded, like she'd agreed to something.
"Okay, s'good. Love you, I think.. I need help." God, she was so fucked up but Mira didn't think she could have stopped the surge of pride at her saying that out loud. Even if it was happening in a half delirious fever state.
"We love you too, Rumi." A tiny, trembling smile was sent her way. "I'm going to take the blanket and your hoodie off now, okay? We need to cool you down."
She just hummed, looking both comforted and miserable. Zoey put a hand on her forehead again, frowning at the obvious heat.
"I should call Celine for antibiotics."
"No!" Rumi suddenly looked very present, the haze clearing just enough from her eyes. "Not her, she'll be mad, she'll be so upset with me for showing." Rumi's bottom lip trembled dangerously, her uninjured hand clutching at her head. "I don't want her to be disappointed in me."
"Call Bobby." Mira made the choice in an instant, unable to handle Rumi looking like that, sounding like that, any more. "Tell him we'll explain everything later but Rumi needs antibiotics for an infection caused by a wound."
"I'm on it!" Zoey almost got up to call outside of the bathroom but Rumi letting out a sad whimper stopped her, instead just pulling her phone from her pocket and calling right there. "Hi Bobby! I have a request!"
"Hey." Mira pulled Rumi's attention back to her, ignoring Zoey's conversation with Bobby. She could see some of the fever clearing from her gaze. "Can you lift your arms up for me so I can slip the hoodie off? I think I can get the blanket off with it that way."
Something nervous, terrified, settled into Rumi's features even as she gave a resolute nod. Shakily, she lifted her arms, having to lean against the edge of the tub heavily to keep from tumbling to the side. Pride flared in Mira again, though it was overshadowed by concern for what Rumi was trying to hide.
What had Celine forced her to keep silent? A million different horrible possibilities ran through her mind but all of them came to a screeching halt when she saw the purple on her skin.
The one thing she'd never considered.
Rumi had patterns.
Mira's first impulse was anger, she was hurt. Rumi had lied to them, she'd kept secrets for years, who knows what this meant. A part of her wanted to scream, to push for every answer that could be given, but one look into Rumi's eyes swept it all from her mind.
Even with her permission given, Rumi looked devastated. Shame and guilt were easily spotted in her eyes but the worst part, the thing that stopped all of Mira's darkest thoughts from surfacing, was that Rumi looked ready to be hit. She looked prepared, looked like she anticipated violence at the reveal, like she thought she deserved the pain.
"Oh." Zoey breathed out, finally looking back at them after finishing the call with Bobby. Her face seemed to go on the same journey as Mira's emotions but when she noticed Rumi's stance, she softened. "I'm going to unbandage your arm to check the wound, okay?"
Rumi didn't even blink, looking between them with some form of terrified disbelief. She swallowed and then nodded, curving in on herself as if trying to look small, to show she wasn't a threat.
It made Mira want to vomit.
No matter how angry she was at the lies, at the secrets, she wouldn't ever hurt Rumi. She didn't like that her mind went there, felt rage bubbling up once more only to fizzle out just as quickly when she noticed Zoey was crying, mouthing little apologies as she unwound the bandages.
Oh.
Right.
Takedown.
The song with lyrics Rumi had been incredibly uncomfortable with. The song where they were basically forcing Rumi to sing about how she was horrible, about how she deserved to die.
Fuck.
"Hey, Rumi." She kept her voice steady, neutral, and tried not to cry herself when Rumi looked at her like a cornered animal. "It's okay, I promised, remember? We're not going anywhere, we got you."
The bathroom was silent except for their mixed breaths, all heavy with different emotions. Zoey let out a little gasp at the sight of the cut, rushing to get the first aid kit from the cabinet. Mira never stopped looking at Rumi, couldn't stop staring at this girl who she loved, who had lied.
"I wanted to tell you." Her voice was so small. The words were still slightly slurred with exhaustion, the fever still making her shiver. "I should have, I wanted to so badly, I hate lying to you, I hate hiding, I don't want to do it any more."
