We Are Hunters

by OptimisticDragon

Summary:

“Have you ever…” Rumi hesitated, wondering how to ask. ”Wanted to…with Zoey? Or- or me?”

“Yes,” Mira said instantly. “Every second I'm with you guys. I want to right now.”

“Oh.” Rumi's breath hitched and she became very aware of her body slotted against Mira's.

“It was brutal at first,” Mira admitted. “Especially when Zoey started getting all handsy. But I've had lots of practice with restraint. I'm not about to mess up anything with Huntrix and I know how important our job is with the Honmoon. I promise, I can handle it.”

Rumi exhaled slowly. “That's…yeah that's good. We don't want to mess up anything with Huntrix.”

Chapter 1: Mira 1

Mira slammed the door of her hotel room shut, not even glancing at the mediocre hotel art that fell off the wall. In the bathroom, she scrubbed her hands vigorously with the waxy bar of soap. She smelled the back of her hand, then washed her hands again. 

A knock at the door interrupted Mira’s wrestling with the hand towel and the ridiculous silver hook. She threw the towel on the ground and went to peer through the peephole. Her rage renewed itself when she saw Camille bouncing on her toes nervously in the hallway.

Mira sighed so hard it was almost a growl. She flung the door open and turned away immediately to walk toward the bed, letting her sort of girlfriend decide whether to not to follow.

“Mira?” she called timidly. Camille was tall, though not quite as tall as Mira. Although she was half Korean, she favored her French mother with fine, light brown hair and amber colored eyes. Objectively gorgeous, but right now Mira couldn't stand the sight of her.

“How did it go with Jungho?” Camille asked as she closed the door softly and treaded carefully to the bed where Mira had sat. 

Mira jumped to her feet again and closed the distance Camille had left between them. Mira's fingers dug into soft hips as she pulled Camille's body flush against hers. She pressed a hurried, messy kiss against her lips, then let her lips travel down Camille's jaw and neck. 

Camille let a small gasp of pleasure escape before she asked breathlessly, “Did…did you make the list?”

Mira didn't answer. She reached behind Camille's back to pull her even closer, rolling her hips against hers. She was rewarded with small moans and gasps as she sucked and bit and kissed all along Camille's neck and collarbones, and, thankfully, no more questions. 

Mira twirled them around and lifted Camille up by her thighs to throw her on the bed. She immediately climbed on top and resumed kissing her and squeezing her breasts through her shirt. Mira reached under the hem of the shirt to lift it away, but Camille grabbed her wrist and held it still.

“Mira,” she said firmly, stilling her movements. Mira finally looked her in the eyes, annoyed she had stopped it.

“What?” she hissed.

“I'm guessing you didn't make the list,” Camille said, still a little breathless. “Do you want to talk about it?”

“No,” Mira snapped. “Just shut up and take your clothes off.”

Mira attempted to get a hand up her shirt again, but she pushed it away.

“No.” 

Mira huffed and reluctantly sat up onto her knees between Camille's legs. Camille pushed herself up onto her elbows.

“You can talk to me, Mira. What happened?”

Mira rolled her eyes and fell onto the bed beside Camille, one arm thrown across her eyes. After several quiet moments, she finally spoke. 

“Apparently the director has a particular look he wants for the backups, and Jungho can't do anything to get me in this one. So that's another week and a half sitting around doing nothing, not getting paid.”

Mira felt Camille's warm hand on her bicep, an attempt at comfort, but it was all Mira could do to not shove her away. 

“And,” Mira continued. “He only told me this after he finished. Waste of my fucking time.”

A few breaths passed before Camille shifted closer to her and rested her cheek on Mira's shoulder. It reminded Mira of a girl a few girlfriends ago; almost endearing, but an uncomfortable fit.

“Babe, you're an amazing dancer,” Camille said in Korean. 

Mira bristled at both the pet name and the language switch. They almost exclusively spoke in English together because Mira’s English was better than Camille's Korean and Mira only spoke a little French. Lately, Camille had been trying to talk to Mira in Korean more, presumably to connect with her more.

“You could easily get parts without Jungho,” Camille continued. “You don't need him.”

Mira gave a dry, humorless laugh. Maybe that was true now, but when she had first joined the company after running away from home at 17, she was an average dancer at best. The only way she could get consistent work then was by pulling on the dance coordinator’s tiny, wrinkly cock every once in a while. Now that they had this arrangement, she couldn't just stop because Jungho made it clear he would ensure Mira wouldn't get any work for months.

“And you don't know what you're talking about,” Mira replied in English. She regretted telling Camille about her arrangement with Jungho. She seemed to think this secret between them represented Mira’s vulnerability with her and only her. In reality, it represented a drunken night in which Mira was trying to get into Camille's pants for the first time.

Mira rolled off the bed and busied herself with pulling her phone charger out of her backpack and searching for an outlet. 

“Hey,” Camille sat up on the bed. “I'm just trying to help you. And be here for you. Talk to me…please?”

Mira ignored her as she plugged her phone in and watched it power up. The last thing she felt like doing was having a heart to heart about her feelings with Camille.

“Mira, I care about you,” Camille's hand found its way to Mira’s arm again. “I…I might even lo-”

Mira twisted and threw Camille's hand off of her. Camille's eyes widened in surprise and hurt.

“Stop,” Mira said in a low voice. “Stop…caring about me.” Her voice began to shake and got progressively louder. “And talking about feelings. I don't want to, okay? Just… just stop caring about me.”

Tears gathered in Camille's eyes. Suddenly, Mira felt guilty for pushing her away. She was a sweet girl and one of the few that genuinely did care about Mira. 

“Camille, I'm sorry,” Mira said, reaching a hand out to her. 

But then Camille stood swiftly and stepped toward the door.

“Get someone else to be your fuck buddy,” she said facing the door. “I can't keep doing this and not care about you.”

She opened the door and turned back to look at Mira. “Good luck, Mira. I hope someday you find someone you can care about too.”

Then she was gone. Mira flopped onto the bed to stare at the ceiling. 

Only a few short moments passed before the phone charging on the bedside table buzzed. Mira reached out blindly and checked the notification.

Mira, I know you're probably busy, but I'm graduating on May 28th at 3pm. If you're able to make it, it would be cool to see you. 

She hadn't seen or talked to her brother, Seojin, since the day she left home. He was just a kid, how could he already be graduating? Of course he was probably graduating early, as per usual excelling at everything he tried. 

Mira imagined showing up to her old high school where she hadn't even graduated herself, and running into her parents and their disapproving faces. It wasn't a pleasant scenario.

However, she did have a week and a half of free time while her company shot the music video that Mira didn't have the right look for. And she could look forward to seeing her little brother again. It was a good excuse to get out of Australia, away from Camille and Jungho and all the other girls in the company that Mira pushed away before they could get too close. 

Hey. I would love to come, but I'll have to see if I can make it work.

Mira pressed the send button and pulled the blanket up over her head. Over the past two years, she had travelled all over the world dancing in music videos, stage productions, and even commercials, having amazing sex with beautiful women, all without her parents breathing down her neck. It was a dream come true.

And now she was choosing to leave the dream and risk meeting her parents again. It was fucked up. Mira searched for plane tickets to Seoul on her phone in the darkness beneath the blanket. 

 

---

 

Mira sat in the very back of the bleachers in the gymnasium and tried not to remember the last time she was in this gym. She watched a tall, handsome young man stand when they called Seojin's name. He bowed as he received his diploma and Mira was surprised to find her eyes wet.

Mira's mind wandered as they read through the rest of the graduates’ names. Right over there at the entrance to the girls locker room was where her parents had threatened to take her off all her dance teams if she ever behaved inappropriately with another girl again. It was just her bad luck that Seojin had convinced them to attend that one performance after years of not bothering to show up to anything dance related. Mira didn't even realize they were in the crowd when she celebrated the win by kissing her girlfriend.

Mira barely noticed that the ceremony had ended. She hesitated as people around her filed out of the bleachers, wondering if it was possible to catch Seojin without running into her parents as well. She decided to sneak out the back door of the gymnasium and watch the families exit the main doors from a distance.

As Mira made her way around the school, she glanced at the dance studio across the street. A girl about 13 was escorted in by her mother. They smiled at each other before stepping inside, each as excited as the other. Mira felt a pang of envy. 

But then she quickly reminded herself that she never wanted that. It worked out so much better when she managed her own registrations, costumes, and travel arrangements and her parents were happy to give her however much money she needed, as long as she stayed busy and out of their way. Mira’s last few months at home had been unbearable, with either her mom or dad attending every practice, performance, and meeting, by all appearances devoted parents supporting their daughter’s dream. 

It was only a matter of time before Mira slipped up though, and her parents followed through on their threat to take away their funding for dance. Mira packed her things and moved in with the same girl she had been caught with the next day, though she barely knew her. As with all her relationships, it didn’t last long. But luckily, one of her many auditions finally led to Mira’s big break and soon she was dancing in Europe, then America, then Japan, and she was able to forget that she was disgusting and perverted in her parents’ eyes.

“Mira!”

Mira turned and saw the tall, handsome young man with her brother's face approaching her. He stopped a good distance away, unsure. 

“Seojin,” Mira breathed. She crossed the distance and pulled him into a hug. The last time she hugged him his head barely came up to her chest, and now it was her head tucked beneath his chin.

“Thanks for coming,” Seojin said. His voice was so deep.

Mira pulled away and smiled up at him. She didn't say anything, but somehow he knew what she was asking.

“They're here,” he answered. “Over there. They weren't too happy with me when they found out I invited you.”

Seojin had always been perfect. He was compliant, polite, sweet, especially compared to Mira. She hated him for it and loved him beyond words.

“I should probably go,” Mira said. “Congratulations. And…I'm sorry,” she shifted her feet uncomfortably. “For not being here the last few years.”

“You don't have to go,” Seojin said, grabbing her arm as she turned away. “Maybe you could join us for dinner?”

Mira shook her head. “They wouldn't want me to.”

Seojin opened his mouth to say something, but then his eyes shifted to behind Mira's left shoulder. Mira turned. Her dad looked the exact same, maybe a few more gray hairs. Her mom's eyes held relief and she almost smiled.

“Mira,” her dad acknowledged stoically.

Mira pursed her lips and stared at him. She had nothing to say. 

“How is dance going?” her mother asked. 

For a brief second, Mira had an impulse to run into their arms and tell them how it was everything she ever wanted but how desperately unhappy she was doing the one thing she was passionate about. But the whim passed and Mira responded, “It's great.”

Her parents exchanged a look. 

“We've been considering…” her mother started. “Well, if you ever wanted a change…we would consider supporting you through college. You could dance on the university team if you wanted. A talent like yours could even get you scholarships.”

Mira watched her mother talk and her father watched Mira. University was the last thing Mira wanted to do, but she was curious about the offer. 

“Yeah? You want to dangle money above me again?” Mira grinned satisfactorily at her mother's flinch. “And what happens to your money when I start fucking girls left and right?”

Her mother looked disgusted and appalled. There was fire in her father's eyes, a quiet, yet forceful threat. But Mira felt particularly daring today.

“Can I bring my girlfriend to the house? I can try to make her be quiet when I'm touching her naked body and licking her-”

“Enough.” Mira's father spat. 

Mira breathed heavily through her nose as she stared him down.

“You can forget-” her father started. 

“Mira,” her mother interrupted. “We are offering you a way back to a normal life. Back into this family. We can help you overcome this infatuation you have with girls, and you can even get married and have a family of your own!”

Mira glared at her in disbelief.

“Mira,” she said, stepping closer. “We just don't want to see you throw away your potential.”

Mira looked into the eyes of the people who could only love her conditionally. She could almost be sad about it if she wasn't consumed by rage. 

“Keep your money,” she hissed. Turning her back to her parents, Mira faced Seojin and tried to put all her apologies into a final look. Then she turned on her heel and stormed away, hot tears tracking down her cheeks.

She was grateful she had parked her rented car in the back parking lot so that she could fumble with the keys away from her family's stares. She finally got the door opened and threw herself inside to take some shaky deep breaths.

Mira jumped at someone knocking on the window. It was a pretty middle aged woman gesturing to roll the window down. Mira quickly wiped her face dry and pressed the window button. 

“Hi,” the woman said. “Sorry to catch you at a bad time. It's…Mira, right?”

Mira squinted at her suspiciously. She was very familiar looking, but Mira couldn't place where she knew her from.

“Yes?” Mira responded. “I'm sorry, how do I know you?”

“You don't,” she said. “My name is Celine.”

Celine. It clicked for Mira then. She used to have posters and albums with her face on them.

“You…you're a Sunlight Sister.”

“Yes,” Celine confirmed. “And that's sort of what brought me here to you.”

Mira stared at her, too confused to say anything more.

“You see,” Celine explained. “I'd like to offer you an opportunity. I’m holding auditions for KPop idol training. I’d like to see what you can do.”

Mira felt a bit dizzy. She was still reeling from the interaction with her parents and now one of the most famous pop stars in Korea was asking her to audition to be a KPop idol. That’s not even how auditions are supposed to work.

Then out of the corner of her eye, Mira spotted a young woman with purple hair watching them from behind a parked car. When Mira squinted at her, she ducked behind the car out of sight. Before Mira had time to ponder the strangeness of the situation, Celine was talking again.

“I can explain further. If you'd like to come down to the studio and I can introduce you-”

“Yes,” Mira blurted out. “Yes, I can come.”

Celine’s shoulders relaxed in relief and she smiled.

“Perfect. Thank you, Mira. You're going to be perfect.”

Chapter 2: Zoey 1

 “Zoey, this has to stop happening.”

“I know… I'm sorry, Dad,” Zoey looked down at her fingers where she was picking at a stray thread in the leather seats of the principal’s office. “But it's not like I choose to get in fights. They always start it.”

“I know, Zo, I know,” her dad said quietly from the matching chair beside her. “But we need to find a way for you to deal with these kids without anyone getting hurt. Maybe we should switch back to Hapkido…"

“No!” Zoey protested a little too loudly. “It's not because of that. I promise, I-”

“Zoey?” Principal Ramirez poked her head in her office door. “We're ready for you.”

Zoey and her dad stood and followed the principal to the conference room next door. Two police officers and the vice principal were already seated with notepads ready. 

“Hello, Zoey,” the male officer greeted her. “Have a seat. We just need to ask you a few questions and we should be done soon.”

Zoey scooted her chair close to the table and folded her hands on her lap. Her expression was just the right amount of shy and scared. This wasn't the first time she had to give a statement, and it was more annoying than anything. The police wouldn't do shit; they'd get their paperwork done and that would be the end of it. Zoey gave a polite nod.

“Okay,” the female officer began. “Let's get your version of events. Tell us what happened right after 5th period.”

