Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

Chapter 1

Three figures were sprawled over a couch together, legs entwined, heads on shoulders, eyes barely keeping open as the last few hours or so caught up on them. Had the Idol Awards really only been last night? It felt like days, months, had passed between the group hitting the stage to sing Golden, and the three of them collapsing on this couch.

Bobby had really come through for them, dropping in hoodies and sweatpants for them that he had scrounged up from somewhere. The girls hadn’t cared how big they were, just that the clothes were clean and cosy. Once they had quickly changed out of their performance outfits, they had all migrated to this couch and curled up together. The need for closeness still lingered. They hadn’t moved since.

Rumi lifted her head and turned towards the door. She could hear voices in the corridor outside, getting louder as they got closer to the door. She nudged the other two girls, Zoey giving a little grumble at being disturbed, while Mira’s jaw cracked as she gave a huge yawn. Anxiety swirled briefly in Rumi’s stomach, before disappearing when Bobby opened the door. The stadium, hell probably the whole city, was a mess right now. Everyone had the same question: what the hell had happened? Rumi was pretty much the only one with the answers. But the exhaustion was weighing heavy on her limbs, and her brain felt sluggish and foggy. She couldn’t fathom trying to explain this to anyone right now.

Bobby bustled in, his usual energy seeming to be in full swing since the girls had tasked him with getting them home. “Right, the car has just pulled up. We can use one of the back delivery entrances to sneak the three of you out. How’re you feeling girls? Need anything else?”
His eyes were glued to his phone, no doubt in contact with PR and the Board from Sunlight Entertainment, already firefighting on their behalf. Rumi felt a swell of affection rise in her chest; they were so lucky to have someone like Bobby in their corner.

“Not right now, thanks Bobby.” Zoey answered, Mira just gave another huge yawn. All three girls were mentally and physically drained. They all untangled slowly from the couch and each other, stretching stiff muscles and trying to loosen out limbs. First Mira, then Zoey stood, Bobby glancing over them quickly in concern. He had seen them tired after shows, drained from tours, but this was something different. No matter how tired or sore or drained they were, Bobby had never seen them so subdued before. It worried him. He wanted to ask what had happened at the Idol Awards. It had looked like they had had a massive fight on stage, and the media were having a field day over their supposed break-up. He didn’t know what had triggered that, or if everything had been resolved between them yet. But he could see that they were a unit again, and with the obvious reluctance to be more than five feet from each other at all times, Bobby knew that whatever it was they were going through, they would get through it together. And he would help in any way they needed him to!
“I’ve made sure the car has been stocked with water, and some snacks. I would have organised for there to be proper food but figured you girls wanted to go strai… Rumi!”

Rumi was the last to rise from the couch, her head feeling heavy and groggy. Pushing to her feet, she felt the room spin and her stomach lurched; she was going to fall. It was a strange feeling. Everything had a dreamlike, slow-motion quality to it. She knew she was about to fall, and even reaching out a hand for something to hold onto, Rumi knew that it would make no difference. She didn’t even have the energy to brace herself, just silently hoping not to hurt herself too badly when she landed.
The world started sliding sideways, before two sets of arms braced her. Mira and Zoey had both turned at Bobby’s exclamation and moved in time to catch her. Rumi stumbled into them, grasping onto the arms they offered in support. “Sorry,” Rumi mumbled, “Seems like that dizziness from earlier is sticking around.”

“No need to apologise Rumi, you’ve been through a lot over the last few hours.” Zoey replied reassuringly.
Rumi gave her a grateful smile, “Thanks, but so have you guys.”
“It’s not a competition, if you need help, then that’s ok. We want to help.” Zoey’s hand squeezed gently at Rumi’s elbow, the touch grounding Rumi. “Do you think you can walk?”

Rumi nodded tightly. She just needed a second to get her bearings. Once the room stopped spinning so much, she took a few steps, Zoey and Mira hovering protectively next to her. Rumi straightened her back and continued to walk towards the door Bobby was holding open for them. She made it halfway across the room before her legs gave out. God, her head was pounding, and she felt weak as water. Mira caught her this time, arms sliding around her waist as she slowly lowered Rumi to the floor. Zoey brushed back some of Rumi’s hair that had escaped her braid.

“I’m gonna say that’s a no to the walking.” Zoey smiled slightly at the annoyed look on Rumi’s face, glaring at her legs like she couldn’t believe they would betray her like that.
“I can do it.”
“Rumi, honey, you can’t. But that’s ok, let us help you.” Zoey rolled her eyes in, mostly, fondness, as Rumi’s jaw tightened, her stubbornness on full display. Rumi opened her mouth to argue, but Zoey just shushed her. Rumi snapped her jaw shut, her teeth clicking in surprise. Zoey had shushed her!
Pout now on full display, Rumi folded her arms across her chest, “Well what do you suggest then, I just live on the floor instead?”

“Don’t be silly, you goose! Mira will carry you.”

Rumi’s eyes widened in shock, “What? No, no I can walk by myself, I can do it.”