Mira's heart ached. Rumi like this reminded her of the time she'd been sick, not long after their debut. She'd run herself ragged, had pushed too hard, and they'd forced her to rest on the couch with them for a day to get over the slight temperature she had. Rumi had clung to them, had been so in awe of their care and their open affection.
At the time, she'd just thought it was because she'd grown up with Celine as her guardian. Their mentor had always been a bit cold, a bit distant, never handing out praise unless she really thought it was entirely deserved. She'd always been even harder on Rumi.
Now it made a whole lot more sense. Now it made her feel a little sick.
Rumi had been so lonely all her life. She'd told them a little about it before, had explained they were her first everything because she'd only really ever had Celine growing up, and now Mira really knew what had been the cause of it all.
"It's okay." It was. Mira knew she'd be upset about the secrets, the lies, for a while but she also knew she couldn't hold it against Rumi for long. This was something extremely personal and, more than that, something about Rumi that they'd been explicitly taught to hate. It was no wonder she had been so scared, why she kept apologizing and begging for them not to hate her. "Just breathe with me, Rumi, it's okay."
"I have to stitch this up. We don't have anything much for pain right now, though."
"Let me do it, Zoey." She could see the way Zoey's hands shook, could see how doing this to Rumi would break her. Even if it was to help. "Swap with me."
"D-Don't go." Rumi's whimper was so distressed, Mira really wondered if she could physically feel her heart split in two.
"I'm not going anywhere, Rumi." She hesitated for a moment and then leaned in to kiss her forehead. "I'm just going where Zoey is and she's going to come here. I need to fix your arm up, okay?"
Rumi sniffled and then nodded, seeming pacified from her affections.
Mira went through the kit once she resettled, cursing at the real lack of pain management. They tended to go through painkillers more than anything whenever a battle went south, so it wasn't entirely surprising they'd forgotten to restock.
Then she found a little packet, hidden under a swath of gauze. It wasn't much, it'd just barely take the edge off, but it was something.
Zoey kind of felt like her entire world had flipped upside down.
Rumi had patterns.
She was a demon.
What could she even do about that?
Rumi was still Rumi. She was still the same that she had been minutes ago when Zoey worried for her, the same as a few days ago when she'd collapsed onto the couch with her to watch silly animal videos in a much needed twenty minute break.
The same Rumi who was always there for her, even when she kept her distance. The one who never made her feel like too much, or too little, or like she was annoying or bad.
No, this Rumi who looked so sad and tired and terrified was the same person, demon or not, and Zoey wondered if it was healthy to go through so many world shattering realizations at once.
"I'm sorry." Rumi wouldn't look her in the eye, voice trembling and weak.
"It's okay, I'm not mad at you." Zoey nearly crawled into the tub with her but that would negate the purpose of cooling her down.
"You're not?"
"No. I'm upset you lied and kept secrets, but I can see why you did." The way Rumi just nodded solemnly, almost looking like a sad wet kitten, just made Zoey want to hug her until she felt well again. "Do you think you can talk about it a little?"
It felt almost wrong, asking for answers when Rumi was so flush with fever and eager to please so they stayed with her. Yet, the question seemed to work as a distraction as Mira got to work on her arm.
"I'm half demon. Born with the patterns, from my dad. I don't... know much. Celine never liked talking about it." Rumi sighed, her eyes looked the most clear they had since they started all this and it eased some of the worry in Zoey. "I wanted to tell you, but she said no. Said you wouldn't understand, that she trained you too well so you'd hate me. I shouldn't... have believed her, should have trusted you, but I was just... scared."
Mira had stopped working part way through Rumi's explanation. She'd gotten a few stitches in, Rumi only wincing a little as she spoke, but after a bit, Zoey had noticed her hands shaking. There was a spark of rage in Mira's expression, something she was obviously trying to hide from Rumi as she kept her head down, as if she were inspecting the wound more closely.
Zoey felt her own rage blossom.
Celine had known. She knew the whole time and had taught them the way she did, had said all those things about demons around Rumi, to Rumi.
It made her blood boil.
It had been those ideals, those things Celine taught that they accepted as true facts, that led to her lyrics for Takedown.
The song Rumi had started to hate singing, the one she tried to tweak the words to, the one that she mumbled in fear when they were about to see her patterns.