“I left class and went to my locker,” Zoey said, watching the pens fly across the notepads. “When I got there, I saw a few pages from my notebook were torn out and taped on the lockers. They were the exact pages Maddie and Jaz had made fun of in 2nd period yesterday. There was no question who did it. I lost my temper a bit and went to confront them. I saw Maddie first, so I told her to stop stealing my notebooks. I may have pushed her a tiny bit, but not hard.”

Zoey waited in silence as everyone finished writing. She felt a pang of guilt about Maddie. Her bullying wasn't really about Zoey at all; she was just trying to impress her boyfriend, Ryan. Maddie had no idea that Ryan had lost all interest in tormenting Zoey a few months ago after Zoey made him bleed and cry like a baby. Luckily, Ryan was too embarrassed to tell anyone, let alone the police.

“And then what happened?” the male officer asked.

Zoey was prepared for this question. “She took a swing at me and I used a sokkeo dollyeo makki, a deflecting block, then moved her arm into a son mok sul, a wrist lock. It twists the joint just enough to control someone without breaking anything. I spun her enough to get her off balance and I guided her to the floor.”

“That sounds…almost gentle,” the female officer said in surprise.

“Well yeah, it wasn't, like, a brawl. I’ve taken Hapkido classes. It isn't about overpowering, it's about control. I didn't hurt Maddie, I just made sure she couldn't hurt me.”

More scribbles. Zoey glanced sideways at her dad, who frowned slightly. He knew his daughter hated Hapkido, and he now also knew the game Zoey was playing.

“May I also add something?” Principal Ramirez spoke up from the end of the table. 

The officers nodded.

“Zoey has faced a pattern of bullying for years from this same group of students. She's been in here quite a few times for her retaliation. But she is a good kid, a bright student, and it's just misfortune that she's been targeted over and over again.”

Zoey's heart swelled at the principal's words. She gave her a timid smile when she caught her eye. 

“I know the video evidence looks like she was the aggressor, and it looks more violent than it actually was. But I can promise that there has been plenty of aggression the other way. We've tried to deal with this social tension in every way we're allowed to, but it continues to fester. I'm not sure what else we can do.”

The officers finished their notes while Zoey exchanged a nervous glance with her dad. Video evidence? Of course there was video evidence, there’s cameras everywhere. And Zoey’s takedown of Maddie was anything but gentle control as taught in Hapkido. Even without seeing the video evidence, Zoey knew her dad knew she was putting her recent MMA lessons to practice.

“Thank you both for your statements,” the female officer said. “I can't make any promises, and the family would be well within their rights to press charges…but personally I don't think there's a case here. Zoey, you seem like a sweet girl. I hope this fizzles into nothing.”

“Thanks,” Zoey smiled shyly at her. 

After Zoey's dad thanked the principal and vice principal, they were free to go. They rode in the car home in silence. 

“Zoey,” her dad broke the silence. “Maybe we should consider-”

“It doesn't work, remember?” Zoey interrupted. “I'd rather fight with people I know than get a whole new group of idiots to fight.”

It had been suggested before that she transfer schools, but, as Zoey pointed out to her dad, they had tried it before. In middle school, she switched schools to avoid a persistent group of boys that liked to stuff her into lockers and garage cans. Then she got a new group of tormentors within months at the new school. There was just something about Zoey that invited it in.

Her dad watched the road for a few tense moments, gripping the steering wheel tightly. 

“I was going to say we should consider Korea.”

Zoey breathed carefully as she stared at the road. She hadn't lived in Korea since she was 6. Living with her mom was not an option, so Zoey was confused what he meant.

“Mom can't-”

“She's living with Sunhee now. Your aunt can take care of you and that way you can still be with Mom. She's already offered.”

Zoey tried to imagine living with her Aunt Sunhee, always full of warmth and joy, and her mom, whose moods were unpredictable and intense. Zoey loved her mom, and knew her mom loved her. But she couldn't be a proper parent while she was still recovering from addiction, so Zoey had to love her from a distance.

“I don't even know how to speak Korean anymore…”

“You'll remember,” her dad said offhandedly as he pulled the car into the garage. After he turned the ignition off, he remained seated. “Zo, I hope you know, I'm not trying to get rid of you. I would love for you to stay and I'll miss you every day. But I think Korea will be good for you. You might find people more on your wavelength.”

He sighed and ran his fingers through thin, graying hair. “I want you to have friends. People who enjoy you, who value you. I've wanted that for you all this time, but it doesn't seem to be happening here.”

Zoey leaned her head back against the seat and closed her eyes. She thought about her dreams of making it big in the music industry in LA. She had only recently been brave enough to test her skills at underground rap battles, and found that she was actually really good at it. She had hopes of getting discovered and signing a record deal, and her best chance for that was right here in Los Angeles.

Zoey's dad seemed to read her mind. “You know, KPop is getting bigger and bigger and they're always looking for new talent. You could be the next big KPop hit!” He gave an encouraging smile.

Zoey smiled back. Her dad really believed this was in her best interest and he seemed excited about it. She should be excited too. She didn't say anything about how her aunt lives in the rural south, hours and hours away from Seoul, and how her chances of getting discovered would drop to essentially zero.

“Okay, Dad,” she said. It was easy to contort her expression into calm acceptance. Her dad looked relieved, but also a little sad.

“You’re sure?” he said, raising his eyebrows. “We can think about it for a while.”

“No, it's okay. You're right, I'll probably make friends easier in Korea. Let's do it.”

Her dad watched her for a little longer, but Zoey was an expert at arranging her face and body language to make him feel comfortable with his decisions. He sighed and said, “Okay.”

Zoey went to her room. Now that it was decided, she let herself actually feel hopeful about the move. Maybe her dad was right about finding people more on her wavelength. She seemed to be off-putting to the other kids here, too excited about the wrong things, obnoxious just for existing. She remembered playing with other kids when she lived in Korea; maybe people there wouldn't find her annoying.

 

---

 

Zoey was wrong. Within her first month in South Korea, two different people commented on how loud she speaks; a classmate whispering to another “Why does she shout everything?”, and her Aunt Sunhee reminding her gently to use her inside voice. 

She charmed people easily with her jokes and stories and made a few friends fast. But Zoey could see them cringe more and more at her big hand gestures, unfiltered facial expressions, and loud laugh. She saw it, but couldn’t restrain herself from being too expressive. 

Her novelty as an American wore off eventually and by her second semester, Zoey only had one sort of friend. At first Eunji was warm and kind, and took pity on Zoey’s obvious outsider energy. She had laughed when Zoey mispronounced a word, but not in a mean way. She patiently repeated it until Zoey got it right. She even introduced her to more friends, traded snacks at lunch, and helped her with class notes. For a few weeks, Zoey felt like her dad might have been right about finding people who “got” her. 

But now, Zoey could feel it happening with Eunji as well. The slow retreat as she realized just how much Zoey was to handle. And Zoey just couldn’t stop being too much.

It had been two days since she last texted Eunji. Two whole days of restraint. Zoey opened her phone as she rode the bus and began typing, then deleted it, then typed again, and deleted, over and over. She looked back through their texts. 

Zoey sighed and let her phone drop to her lap. She pulled out a notebook from her backpack and began writing. She had a teacher in America tell her that she had a talent for poetry and that she should write whenever she felt anything at all, just to practice. 

She had entered some of her verses into songwriting competitions here just for fun, but she never won. Zoey was right about her chances of being discovered dropping to zero in a quiet town in Suncheon surrounded by countryside and hours away from the entertainment scene. Maybe after high school she could go to university in Seoul. Maybe the people there wouldn’t find her annoying.

Zoey reread the verses she wrote. 

Back home I was volume, a spark in the room,

Now I’m thunder in a place where silence blooms.

I talk too fast, too real, feelings on display,

But here that honesty just makes people look away.

I’m “too much”, “too loud”, like my voice is a sin,

Like being me’s a battle I ain’t supposed to win.

I wanted a stage, now I’m stuck in disguise,

Caged in a culture where I can’t improvise.

Back home I was loud cause it meant I was seen,

Now quiet’s survival, do you know what that means?

She was surprised at how much yearning for her home in America there was. She was never really happy there, but at least when she was being bullied, she was being seen. Here, no one was outright violent toward her, but there was a whole different kind of pain in being ignored.

The bus arrived at Zoey’s stop and she put her things away and got off. She walked a few minutes down the road to the Taekwondo studio for her class. She refused to do Hapkido again, but her dad, mom, aunt, and even herself agreed that it would be good for her to maintain her martial arts practice and have a physical outlet for her energy.

It was good for her. After an hour of kicking and punching, Zoey felt much more relaxed and even had a smile on her face as she walked out of the studio. As she walked back towards the bus stop, however, Zoey began to feel uneasy, as if someone was watching her. Zoey twirled around suddenly and found that her instincts were right: she was being followed.

When she saw who was following her, Zoey stopped breathing. She had been listening to the Sunlight Sisters since she was a child. It was something her and her mom bonded over and Zoey had always thought all three of their voices sounded like her mother. And now, the main vocalist of the Sunlight Sisters, Celine, was approaching Zoey on a random street in rural South Korea. Zoey blinked a few times to make sure her vision was working correctly. 

“Hello,” the famous pop star said in Zoey’s direction.

Zoey’s mouth was agape. There was no one else on the street besides them, but it wasn’t possible that Celine was here for her.

“M- Me? Me hello?”

Celine chuckled. “Yes, you. Hello. My name is Celine. I wondered if you had a quick moment to chat?”

“I know who you are, Celine!” Zoey practically shouted. She recognized the expression on Celine’s face and nervously cleared her throat and turned her voice down to normal speaking volume. “I mean, yes, hello. I can chat.”

Celine smiled gently at her. “Okay good. I’d like to offer you an opportunity. It might mean leaving your home and moving to Seoul, though. First of all, what is your name and how old are you?”

“My name is Zoey and I’m 17 years old,” she began answering immediately. “Wait, I mean, I’m 18 in Korea. Actually, no, wait, I’m actually 19 because the Lunar New Year was last week. Right? Sorry, I’m still getting used to the age thing.”

Celine looked at her with that look that people get when Zoey talks too fast. So Zoey did what she always does when she gets nervous: talk more. 

“I'm sorry about my Korean. I'm American, you see, I just moved here a few months ago and it's been a long time since I've-”

“Do you like music, Zoey?” 

Celine patiently listened to Zoey excitedly ramble about the music she likes, the songs she writes, and gush about the Sunlight Sisters while bouncing on her toes and gesturing wildly with her hands.

“Well, I think you would fit well with a group I'm putting together. Would you be interested in auditioning in Seoul? If it's okay with your parents of course.”

Zoey nearly fainted right there on the sidewalk. She managed a nod with a tiny squeak, speechless for once.

“Okay,” Celine said with a hint of relief in her voice. “Here’s my number and email for you and your parents to contact me with any questions.”

Zoey took the card from her with shaking hands, and stumbled her way through thanking her and saying goodbye.

On the bus ride home, Zoey finally processed what had happened. She smacked herself on the forehead as she realized she had been discovered ! She still didn’t know how or why, but this was the thing that she thought had no chance of happening since moving to Korea. And somehow it happened!

Zoey didn’t dwell on how strange it was that Celine sought her out and thought she’d fit in after having a five minute conversation. Instead, she began planning on how to talk about the audition with her family. This was the greatest day of her life so far.

Chapter 3: Rumi 1

Rumi felt the others for the first time when she was 16. It was different from the usual low thrum of the Honmoon, it was almost like a melody. Rumi knew from a very young age that she would be joined by two other girls someday and together they would strengthen the Honmoon that protects the world from demons using their voices. As she grew older, the fairytale-like quality of her destiny began to waver and anxiety crept in. What if the other girls didn’t like Rumi? What if they resented being chosen by the Honmoon? What if they saw her patterns before they could seal the Honmoon?

Celine was ecstatic when Rumi told her she had begun to sense the others. She described to Rumi in more detail what it felt like with her bandmates who were more like sisters to her. Rumi loved hearing about her mom, but was discouraged that it didn’t feel the same way as Celine described. Celine reassured her that it would get stronger as she got to know the other hunters more. 

Rumi thought of the others like friends before she even met them. She imagined them by her side all the time; during vocal training, during hunter training, at meals, sleeping beside her at night. She often wondered what they looked like, and what they were doing right now. Rumi missed them without even knowing them. 

She supposed it had something to do with how lonely she was all the time. She had Celine of course, and she was usually around other kids at dance lessons, vocal training, and guitar and piano lessons. She got along well with adults as well, as Celine often brought her along to KPop events and business meetings. But Rumi couldn’t really say she had a friend. 

Throughout her teen years, Celine began to take her on demon hunts. Rumi’s confidence grew as she eventually was able to summon her weapon, a shimmering Saingeom, from the Honmoon itself and kill demons alongside her mentor. Rumi could tell that Celine was beginning to slow down with age, though. They needed younger replacements soon.

When Rumi was 19, Celine put out a call for KPop idol auditions. Although Rumi was becoming more attuned to the other hunters through the Honmoon, she still couldn’t sense where in the world they were. Both Rumi and Celine were getting anxious to get the group together soon because Rumi’s patterns continued to spread. 

So the auditions were a starting place. One day a week, Rumi met Celine in downtown Seoul for as many auditions as she could schedule, but the rest of the time Rumi was busy with classes at Chugye University, vocal training, fighting practice, dance, and guitar. 

Rumi stepped off the train on an unusually brisk May afternoon and walked toward the performing arts center. She felt a slight stirring in the Honmoon and concentrated hard to reach out to the other hunter. 

Rumi smiled as she felt a brief flicker of joy and pride with the girl who was usually angry most of the time. She could now differentiate between the two of them after years of reaching out through the Honmoon. Celine told her they wouldn't be able to feel her until they've had years of experience with the Honmoon, but Rumi still liked to believe they knew she was with them.

As she stepped into the auditorium to join Celine in the third row, Rumi tried to imagine what had made the other hunter happy today. She felt especially close today. Whether that meant geographically close or emotionally close, Rumi still hadn't figured out how to tell.

Celine tapped her on the thigh and Rumi's attention snapped back to the stage, where a pretty young woman with long black hair nervously stepped up to the mic to do her slate. Rumi watched her sing a few verses of a popular KPop song and smiled at her encouragingly. When she finished and left the stage, Rumi shook her head in response to Celine's gaze. 

As with every single girl they had auditioned, Rumi knew immediately before even looking at her properly that it wasn't one of her girls. The auditions weren't completely fruitless though; Celine and the other manager who worked for their company, Bobby, took diligent notes on each one and some actually went on to idol training. But the main purpose of these auditions was to find the other girls, and so far it had been a failure.

Rumi watched eight more auditions with as much success as the previous hundred, and then she was free to go. She gathered her things and turned to leave. 