Zoey just gave her a small pat on the head, like placating a small child, “Of course you can Rumi, but you don’t have to. Mira?”

“On it.”

Mira wrapped one arm behind her back, then placed her other arm under Rumi’s knees. Rumi let out an involuntary squeak as in one smooth motion Mira scooped Rumi off the floor and held her tightly to her chest. She had been carried by the other girls multiple times over the years; they had all carried each other at some point or other in the last decade they’d known each other. Fighting demons on the regular wasn’t a walk in the park. But she was usually unconscious, or the very least so distracted by whatever injury she had sustained that she hadn’t cared. This felt slightly mortifying, especially with Bobby in the room watching. Rumi covered her face in her hands, her ears already turning red in embarrassment. “The floor couldn’t have just done me the favour of swallowing me whole, no?”

She felt Mira’s huff of laughter, “Relax Princess, I won’t drop you.”
“Do not call me Princess! Especially when you’re holding me like this!”
“As your knight in shining armour, it is my prerogative to call you Princess.”
“Wha- no it isn’t!”
“Of course it is. I swooped in, caught you, I’m cradling you bridal style. You’re clearly the Princess.” Mira glanced down at Rumi smirking.

“Zoooeeey! Mira’s being mean to me!”
Zoey had gathered up their performance outfits, rolling everything into a ball to make it easier to hold. She smiled brightly at Rumi as she strolled passed the two girls, “Just enjoy the pampering, Princess.”

Mira laughed as Rumi threw a betrayed look at Zoey’s back. She folded her arms across her chest again, glaring at Mira.
“I hate you both.”

“Try saying that with a little more conviction next time, Princess.”

Rumi huffed but couldn’t help the small smile that was tugging on her lips. She felt a surge of warmth and fondness flow over her, the banter with the two girls doing more to settle her than anything else so far. She was still embarrassed that she had to be carried, but now that the initial shock was wearing off, Rumi could feel the tiredness dragging at her consciousness. God she was exhausted. She let her head relax against Mira’s shoulder, the taller girl not faltering once in her stride. Bobby led the way, closely followed by Zoey; the smallest of them glancing back often, like she had to make sure every few minutes that the other two girls were still there. Rumi met her eyes and smiled at her, letting out a sigh that felt like it had come from her toes. She couldn’t wait to get home.
The group made their way through the winding corridors, not meeting many people thankfully. Rumi could hear the crowd that was still in the stadium, the sound far away but resonating in her chest, like thunder. It had been less than an hour since Gwi-Ma had been defeated, and Rumi could imagine the confusion and fear that the people were feeling. She really hoped that the positivity, hope and love from creating the new Honmoon, that she could still feel saturating the air, was helping to calm everyone.

“Right, the car is just outside this door. Let me double check that the coast is clear. The last thing we want is for you to be swarmed by fans right now.” Bobby strode forward, cracking the door open slightly and glancing through. He opened the door a little farther, sticking his head fully through, checking left and right. After a few seconds, when he was sure that there were no unexpected surprises waiting for them, he opened the door fully and waved the girls through.
Zoey strode quickly to the back door, hopping in and shuffling across, throwing their costumes over the back seats and into the boot unceremoniously. She turned back to the open door, helping Mira as she placed Rumi on the back seat gently. Bobby got into the front seat, already giving instructions to the driver while Mira and Zoey helped get Rumi settled and her seatbelt on. Once Mira had jumped in and closed the door, the car took off.

Rumi let her head fall back against the head rest. Her hands reached out to both girls either side of her. Warms hands wrapped around hers without hesitation. The rocking of the car, the comfort of having her sisters either side of her, Bobby making calls in the front seat, all served to pull Rumi into an almost meditative state. She wasn’t asleep, but she wasn’t fully awake either. The sun continued to rise, streaking through the car windows, bouncing off the glass of the skyscrapers they passed. Rumi felt her eyes starting to drift, a calmness washing through her that she hadn’t felt in… God, possibly years.
The calmness shattered as Bobby’s voice cut through the peace, “Will I call Celine for you girls? You probably want to talk to her yourself though? She must be worried sick!”

Rumi snapped upright so quickly it felt like someone had just electrocuted her. Her chest tightened and her throat started to close. Oh god, Celine. The last time they spoke flashed through her mind, quickly followed by a flood of emotion that left Rumi feeling like she couldn’t breathe. It was too much, just thinking about Celine was too much. How was she meant to face her after everything that had happened?
“Rumi, you good?” Mira’s voice felt like it was coming to her from a long tunnel.

“B-bobby, wait. Wait, don’t call her. Please don’t call her.”

The eyes of everyone in the car snapped to Rumi, even the driver glancing in the rearview mirror before his eyes went back to the road. Rumi could feel her chest trying to expand, trying to draw breath, but she couldn’t. God she couldn’t get enough air into her lungs, she was hyperventilating.