Her heart hurt.
A hiss brought Zoey out of her thoughts. Mira had started working again. She carefully hushed her, reaching out to take Rumi's other hand. Almost immediately, Rumi turned an awed expression to where their hands linked, her cheeks flushing pink when Zoey rubbed her thumb across her skin.
"Hey, Rumi." Her eyes immediately snapped up to meet Zoey's. "Thank you for telling us. You're doing so good, you know? I'm proud of you."
And, oh, how Rumi crumbled.
She didn't move her body, unwilling to possibly disappoint Mira by moving while she worked, but her face shifted into something both bright and broken, loudly sobbing as she clutched at Zoey's hand, trembling as if it was the first time anyone had ever said that to her.
Maybe it was.
Well no, they'd told her they were proud of her before, but this was the first time she'd said it while Rumi had her walls down. The first time she'd said it to Rumi when her secret was out, when there was nothing to hide behind to dull the impact of the praise.
"Just breathe, Rumi." Zoey put Rumi's hand to her chest, taking deep breaths to try to ease her down. Mira finished her stitches as she did so, carefully starting to wrap it up with new gauze. "It's okay, you're doing so good, we're here, we have you."
They'd never let her go.
Blinking into the darkness of her room, Rumi caught sight of Zoey's laptop playing something softly in the background. Blackout curtains had been pulled over the windows, keeping her from really knowing what time it was, and she couldn't check her phone since she couldn't really move.
Mira was wrapped around her back, pressed so close their legs had tangled together while her arms were protectively holding her tight. Zoey was curled up against her front, managing to keep Rumi's injured arm over her hip so it wouldn't get hurt worse.
They'd obviously redressed her in one of Mira's shirts, the fabric worn and soft against her skin. Her hair was out of its braid, wild and loose and most likely a mess if it had gotten wet.
It was warm, comfortable in a way Rumi had never truly allowed herself to be with them. She snuggled down closer, pleased when they both shifted with her.
Then it occurred to her what all had transpired.
Her eyes caught sight of her patterns, softly glowing in a way they never had before. They were a slightly different color, more pink, but the moment Rumi noticed, they shot back to the dark crawling purple she knew.
They knew. She'd showed them, told them, they knew, they knew, they—
"Rumi?" Zoey's voice was soft, rough with sleep, but she seemed wide awake the moment she met Rumi's eyes. "What's wrong? Do you feel sick? Is your arm hurting?" Before Rumi could say anything, Zoey pressed her forehead to Rumi's and it zapped all thoughts from her mind. "You don't feel as hot, the antibiotics must have already helped your fever."
"I-I.. What?" She wheezed, feeling her breathing picking up.
"Hey, Rumi, it's okay, just look at me." Rumi obeyed without hesitation, feeling the way Zoey took deliberately slow breaths.
Just as she had done the night before. They'd stayed, they didn't hate her, memories of the bath flashed more coherently in her mind.
"Sorry, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry!" A little sob bubbled up before she could stop it, her patterns flaring. She wanted to hide, wanted to slip her body entirely beneath the cover, to yank a hoodie on and pretend they'd never looked at her. It wouldn't happen. though. Rumi knew she'd never hide from them again, not after all of that. She couldn't even consider it, the guilt wrecking her mind even just at the impulsive thought.
She'd give them whatever they desired. Anything they'd ask, she'd answer. If they demanded her soul, she'd rip it free from her body. If they needed it, Rumi would claw her heart from her chest, holding it up to them to pray at the altar of their forgiveness. Of their love.
"Shh, it's okay, you don't have to apologize any more." Zoey pressed a kiss to her forehead, her cheek, and started humming softly in her ear. "We won't ever leave you. We promised you last night and we'll promise it again and again, until you really believe it."
"You don't hate me?" It came out weak, terrified of the answer. "I lied, I hid what I am, I'm a mistake, I meant to fix it but—"
"What do you mean by ‘fix it’?" Mira's voice was tired, raspy, but alert. Zoey held her gaze, encouraging her to answer with a little squeeze to her hand.