Suddenly the cords of the Honmoon gleamed red and pulsed toward the exit of the auditorium. Rumi's first thought was of demons, but when she turned and saw Celine still conversing with Bobby, she knew it had to be one of her girls; Celine still couldn't feel the other hunters.

“Celine,” Rumi called softly.

When she turned and saw the expression on Rumi's face, Celine apologized to Bobby and gathered her things to follow Rumi outside.

“What do you feel?” Celine asked as they walked. “What does it look like? Tell me everything.”

“It's…weird. Like pulsing red light and it's showing me the direction where to go. That way,” Rumi pointed. 

“Mhmm. And what do you feel?”

“Anger. Rejection. But also…fondness at the same time? I don't know if I'm feeling it right.”

“You're doing great, honey,” Celine said. They continued to follow the Honmoon’s pulsing light down busy city streets at a brisk pace. 

Suddenly, Rumi slowed as they approached a high school. 

“She's close,” she said with certainty. Her heart leapt into her throat. This could be it. After waiting her whole life to meet her, she was right here. 

“Keep going, Rumi,” Celine said breathlessly. She was just as nervous and excited. “Show me where.”

Rumi led them toward the high school where students dressed in robes and caps were meeting with their families. They walked into the midst of the crowd, luckily not out of place as they appeared to be looking for their student. Rumi inspected all the faces of the graduates, but none of them were her.

Just as she started to think she was interpreting the Honmoon incorrectly, a shout caught their attention. 

“Mira! Wait!”

It was one of the graduates, standing aside from the main crowd with his family. He stood with his parents as they watched a girl walk away. She had long pink hair with slender long legs. 

Rumi's stomach did a flip and the Honmoon surged with warmth and light. 

Celine touched her arm. “Is it her?”

Rumi nodded. They followed her to the parking lot. She stomped like she was angry, and Rumi could feel it through the Honmoon. 

When she stopped to pull her keys out of her purse, Rumi could feel it happening again. 

“Oh no,” she moaned. Why now? It's always at the worst possible moments. Her breaths came fast and hard and her chest squeezed until it felt like Rumi couldn't suck enough air. 

Celine recognized what was happening, and lowered Rumi to the ground to sit against the tire of a parked car.

“Rumi, calm down. Just breathe, nice and slow.”

Easier said than done. Rumi’s panic really set in as she tried harder to pull air into her lungs faster and faster. 

“Rumi, we can't…” Celine sighed impatiently and glanced over at the car the girl had slipped into. “Okay, wait right here. Breathe. It's going to be okay. Just wait.”

And then Celine was gone. The black asphalt swam before Rumi's eyes. She couldn't feel her body anymore. The only thing she was aware of was her erratic breathing and the fear. What if she doesn't want to be a hunter? What if she sees Rumi like this and decides not to be a part of whatever this is?

Somehow in the middle of Rumi's spiraling thoughts, she managed to reach a hand out to touch the cords of the Honmoon. It responded to her touch and a wave of calm washed over her. For a moment, her breath caught and Rumi forced her lungs to inhale deep and then exhale slow. She did it again. And again.

Her head felt less dizzy and her chest relaxed its grip on her lungs. Celine was still gone and Rumi had no idea how long she had been sitting in the parking lot freaking out. 

She pushed herself onto her knees to peak over the car. She spotted Celine bent over at the window of the car the girl had gotten in. And inside the car…

Rumi inhaled sharply. She could see her face properly now. She was absolutely stunning. High, sharp cheekbones, angular, yet sleek jaw. And her eyes were mesmerizing; almond shaped and angled upwards, they gave the impression of quiet intensity, in this moment widened in shock as she listened to Celine.

Suddenly, her eyes darted over to Rumi and narrowed. Rumi dropped to the ground with a yelp. No, no, no! She was going to think Rumi was such a creep! Why did she decide to spy on them crouched down behind a car? 

Rumi felt her breathing speed up again, and focused all her energy on breathing out and in. She counted all the lines on her hands, a technique her therapist had taught her. 

Celine found her somewhat calm moments later. Rumi only had to look at the triumphant expression on Celine's face to know she hadn't scared her away. She exhaled in relief.

“Mira will meet us at the studio,” Celine said through a grin. “You did wonderfully, Rumi. Your connection with the Honmoon is getting stronger every day.”

She pulled on Rumi's arms and helped her to stand. Rumi twisted her head around, but Mira's car was nowhere in sight. Mira. Even her name was beautiful. 

Rumi looked back at Celine. “I'm sorry. I…I got nervous and-”

Celine held up a hand. She frowned in disappointment, but quickly plastered on a kind smile. “It's okay, Rumi. We found her, that's what matters. You did well.”

After a brief pause, she asked, “You were able to pull yourself out of it? Did you do the grounding techniques Dr. Park taught you?”

Rumi nodded. 

“Good.” Celine's eyes drifted to Rumi's shirt sleeve, but they couldn't check now in public. Maybe later.

“Come on. Let's go meet Mira.”

Rumi's stomach flipped again in nervousness but she also felt excited now as well as scared. 

The Honmoon quivered in excitement as well.

Chapter 4: Mira 2

Notes:

This fic time jumps a bit, so just to clarify, this chapter takes place a few weeks after end of the first Mira and Rumi chapters, but much before the first Zoey chapter.

Mira pushed open the glass doors of the recording studio and let the hum of late evening traffic envelope them after hours behind soundproofed walls. Rumi followed her out and they fell into step as they headed toward the train station.

“You’ve been improving a lot,” Rumi said casually, her tone even, though there was a smile tugging at her lips. “Your pitch is steadier than last week. I could hear it in the harmonies.”

Heat rose in Mira’s cheeks, but she masked it by adjusting the strap of her bag. “Thanks. I’ve been working on it.” She gave a small shrug and tried to sound nonchalant. “But honestly, I think I just learn fast by watching people who actually know what they’re doing.” She shot Rumi a sideways glance with a smirk. 

Rumi’s ears turned pink. She turned away and checked the train arrival times on an LED board to her left, obviously flustered.

Mira internally kicked herself for forgetting for the hundredth time what she promised herself she would not do when she agreed to this. The first time she met Rumi, Mira knew she was going to be a problem. Rumi was hot as fuck and Mira could not seem to stop flirting with her no matter how much she told herself not to.

“You have your ticket, right?” Rumi asked, glancing up at Mira.

Mira pulled up the ticket on her phone and showed Rumi the screen. They walked to the platform, scanned their tickets, and got on the train. Luckily, the train wasn’t crowded and they found two seats next to each other in relative isolation.

Mira’s phone buzzed and she opened the notification. Before she could read it, the train jerked and the phone went tumbling to the floor as Mira tried to catch her bag and some other things that had fallen loose. 

Rumi bent down to get Mira’s chapstick and phone from the floor. The screen was still on and Rumi quickly averted her eyes, but by the look on her face, she had already seen.

“Thanks,” Mira said, taking the phone. Rumi’s reaction amused her and she got curious about what the text was.

Mira, I NEED you! Please baby, I can’t pretend I don’t love you anymore. Please just respond so I know you’re okay. Jungho says you went back to Korea, I can meet you there! Just tell me where you are, I’ll quit too. Please Mira…

Mira sighed. Camille could potentially be a problem. She was just crazy enough to actually quit the company and follow Mira back to Korea. But Mira didn’t want to worry about that until she had to. And it wasn’t like she was inexperienced in dealing with crazy exes.

Then Mira laughed out loud. Rumi snapped her head around to look at her in confusion. 

“Sorry about that Rumi,” Mira said, still chuckling. The previous texts from Camille stacked up unanswered, but there was one near the top of the screen still half visible: a topless pic with Camille’s nipples just poking out beneath the status bar of the phone.

“What?” Rumi said, her voice a higher pitch than usual. “Oh, I didn’t see anything. I didn’t look.”

Mira just continued to smirk at her, amused at how embarrassed she was.

“So, um, how did things go in Australia? Did you get everything taken care of?” Rumi asked, her voice still too fast and high to be construed as nonchalant.

“Yeah. Yeah everything is good,” Mira responded, looking straight ahead. She could feel Rumi’s curiosity burning into her, so she decided to open up just a tiny bit more. “My manager was disappointed for sure. And since I hadn’t finished out my contract, I won’t be getting my last paycheck. But no biggie.”

They sat in silence for a while. Something Mira had noticed about Rumi over the past few weeks was that she tended to zone out when it was silent, and you could almost hear her thoughts spiraling. Even when it wasn’t silent, occasionally Rumi would just freeze and get lost in her own head. Her eyebrows would knit together and her face would contort with tension until she snapped out of it and went right back to the cool, confident leader.

Mira gently placed her hand on Rumi’s forearm. Rumi jumped and stared at Mira like she just realized she was there. Mira leaned closer to her and let her gaze linger with a slight smile on her lips.

“Do you want to play a game with me?”

“Uh, s- sure,” Rumi said, leaning away and clearly uncomfortable with the invasion of her personal space. 

Mira quickly released her arm and leaned back into her own space. Fuck. Once again she forgot the No Flirting With Rumi rule.

“Okay,” Mira smiled warmly at her. “Would you rather eat nothing but ramyeon for a year, or never eat ramyeon again?”

Rumi let out a breath she had been holding and smiled back. “Oh definitely eat ramyeon for a year. I almost do that now. What about you?”

They spent the rest of the train ride trying to outdo each other in more and more ridiculous Would You Rather scenarios. Mira was surprised at how naturally it came to her. She had never had a friend that she wasn’t actively pursuing romantically. Not that she didn’t have opportunities for friends, but she had just never bothered with girls who she didn’t want to sleep with.

Rumi was good at friends, though. Her laugh was infectious, and her eyes sparkled as she listened to Mira talk with rapt attention. By the time it was time to get off the train, Rumi seemed much more relaxed than she had ever been with Mira.

Celine met them at the curb in a sleek green sports car. Mira and Rumi climbed into the backseat together and continued their game.

“You’d get banned from every restaurant in Seoul!”

“You think I’d survive being banned from every restaurant?” Mira smirked. “Would you rather be banned from restaurants or from public transportation?”

Rumi bit her lip in mock thought. “Public transportation. If I can’t eat, I die. If I can’t ride the train, at least I can walk.”

“Wow. Practical. I’d starve on the sidewalk.” Mira shook her head. “You’d leave me behind, huh?”

Rumi glanced at her, teasing but kind. “I’d bring you ramyeon in a to-go box. Maybe.”

Mira caught Celine’s eye in the rearview mirror, and Mira could tell she was smiling. It felt nice riding in the car with them both, playing with Rumi and seeing Celine’s approving smile.

They arrived at the Hunter estate, and Mira was just as spellbound as the first time she’d seen it. The long gravel drive curved through thick woodland, branches arching overhead like a natural cathedral. When the trees finally broke, the house revealed itself: a sprawling hanok, its dark tiled roof gleaming in the late light, wood beams carved with the kind of quiet artistry that spoke of centuries of care. Lanterns hung under the eaves, swaying in the evening breeze, casting the courtyard in a warm, golden glow.

The grounds seemed endless, rolling out in acres of pristine forest threaded with narrow paths and mossy stone walls. At the heart of it all stood the great tree, older than memory, its massive trunk gnarled with time and wisdom. From every branch fluttered ribbons—bright silks, faded cloths, some nearly disintegrated—each one a vow, a remembrance, a mark left by hunters long gone. They shimmered in the wind like spirits whispering to one another, and Mira felt the weight of history pressing down on her chest. This was not just a house; it was a sanctuary, a living monument to the generations who had stood before her.

Out here in this magical place it was a little easier to consider the whole demon and Honmoon thing. But Mira couldn’t quite come to grips with it yet. She still thought she must have been insane to sign on to a KPop group without a real audition and with the condition that she believe in a magical gate that prevented supernatural beings from crossing into their world.

How else could she explain how Rumi had known where to find her though? And how else could Rumi and Celine pull weapons out of thin air? It was a little (very) strange, but Mira trusted both Rumi and Celine, and they were both very into it and believed it wholeheartedly. Mira was willing to be open-minded for them.

After grabbing some snacks and waters from the house, the three of them trekked out to the great tree. The first time they had brought Mira here, she legitimately thought they were going to sacrifice her or something. The ancient forest with its creaking trees made Mira feel like she was in a horror film. It didn't help that it was also nighttime. Now in the daylight and after knowing Celine and Rumi for a few weeks, the forest felt homey and welcoming. 

Rumi sat crossed legged on the ground in front of the tree and gestured for Mira to join her. They sat facing Celine, who had a solemn expression. 

“We are hunters,” she recited. Rumi joined her immediately and Mira tried to follow along with as much as she remembered. “Voices strong, slaying demons with our song. Fix the world and make it right, when darkness finally meets the light.”

“Mira,” Celine turned her gaze to her. “Have you been concentrating like we taught you?”

“Yes,” she answered. It was true, she had given it some effort, but she felt silly. “I mean, it's hard to concentrate while I'm singing like you suggested because I'm focusing on getting my voice right. But I have tried while listening.”

“Did you get any particular feelings while listening?”

Mira's cheeks flushed. She had only tried while listening to Rumi sing and she had some very particular feelings, but nothing like how they described the Honmoon.

“Nothing beyond the ordinary,” she answered.

Celine smiled encouragingly, but Mira detected a hint of disappointment. “It's okay, it takes a long time to attune to the Honmoon. It's important to keep trying, though.”

Mira nodded and looked down at her hands threading their way through long grass. 

“Today I would like you to watch me and Rumi. Pay attention to the weapons especially. See if you can notice a quality about them.”

Rumi stood gracefully and took her position opposite Celine. She took a fighting stance and her face hardened in determination.

“Watch her hands,” Celine commanded.

Rumi's fingers glided through the air, tracing invisible curves. Suddenly there was a glint of light and Rumi slowly pulled on the hilt of her Saingeom until the full length of the blade was revealed. 

Mira had seen it before, on that first night, but it still shocked her. When she watched magicians, she could almost always tell how the trick was done; they held their hands or body in a slightly unnatural position and that how you can tell where the hidden card is. But Rumi did this magic trick without any tricks. 

Rumi grinned to see Mira's astonishment. She held her gaze for a few brief moments, then attacked with sudden ferocity.

Celine barely summoned her own twin swords in time to block Rumi's attack. Rumi swung again and Celine parried. Rumi circled around her and Celine gave ground as she parried over and over. It was so much more violent than Mira was expecting.

Celine finally found an opening to attack. When Rumi vaulted over her sweeping blade, Mira's stomach dropped. She couldn't decide if it was fear or something else. The sheer control, the fire in Rumi's eyes, the confidence that radiated with every movement…it drew Mira in like gravity.

For a moment, she forgot to breathe. Watching Rumi fight wasn't just thrilling; it was like watching raw power wrapped in elegance. Beautiful and terrifying and impossible to look away.