Bobby’s eyebrows were practically off his face they were so high in surprise. He held both hands up in surrender, one still holding his phone, “Oh-kaaay. I won’t call her.” His eyes shifted quickly to Mira and Zoey, trying to gain any understanding. The girls had always had a great relationship with their mentor, even Rumi. Especially Rumi. Celine had taken her in, raised her, built Huntr/x around her. Sure, there were some tensions around creative differences over the years, but that was to be expected when a group was finding its voice, its identity. As far as Bobby had been concerned, Celine was practically a surrogate mother to all of them.
But Rumi’s face was currently a mask of fear and tension, she back ramrod straight, her eyes wide and pleading. The other two girls looked at her with concern. They clearly didn’t know what was going on either. Bobby frowned in concern. What had happened to make Rumi this scared?

“Hey, hey Rumi, it’s ok, can you breathe with my honey? Just like me, in through your nose, there you go.” Zoey had placed a gentle hand on Rumi’s back and was exaggerating her breathing so Rumi could copy her. Mira continued to hold Rumi’s hand, which now had a white-knuckled grip, and dragged her thumb gently over the back of it, trying to give comfort.
Rumi tried to copy Zoey’s breaths, focusing on the feeling of Mira’s thumb gliding over the back of her hand, trying to ground herself. It took a few moments before she felt composed enough to address Bobby. Bobby who was still sitting facing them, both hands raised, showing as clearly as possible that he wasn’t contacting anyone. Rumi appreciated the transparency, it helped to get her breathing more under control.

“I kn-know you have to, that y-you can’t not contact her at all. B-but could you not c-call her? Not right now.” Rumi could feel the concern radiating off Mira and Zoey, and they deserved answers. Deserved so many answers. But if Bobby rang Celine, if he told her that Rumi wasn’t 100%, what if she decided to call to the house? She would demand to know what happened, how the Honmoon was back, every little terrifying detail. And what if, oh god, what if she told the girls what Rumi had asked her to do? A shudder rippled down her spine, Zoey’s hand stilling on her back for half a second before returning to its gentle movements. Mira’s hand squeezed hers back harder.
Bobby nodded quickly, “Of course, she’s CC’d in all the Board emails I’ve been sending anyway, and she’ll probably be all over the PR stuff. You know how she likes to be involved. And I can text her, just something quick, that the three of you are ok. That you’ve gone home and just need some R&R. That you’ll contact her when you’re ready.”

Rumi slumped back against the seat, the rush of adrenaline that had flowed through her at the first mention of Celine subsiding and leaving her feeling even more exhausted than before she got into the car. Her breathing slowed as she continued to try and match Zoey, the smaller girl still exaggerating her breaths for Rumi to copy. She sent a shaky but genuine smile at Bobby, her voice coming out as almost a whisper, “Thank you.”

Bobby smiled gently at her, “Anything for my girls, you know that.”
He turned back around in his seat, fingers flying over his phone as he returned to the millions of emails, texts and media bullshit that was flooding his phone.

The rest of the car journey passed in silence. Zoey continuing to breathe deeply next to her as Rumi tried her best to slow her heart and expand her lungs in time with her. Mira’s thumb never stopped gliding over the back of her hand, the touch soothing and grounding.

The car eventually slowed, the skyscraper they called home dominating the view out of the car window. As the car pulled into the private underground carpark, Rumi had never been happier that they owned the whole building. The car stopped in front of the elevator that would take them to their penthouse, Bobby giving the driver a smile and pat on the shoulder when he pulled up as close as possible, while still leaving room for the girls to get out.
Mira stepped out first and immediately turned, holding out her hands to pick up Rumi again. There was a silent stand-off between the two, Rumi glaring petulantly at the taller girl, while Mira just looked back calmly, waiting patiently. Rumi huffed and rolled her eyes before acquiescing and sliding to the edge of the seat to allow Mira to pick her up. Zoey quickly followed them out once she saw Rumi was secured, rushing ahead to call the elevator. Bobby got out and stood with them while they waited.

“I had someone come and stock the place with food, the cleaners have been dismissed until I let them know they can come back, so you won’t be disturbed, the AC is on, so it should be nice and cool up there, I have Dr Chakwas on standby in case she is needed, don’t worry about the clothes in the car, I’ll have them drycleaned…” Bobby listed out everything and anything he could think of that would make life easier for the three girls in front of him. He took a breath to continue before Zoey placed a hand on his arm.

“Bobby, you’ve done more than enough, honestly. All we wanna do is sleep, eat and shower, not necessarily in that order.” She smiled softly at him, “If we need you for anything else, we will call you.”
Bobby frowned in concern again, his eyes glancing over the three women; Rumi, already half asleep in Mira’s arms, exhaustion evident in the lines of her face, Zoey with a cut just visible to the edge of her hairline that Bobby wasn’t even sure she had noticed yet, Mira with bruises beginning to appear across what little skin was showing. It looked like the three of them had gone to war. His frown deepened, “Do you promise?”

Mira smirked back at him, “When have we ever said no to you spoiling us, Bobby? I once rang you at three in the morning demanding dumplings from a place that had closed two months previous. You came through. We will call.”