"Celine told me that the golden Honmoon would erase my patterns, that I could fix myself if we did it. Then.. Then I could tell you, she said you'd better understand when I wasn't... wrong any more." She could feel the rage building in Mira, in the way she trembled and tensed even as she kept her hold on Rumi gentle, protective. Zoey just took in a deep breath, sorrow heavy in her features as she tried to erase any of the remaining space between them. "I didn't want to lie to you, not really, but I thought I had to. I asked her if I could tell you before but she said no, so I just..."
"It's okay, Rumi." A kiss pressed to the back of her head, Mira shifting to press her cheek against Rumi's neck. "I think I'll be upset about the lying and secrets for a little while but we can work through it, I don't want you to run from us anymore."
"No more secrets, no more lies." Zoey tapped her nose and then kissed it, grinning when Rumi flushed. "That goes for all of us."
It felt like that broke something in Rumi, the dam holding her emotions back cracking right down the middle. Her mouth opened and before she could think, before she could stop, it all just came pouring out.
"I was working with Jinu, well not really. I was talking with him, trying to get him to backstab the Saja Boys. He saw my patterns when we fought and I think he was going to try to get me on their side but it never happened. He just... understood and got it and made me start thinking about my heritage and if I should really deny a huge part of me or if I should accept it." Her breath came out heavy, stuttered, but it felt freeing. It felt like a release, like a cleansing, instead of the crushing shame she was used to. "I thought if I could save him, get him to help, it would prove there was something there for me. Like I was worthy of love and support and wouldn't just forever be this broken, horrible thing. Like I can love you without it being poison."
"Rumi, you don't have to prove anything for us to love you." Zoey's voice was so soft, filled with something Rumi couldn't place. "You aren't horrible, you don't need to be fixed."
"But I.. I've got patterns. I'm half-demon." The words came defeated, disbelieving. "I can't—" She shuddered, clutching at both girls even as she pressed her face to the pillow to hide as much as she could. "How can I love you two the way I really want to when I'm like this?"
Rumi couldn't stop it, the deluge of truth and want. She felt greedy, felt like she'd been drowning and they'd pulled her head above water, sucking in air like she'd never be able to again if they decided to let go.
She could feel her patterns glowing, could practically feel them crawling further across her skin as her mind spiraled.
Would they understand? Would they even want that?
She'd hidden for so long, kept so much from them, and now she was admitting to colluding with another demon, all behind their backs. Why would they ever think she was being truthful about loving them?
Oh but she did, she always had.
The Honmoon had tied their souls together from the start and Rumi had adored them before they even met. When they were finally within reach, all she wanted to do was be with them. Then as time went on, her feelings just kept growing, kept overflowing her heart with affection she couldn't afford to give, love she had to box away just so they wouldn't see her.
Celine had never fully seen her and she knew Mira and Zoey couldn't either, not until she had fixed it.
Yet they did look at her now. They stared so pointedly, Rumi could feel their gaze like a physical hand trailing across her skin.
Did they see beneath the shell? Through the covers to see the patterns that lingered bone deep.
It was a new revelation, something she was still struggling with, but Rumi knew now, knew that she'd always be this. Even if she fixed it, even if the Honmoon lit up gold, she'd forever have the marks of her shame lashed across her veins.
Zoey couldn't stand the way Rumi braced, the way her eyes unfocused as her patterns shimmered an even darker color. She'd just said she loves them, wanted to love them even more, and yet, all Zoey could see in her was fear, the same deep panic that had been present the night before.
Looking over Rumi's head, she caught the same devastation in Mira's eyes.
Rumi talking to Jinu wasn't even that much of a shock, not after how she'd been acting recently, but the rest of it?
She knew Rumi loved them, adored them, doted on them, but there had always been a distance. It always had felt like she didn't want them to think they could ever go past this line in the sand that she'd decided. They were okay with that, they'd never push Rumi or cross her boundaries, but now?
Now, they knew those lines were drawn not out of a lack of romantic feelings but because Rumi thought she didn't deserve it, that she had to change herself to be able to give and take that love?
Well she did say no more secrets.