One of Celine's blades went spinning away to land at the base of the tree with one of Rumi's more savage cuts. She took the opportunity while Celine was momentarily distracted to close the gap, pivoting on her heel and driving her shoulder forward in a controlled strike meant to topple her mentor off balance. 

Celine fell backwards and attempted to roll into an attack position again, but Rumi was too fast. She pinned her to the ground with her sword pressed against one wrist. Celine relaxed her body and smiled proudly up at Rumi.

Rumi smirked smugly as she helped Celine up and padded over to where Mira sat, still gaping open mouthed at the impressive display.

“You ready for your turn?”

Mira couldn’t think straight with Rumi looking at her with one eyebrow raised, hand on her hip. 

“I'm kidding,” Rumi said with an adorable giggle.

Mira laughed nervously. She wasn't used to being this flustered around girls; usually she was the confident cool one. 

Mira was not attracted to Rumi. She was hot, sure, nice to look at. But Mira’s feelings for her were pure professional admiration. They were bandmates now and the only thing Mira could want from Rumi was her respect and friendship. Nothing more.

Notes:

Thanks for reading! I'm not really editing this chapters, so if you see mistakes or things that are unclear, please let me know!

Chapter 5: Zoey 2

Zoey stepped out of the shower and looked at herself in the foggy mirror. She smiled remembering how much fun she had at dance and choreography training today. It was definitely a work out, but it felt good to channel her energy though her body. She felt like she understood now what Mira was saying about how dance was good for your soul. 

Speaking of Mira, her collection of skin care and makeup products were scattered across the bathroom counter. She also spied Rumi's brushes and hair ties spilling out an open drawer. Tears welled up in Zoey's eyes and she let them fall with a sob that was half laugh. How beautiful it was to share space with someone else! Being an only child, she had always had her own bedroom, own bathroom, and she had never shared this much space with her dad or aunt or mom. This living and existing together was pure joy.

After dressing and brushing her hair, Zoey stepped out into the main living area of the apartment she had shared with Rumi and Mira for five whole days now. It wasn't a large space, but it was plenty for the three of them. Celine had promised that eventually they would eventually get a bigger and nicer apartment, but it would have to wait until after their debut. Zoey didn't mind waiting though; her life was perfect right now.

Zoey followed the smell of sesame oil and garlic and found Rumi and Mira bustling around the kitchen making dinner. They moved around each other fluidly, like a choreographed dance. They had known each other for a while before Zoey came into the picture, a whole two and a half months. They knew each other's habits and rhythms already and Zoey was behind. It made her a little bit sad, but more so excited to catch up and have Mira look at her like that, and have Rumi tease her the way she teased Mira.

Rumi noticed Zoey and dropped the spoon in the pot she was stirring. She walked over to where Zoey was standing watching them and placed a gentle hand on Zoey’s.

“Zoey, you okay?”

“Yeah!” Zoey answered, just now noticing her eyes were slightly wet. “I’m just- I feel so lucky that you guys chose me and I get to live here with you and I get to dance with you and sing with you and write songs and it’s all just- just SO AMAZING!”

Rumi chuckled quietly. She didn’t flinch at Zoey’s loud voice and she didn’t cringe at Zoey’s excitement.

“I know, it’s pretty amazing. Do you want to help with the mandu?”

Zoey blinked. “Mandu?”

“Dumplings,” Mira supplied from the counter, her hands dusted with flour. Little stacks of flattened dough shaped like little half moons were arranged in front of her. “We’re making a ton, so we’ll freeze the extras for later. Sit down, I’ll show you.”

Mira’s smile was something special. For the first few days after Zoey came to live with them in Seoul, she was scared of Mira. She had a severe face and her gazes were intense, with impossible to read expressions. But Zoey quickly learned the difference between a twitch at the corner of Mira’s lips that meant she was impressed, and the resistive way the left side of her mouth tugged into a half smile that meant she was truly enjoying herself. There were countless microexpressions that Zoey had yet to learn though.

Zoey sat at the counter next to Mira. It was already set up like an assembly line: bowls of chopped kimchi, pork, and scallions sat between stacks of wrappers and a small dish of water. Mira scooped filling into a wrapper with practiced ease, folding and pinching it into a perfect crescent before setting it on a tray. 

Zoey copied Mira’s movements, stuffing her wrapper generously. Too generously. The filling squished out the side as she tried to fold it.

Rumi laughed as she reached over to pinch the edges of Zoey’s dumpling shut with quick fingers. “It’s okay, Zoey. The first one is always ugly. It’s tradition.”

Zoey laughed too, wiping her hands on a napkin. “Then I’m very traditional.”

Mira smirked, eyes flicking up from her own perfect dumplings. “You’ll get it. Just watch.”

So Zoey watched Mira’s long fingers fold and squeeze, and she watched Rumi’s dumplings take shape a little more lopsided than Mira’s, but still neat. She copied their movements until her hands began to catch the rhythm. Before long they had a sizable pile of mismatched mandu on the tray.

“You’ve never made mandu before?” Rumi asked as they worked.

“Well, no,” Zoey said, watching her hands. “I never really cooked at all back home. If you don’t count sandwiches and cereal. Dad and I got take out most nights. He could never really stomach Korean food though. I did help my aunt make kimchi once though!”

There was a beat while they each worked on their dumplings. Then, Rumi asked, “Do you miss your home in America?” 

Zoey’s fingers stilled on the dough she was pinching. “Kind of. I mean, I miss my dad a lot. But not much else.”

“What about your friends? Do you still talk to anyone?” Mira asked in a flat, almost bored tone. Zoey was learning to distinguish Mira’s tones of voice as well, and she could hear the interest she was trying to disguise.

Zoey laughed humorlessly. “What friends? The kids there hated me.”

Rumi’s eyes softened. “I’m sure not everyone hated you. You must have had some-”

“Nope. Even people who I thought were friends eventually got sick of me and started hitting me and teasing me like the rest.” 

Mira and Rumi were silent for a few moments, unsure what to say. Zoey knew she should leave it and switch to a lighter topic. 

“Even when I moved to Korea, I made a few friends, but then they all stopped talking to me eventually. Even…”

Eunji hadn’t even noticed that Zoey had been missing from school until Zoey texted her that she had moved to Seoul. She supposed she should be grateful that she even got a “good luck!” text back. That single text was dripping in relief that Eunji didn’t have to deal with Zoey’s overbearing affection anymore.

“What was her name?” Mira asked, leaning forward. Her eyes had that intense look that had terrified Zoey when she first met her, but now it just felt like Mira was seeing her, really seeing, even if she did have a slight teasing smirk.

“Eunji.”

Rumi looked at Mira, then Zoey, and back again, like she was missing something. Mira held Zoey’s gaze for an almost uncomfortably long time.

“Do you feel like talking about her?” Rumi said finally. “Was she your….girlfriend or something?”

Zoey laughed nervously. “No, she was just a friend. She was really nice when I first moved here and we even hung out a few times. She likes the same stuff as me, she laughed at most of my dumb jokes, she even bought me a turtle keychain at this really cute store-”

“Sounds like a classic 썸, right Rumi?” Mira said, glancing sideways at Rumi. 

Rumi blushed. “I mean, she said it wasn’t…”

“What’s that?” Zoey had never even heard the word Mira said. The way Mira was chuckling quietly at Rumi’s reaction had her extremely curious.

Mira shocked Zoey by switching to English. “It doesn’t have an exact translation, but it kind of means ‘situationship’ or ‘the pre-dating flirting stage’ or even ‘friends with romantic tension’. It's like, friends who text all the time, are always together, everyone can see you’re together, but you keep pretending you’re not.”

Zoey’s mouth fell open, dumbfounded. “You- you speak English?!”

Mira snorted. “Yeah. By force when I was a kid, by necessity when I started traveling around the world and needed to speak to people from a bunch of different countries. Lingua franca, you know?”

“Wow!” Zoey knew that Mira’s previous job was with an international dance company, but she hadn’t realized that meant she travelled the world. “Tell me about all the places you’ve been! Where was your favorite? Did you ever go to America? Wait, do you know any more languages?”

Mira shook her head. “It’s your turn right now,” she said, switching back to Korean. “Tell us about Eunji and then I’ll talk about me.”

Zoey huffed in mock frustration. “Fine. Yes, I guess you could call it that with Eunji. But it was very one-sided.”

She paused, thinking. She didn’t mind talking about this stuff with Mira and Rumi. In fact, she somewhat enjoyed it. “I think she liked me at first. Maybe not liked liked, but as a friend, you know? She was sweet. She really tried with me. But,” Zoey’s voice dropped as she fidgeted with the bowl of pork. “As you can tell, I’m kind of a lot. It wears on people over time.”

Rumi reached over with her flour-dusted hand and grabbed Zoey’s. Zoey’s pulse quickened a little when she saw Rumi’s crooked, teasing smile. “You are a lot.”

Zoey snorted. “Wow, thanks.”

Rumi rolled her eyes and squeezed her hand tighter. “No, seriously. That’s exactly what we needed. You. Your energy. It makes the group feel whole. And Zoey…” she hesitated, eyes flicking away as if weighing her next words. Finally, she met Zoey’s gaze again. “The right people won’t think you’re too much.”

Zoey tried to laugh it off, but her throat tightened instead. Her vision blurred and before she could stop it, tears spilled over. Then, she felt Mira’s hand slide into hers from the other side. With both of them holding her, the dam broke, and Zoey dissolved into full ugly sobs.

Mira and Rumi were patient with her as she cried and eventually calmed down. Zoey suddenly felt embarrassed for her outburst of emotion. She pulled her hands away and wiped her face dry.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to- I’m just really emotional today I guess. I think some tears got on my last dumpling.”

“Yum, extra salty,” Mira said, reaching over to take Zoey’s dumpling and place it on the tray.

Zoey laughed in that unhinged way that happens right after crying.

Mira transferred most of the mandu to freezer bags and began frying the rest in a pan, while Rumi and Zoey washed their hands. 

They ate dinner together with playful banter. For the first time, Zoey felt like she wasn't just tagging along. She caught herself finishing Mira's sentence once, then leaning into Rumi's joke the next moment and neither of them looked surprised. It was as if she had been folded into their rhythm without even realizing it. Their glances, their laughter, the way their voices overlapped, it all made room for her.

After dinner, Mira flopped on the couch and declared a movie night. Rumi groaned about dishes, but followed anyway, and Zoey happily curled into the cushions between them. 

Fifteen minutes into the movie, Zoey jerked upright, nearly jumping out of her seat. Mira and Rumi startled, and Rumi nearly fell off the couch.

“Mira!” Zoey yelled.

“What?!” Mira gasped, hand over her heart.

“You said you would tell us about traveling the world!”

Mira breathed and sat back against the cushions. “Oh my god, Zoey, you scared me!”

Rumi paused the movie and watched Mira expectantly as her breathing returned to normal.

“But will you still tell us?” Zoey asked excitedly.

“What do you want to know?” Mira said, a sly smile creeping on her lips as she slowly got over the shock of Zoey yelling.

“Everything! Where did you go? What was it like? I've never been anywhere except LA and Korea. What languages do you speak?”

Mira took a deep breath and began telling them about all the countries she'd danced in in chronological order. Occasionally she had to look up something on her phone to remember because there was so much. Zoey, and occasionally Rumi, continued to fire questions at her, but Mira never seemed annoyed. In fact, she seemed to enjoy talking about her life with Zoey and Rumi who listened with rapt attention. 

The more she talked, however, the more Zoey had a feeling she was leaving something out on purpose. She didn't dwell on it though; she was just happy to listen to Mira. The movie was forgotten and Zoey had the best night of her life.

Notes:

A whole two months later! Are you guys keeping up with the time jumps?

Also, Mira's gaydar is on point ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Chapter 6: Rumi 2

Rumi tossed a blanket at Mira’s head. “Movie night rule number one: Mira doesn't get to pick. She always chooses depressing art films.”

Mira pulled the blanket off her head, and looked significantly less put together with her hair all tousled. “Excuse me, my taste is sophisticated. You just want action movies with zero plot.”

“Plot is overrated,” Rumi shot back, smirking as she grabbed the remote. “Explosions are universal.”

Zoey laughed, carrying a bowl of popcorn from the kitchen. “Okay, but if you two keep fighting, I'm picking. And I'm warning you now, it's definitely going to be a Disney musical.”

Rumi leaned over to Zoey as she sat on her right and said in a stage whisper, “Honestly, I think Mira secretly loves Disney musicals. She sings the songs in the shower.”

Mira's foot shoved Rumi's thigh as Zoey giggled. “Traitor,” she said with a barely contained smirk.

Rumi passed the remote off to Zoey, who navigated to Frozen. Mira groaned.

“What?” Rumi grinned at Mira's annoyance. “I've never seen it.”

“What?!” Zoey shouted, affronted. “How have you never seen the most popular Disney movie of all time?”

“I don't know, just didn't really seem like something I'd be interested in.” 

“It's great,” Mira said in a deadpan voice. “If you're a 5 year old girl.”

“Oh hush, you,” Zoey waved her hand at Mira and played the movie.

The movie began with a song. Of course. Rumi settled in and smiled, happy that Zoey was happy, and happy just to be with Mira and her pretend annoyance.

It was actually better than Rumi was expecting. The songs were cute and catchy, the plot already interesting and subtly subversive of stereotypes. Not to mention, the music and the singing was amazing.

Then, Anna ripped Elsa’s glove off and everyone saw what she was: a monster. 

Rumi's heart skipped a beat and then sped up. Elsa ran away to the forest, away from her kingdom so she didn't hurt anyone.

Then she started singing. The other glove came off. Rumi's heart thudded in her chest.

The wind is howling like this swirling storm inside

Couldn't keep it in, heaven knows I've tried

Don't let them in, don't let them see

Be the good girl you always have to be

Conceal, don't feel, don't let them know

Well now they know!

Rumi focused on breathing in and breathing out. She could maintain her breathing for the rest of the movie if she just concentrated. In and out.

Rumi jumped when she felt Mira's hand on her thigh. Mira was looking at her, concerned. Shit. Somehow, Mira could always tell when Rumi was spiraling. 

Zoey laughed gleefully at something the little snowman said, oblivious to Rumi and Mira’s silent conversation. Rumi forced a smile and squeezed Mira's hand to reassure her. She had not had an anxiety attack for months, and she thought it might be because she had finally found Mira and Zoey after waiting for them her whole life.

Rumi's breathing was slow and even. She watched the screen, vaguely aware of what happened next in the story. She breathed in and out. 

The next scene that Rumi was fully aware of was Anna confronting Elsa in the ice tower. They sang together in a powerfully emotional reprise of one of the silly songs from earlier. 

Oh I'm such a fool, I can't be free

You don't have to be afraid

No escape from the storm inside of me

We can work this out together 

I can't control the curse!