Bobby felt his face relax into a smile. He had been their manager for a long time. The thing he had found most difficult at the start was getting them to trust him, to rely on him, to believe that if they said they needed it, he would make sure they had it. But their relationship now was built on years of trust and faith. He nodded to them, stepping back towards the car as the elevator doors opened.
“Ok, good, I’ll hold you to that! I’ll check in later today ok? So one of you better answer me, unless you want me storming the building!”

“You got it Bobby.”

“Bye girls!”
“Bye Bobby!” a chorus of voices called back, Rumi’s sleepy response mixing with Zoey’s enthusiasm and Mira’s quiet confidence.

Rumi heard the gentle swoosh of the elevator doors closing, her eyes barely open as her head rested against Mira’s shoulder again. Wow she was tired, like could-feel-it-in-her-bones tired. But she managed to wrangle enough energy to raise her arm and place it on Zoey’s shoulder. She sighed as she made contact, feeling herself relax more. Zoey raised concerned eyes when she felt the hand on her shoulder, but her face quickly changed to one of understanding, a small smile gracing her face. She raised her own hand and covered Rumi’s, hearing Rumi hum in contentedness.
The girls let the silence surround them, not awkward or stifling, but peaceful and calm. All of them were tired, emotionally and physically drained. They knew that they had to talk, and that it would be hard and painful, but that could wait for a bit. Right now, they just needed the peace that came from being together again.

The elevator beeped softly signalling that they had reached their floor. Zoey stepped forward and placed her hand on the scanner next to the door. It flashed brightly, Zoey’s hand briefly silhouetted against the black panels, before another beep sounded, and the doors opened. The three of them entered the penthouse and without needing to consult each other, made their way into the living area and towards the couch.
Mira placed Rumi on the couch gently before collapsing next to her, Zoey following on Rumi’s other side. For a few moments, nobody spoke. They just sat and breathed and tried very hard not to think about anything.

The quiet was broken by a loud gurgle. Rumi and Mira turned to Zoey, who looked back sheepishly, “Soooo, I guess I’mma little hungry?”

Rumi left out a soft chuckle, while Mira just smirked over at Zoey. “Well, we all probably need to eat, and like shower. I need to get the Gwi-Ma dust outta my hair.”
“Oh god, a shower. I would love one, but I honestly don’t know if I can stand for long enough right now.”

“Well then don’t.” Zoey answered immediately. “Take a nap first, we’ll make some food and wake you up when it’s ready.”

“We? What is this ‘we’ business Zoey? We all know that I will be cooking, and you will stay outta my kitchen.”
“Yes chef, no problem chef.”
“Uuugggh, should never have let you watch those cooking shows with me.”

Zoey giggled, while Rumi shook her head in amusement.
Mira stood and stretched her back, shoulders popping with the movement. “Ok, I’ll shower first, Zoey you take out Rumi’s braid for her so she can nap comfortably. Then when I’m out of the shower, I’ll start on some food and Zoey can go shower. Once it’s ready we’ll wake you up, Rumi, so you can get something to eat.”

“Wait, hang on,” Rumi shifted herself into a more upright position, “I can do something, I’m not an invalid.”
“Not saying you are, but you should rest.”
“I have rested, I’m totally rested. I can’t let you guys do all the work.” Rumi felt a frown drift over her features.

“Rumi, the last time you tried to stand, you literally nearly face-planted.” Zoey said gently, but there was a teasing smile at the edge of her lips.
“Yeah but that was like, hours ago. I’m good now.”

“That was twenty minutes ago!” came Mira’s voice as she walked down the hall to her room.

“Uuuugh why are you guys so annoying!”
“’Cause we love you and want to make sure you’re ok.” Zoey placed her hand on Rumi’s shoulder when it looked like she was going to try and get up. “Rumi, you’re always the one who pushes herself to take care of us, even when you’re hurt as well. Right now, you’re not ok, and that’s ok! We want to help, let us do this for you? Please?”

Rumi’s eyes travelled back and forth between Zoey’s trying to gauge her true feelings. She didn’t want them to feel obliged to help her or look after her. But all she saw was gentle understanding and care in Zoey’s face. She nodded, just once, and then smiled as Zoey beamed at her.
“Great! Cool, so if you wanna get comfy, I’ll start un-braiding your hair and then you can take a nap!”

Rumi turned sideways on the couch. She pulled her knees up so that one was tucked underneath her, and one was pulled into her chest. She wrapped her arms around the leg that was bent to her chest and settled her chin on top of her knee. She leaned her weight into the back to the couch, her shoulder sinking into the cushions.
Zoey moved in behind her and slowly started to remove all the gold accessories from her hair. She hummed under her breath as she did, the sound soothing Rumi as she slowly started to relax. Once the accessories had been removed from her hair, Zoey placed a hand on her shoulder to get her attention. “I’m going to take out your earrings as well, ok?”
Rumi just hummed her assent, not having the energy to reply. Zoey’s fingers gently undid the clasps and removed the hoops and studs from her ears. They made a light tinkling noise as they joined the hair accessories on the coffee table. Once all of them had been removed, Zoey moved around to the front of Rumi, sitting on the couch holding her hands. Rumi tilted her head at her in question.