Mira seemed to come to the same conclusion as her, a tiny smile flickering across her lips even as the pain of their revelations remained. They had a little silent conversation, a connection that came with so much time spent together. And maybe also the threads of the Honmoon.
"Rumi, can you look at me, honey?" A little whimper was her answer but Rumi did as asked. She moved slowly, like she was forcing herself to obey even if she really just wanted to bury herself and hide. She cupped Rumi's cheeks, holding her there with a little smile. "There you are."
"We're proud of you, tiger." Mira spoke against her hair, kissing the side of her head when Rumi's entire face turned red. "Thank you for telling us the truth."
"I love you, you know?" Zoey giggled at the way Rumi's eyes lit up. Literally. They started to glow, turning a soft amber. "You're absolutely silly to ever think we'd do anything other than love you."
"All of you." Mira kissed her again but this time on her shoulder, right over where a pattern crawled across her skin. They watched as it flushed pink, though some purple still clung to the edges. "I love you. Not because you're the perfect hunter Celine tried to make you into, or whatever other things you thought you had to be. I just... love you, and I love Zoey. You're both the most important people in the world to me."
"Aww, Mira!" Zoey grinned at her, hoping their playfulness would ease Rumi's mind. She ran her thumbs gently across her skin, looking directly into those bright eyes. "See, Rumi? You have us, we love you. if you'll have us," Looking back up at Mira, Zoey felt a little shy at the way both girls were looking at her. "If Mira will have me too, then I think you can love us in every way."
"You can just say we want to be girlfriends, Zoey." Mira snorted but there was a flush to her face, turning her ears pink. She settled her cheek back against Rumi, smirking a bit when she caught the way her patterns flickered color again. "I want that. Do you want that, Rumi?"
It seemed they'd struck Rumi dumb as she just blinked, face hot, but then she turned, nuzzling into Zoey's hands. Her eyes had fluttered half shut, looking almost drugged by their words, their affectionate touches. She didn't speak, just pressed back into Mira's hold, breathing into Zoey's palm like they'd stolen all of the darkest emotions haunting Rumi's mind and replaced them with something warm and soft.
"I..." She hesitated, just a moment. The indecision that flickered across her face looked a lot like Rumi was battling with herself, so Zoey leaned in to press their foreheads together again. The extra touch seemed to soothe her, eyes closing with a soft sigh. "I want that, I just don't know how to accept that this is real, that I'm allowed to.. want it, want you, like this."
"Rumi, I've wanted to kiss you since eight months into training when I finally managed to corner you and you looked exhilarated that I'd won, not upset you lost." Mira's blunt words brought a choked, garbled mess of sound from Rumi, her head turning as much as it could in Zoey's grasp to look at her. "I mean it. The only reason Zoey and I never started dating before this is because we both knew we wanted you too, and it felt... strange to not have you with us. We figured after all this, if we succeeded in turning the Honmoon gold, we'd get together then after telling you how we felt, and if you wanted to be with us too, then great but if not, we'd try it with just us."
"She's right! I brought up dating a while ago but, well, you always kept that distance so I wasn't sure. Mira and I knew we wanted to see about dating about a year ago but, well, I wanted to be absolutely sure everything would be good, no matter what happened. So we waited." Zoey shrugged a bit, feeling her chest fill with affection for the two women in her arms. Rumi looked so in awe of it all and Mira had the softest look on her face, it made her heart flip. "It's okay to need time to believe things, Rumi. We'll tell you every day how much we love you, appreciate you."
"How beautiful you are." Mira nipped Rumi's ear, bringing out another sound from her. Those patterns seemed to be spreading but instead of purple, they'd changed into a flickering shimmer of pink, blue and gold. "Whatever you need to hear, we'll say it until you believe it."
"And even if you never fully can, that's okay." Zoey bumped their heads together, tilting to press a kiss to the whisper of a pattern that started to curl across her cheek. "We'll love you anyway, Rumi. We'll always love you."
Rumi let out a little whimpered sob. Her arm shifted, seeming to want to pull Zoey into a kiss, but, of course, the loss of panic and the motion of her body reminded them of what led to this.
She yelped, wide eyes shooting to where her arm curled over Zoey's hip. Rumi winced as she pulled the arm back, flexing her fingers.