We'll reverse the storm you've made

Anna please, you'll only make it worse!

Don't panic

There's so much fear

We'll make the sun shine bright 

You're not safe here

 

Rumi pushed herself off the couch and stood on shaking legs.

“Rumi?” Zoey asked, confused.

“Bathroom. Be right back.”

As soon as the bathroom door swung shut, Rumi gripped the counter, trying to steady herself through ragged breaths.

She was wearing a comfortable hoodie that was too hot right now, but she didn't dare take it off. She didn't want to see. But she could feel the patterns burning against her skin.

A knock at the door made Rumi jump. She just realized she forgot to lock the door. Mira and Zoey's voices were faint over the pounding of her heartbeat in her ears.

Rumi's legs could no longer hold her up. She sank to her knees and leaned against the cabinet as her chest constricted tighter and tighter.

Suddenly, the door burst open and strong arms wrapped around her from behind. Rumi let herself be held, not quite relaxing, but not resisting either.

“Rumi,” Mira's voice breathed in her ear. “Can you feel me breathing?”

Rumi could feel Mira's chest pressed against her back, and her arms around her chest and hips pressed her even closer. Rumi nodded once.

“Follow me,” Mira said, taking deep breaths in and out. 

Rumi tried, but Mira was going too slow and she couldn't get enough oxygen. Her head swam and the edges of her vision blurred. 

“Zoey, call Celine,” Mira commanded. Rumi could hear panicked sounds coming from Zoey. She tried to focus on Mira's chest rising and falling against her, but the pain inside her own chest burned.

“Rumi, you're okay,” Mira murmured in her ear. “Everything's going to be okay, I've got you.”

Then, Rumi felt a vibration in her chest, like the strumming of a guitar string. The vibration balanced and resonated all throughout Rumi's body.

Before she could process what happened, Mira pulled Rumi back to sit on her lap and it happened again. The vibration almost sounded like music this time. 

Rumi's head cleared and she became aware of her breathing. Still faster than normal, but her chest didn't feel tight at all. She took a deep breath and filled up her whole lungs with air.

Zoey slammed down onto her knees next to them and fumbled with the childproof lid of a medication bottle. Rumi recognized her emergency anti-anxiety medication. 

She placed a hand over Zoey's and shook her head. “It's okay. I'm okay.” 

Zoey stared at her with wide, scared eyes. “Are you sure?”

“I'm sure,” Rumi gave her a small smile. Then she became aware that Mira was still holding her tight against her body in her lap. Rumi almost moved, but she was so comfortable and Mira didn't seem to mind.

“Rumi,” Mira said incredulously. “I- I think I did it.”

“Did what?” Rumi asked. She was surprised how calm she felt and sounded.

“I felt the Honmoon. I saw it!” 

Rumi twisted her head around to see Mira, who looked shocked. They had been working on attuning to the Honmoon for months with no success for either of them. Rumi had a feeling that Mira didn't believe it was real. “You saw it? For real?”

“Pretty sure. I wanted so badly to share my calm with you, and I concentrated like you taught me and reached out, and… it looked like wavy lines all around us, with all sorts of different colors that pulsed as it, like, hugged you. And I could hear it too! But it didn't really sound like anything, just felt like how music feels. I don't know, that sounds weird, maybe I was imagining it.”

“No, that's exactly what it looks like!” Rumi bounced in her lap in excitement. “Mira, you did it!”

Zoey, now satisfied that Rumi really was okay, pouted theatrically. “No fair! I want to feel the Honmoon too!” Then, she perked up as if an idea just popped into her head. “Rumi, if Frozen made you freak out, Frozen 2 will wreck you. Come on! I'll hold you the whole time!”

Rumi laughed. “I think let's maybe watch something else tonight. I don't know if I can handle two panic attacks in one night.”

She slid off Mira's lap and stood, holding a hand out to help Mira up. When Mira was at her full height, she placed a steadying hand on Rumi's hip. 

“You good?” 

Rumi's breath caught, but for an entirely different reason now. Mira was so close and her eyes held such tenderness. “Yeah. Yeah I'm good. Thank you, Mira. I'm sorry. But thank you both.”

Mira rolled her eyes. “Literally anytime. And you don't have to apologize.”

Mira took Rumi's hand and they followed Zoey back to the living room.

“Okay so Disney movies with a target audience of 3 to 10 year olds are too intense for Rumi,” Mira said with a teasing glance at her. Rumi shoved her with her elbow playfully. “Any other ideas Zoey?”

“They’re not too intense, right Rumi? We could watch Big Hero 6! Or Turning Red, or Beauty and the Beast, or-” Zoey gasped. “Tangled??”

“You choose,” Mira let go of Rumi's hand and turned towards the kitchen. “I'm getting Rumi a snack.”

Now that she mentioned it, Rumi realized she was starving. How did she know?

Zoey grabbed Rumi's hand and pulled her down to the couch next to her. Zoey began scrolling through options for movies.

“Rumi?” Zoey asked, glancing sideways at her.

“Mmm?”

“Does that happen often?” Zoey averted her eyes, embarrassed. “I mean, not that it's a problem or anything. I was just wondering because of the pills and Celine seemed to know immediately what I was talking about. I just want to know what we can do to help you.”

Rumi sighed. “It happens…occasionally. A lot less now that I'm with you guys, though.” Rumi pulled out her phone and sure enough, there was a text from Celine. She put the phone away. “What you and Mira did was perfect though. I'm sorry that I worried you. And I'm sorry we couldn't finish Frozen. I know you really like it.”

“It’s totally okay! And you didn’t worry me. Well, maybe a little, but it’s all okay now!”

Mira returned with a plate of apple slices and peanut butter. Rumi attacked it hungrily and then offered some to Zoey and Mira as Tangled started up.

“So,” Mira said through a mouthful of peanut butter. “Do you know what caused that?”

Rumi chewed and swallowed her apple slowly to give herself time to think. She had a pretty good idea of what triggered her panic attack, but she couldn’t say it to them.

“I thought it was Frozen, wasn’t it?” Zoey asked.

“Mmm… maybe,” Mira said thoughtfully. “But sometimes it happens because of something earlier, even days before the trigger. And sometimes not.”

Rumi stared at Mira. “How do you know all this?”

Mira’s eyes darkened slightly. “I’ve had a bit of experience with it myself.”

Rumi lowered her half-eaten apple and studied Mira’s face, the curve of her cheek in the flickering glow of the TV. There was a steadiness in her voice, but her eyes were shadowed with memories she wasn’t ready to share. 

Something in Rumi’s chest tightened, a mix of gratitude and ache. She reached out under the blanket and brushed her fingers against Mira’s hand. Mira’s gaze flicked toward her, and for a moment the world shrank to the warmth of that quiet understanding.

“I’ll bet that’s how you knew to get Rumi a snack,” Zoey winked.

Mira laughed, breaking the tension. “Yeah, that shit really takes it out of you.”

“For the record,” Zoey said, leaning against Rumi’s shoulder. “If Tangled makes either of you freak out, I’ll personally sue Disney on your behalf.”

That earned a real laugh from Rumi, low and unguarded. She swallowed and forced her voice steady. “I…don’t know what caused it. Honestly.” Her eyes flicked between them, softer now. “But I’ll let you know if I figure it out.”

Then, her phone buzzed in her pocket. She had forgotten about Celine’s text; she was probably worried sick.

“Sorry guys, let me call Celine and let her know I’m okay. I’ll be right back.”

Both of them smiled at her, understanding. Rumi’s heart gave a funny little squeeze. How did she get so lucky to end up with them?

Chapter 7: Mira 3

Mira blinked and looked around the unfamiliar room. Sunrise wasn't far off judging by the light seeping through the high window. Her phone buzzed rhythmically on the bedside table.

She hated waking up early. Mira grumbled as she reached for her phone to silence the alarm. Pushing an arm off her chest and a leg off her hips, Mira wriggled out from beneath the sleeping naked woman. 

Mira dressed in the clothes she wore last night and snatched her phone off the table. She stepped carefully to the door, turned the knob, and pushed the door open. Just as she was about to make her exit, the woman stirred in bed.

“Yuna?”

Mira cringed at the fake name she used on dating sites. She much preferred Mira, but after going through media training with Zoey and Rumi, she decided it would probably be best if women didn't remember her real name.

“Hey…” Mira slowly turned to face her, hand still on the doorknob.

“Are you leaving?” 

“Yeah, sorry, I have to get back, remember?” Mira searched her memory for her name. Jiwon. 

Jiwon moaned softly as she stretched in bed, the blanket sliding off to reveal her small, but satisfyingly round breasts. 

“Do you have to go right this second?”

Mira stared at her pointed nipples, feeling heat rising inside. She did actually have to go right this second to make it back in time. But…

“I hate those clothes on you,” Jiwon said, pulling the blanket down even more to reveal her toned stomach and a mound with black hair.

Mira's hand slid off the doorknob and her feet took her to the bed. She climbed onto the bed, knees sinking into the mattress as Jiwon’s legs parted to make space for her.

“I really have to go,” Mira said weakly as she palmed one of Jiwon’s boobs.

Jiwon reached behind Mira's neck and pulled her roughly into a kiss. Mira pressed against her fully and lost herself in Jiwon’s body, licking, biting, and sucking while Jiwon moaned her fake name.

Jiwon growled in frustration. “Why are your clothes still on?”

Mira quickly took care of that problem, and then rolled Jiwon on top of her. Jiwon tangled her tongue with Mira's and swirled around in her mouth, but Mira needed her tongue skills somewhere else, and she was running late already. 

She pushed Jiwon's head down, and, getting the hint, Jiwon went to work exactly where Mira needed her. Mira threw her head back in pleasure and lost track of time.

After she finished, Mira let her head roll to the side. As she caught her breath, she noticed rays of sunlight bright against the wall and realized it was well after sunrise now. 

She guided Jiwon's head off her hips and rolled out of bed, throwing her clothes on once more.

“Come back tonight?” Jiwon asked from the bed, still uncovered.

“Maybe,” Mira said, looking for her phone on the floor.

“Hope so,” Jiwon said, rolling onto her back to look at Mira upside down. “I love the way you cum.”

Mira exhaled sharply and gave her naked body one last long gaze before she turned and hurried out the door before she was enticed to stay even longer. 

As she walked back to her own apartment, Mira became more and more nervous about walking in the front door. She was usually good about leaving before sunrise and getting back to the apartment with plenty of time to spare before Rumi and Zoey woke up. It's possible they were still asleep now, but this was about the time they usually woke up. Mira urged her legs to walk faster.

Finally, Mira arrived, staring at the peephole of her front door. Taking a deep breath, she carefully unlocked the deadbolt with her keys, and eased the door open. The apartment was quiet when she stepped in. She slipped her shoes off and started towards her room. 

“Mira?” 

Mira froze, her stomach dropping. Why did it have to be Zoey?

“What are you doing?” Zoey asked slowly.

Mira ran through a list of excuses in her head at breakneck speed. “I'm just getting back from my morning run. It's nice to be out before everyone else, you know?”

Zoey looked her up and down, eyes lingering on her high waisted jeans and dangling earrings. A long few moments passed as Zoey processed and Mira waited anxiously for her to respond.

“Oh,” Zoey said in a higher pitch than usual.

“So, yeah, I'm going to go shower.” Mira turned and headed down the hallway, feeling Zoey’s eyes burning into her.

In the shower, Mira pressed her forehead against the cool tile. Zoey 100% did not believe her lie. It was sure to come up again, and Mira still couldn't think of what to say.

Mira wrapped her hair and body in towels, opened the bathroom door, and yelped as she nearly had a heart attack. Zoey was literally in the doorway, waiting there for who knows how long.

“Where were you?”

“Fuck, Zoey, you scared me.” Mira pushed past her and opened her bedroom door. Zoey followed her in. 

“Where were you?” The second time was quieter, the hurt bleeding through her determination.

Mira sighed. She knew Zoey well enough by now to know that she wouldn't just let this go and she wouldn't tolerate any more lies. 

“If you must know, I spent the night at someone’s house.”

Zoey crossed her arms and bit her bottom lip. “Someone… like, a girl?” 

Mira gave the tiniest huff of a laugh, too sharp to be real. She shifted her weight from one foot to the other and glanced at Zoey for the briefest second, then her eyes dared away to the floor.

 “Why didn’t you just say so? We tell each other everything, right?”

Mira hated the way Zoey’s eyes cut right through her, the waver in her voice tying her stomach in a guilty knot. Mira ached to explain, but her body did what it always did when faced with uncomfortable emotions.

She dropped the towel and walked slowly toward Zoey with more sway in her hips than necessary. Zoey made a strangled sound somewhere between a squeak and a cough as her eyes darted around wildly, attempting and failing to not look directly at Mira’s naked body. She stumbled back a step and smacked into Mira’s dresser, rattling the trinkets and bottles on top.

Stopping just inches away from Zoey’s flushed cheeks, Mira leaned close to her ear and said, “Excuse me. You’re standing in front of my dresser.”

Zoey sputtered and slipped sideways out from between Mira and the dresser. Mira tried to laugh teasingly, but instead yanked a drawer open and pushed clothes around with displaced anger. Mira pulled on underwear and a pair of shorts, and started rifling through shirts. Her heartbeat pounded in her ears.

“Mira,” Zoey said breathlessly. “What is going on? Why are you being so secretive about someone you're seeing?”

Mira slammed the drawer shut and leaned against the dresser, breathing, and not daring to look at Zoey.

Zoey took a few tentative steps towards Mira. “You know we don't care who you date, right? You can tell us anything.”

Her body moved before her mind could catch up. She pressed a palm against Zoey’s chest and pushed her back until her shoulder blades hit the wall, the impact making Zoey’s breath hitch audibly. Mira’s hips pinned her against the wall, one hand sliding to grip the soft curve of her hip and the other reaching behind Zoey’s neck. She leaned in close enough to feel Zoey’s uneven breath brush her lips.

Zoey's eyes widened in surprise, but she didn't move. It would be so easy to close the distance and take Zoey's lips in hers and kiss her until they both forgot this stupid conversation. 

Mira's body finally paused long enough for her thoughts to wrestle chaotically in her head. Kiss her. Not Zoey, you can't, not her. Throw Zoey on the bed and fuck her speechless. She's your friend. Reach down below her waistband and show her what your fingers can do. She cares about you. She's hurt that you lied to her.

Mira growled low in her throat and pushed herself off Zoey. She grabbed the first shirt she could find, then stormed out of her room while Zoey was still recovering and catching her breath.

Mira spent a few seconds searching for her phone, then found it by her shoes. As she was opening the dating app to text Jiwon, Zoey’s voice reverberated from the hallway with anger.

“Mira! Stop running away from me!”