“Just wanted to check quickly if you’ve any injuries or anything that need to be looked at. Not to boast or anything, but my stitches are way better then Mira’s.”
“I heard that!!” echoed up from the back of the apartment.
“You were meant to!” Zoey shouted back, clearly pleased Mira had heard her.

Rumi smiled at the teasing, quickly taking stock of everything. She was definitely covered in bruises, just like the other two girls were, but nothing needed stitches right now. She shook her head at Zoey, “I’m good, I mean I’ll be a lovely shade of black and blue tomorrow, but I don’t need anything stitched or wrapped. Thanks.”
Zoey nodded, smiling at her before moving around to her back. She moved her hands to the bottom of Rumi’s braid, removing the hair tie, and slowly beginning to unravel the braid. Her ministrations were so gentle, so patient, it nearly made Rumi want to cry. Did she really deserve this kindness, this gentleness after everything she had put them through? Her mind threatened to slip sideways into darker thoughts, but with monumental effort Rumi shut them down. If she started, if she even contemplated her guilt, her shame, for half a second, she’d spiral instantly. She wasn’t mentally ready to face any of that. So Rumi took a deep, steadying breath, and forced herself to relax, to focus only on the movement of Zoey’s hands, on the soft melody she was humming behind her.
Slowly but surely, her body completely relaxed, and she fell asleep.

~*~*~*~*~

Rumi woke slowly, gently rising to consciousness like she was surfacing from a deep lake. Sound came first, the gentle noise of food sizzling in a pan, hushed conversation and utensils catching on surfaces drifting through her ears. Next came sensation, as she realised that she was now lying down on the couch, curled on her side, a blanket tucked around her. She had no memory of lying down or of the blanket. One or both of the girls must have covered her with it. She could feel the ache in her muscles, her very skin feeling overly sensitive. Her eyes fluttered as bright sunshine flooded from the floor to ceiling windows they had. Next, she became aware of the aching hollowness in her stomach, just as it let out a loud grumble.

Stifled laughter reached her ears as she groaned and covered her face in the blanket. She didn’t want to move, but clearly her stomach had other ideas.

“Hey, you’re awake. Good timing, Mira’s just finished cooking.”
Rumi opened one eye, squinting against the brightness to see that Zoey was kneeling next to the couch. Her hair was down, still damp from the shower she must have had, a softness to her cheeks as she smiled lightly as Rumi.

“How long was I out for?”
“Just over an hour maybe? I’m not entirely sure what time we got back at.” Zoey shrugged slightly, clearly not bothered by how long Rumi had been asleep for. “You feel up to eating something? Sounds like your stomach wants some food.” Zoey gave her a cheeky grin.

Rumi huffed a laugh, nodding slightly. She ran a hand over her face, feeling the griminess of her skin. “Uugh, I’m really looking forward to showering.”

“Well food first. C’mon get it while it’s fresh.” Mira was carrying two bowls over to the kitchen island, placing chopsticks and spoons next to them. Even though they lived in a penthouse with plenty of room, they didn’t own a dining room table. When they ate together it was usually with all of them crammed on the couch, or around the kitchen island.
Rumi struggled into a sitting position, still groggy from sleep, and stretched with a huge yawn. She felt a lot better than she had earlier, still tired, still sore; but her head was a bit clearer after the nap. Her fingers ran through the hair at her temples, nails scratching at her scalp, the rest of it fanning out across her back like her very own purple cape. She swung her legs off the couch and took a second before standing up. Zoey hovered, offering support should it be needed. Rumi smiled at her as she shuffled her way over to the food, swaying slightly but keeping her feet.

The smell of the food made her stomach gurgle again, the noise loud in the open-plan room. She held a hand against it, embarrassment colouring the back of her neck and ears. Mira just grinned at her and gestured to the bowls, “Come. Eat.”

The smell of sesame seed oil, soy sauce and kimchi filled her senses and she hurried to her seat. “You made kimchi fried rice? You only make that on special occasions!”
“We didn’t die, I think that counts as a special occasion. ”

Rumi lifted her eyes from the food to look at the two girls sitting at the island with her. She gave them a sad, shame-filled look, her mouth opening to apologise, or explain, or just to say something.
But Mira just waved her chopsticks at her, gesturing to the food, “Eat, you need something in your stomach before you pass out on us again.” When Rumi just continued to stare at her, guilt written across her face, Mira continued quietly, “Rumi, we’ve got time. You need to eat something, please.”

Hesitating a second longer, eyes flicking between Mira and Zoey but only seeing concern for her well-being shining back, Rumi nodded softly before starting to eat her food. Her eyes closed and she nearly moaned at the taste. She didn’t know if it was because she was so hungry, or if the food was just that good but, “This is the best kimchi fried rice I’ve ever eaten.”

“You say that every time.” Mira said drily.
“That’s because it’s true every time!”

Mira rolled her eyes in exasperation, but Rumi could see the pleased little smile that was trying to fight its way onto Mira’s face. Zoey just hummed in agreement, her mouth full, half the bowl demolished already.