"Shit, Rumi, don't move too much." Mira sat up, one hand hovering over her bandaged arm. "Is it okay? You didn't pull any stitches?"
"No, no, I don't think so." Rumi wheezed, stretching her shoulders back in discomfort. "Though, I think I need you at my back at all times. It hurts to breathe without the support."
That got Zoey up while Mira settled back down. They moved Rumi around, carefully and gently even as she sputtered about not needing such treatment, until Mira was lounging against some pillows to save her own back. Rumi was tucked protectively against her front, more pillows stacked around her to keep her still. Zoey grabbed the first aid kit and sat next to them, changing the bandages to be sure she hadn't pulled anything.
"This looks way better already."
"Demon healing factors. I don't heal up instantly or anything, but it's faster than most people." Rumi grumbled, now openly pouting. Zoey just chuckled at her expression, giving her bicep a little pat.
"Sit still while I do this and then I'll give you a kiss, okay?" She perked up at that, dragging a short huff of laughter from Mira this time.
Rumi turned her head, most likely to scold her for teasing the wounded one, when Mira caught her chin between her fingers. They both watched as Rumi froze at the touch and then melted into it when Mira smoothed her thumb across her skin.
"She's not the only one who can kiss you, tiger." Her patterns flared bright gold, eyes wide and shiny as Rumi stared at Mira. It was a vision, stealing all of Zoey's attention for a long moment.
She loved these girls so much, had for years, and when Mira leaned in, capturing Rumi's lips with her own, she had to bite her own lip to contain the squeal of joy that wanted to escape her. Rumi just melted further, though she couldn't move much with Mira's hold on her. The kiss was short, most likely so Rumi didn't hurt herself in any eagerness, but it still left them both breathing a little harder. Zoey caught the way Mira's entire demeanor softened even further at the dazed look on Rumi's face, her heart feeling so full she thought she might explode.
Then Mira looked at her, that softness remaining as she smiled, and it took everything in Zoey to keep doing what she had started.
Nothing was bleeding, Mira's stitches holding well enough, and Rumi barely flinched when she put on new wound cream to be sure it kept healing well.
Rewrapping it seemed to be doing some form of torture to Rumi. She kept looking around and Zoey was sure she'd be fidgeting if she had the space. It was so the opposite of what she'd normally expect of Rumi, the girl who she'd seen sit entirely still and watch her turtle videos as if it were a meditation exercise. Then she realized.
She was impatient. For Zoey's kiss.
The moment she finished the bandaging, Zoey slipped back down to Rumi's side, being sure to settle her arm where it would be safe. Rumi froze when she did, her eyes locking onto her lips.
"Done?"
"I am. You did so good, Rumi, I think you deserve that reward. Don't you think so, Mira?" Zoey grinned up at her, both of them locking onto the way Rumi shivered at the praise.
"I think you both deserve a kiss." It was said so nonchalantly but Zoey felt her cheeks flush at the look in Mira's eyes. "You got one already, tiger, do you think I can reward Zoey first, hm?"
Rumi looked so torn for a moment but then she nodded, relaxing her head back against Mira's shoulder. They looked so good, so cute, like they always belonged together, and Zoey felt a spark of pride at being the one they reached out for.
Leaning up on her elbows, Zoey met Mira over Rumi's shoulder, letting out a shuddered breath just before Mira kissed her with an impatience that reflected the kind Rumi had shown. Mira tasted like home, like warmth and safety and all those silly cliche things she loved to see in romcoms. There was something so distinctly her that Zoey wanted to chase, wanted to get more of, but she pulled back before she could.
"Don't keep Rumi waiting." Oh the gravel in Mira's voice, the gentle command, the way Zoey didn't even want to think about doing anything other than kissing them both for the rest of her days.
She settled back down, gently pressing up against Rumi's front. There was a sudden shyness to Rumi's excitement and Zoey could barely handle how adorable she was.
Rumi tasted like sunlight, like adoration and a sweetness that was all her own. Just like with Mira, Zoey wanted to chase it, wanted to parse what was entirely Rumi and what came from the toothpaste they used or any other factors that could linger.