“Woah, hey, what’s going on?” Rumi stepped out of the kitchen and caught Zoey as she stomped toward Mira. Mira groaned. It was bad enough with just Zoey.

“Mira spent the night at a girl’s house and lied to me about it.” Zoey’s voice was full of anger, but her expression was full of hurt as she stared at Mira.

Rumi, predictably, blushed. “I mean, Zoey, if she doesn’t want to share that with us yet, we shouldn’t-”

“But she was out all night and we didn’t even know! She could’ve been hurt and we would have no way of knowing! I mean, we don’t even know this person, what if she was a serial killer? What if she got drugged? What if-”

“Jesus Christ, Zoey, we get it.” Mira sighed and dropped her phone. “Look, I’ve been doing this for years, I know how to protect myself. The worst I ever got is this,” Mira lifted her shirt to point at the jagged scar on her side. “And it wasn’t a big deal. I can handle myself, okay?”

Zoey’s anger crumbled the second she saw it. Her breath caught, and before Mira could react, she was right there, lifting Mira’s shirt higher with trembling hands. “Oh my god, Mira…what happened?” 

Despite the emotional tension, Mira found the heat of Zoey’s touch on her skin steadied her, and some of the tightness in her chest melted away as Zoey inspected the evidence of her past. 

“Some girl neglected to mention she had a boyfriend.” Mira felt a smile tug at her lips. “He found us in bed together and went all Rambo on me with a pocket knife.”

Rumi came closer too, eyes wide, and when Mira caught her gaze, Rumi offered a small, steady smile. That alone calmed the frantic rhythm of Mira’s heartbeat. She gestured to the fainter scars on her thigh. “These too. Same night.”

The closeness of them both, their hands brushing against her skin, left Mira calmer than she’d felt in weeks. Mira caught Zoey’s hand as she traced over the scars on her leg and her eyes snapped up to meet Mira’s.

“What if from now on I tell you when I go out and where to find me? So you don’t have to worry.” Mira found it surprisingly easy to promise that, now that it was out in the open. 

Zoey glanced at Rumi, whose expression was unreadable. There was still a hint of hurt in her eyes, but Zoey nodded slowly.

“And Zoey,” Mira squeezed her hand comfortingly. “I’m sorry about lying to you.” Mira rubbed the back of her neck. “And…for what I did in my room.” 

Zoey giggled nervously. “Oh I didn’t mind that part.”

Mira nudged her playfully. “But seriously, it won’t happen again, I promise. That’s just…how I cope sometimes. I shouldn’t have used you like that, though.”

“Aww…” Zoey pouted, dragging her foot across the floor.

Rumi blinked between them. “Wait, what happened in your room?”

Zoey’s head snapped up, eyes going wide with mischievous energy. “She almost kissed me, Rumi!” she blurted, throwing her hands up. “And, and…” she lowered her voice, and then shouted, “I saw her naked!”

Rumi froze, her face turning pink. “Oh. Oh wow, um. That’s-”

Mira groaned, dragging a hand down her face. “You’re unbelievable.”

Zoey only smirked, far too pleased with herself. “Hey, you can’t just drop towel bombs and expect me to keep it to myself.”

Rumi finally found her voice, though her cheeks were still pink. “You two are impossible,” she muttered, trying for dry but landing closer to flustered.

Mira shook her head, but she couldn’t fight the small smile tugging at her lips. They knew her secrets now, and somehow they were still here.

She glanced at both of them, Zoey grinning like she’d just caused the best kind of chaos, and Rumi, quiet, but steady, her eyes full of something Mira couldn’t quite name.

“Come on,” Mira said, forcing lightness back into her tone. “Let’s get some breakfast before Zoey tells the whole neighborhood she saw me naked.”

Zoey laughed and trotted toward the kitchen. Rumi lingered a moment longer, studying Mira with that unreadable expression, before following.

And though Mira’s body felt lighter, somehow she knew this was only the beginning.

Chapter 8: Zoey 3

“I have a good feeling about today,” Zoey said, practically vibrating in her seat as the landscape outside the window rushed by. “Like, this is it. Today’s the day I finally feel the Honmoon.”

Rumi glanced sideways at her, smiling softly. “You think so?”

“I know so,” Zoey said, her voice firm with determination. “I mean, it’s been long enough and I’ve been working at it really hard. I just need to be in the presence of a giant sacred tree and the spirits of hunters before me. Easy-peasy.”

From the seat behind them, Mira snorted. “Yeah, because the Honmoon definitely responds to people who yell at it to hurry up.”

Zoey twisted around in her seat to face her, grinning. “Don’t worry, Mira, I’ll let you borrow some of my power after my epic awakening. Maybe then you’ll finally be able to summon your weapon.”

Mira arched an eyebrow. “Borrow? That’s not how this works, genius. And your offer is a little premature for someone who hasn’t even felt the Honmoon yet.”

Zoey stuck her tongue out at Mira between the seats and turned back around, resting her head on Rumi’s shoulder.

Rumi slid her hand into Zoey and squeezed softly. “I have a good feeling about today too.”

Zoey let her head fall back against Rumi's seat and her heart stuttered a little as she looked up at her. “Seriously, though, I can't wait. I just…I need to feel it, you know? To prove that I really belong with you guys.”

There was a brief silence before Mira muttered behind them, her smile evident in her voice, “You already belong, idiot.”

Zoey glanced back, caught Mira's eyes for a moment, and broke into a grin. She turned back and nuzzled into Rumi's shoulder again. “Hear that, Rumi? Even Mira knows that I'm destined for greatness.”

They rode the train in comfortable silence. Zoey watched Rumi's phone for a while, but quickly became bored with watching her answer emails and adjust their schedule. She dragged her fingers up and down Rumi's forearm, watching goosebumps on her skin appear and disappear over and over. 

After she got bored of that, Zoey started playing with Rumi's fingers, admiring the shape of each one and tracing the lines on her hand. Rumi finally put her phone away and Zoey twisted her body into Rumi's until her cheek rested on her collarbone. Rumi wrapped her arms around her and Zoey sighed contentedly into her neck.

“Sorry, Zo, I didn't realize you needed attention,” Rumi said, rubbing her fingers on Zoey's back. “You can tell me to get off my phone, you know.”

“It's okay,” Zoey mumbled, eyes closing. She never realized how desperately touch-starved she had been most of her life until she became comfortable touching Rumi and Mira. And they were both so accepting and accommodating of her needs. It was like gulping down water after not even realizing you were thirsty. 

Occasionally though, the physical intimacy with her best friends transformed into a heat that made her want so intensely. 

Zoey's fingers resting on Rumi's chest twitched. The patterns Rumi was drawing on her back made her insides feel all fluttery. Zoey's hand drifted around Rumi's chest and up her neck. Her back arched to press into Rumi's body as much as the train seat would allow.

Rumi's hand on her back hesitated for a moment and her breath hitched, but then she resumed rubbing Zoey's back. Zoey’s fingers ran along Rumi's shoulder, then slipped beneath her shirt to cross the point of her shoulder and down her arm.

Rumi's hand froze and her body stiffened. Zoey lifted her head off her chest to look at her face, clearly uncomfortable and nervous.

“Rumi?” Zoey backed away into her own seat. “Am I… making you uncomfortable? I'm sorry, I can stop.”

“No!” Rumi said, her voice a little too high pitched to be believable. “No, Zoey it's okay, you're not making me uncomfortable. I love when you touch me, I do. Just…maybe not under my clothes on a train full of people.”

Zoey glanced at Rumi's sleeve and realized she had been a bit too enthusiastic under her clothes. “Oh! Rumi, I'm so sorry! I didn't even-”

Mira laughed loudly from behind them. “Wow, Zoey, at least buy her dinner before you start undressing her,” she teased.

Zoey turned around on her knees to glare at Mira over the seat. “And when have you ever bought dinner before undressing a girl?”

“Why would I when they're so eager to eat me?”

Zoey’s jaw dropped, then snapped shut, then opened again like a fish. No words came out, which only made Mira’s smirk widen.

Luckily Rumi saved her from answering by grabbing Zoey by her hips and pulling her down onto her lap. “Ignore her,” she said, pressing her forehead against Zoey’s shoulder. “It’s okay.”

Zoey wrapped her arms around Rumi’s neck and relaxed into the embrace.

“But,” Rumi said, adjusting their position slightly. “I might have to pass you on to Mira because you’re sitting on my bladder and I need to find a bathroom.”

Zoey groaned as she reluctantly slid off her lap. Once Rumi was gone, she propped her chin on the seat back and narrowed her eyes at Mira, scrunching her face into the fiercest glare she could muster. Mira met her stare with cool amusement, then slowly spread her arms wide in a theatrical invitation.

With a dramatic rolling of her eyes, Zoey slid out of her row and dropped into the seat next to Mira. She tried to stubbornly resist contact with Mira as she chuckled and wrapped an arm around Zoey’s shoulders. After only a few moments, she gave up and let her head rest on Mira’s chest.

“Today’s the day,” Mira said quietly, tracing idle circles on Zoey’s arm. “The Honmoon doesn’t stand a chance against you.”

 

---

 

Mira's face was illuminated by the glow emanating from the curved blade of a beautifully crafted gok-do. Her weapon. 

Zoey leapt to her feet and clapped and cheered enthusiastically from the base of the ancient great tree. Celine approached Mira and placed a hand on her shoulder wearing a proud smile. The sun was low in the sky and they were all exhausted from training all day, but this made it all worth it.

Mira looked pleased with herself as Rumi admired her weapon. She caught Zoey's eye, and crossed the clearing toward her.

“You wanna touch it?”

Zoey squeaked and immediately began running reverent fingers over the polished shaft of the polearm, then trailing along the blade’s cool steel edge.

“It's beautiful, Mira.” Zoey's fingers slipped from the weapon onto the soft skin on the back of Mira's wrist. “Just like you.”

Mira's expression softened, rare and unguarded, her dark eyes searching Zoey's. Then Celine’s voice cut across the clearing. 

“Mira, let me show you something.”

With one last look at Zoey, Mira turned and followed Celine. 

Zoey tilted her chin up at the towering tree, and the knot of envy and despair she had been holding split open. Hours of effort, of reaching, of trying to feel what the others seemed born to touch. Yet, all Zoey could hear was silence.

A hand pressed warm against her lower back, then curled protectively around her waist. Zoey closed her eyes trying to keep the tears back, but Rumi's touch unraveled her. She collapsed into Rumi's chest, sobbing against her.

“Rumi,” Zoey gasped between gulps of air. “What if you got the wrong girl? What if the third hunter is still out there somewhere?”

Rumi gave a soft, incredulous laugh, tilting her head against Zoey's hair. “Impossible.”

“How do you know?” Zoey whispered frantically. “What if I'm just…normal? What if that's why I can't feel it?”

Rumi tipped Zoey's chin up, her own expression steady and fierce. “I know because I feel you in the Honmoon every single day.”

Zoey blinked at her through wet lashes. “But I don't feel anything,” she whispered. “Just….emptiness.”

Rumi's thumb brushed against Zoey's damp cheek. “You're listening with your fear, not your heart. Stop trying to force yourself into it. Let the Honmoon find you.”

Zoey stared at her, uncertain and trembling.

Rumi lowered her voice as if she was speaking directly into Zoey’s soul. “Just one more time before we leave. Stand at the tree and let it see you. No fear. No comparisons. Just you.”

The glow from Mira's weapon flickered in the distance, shadows dancing along the clearing. Rumi gently turned Zoey around to face the great tree, looming, ancient, and silent.

Zoey wiped her cheeks with the backs of her hands and leaned into Rumi's chest behind her.

“Close your eyes,” Rumi whispered into her ear. “Don't force it. Just breathe.”

Zoey obeyed. She let herself be steadied by Rumi's hands on her hips. At first, there was only the weight of her exhaustion and the echo of her doubts. 

Then, something shifted. Zoey couldn't be sure if it was the Honmoon, but it was something. A hum beneath her skin, a vibration that wasn't just hers, pulsing between her body and Rumi's. Warmth and energy radiated from Rumi's hands on her waist and from her lips brushing against Zoey's ear. Even Mira's joy as she practiced with her new weapon flooded into Zoey’s chest as if it were her own.

Her heart thudded with excitement. She opened her eyes and gasped. Long, shimmering cords unfurled before her, luminous threads weaving through the forest and hugging the curves of the great tree lovingly.

Then, Zoey blinked and the glow unraveled into shadow, the hum and warmth in her body collapsing inward as silence rushed in. 

A shaky laugh tangled with a gasp burst out of her. “I saw it! Rumi, I saw it!” Zoey spun and threw herself into Rumi’s arms, bouncing on her toes. 

“It was beautiful, Rumi!” Her forehead found the line of Rumi’s jaw, words spilling hot against her skin. “It was real! I felt it.”

Rumi’s hand slid up to cradle the back of Zoey’s neck, fingers disappearing into her hair. She looked down at her with a soft, radiant smile. “I knew you could. You’re amazing, Zoey.”

Zoey’s heart stuttered, then kicked hard, her chest buzzing with the closeness of Rumi’s face with her steady eyes drinking her in. For a heartbeat, Rumi’s gaze flicked down to Zoey’s lips. Zoey froze, breath caught, certain something was about to happen.

But then, Rumi’s hand slipped away and the moment collapsed. Zoey sagged with quiet disappointment

“Come on,” Rumi said gently, threading their fingers together. “Let’s go tell Mira and Celine.”

Chapter 9: Rumi 3

Rumi sat cross-legged on her bed, stacks of paper to her left and right with a spreadsheet glaring at her from her laptop screen. Contracts, schedules, travel logistics–the unseen machine behind a KPop debut.

She leaned back against the headboard squeezing her eyes shut against the brightness of the screen. Her heartbeat slowed from a frantic pattern she hadn’t even noticed as she had pored over all the details. Her mind wandered to Mira and Zoey, most likely asleep by now, as it was later than Rumi had realized.

Mira, who carried herself like she’d been born on stage, sharp and commanding, who worked herself raw in rehearsals until her body gave out. Zoey, all boundless energy and raw instinct, constantly pushing herself past her limits, too stubborn to quit. The two of them had thrown themselves into this debut with everything they had, and watching them grow had left Rumi’s chest aching with pride.

They deserved the world. And if Rumi did her job right, they would have it.

The thought tightened something in her chest. One mistake from her would shatter it. Her eyes flew open and her fingers dashed across the trackpad of the laptop. Yes, the venue confirmation was there. But what about the studio reservation? Did she double-check the stage specs? What about the budget line for the costumes? Was that the updated one or last month’s draft?

When the edges of the screen blurred, Rumi finally realized what was happening. Breathe, she commanded herself, but her chest locked tighter. She pressed her palms down into the soft bedding and grasped at the blankets.