They settled into a comfortable silence, only the gentle noise of their cutlery and the whirl of the AC providing any sound. Up this high, the noises from the world outside rarely reached them. It was one of the main reasons they had bought the place originally. It was their own private little bubble of peace in the city.

The peace was broken by Zoey’s phone ringing on the countertop, an upbeat synth-heavy melody filling the apartment as Bobby’s profile picture lit up the screen. Zoey hopped off her chair, grabbed the phone and placed it on the island, clambering back up before hitting the answer button, putting the call on speaker so all of them could be on the call.

“Hi Bobby!”
“Hi girls, how’re you feeling?” Bobby’s voice filled the room.

Rumi raised an eyebrow at the other two girls; there was no video. Bobby always video called them, it was his default. If there was no video it meant that he was somewhere he didn’t want them to see (usually if he was trying to surprise them with something), or he was with someone he didn’t want to see them. Rumi straightened up as she saw the realisation hit the other two. Mira glared at the phone as if she could see through it without the video, while Zoey shuffled in her seat.
“We’re good Bobby, thanks! Just tired you know.”

“Ah of course, big night big night. Lots happened.”
Rumi frowned at the phone. She hated not knowing who else was with Bobby. She knew he wasn’t in trouble, there was no fear in his tone, just some anxiety and stress… and maybe annoyance?
Board members? she mouthed at the other two girls, Mira’s glare deepening while Zoey just shrugged helplessly.

“Yeah it was pretty overwhelming, but we’re feeling ok now, good even. Mira made some food, so we’re just chilling in the kitchen.” Zoey tried to put as much of her bubbly personality into the response, all of them now very conscious that anything they said was being judged, picked apart, assessed by someone they couldn’t see.

“Oh that sounds great, what did she make?”

“Kimchi fried rice, egg cooked to perfection as usual.” Rumi replied. She nudged Mira in the foot, raising her eyebrows and darting her eyes back and forth between Mira’s face and the phone. Mira rolled her eyes but got the message. She had to answer to prove she was here.
“I can put a bowl aside for you Bobby, if these savages don’t eat it all.”

Zoey fake gasped, “Savages? How dare you! It’s not out fault you make such yummy food.”
“Yeah Mira,” Rumi chimed in, playing into the banter, “I mean I was fast asleep, and the food smelled so good my own stomach rumbling woke me up!”

“As I said, savages.” The girls all laughed lightly, glancing at the phone wondering who was with Bobby, and more importantly, what their unknown lurker on the call was thinking.

“If there’s extra, you know I won’t say no to your kimchi fired rice Mira, it’s the best I’ve ever tasted!”
“That’s what I said too Bobby, but she won’t believe us!”

“Jeeze you guys are annoying.” But Mira’s smile was evident in her voice.

“Ok girls, I just wanted to check in, see how you all were feeling. You need anything?”
“No we’re good Bobby.” Rumi said, “Thanks for checking in, you’re too good to us.” Mira and Zoey joining in on the praise.

“Aw shucks girls, stop that now, you’re making me blush. Right! Gotta go, lots to do, as always. I’ll check in again on you tomorrow. Bye girls!”
“Bye Bobby!”

The line went dead, and Zoey picked up her phone to make sure the call had actually dropped off. The three of them sat in silence for a moment, tense as they thought through the last few minutes.
“Who do you think was with him?” Zoey asked, chewing on the inside of her lip, a nervous habit.

“Clearly someone he didn’t trust, for him to not have his video on. Even when he’s surrounded by fans, he still video calls us.” Mira stated, still glaring at the phone.
Rumi rubbed at her temple gently, “Someone he definitely didn’t want to see us anyway.” She glanced at the bruises framing Mira’s jaw, and the one blooming across Zoey’s head where a cut stretched back into her hairline. She herself probably looked like death warmed up right now, not having showered yet or changed out of the hoody and sweats Bobby had found for them in the stadium earlier. “I mean, except for the fact that he saw us like this earlier, we wouldn’t normally let Bobby see us like this either. He has never seen us hurt before. But why would a Board Member want proof that we were together?”

Mira and Zoey shared a guilty look, Zoey fidgeting with her hands.

Rumi glanced from one to the other, neither of them making eye contact. “What? What do you guys know that I don’t?”
Mira sighed, then gestured loosely with a hand, “Well the Idol Awards were watched by literal millions, and to them we fought onstage and then you ran off I guess? The news said afterwards that Huntr/x had broken-up.”
Zoey shrugged slightly and tried to smile at Rumi, “Maybe the Board Members didn’t believe Bobby when he told them that the band was still together, maybe they wanted proof. And what better way than to call us and have us confirm it by being together now, without any journalists or fans or anyone else here that might make us think we had to fake it.”

“Oh.”