That would be too much at the moment, though, so she settled back. She didn't want to hurt Rumi by doing too much while she was injured and, really, the poor girl looked like she might combust just from those two kisses.
Rumi didn't know how she got here.
How did she go from the world collapsing down around her to having two girlfriends, two absolute goddesses wrapped around her as if they thought she were the one who was divine. She never thought she'd ever get a chance with them, knew the possibility was slim even if things went perfectly with the golden Honmoon, and yet...
"You guys..." She bit her lip even as they both gave her their attention immediately. It felt foolish to ask, felt silly to wonder when they'd just kissed her, but still. "You really don't care that I'm a demon?"
"Rumi, you could be a worm and I'd still call you my girlfriend. Wormfriend. Girlworm?" Zoey looked genuinely perplexed by which term would have been correct and Rumi couldn't do anything other than laugh, feeling lighter than she had in a long while.
"It's a shock, sure, but you're our Rumi, it doesn't matter what you are because you'll always be our Rumi." Mira kissed her cheek and Rumi thought she really might cry. "Obviously the stuff Celine taught us isn't entirely right and that just means we have to learn together about what being half-demon means. But, Rumi, we meant it when we said no more hiding." She leaned in a little more to catch Rumi's eye. "That means we want to see your patterns, we want to see whatever other changes might happen, and we want to show you that we love you no matter what happens."
"Okay." She couldn't stop the tears then, nuzzling into Zoey's hand when she reached up to wipe them away. Accepting her demon side would be a journey, she was sure, and it was one she'd started when she first met with Jinu, but it had been a difficult war in her mind to work through. The hunter lessons in her colliding with her demon nature.
Now that she knew her girls were on her side, no matter what, and knew they loved her, though?
It suddenly felt so easy.
"I'm gonna ask Bobby to bring us some food, and tell him you need to rest until the awards." Zoey tapped her nose with a little grin. "Then we'll watch whatever you want because it's Rumi Rest Time."
Mira nodded her agreement, smirking when Rumi groaned. There was still so much to do, so much to work out and plan, but Mira's hand was warm on her stomach and she didn't think she could ever say no to Zoey. So she gave in without much fuss, waving a hand that practically released Zoey from some sort of invisible leash. She jumped up, phone in hand, and loudly said hello to Bobby the second she was out of Rumi's room.
Alone with Mira, she felt a bubble of guilt rise to the surface. The fight on the train, and everything before it, weighed heavily on her already but now it felt even worse.
"Mira?" A curious hum was her only answer, followed by another kiss to the side of her head. "I'm sorry, about what I said on the train and... just everything. I never wanted to lie to you, never wanted to keep secrets, but it felt like I had to, but that still... I don't like how I handled it, I'm sorry."
"It's okay, Rumi." She hushed her, shifting just enough so Rumi could look at her better without causing more pain in her ribs. "Look, we all know I'm not big on secrets and lies. I don't do well with them anyway but my family really didn't help with that." What an understatement. Mira's family were pretty rich, old money and working in a bunch of different businesses. They loved to lie about Mira, to present a perfect facade, and always forced things on Mira to fit into that mold. Not that Mira ever cared to listen. "I get it though, why you did all of that. It hurts, like I said it'll probably be a sore spot for a while, but I could never hate you or hold it against you. It sucked and you apologized so now we can just.. move forward. Besides, I didn't help that situation much. I just kept pushing but I knew you were hiding something, it was driving me crazy."
"Well you were right." Rumi grinned when Mira snorted a soft laugh, pleased to have her smiling again. "I don't want to hide anymore. Like we promised, no more lies or secrets. I want to be more open with you guys, especially since, we're, well—"
"Girlfriends?" And oh that smile turned into a smirk so easily, her eyes narrowing playfully. "Can't even say it out loud without melting down?"
If only she could move, Rumi would have covered her face and rolled over, letting the bed consume her until her face cooled. Instead she just sighed at the teasing, leaning up to shakily kiss Mira's cheek. It was fleeting, hesitant, but she looked so pleased at it that Rumi wanted to do it over and over again.