One by one, she ran through each of her grounding techniques. Each brought her a few heartbeats of relief before panic surged back harder. The moment she calmed enough to think, her brain hurled the details at her: unread emails, social media ad campaigns, costume adjustments.

With a frustrated sound, Rumi pressed hard just below her ribcage, attempting to force her body to relinquish its grip on her. She had twelve more emails to get through tonight. There was no time for an anxiety attack.

Then, through the haze, she remembered her promise to Mira. Her eyes flicked to the time on her laptop. Mira was most definitely asleep. 

She hesitated a few moments longer, but when her head spun with dizziness, she decided she could wake her just this one time.

Rumi slid off the bed and caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror on her door. She grimaced at the wreck staring back at her. But worse was the slip of her loose sleep shirt, fallen down her shoulder. The jagged point of one of the ugly purple patterns peeked above the fabric.

A sharp, choked sound escaped her throat as she yanked the shirt back into place. She dug through the heap of clothes on the floor until she found a gray hoodie, pulling it on with quick, frantic movements. The heavy fabric swallowed her, hiding her.

Without letting herself second guess her decision, Rumi slipped into the hallway and wobbled on unsteady legs to Mira's door.

She knocked immediately and waited, her sharp, ragged breaths the only sound puncturing the dark quiet of the apartment.

Just as she was about to give up and search for her anti-anxiety meds, the door creaked open. Mira's hair stuck up wildly on one side, her eyes were half lidded with sleep, and her oversized T-shirt was sliding off one shoulder.

But the second she registered Rumi's trembling frame in the hallway, hoodie pulled tight and chest heaving, her drowsiness disappeared. Her posture straightened, eyes snapping wide with sudden clarity as she stepped forward.

“Rumi? Hey, come here.” Mira opened her arms and Rumi collapsed into her chest.

Mira half carried her into her room and nudged the door shut with her foot. They sank onto the edge of her bed and Mira clutched Rumi tight, fingers kneading tight circles into the tense muscles of her shoulders and back.

Neither spoke. The silence was filled only with the sounds of Rumi's uneven breaths, slowly evening out under Mira's steady touch. At some point, Mira guided them both down until they were lying side by side, her body curled protectively against Rumi's back.

Rumi soaked in the relief of her chest rising and falling without struggle, her heart no longer thrashing against her ribcage. Mira's body was warm, and her hand tracing the curves of Rumi's waist underneath the gray hoodie was grounding; tender and soothing in a way that made Rumi's throat tighten with unspoken gratitude.

“I’m glad you came to me,” Mira whispered, her breath warming the back of Rumi's neck. “You did good.”

Rumi smiled against the pillow. “Thanks, Mira. Seriously. I'm sorry I woke you up.”

“Please.” Mira shifted her body to align closer with Rumi's. “You better wake me up every time. Or else.”

Rumi let out a quiet laugh.“You're way too sweet to sound remotely threatening right now,”

Mira pinched her side and Rumi squeaked before dissolving into giggles. Mira slid her hand out from beneath the hoodie and pressed her forearm against Rumi's chest to squeeze her even closer. The pressure was intensely satisfying.

“What was the trigger?” Mira asked.

Rumi sighed as everything came rushing back to the forefront of her mind. But with Mira holding her tight, it was more irritating than terrifying.

“Preparing for the debut next week,” Rumi sighed. “It's a lot. Too much, maybe.”

Mira hummed low against Rumi's neck. “Which parts feel the heaviest?”

Rumi thought of the stacks of contracts on her bed, the endless rows of data on the budget spreadsheet, and the emails piling up by the moment. But all that felt much more manageable now.

“I just don't want to let you and Zoey down,” she said softly. “I keep worrying I've missed something, a detail, or a mistake that could ruin the whole debut.”

Mira twirled her wrist and laced their fingers together. “You won't let us down. Even if something goes wrong, we'll figure it out together. It's our debut, not just yours.”

Rumi closed her eyes and let the emotion rise up in her chest until it burned her throat. Before she knew it, the pillow beneath her cheek was damp.

“Let us take some of it,” Mira said. “I can handle calls and scheduling, and Zoey could totally run our socials for a while.”

Rumi shook her head. “No, you both have been working so hard on songs, choreography, interview prep, not to mention all the extra work you have with demon hunting training. I couldn't ask you to take on more.”

“What about Celine?” Mira asked softly. “Couldn’t she take more of it?”

“She’s already doing most of it,” Rumi said. “I'm just backing her up. Once we get through debut week and build a fan base, the company will assign us our own manager. Celine is pushing for Bobby.”

Rumi felt Mira's lips curl into a smile on the back of her neck. “Aww I love Bobby.”

“Me too,” Rumi said with a weak laugh.

They lay in silence for a moment, only the hum of Mira's breathing against Rumi's neck filling the dark.

“Mira?”

“Hmm?”

“Can I…sleep in here tonight?”

Mira didn't respond right away, but Rumi felt her body tense. 

“I didn't mean- only if you want me to,” Rumi stammered, leaning her body away from Mira slightly. “If not, it's fine, no big deal.”

Mira pulled her tight against her body again. “Rumi, of course you can stay.”

“Are you sure? Because I'm fine going back to my room.”

“Yes,” Mira said, squeezing her hand firm and certain. “I want you to stay.”

“...Okay”

There was a pause, and then Mira's voice dropped, low and almost amused. “I was just thinking…this’ll be the first time I've ever slept with a woman without having sex with her first.”

Heat rushed to Rumi's face. She should've been used to Mira's direct and casual way of talking about sex, but it still knocked the air out of her. She turned her head slightly, trying to catch Mira's eyes in the dark. 

“How are things going with your…girlfriend? Would she be okay with this?”

“What? Oh you mean the girl from a while ago? She wasn't my girlfriend.”

“Then what was she?”

“A good lay,” Mira chuckled. “That's it, no feelings. That's how it is with all the girls I see. Some of them catch feelings, but not me.”

Rumi frowned faintly. “Why do you do it then?”

“For fun. And…” Mira's voice softened. “To escape, I guess.”

“Escape from what?”

“I don't know. From being angry, or sad, or nervous, or…anxious. When my face is buried in tits, I don't really have to think about anything, you know?”

Rumi huffed a quiet laugh. “I guess.”

“It's almost like an addiction,” Mira said quietly. “And I never thought about quitting. Not until I met you and Zoey.” She hesitated, then added with a self-deprecating laugh, “I feel silly for saying this, but I've been ‘sober’ for a month and a half now.”

“Yeah?” Rumi asked, her voice gentle. “And how do you feel?”

“Pretty good, honestly. Maybe a little hornier than usual,” Mira said with a grin in her voice. “But I haven't felt the need to escape. Even when the hard emotions hit.”

“That's great, Mira. I'm really proud of you.” Rumi's voice tightened with relief. “And honestly? I'm a little relieved. I've been worried about the media prying into your personal life. You would be tabloid gold.”

“Yeah no kidding,” Mira snorted.

“And I've had nightmares about Zoey holding my hand on stage or hanging all over me during a variety show and the media just running with it.”

Mira groaned. “Yeah we seriously need to talk to that girl about toning it down in public.”

For a few moments, they lay in silence. Rumi counted Mira's heartbeats against her back.

“Have you ever…” Rumi hesitated, wondering how to ask.”Wanted to…with Zoey? Or- or me?”

“Yes,” Mira said instantly. “Every second I'm with you guys. I want to right now.”

“Oh.” Rumi's breath hitched and she became very aware of her body slotted against Mira's.

“It was brutal at first,” Mira admitted. “Especially when Zoey started getting all handsy. But I've had lots of practice with restraint. I'm not about to mess up anything with Huntrix and I know how important our job is with the Honmoon. I promise, I can handle it.”

Rumi exhaled slowly. “That's…yeah that's good. We don't want to mess up anything with Huntrix.”

After a few moments of silence, Mira said, “Well, if we're not going to have sex, I guess we should sleep.” She pressed her lips against the base of Rumi's neck, warm and deliberate. “Goodnight, Rumi.”

Rumi's heart thundered in her chest. Her thoughts short-circuited, tangled between panic and something dangerously close to longing. But Mira's deep, steady breathing and the solid weight of her arm across her chest comforted her. Eventually, Rumi let herself sink into the warmth and rhythm, sleep claiming her in Mira's hold.

Chapter 10: Mira 4

Notes:

TW: Men hate

Mira pulled the robe over her body and then tied her hair up in a white towel. When she stepped out of the changing room, the hot, humid air immediately clung to her skin. The bathhouse was empty, courtesy of Bobby; now that Huntrix was getting kind of big, they couldn't risk running into fans in the nude.

Mira chose one of the round sunken tubs and dipped her toes in the water. Perfect temperature. She was looking forward to an hour of soaking her weary body in the hot water. The past few weeks had been intense: performances, interviews, variety shows, fan events, socials promotions, all while also attuning more to the Honmoon and training to fight demons. Despite being bone tired at the end of every day, Mira loved every moment of it. Especially because she got to do it with her girls beside her. 

The other changing room door burst open and Zoey shuffled quickly to where Mira was standing. She had done the towel on her head in space buns, which pulled a smile from Mira. She was too freaking adorable. 

“You ready for this?” Mira asked.

Zoey was trembling visibly with excitement as she nodded. Mira slid the robe off her shoulders and hung it on the rack beside the tub. 

The unhinged low laugh that came out of Zoey's mouth made Mira think of a cartoon villain discovering unlimited candy.

She rolled her eyes. “You've seen it before, dummy.”

Zoey still hadn't looked Mira in the eyes. “Yeah, but I didn't get a good look last time.”

Mira stepped closer to Zoey and tilted her chin up to look her in the eye. “Remember, this is technically still public. Hands to yourself.”

Zoey pouted. Then her eyes drifted down again. “I wish Rumi were here to see you.”

Mira also wished Rumi could have joined them. If not only to split Zoey's attention and keep things innocent. But she had so much to do and Celine had pulled her into a discussion about the budget as they were discussing the bathhouse. Rumi said maybe another time. Another time Rumi would also be naked with them. The thought pulled heat into Mira’s face.

“Me too.” Mira pulled on the tie of Zoey's robe. The front of the robe fell open just enough to make Mira's mouth water. She placed her palms on Zoey's chest and slid up and around her shoulders until the robe fell to the ground. 

Zoey's body was breathtaking, all soft curves and hidden strength. Her skin glowed warm under the steam. Mira's eyes lingered on the elegant slope of her collarbone, the smooth plane of her stomach, the subtle definition in her thighs that betrayed how hard she had been training.

Mira's palms skimmed down from Zoey's shoulders, brushing over her arms before finding her narrow waist. Her thumbs rested there almost reverently as Zoey shivered under her touch, her breath hitching audibly.

“So much for hands to yourself,” Zoey quipped breathlessly.

Mira dropped her hands. “Get in. Now.” Zoey’s eyes darted between Mira’s, exhilarated. “Before you combust. Or I do.”

She turned away as Zoey exhaled shakily, and stepped into the tub. Warmth enveloped her and she let out a satisfied sigh as the heat worked its way into her sore muscles.

Zoey followed her in and Mira got one last glimpse of her perfect breasts before they slipped beneath the surface of the opaque water. 

Zoey fiddled with the surface of the water for a few moments, droplets flying. Then, she glanced up at Mira with a nervous smile. “Mira?”

“Hmm?”

“How many girlfriends have you had?”

Mira arched an eyebrow at her, then leaned her head back against the edge of the tub, closing her eyes. “Mmm define ‘girlfriend’.”

“You know,” Zoey said quickly, words tumbling over each other. “Someone you like hanging out with. You go on dates with her, tell her things you don't tell anyone else, you get all fluttery when she texts you.” A dreamy expression crossed her face. “You kiss her sometimes. And sometimes more.”

“Oh,” Mira said. “Then zero. I've had zero girlfriends.”

“What?!” Zoey yelled incredulously. “What do you mean? Yes you have!”

“Not by your definition, no. Now, if you're asking how many women I've had sex with, that number is probably around 20-30.”

Zoey's jaw dropped. She slapped the water hard enough to splash Mira. “Thirty?! You can’t just drop that number like it’s a grocery list, Mira!”

Mira laughed. “You asked.” Then her voice dropped lower. “That’s not to say I never had feelings for a girl. I had a few crushes when I was still living at home. But,” Mira looked down at the water as the memories flooded back. “The feelings were never reciprocated. I was tired of getting hurt.”

Zoey watched her with a soft expression. Mira had never felt so vulnerable. 

Mira forced a laugh to lighten the mood. “Sex is a lot easier than feelings, trust me,” she muttered. Then, to deflect the conversation back to Zoey, she asked, “What about you? How many girlfriends have you had?” 

Zoey giggled nervously. “Same as you. Zero. But I totally get the whole ‘feelings not being reciprocated’ thing. I’ve had a few of those.” She watched her hand skimming the surface of the water, a sadness in her eyes that made Mira’s heart ache. “One time, I made the mistake of admitting my feelings for my friend. She then told everyone at school that I was gay and all the girls avoided me, and the boys pushed me and hit me and threw me in garbage cans. It was so bad I had to switch schools.”

Zoey glanced away and fidgeted in the water. “It was better for a while, and I even got a boyfriend. But then all the kids at that school started hating me too, this time just because I’m annoying and weird.”

Mira scooted a little closer and reached for her hand under the water. Zoey’s eyes flicked up to meet hers and Mira gave an understanding smile and a soft squeeze of her hand. Zoey returned a small, sad smile and they held each other’s gaze for a long while.

“So,” Mira said finally. “You like boys, huh?” 

Zoey smiled faintly, then looked down at the rippling water. “Only the ones that are nice to me,” she admitted with a shrug, as if it were the most obvious rule in the world.

“My first boyfriend was sweet, but he got made fun of a lot for dating the weird Asian chick and broke it off after only two weeks. The second one I really liked. I loved to touch him and kiss him and hold his hand. He was always embarrassed when I did that stuff at school, but I couldn’t stop being affectionate!” Zoey laughed at herself and rubbed her arm awkwardly. “He eventually got sick of it and dumped me. That one lasted a whole month and a half.”

Mira laughed. “Boys are dumb. Anyone who lets a catch like you go must be a little up there on the stupid meter.”

Zoey smiled sweetly at her. Then she asked, “You don’t like boys at all then, right?”

Mira made a disgusted noise. “Definitely not. I hate how their mustaches poke me when I kiss them, and the way they smell, and their clumsy, rough hands. I hate the way they look at me like I’m…not even a person.”

Zoey blinked at her, wide-eyed. “Wait, you’ve kissed men?”

Mira’s smile turned sharp, almost bitter. “Men are useful. They hold all the power, you know. And they love to help beautiful women who will touch their pathetic little cocks.”

“Mira!” Zoey yelped, half-scandalized, half-intrigued. “You’ve had sex with men?!”