Rumi slouched into her chair, her mind racing. To an outsider, it would make sense that what had happened on the Idol Awards was the band breaking up. A shudder ran through her when she remembered the darkness, the hatred on Mira and Zoey’s faces while they were singing Takedown. She shook herself. No. That wasn’t them.
But anxiety was beginning to crawl up her spine, stealing her breath. The girls had been wonderful to her, gentle and kind and loving and they had created a new Honmoon together. They had nearly died trying to save her. But what if they didn’t want to be in a band any longer? What if all the pressure and everything they had gone through since yesterday evening was a step too far for them?

“And do you, I-I mean are we, so are we still, em, is Huntr/x still… together?” Rumi asked haltingly.

Mira looked over at her sharply, “What do you mean is Huntr/x still together? Why wouldn’t we be?”
Zoey just looked confused.

“I just, I didn’t want to presume anything, and you’ve both been through a lot, and I have so much to explain, and we haven’t even talked about it yet, and you’ve been so supportive and loving and caring, but I wouldn’t blame you if you didn’t want to continue with this, or to make some changes or somethi-”

Rumi was cut off as both Mira and Zoey moved simultaneously, sliding off their chairs and moving to either side of her before crushing her in a hug between the two of them.
“Rumi, you’re being silly and all up in your own head. Yes we’ve a lot to talk about and it’s gonna suck major ass, but that doesn’t mean we don’t love you, and it doesn’t mean we want to walk away from Huntr/x.”
“Yeah, you’re being stupid, and I don’t like when you’re being stupid. So, just like, stop.”

Rumi let out a quiet laugh at Mira’s command to stop being stupid, while Zoey’s words filled her up with warmth.

“Ok ok, I get the message, you love me, Huntr/x is still a thing, and stop being stupid.” Rumi smiled ruefully at them both as they moved back from her slightly.

“Glad that’s cleared up. Now go shower, you stink.”
“Mira!”
“What? She does. I said that with love.”
“You said that with malice!”
“I did not, there was no malice there at all. Maybe some snark, but I have a reputation to uphold. Can’t be gooey and soft all the time.”

Rumi just shook her head, her cheeks beginning to hurt from how huge her smile was. Zoey and Mira continued to bicker in front of her, the two of them retaking their seats. “I’m going to go shower,” she raised her voice to interrupt them, Mira raising an eyebrow and throwing a smirk at Zoey, who in turn just rolled her eyes. “I do feel grimy, and I want to get into soft, comfy clothes. Then maybe we could just chill on the couch? Throw on a movie, or maybe… talk?”

The mention of talking sobered everyone up. There was a lot to cover, truths that needed to be told, hurts that needed airing. Mira just nodded at her, while Zoey shot her an encouraging smile, “We’ll be here when you’re ready.”

Rumi nodded at the two of them before slowly getting to her feet. She felt a lot stronger than she had earlier, the nap and the food doing her wonders. But she didn’t want to move too quickly and risk falling again. She drifted down the hallway to her bedroom, her hand brushing against the wall on one side, not exactly holding her balance, but it was a comforting solidness under her hand, nonetheless. She entered her room, and softly closed the door behind her. She took a deep breath and looked around the room. So much had happened since she was last in here, so much had changed. But her room was still just as she’d left it yesterday morning. God, it seemed like so much longer than twenty-four hours had passed since she’d been here.
Rumi shook her head slightly to clear it, moving into her private bathroom. It had been the most important part of the penthouse when herself and the girls has been looking to buy a bigger place, a place that was theirs. She insisted on private bathrooms. She claimed it was more efficient for each of them to have their own space. Somewhere they could get ready and not be tripping over each other. It had of course more so been that she didn’t have to worry as much about slipping up and the girls seeing her patterns.

Rumi peeled off her clothes, throwing them all in the corner rather than in her laundry basket. She might want to just throw them out instead of washing them. Or maybe burn them. She could get the faint whiff of sulphur and ash from her skin, from her hair. She turned on the shower, waited for the water to come to temperature before stepping under the spay.
Tipping her head back, Rumi savoured the feeling of warm water beating down on her scalp. She sighed as she turned her face into the spray, slowly dragging her hair over her shoulder and ensuring that the water soaked all of it. Grabbing her shampoo, she scrubbed her hair several times before adding some conditioner. She let that set while she lathered and washed her face and body. Once the conditioner was washed out, and she was clean again, Rumi just stood under the water, letting the white-noise of the shower drown out everything. Her thoughts were static, exactly as she wanted them to be. She knew that the coming few hours were going to be tough, were gonna hurt and cut and bruise. So she allowed herself some time to just exist.

Eventually she made herself leave the shower, squeezing as much water out of her hair as possible before roughly towel drying it and then wrapping it up in a dry towel. She glanced to the side, and her eyes caught on the mirror. It had fogged up, her reflection slightly distorted but the ventilation was good enough in the room that Rumi could still make out her features. Or more accurately, could still make out her patterns.
They had faded from the original purple they had been for most of her life. They were now closer to her skin colour but could still be seen clearly enough when you knew what to look her. Rumi tapped into the Honmoon, into her power, and her patterns seems to shimmer. Like there was an opalescence sheen to them. She traced her finger along one pattern on her stomach, moving with it up her chest, along her shoulder and down her other arm. It felt the same as her normal skin, same as it always had. From touch alone you would never be able to tell that Rumi had any patterns.