"Yes, girlfriends." The words came out more reverent than she realized. Zoey rejoined them then, glancing between them with a raised brow and water bottles in hand. Rumi just reached out for her, happy when she did so without hesitation. A bottle was handed to Mira and then Zoey cracked the top of another, carefully helping Rumi up enough to safely take a few sips. When it was closed and moved, with Zoey bringing the laptop closer so they could find something to watch, Rumi breathed in the easy warmth of the moment. "Girlfriends."
Zoey giggled at her openly then, snuggling in to pepper kisses across Rumi's face. She soaked up the affection, feeling Mira laughing softly at her back.
"First you can't say it without turning into a tomato and now you can't stop saying it." Mira teased her with words but her fingers moved in soothing circles against her stomach, gently and fleeting so she didn't put any pressure on her ribs. "What am I gonna do with you?"
Rumi huffed, going to give her an answer but Zoey beat her to it, looking mischievous and bright as she leaned over to kiss Mira. It was quick, just a peck, but it was adorable to see Mira melt into it.
"I know! I know!" Zoey grinned, looking down at Rumi as she ran her fingers through her hair. The sensation nearly stole the air from Rumi's lungs, leaning in without thinking.
"What are we gonna do with her then, baby?" The easy pet name had them both flushing again, though Zoey looked absolutely radiant as she grinned. That playful spark was still there as she leaned in to kiss Mira's nose this time before she turned her attention to Rumi once more.
Then, all at once, she softened, looking at her with so much open affection, Rumi thought that maybe she really had dreamed this entire thing. The feeling of her scratching soothingly at the back of her neck erased that thought from Rumi's mind.
"We love her, Mira. That's what we do."
Mira made a noise of agreement, looking at Rumi with a matching look of adoration. It did something funny to her heart, brought tears back to her eyes, and Rumi was suddenly really grateful to her bruised ribs for leading to this very situation.
"I love you." It was aimed at them both and they knew it, Zoey tucking her head under Rumi's chin to cuddle up even closer while Mira just tucked her more securely to her chest. They were so warm, felt so right, that Rumi felt her entire being relaxing in a way she didn't think she'd ever been able to do before.
"Rest, tiger. We'll be here the whole time." Mira's words were a promise that sapped any lingering energy from Rumi's body. The whirlwind of the past day, and her injuries, leaving her sleepy even though she hadn't been awake long.
"She's already asleep." Mira whispered to Zoey when she started to wiggle back so she'd be able to get the delivery from Bobby when he arrived. "Like, entirely, I don't think you'll wake her up by moving."
Zoey hesitated but then more quickly slipped from the bed, blinking down at Rumi when all she did was whine softly before she settled.
"Wow. She must have still been really tired." There was a little frown on Zoey's face as she brushed some hair behind Rumi's ear.
"Not super surprising. I honestly expected a Rumi crash to come sooner rather than later when she pushed the release of Golden, but I didn't ever expect this." Mira traced her fingertips across the patterns on Rumi's bicep. They were no longer purple, now looking almost iridescent, glittering beneath her touch.
"She must have been so scared this whole time." Zoey looked close to tears again as she leaned down to kiss Rumi's forehead.
"We'll protect her from now on." Mira had to. She couldn't stand to see that fear, the pleading sorrow that seemed suffused into Rumi's entire being, again. "If I ever see Celine again, it'll be too soon."
Mira's sparking anger dulled when Zoey leaned in to kiss her, obviously pleased to know that worked to calm her down.
"We'll work through it all, together, and if Celine tries to teach her those lessons from before, then we'll just have to make sure Rumi doesn't believe her anymore."
"Yeah."
"For now!" Zoey winked at her, standing up to check her phone. "Keep her warm, Mimi. When I get back with food, we are all going to enjoy a wonderful two days in bed."
Mira rolled her eyes but nodded, watching Zoey go out to meet with Bobby with open affection. They were all such a mess, this whole situation just a wreck, but they were all safe, and that's all she could really ask for.
Rumi nuzzled in a little closer, letting out a tiny content sound Mira had never heard her make before, and it was like the world clicked into place around her. It would be alright, everything would work out, because they were together now, and she'd love them forever.