“Oh god no,” Mira clarified. “I got away with promises and teasing touches mostly, sometimes kisses, and a handjob here and there.”

Zoey blinked and watched the water for a while, thinking hard. “So even with the women…you never really liked any of them?”

Mira let out a low laugh, leaning her head back against the stone edge of the tub. “I mean, sure, I liked some of them. But none of them stuck around for long to really form a relationship, you know?”

“Why didn’t they stick around for long?” Zoey asked, her voice gentle, but curious.

Mira shrugged, trying to look cool and unbothered, but her muscles tensed all the same. The question unlocked something raw and terrifying inside her.

“I'm…a difficult person to get along with. I'm blunt, aggressive, angry all the time.” Mira surprised herself with how easy it was to say this out loud to Zoey. “Once women get bored of sex with me, they start to realize how toxic my personality is. And they leave.”

Mira looked away, letting her confession fester in the steamy air.

“That's not true,” Zoey's voice was uncharacteristically soft and quiet. She edged closer until her thigh brushed against Mira's under the water.

Mira frowned though her chest tightened. “What do you mean? Of course it is.”

“No,” Zoey shook her head, her towel bun wobbling. “You're easy to get along with. I love how direct you are because it's so easy for me to talk to you.” She bit her lip searching Mira's face. She inched closer again, her hand rising out of the water. “I love your confidence. Your energy. I love how sexy you are.”

Her fingertips brushed lightly against Mira's damp skin, tracing up the column of her neck. Mira's breath caught, her pulse thudding.

“I love how sweet and gentle you are with me,” Zoey went on, her voice breaking slightly. Her hand slid higher until it cupped Mira's jaw. “I love…how you tease me. The way you look at me.” 

Mira knew exactly where this was headed, but made no move to stop it. Instead, she slowly leaned closer, their lips a breath apart, heart thudding in her chest. Somewhere in the back of her mind, a voice screamed at her to stop.

Zoey gazed into her eyes and said the one thing that completely dissolved her restraint. 

“I love you, Mira.”

Before Mira could breathe, Zoey closed the distance, pressing her lips against Mira's. 

Zoey’s lips were warm, tentative at first, just a brush against Mira’s mouth. Her hand on Mira’s jaw was trembling, and her lips tasted faintly of steam and salt. Mira couldn’t resist tilting her head to deepen the kiss.

The moment she parted her lips, Zoey made a small, desperate sound in the back of her throat and leaned in harder. Her thumb stroked Mira’s cheek, then slid to the curve of her neck, pressing against her pulse like she wanted to feel Mira’s heartbeat. Mira groaned low, unable to help herself, and her hands found Zoey’s waist beneath the water, gripping her like she needed to anchor herself.

Zoey gasped into her mouth, her body arching closer until her chest pressed firmly against Mira’s. Electricity shot through Mira’s whole body at the touch, and the kiss grew hotter, more insistent, their breaths tangling, lips parting and finding each other again with hungry urgency. Mira let herself drown in it; Zoey’s touch, Zoey’s soft little sighs, Zoey’s entire being pouring into her.

Then, Mira’s eyes snapped open. Her mind caught up to what her body was doing, and panic punched through the haze of desire. This was Zoey. Zoey, her bandmate, her friend, who genuinely loved her, who deserved better.

Mira tore her mouth away, gasping for breath. Her hands slipped from Zoey’s waist like they burned.

Zoey blinked slowly at her through eyes still flooded with desire. “Why are we stopping? I liked that...”

“Zoey,” Mira gasped. “We can't…”

Pain ripped through Mira's heart at Zoey's wide, wounded eyes. “Why?”

Mira swallowed hard, forcing herself not to reach for her again. “You know me. I use women…to escape. That's all it's ever been. I don't want to do that to you, Zo. You don't deserve to be an escape.”

Zoey shook her head furiously, tears spilling from her lashes. “What are you feeling now, Mira? Because I don't see pain. I see you wanting me.”

“I do, but-”

“Then you're not using me!” Zoey's voice grew desperate, the words spilling out too fast. “I want this! I want you!”

Mira pressed her eyes shut. Her whole body trembled with the effort it took not to give in. “Zoey…I love you. God, I love you. And that’s exactly why we can't.”

The words shattered something in the space between them. 

Zoey's face crumpled, her breath hitching in panic. “No. Don't do this. Don't pull away from me, Mira. I can’t. I can't go back to not touching you, not kissing you-”

“Zoey, stop,” Mira's voice cracked, low and broken. She caught Zoey's face in her hands, pulled her close, and pressed her forehead against hers. “We're still friends. I still love you. I’ll always want you. But we have a responsibility. To Huntrix, to the Honmoon, to Rumi. We need to have a professional relationship and we can't do anything that would jeopardize that.”

Zoey collapsed into her, arms winding around Mira's neck as if she were the only solid thing left in the world. Mira pulled her in, holding her tight, and Zoey’s bare skin pressed hot against her own. Mira's whole body screamed at her to surrender, to take what they both wanted. But she forced herself to be still, to just hold Zoey.

Zoey sobbed into the crook of Mira's neck and Mira felt like the worst person alive.

Notes:

Thank you to everyone commenting! It makes me so happy to see how many people are enjoying this story with me. More to come!

Chapter 11: Zoey 4

Zoey could hardly sit still. Her food sat untouched, cooling on the plate while her chopsticks darted through the air like she was still fighting. 

“When that tall one with the horns came after you, I was so scared! But I actually did it this time! My Shin-Kal came out clean, no stuttering, no weird drag. Just-” she mimed pulling something out of thin air, chopsticks clacking. “-fwip! And suddenly they were there, like they'd been waiting for me.”

Rumi smiled, small and tired, but her eyes were warm. “I saw. You were fast.”

Zoey's grin stretched wider. “Fast? Rumi, I was on fire! That demon with the claws? He lunged at me and my brain just blanked, but my body knew exactly what to do. The blades were alive in my hands, like they were fighting with me. I blocked, I spun, I slashed him up. I swear I could feel the strike in my chest, like my heart was swinging too-”

She glanced across the table, expecting Mira's dry retort, her smirk, the teasing that usually trimmed her excitement down to size in just the right way. But Mira only sipped her drink, eyes lowered to the glass, her face unreadable in the warm light of the restaurant. 

The silence hit Zoey like a missed step in her favorite song. Her chest squeezed. She pushed past it, almost desperately, words tumbling out faster.

“And then, did you see the last one? When I split him across the chest and he burst apart like smoke? That was me, Rumi! My first real kill! I can't even-” She laughed breathlessly, clutching at Rumi's arm.

Rumi chuckled softly. “You did good. Really good. You should be proud.”

Zoey clung to the words, letting them fill the emptiness Mira’s silence had carved out. She leaned harder against Rumi, grinning so wide her cheeks ached. She was buzzing with heat, with power, the memory of her Shin-Kal blazing in her hands. 

She lifted her chopsticks in the air like a victor raising a sword. “I was amazing!”

Rumi shook her head, but smiled, squeezing Zoey's hand. “You were.”

Across the table, Mira said nothing.

 

---

 

Zoey shifted her cramped position curled up under her desk and turned her sketchpad toward the small beam of light filtering into her cave. Mira's gok-do was a little too short and the flow of her hair as she soared through the air was a little off. Zoey erased carefully, adjusting, her pencil whispering against the paper.

After the exhilaration of the demon hunt faded, the ache returned heavier than before. Mira hadn't teased her since… before. The emptiness pressed down, threatening to crush Zoey. They were still friends, Mira had promised. The three of them still did everything together; meals, movie nights, shopping, even demon hunting. 

But now, Rumi always ended up in the middle, Mira on one side and Zoey on the other, miles apart. Mira laughed but Zoey felt apart from it. Mira smiled but not at her. Mira held Rumi's hand, and let Rumi fall asleep on her lap, and brushed hotteok crumbs off Rumi's cheek. And when her eyes met Zoey’s, they held nothing but pain.

A knock startled her. Zoey peered out from her spy hole and called, “Come in!” 

The door swung open and Rumi stepped in carefully. Her eyes scanned the room, searching, until she spied Zoey's foot poking out from behind the desk chair. She knelt, pulling the blanket draped over the desk aside just enough to see Zoey's face. 

“Hey,” Rumi said warmly. 

“Hi, Rumi,” Zoey said, her voice full of melancholy that she hadn't meant to put there.

“I was wondering if you wanted to cuddle? I don't think I'll fit down there though.”

Zoey didn’t hesitate. She passed her pencils and sketchpad out to Rumi and swiped the blanket aside to crawl out.

“Wow,” Rumi said as she admired the drawing in the sketchpad. “This is really good, Zoey. She looks fierce and beautiful and so…Mira.”

“Thanks,” Zoey said with a sad smile. She set the supplies on the desk and tugged Rumi’s hand toward the bed. “Will you stay with me until I'm asleep?”

“Of course.” Rumi didn’t even pause.

Zoey stripped off her hoodie and changed into shorts. Rumi kept all her clothes on as she wriggled under the covers and got comfortable on Zoey's bed. Zoey crawled onto the mattress and flopped on top of her, cheek settling just below her collarbone, a leg thrown over her hip.

The thin fabric of Rumi's green hoodie wasn’t nearly thin enough. Zoey nuzzled against her neck, tugging at the collar until her lips found warm skin. For a moment, it was enough. Then restlessness crept back in, her body hungry for more. Rumi's clothes were really frustrating. She slid her hand beneath the hoodie, palm high against Rumi’s stomach, while her foot pressed against the bare skin where Rumi’s pants had ridden up. 

“Comfy?” Rumi murmured. 

Zoey hummed in reply, eyes closing against her skin. Rumi seemed to know that Zoey still wasn’t completely satisfied, however. She lifted Zoey’s shirt and rested her hand on the bare curve of her back, drawing slow circles with her fingers. Rumi’s warmth seeped in and stitched the raw edges of her heart together. Zoey’s breathing softened, and before she knew it, she was starting to drift off.

“There’s weakness in the Honmoon,” Rumi murmured, her voice vibrating through Zoey’s cheek.

It took Zoey a few moments to pull herself out of drowsiness and process. She tilted her head up. “What?”

“There are new tears showing up. That’s why we’ve seen more demons than usual lately.”

Zoey’s heart sped up. “Why? What causes a weakness in the Honmoon?”

Rumi’s gaze drifted toward the ceiling, thoughtful. “The Honmoon is kept together partially by the courage and hope we give our fans. And also…” Her eyes slid back to Zoey. “...through the harmony between hunters.” 

She knows. 

Panic seized Zoey's chest. Tears rushed to her eyes before she could stop them. Rumi immediately drew her closer, pressing her lips to Zoey’s forehead. 

“I’m so sorry, Rumi,” she gasped between sobs. “It’s my fault! The Honmoon is weak because of me!”

“Zoey, no,” Rumi soothed, rubbing circles on her back. “It's not your fault. It just happens sometimes, and it’s nothing we can’t fix.”

“No, you don’t understand,” Zoey sputtered desperately. “I kissed Mira. I told her I love her. She warned me that we need to keep a professional relationship, but I couldn’t help myself and now she won’t even look at me! I still want her, every time I see her I want to kiss her again, and I can’t go back to the way it was before. I-” Zoey’s voice cracked as her voice lowered to a pained whisper. “I don’t know if we can even be friends anymore.”

Rumi held her as the storm broke, letting Zoey spill all her emotions onto her chest, kissing her hair every so often. Only when the sobs ebbed and her trembling slowed did she speak again.

“You kissed her?” 

Zoey sniffed and nodded. “I did. And Rumi…I love her. But not in a ‘love you, bestie!’ kind of way. I mean the real kind, the head-over-heels, can’t-breathe-without-her, truly, madly, deeply in love kind of way.”

Rumi laughed fondly, her chest rising beneath Zoey’s cheek. “That much has always been obvious, Zo. We’ve never been under the impression that your feelings for either of us are platonic.” 

Zoey groaned and flopped her head back against the pillow to meet Rumi’s eyes. “Well, I guess that saves me from having to confess my undying love for you, too. And breaking the Honmoon in a whole new way. Don’t worry, I won’t kiss you. Lesson learned.” 

Rumi smiled and brushed a strand of hair from Zoey’s face, hand lingering at her jaw. “Can I tell you a story?”

Zoey nodded enthusiastically.

“Celine told me this story when I felt you and Mira in the Honmoon for the first time,” Rumi began. “It’s about hunters long before our time. There were three, as there always are. Two of them fell in love. Not just friendship. The kind of love that makes you see light in even the darkest places. But the third one, she thought their love was selfish, that it weakened the team. She tried to force them apart, but all it did was cause discord. The Honmoon began to split, day by day. More demons slipped through than ever before, and even though the hunters fought, they weren't in harmony. Their blades clashed, their footsteps tangled, and one day, one of the lovers was struck down.”

Zoey gasped. Rumi stroked her neck gently, steadying her.

“The wound was terrible,” Rumi went on quietly. “And as the injured hunter bled, the other cradled her with such raw tenderness that the third finally saw. She saw that their love wasn't weakness at all. It was strength. It wasn't something tearing the Honmoon, it was something that could bind it tighter than ever. She realized her anger was the real tear.”

Zoey's chest ached with every word.

Rumi's voice softened even further, like a secret meant only for Zoey. “From that moment, she chose to love them both, in her own way. To accept them. And the Honmoon mended. Stronger than before. Strong enough that demons stopped breaking through for months.”

Zoey’s tears spilled over again, but this time not from despair. “So…it doesn’t have to destroy us?” she whispered.

Rumi leaned her forehead against Zoey’s. “No. Love doesn’t destroy the Honmoon. Discord does. And harmony doesn’t mean being the same. It means finding a rhythm together, even with our differences.”

Zoey let out a shaky laugh, half-relieved, half-exhausted. “Rumi…you always know how to fix me.”

Rumi smiled faintly, her thumb brushing Zoey’s cheek where the last tear clung. Her hand lingered there, warm and steady, as she hesitated. Then she spoke, voice steady and quiet.

“Zoey, I love you, too. And not in a best friend kind of way.” Zoey’s breath caught at the faint, almost shy smirk tugging at Rumi’s lips. “But…I’m comfortable with the physical relationship we have now. I love cuddling with you and touching you. I don’t think I’m ready for anything more right now.”

Zoey blinked, chest tightening until she thought it might split. But then her shoulders eased, and a small, grateful smile softened her face. “Understood. I love our relationship right now too.”

Rumi’s gaze lingered, thoughtful, as though weighing something. She searched Zoey’s face, then brushed her hair back from her temple, voice careful. “I think Mira could be ready for more though. Can we talk to her together tomorrow?”

Zoey's heart surged with warmth. “I would love that. Thank you, Rumi.” She leaned her forehead against Rumi's and closed her eyes, breathing in her presence. 

“I love you.”