That had always gnawed at Rumi, had always played on her mind. Because if they were a different texture, a different feeling, then maybe the patterns were only in her skin. Maybe her demon was only skin deep. Then when they turned the Honmoon gold, the patterns would fade, disappear, leaving only Rumi behind. But they were flush with her skin, like a pigment coming from within her. She never understood how Celine had always been so sure that the patterns would fade with a gold Honmoon. Now she knew that it was blind hope. Blind and foolish hope.

Rumi glanced over the rest of her body. The patterns were everywhere now, no longer confined to her shoulders, chest and arms. She tilted her head, following the patterns travelling over her jaw and down her neck. What the hell was she going to do about them? How was she going to explain to the public, to the fans, what they were? Did she claim she just went off and got a full body tattoo? Rumi snorted quietly. If she was Mira that might be believable; Mira had a few small tattoos already, not that the fans knew that. But Mira was the rebellious one, the punk rock Goddess. Even Zoey was more likely to get tattoos than Rumi. Zoey, with her bubbly personality, and lightning-fast lyrics that could rip anyone to shreds in seconds. Rumi was… the rule follower, the one who reminded them of their responsibilities, who stopped them from getting too far off track.
Usually when something like this came up, when her patterns had spread previously, she would always go to Celine. Celine was the only one who knew the truth, the only one who could know, the only one who would understand and help. She had always calmed Rumi down, reassured her that they could style around this, that they could be kept hidden, no need to worry. They just needed to be careful, she needed to be so careful.

Rumi’s stomach tightened. Fuck. She had spent so many years of her life, all of her life really, hiding behind walls, covering up her patterns, her shame, her guilt. It had kept growing and growing, building up inside of her year after year. The gold Honmoon was what she had held onto for dear life. Celine assured her, promised her, the gold Honmoon would fix everything.
Rumi didn’t think that was the case anymore. Even if she and the two girls could get the Honmoon to gold, to finally seal the underworld away for good, Rumi no longer believed that it would make her patterns disappear. They were here to stay, in whatever new state they were in.
In the last few weeks, Rumi had begun to question so many things, question so much of what is taught to hunters. The questioning had only increased her guilt and shame, making her feel like she was betraying Celine, betraying her lessons and teachings. But what Rumi was beginning to realise, slowly but surely, was that those teachings, those lessons, needed to be questioned.

Shaking her head once more, Rumi wrapped herself in a towel and moved into her bedroom to get changed into something comfy. She glanced over her wardrobe, her usual high-necked tees and oversized hoodies making up most of her casual wear. Her hand hesitated over one of the turtlenecks, habit and fear making her want to throw it on first, to hide, to cover up. But she didn’t have to hide anymore, she wanted to show Mira and Zoey that she trusted them.
She wasn’t going to face them in only a tank top or something like that. She wasn’t ready to be that exposed. But an oversized hoody, soft from wear, with a wide neck and the sleeves pushed up; that she could manage. Once dressed she shook her hair out of the towel, running her hands through it to take out the worst of the tangles. She quickly threw it back into a loose braid, not really caring what it looked like, just wanting her hair out of her face and off the back of her neck.

Satisfied that she was presentable and as comfortable as she was going to get, Rumi took a deep breath before making her way out of the room.

~*~*~*~*~

Rumi made her way slowly back to the living space, eyes searching until they landed on Mira and Zoey. The two girls were sprawled on the couch, Mira lying with her back against the arm rest, book in hand, legs thrown over Zoey’s lap, while Zoey had her legs crossed underneath Mira’s, her hand tapping out a beat against the taller girls’ knee, one earbud in, scrolling on her phone. Rumi wasn’t sure how long it had been since she left to go shower and change, but it was clearly long enough for them to have cleaned the kitchen and stocked the coffee table with an absolute mountain of snacks.
Rumi felt fondness and love stretch a smile onto her face at the sight of the two of them. She was so lucky to have them, to be able to call them family, sisters. Her smile fell slightly, remembering what was to come, how much she had betrayed their trust, and how hard the next bit was going to be. Anxiety and nerves rumbled around in her stomach, making her shoulders curl inwards. The urge to pull down her sleeves and cover herself was nearly overwhelming. Breathing deeply, holding it for a few seconds, before letting it out slowly, Rumi tried to settle herself before making her way over to them.

“Hey,” she said softly, as she shuffled into the room. The sun was shining brightly still, casting a golden glow in the room. Rumi smiled hesitantly as she moved towards the two girls on the couch. “Have room for one more?”

Zoey smiled brightly at her, “Of course, there’s always room for you.”
Mira placed her book on the ground, swinging her legs off Zoey, as the smaller girl shuffled down the couch.

“You too don’t have to move, there’s plenty of room.”
“Nah you gotta sit in the middle.” Zoey brushed down the spot to remove imaginary lint before patting it.
“Why?”

Mira glanced up at her, “So when you say something stupid and too self-deprecating, we can both reach you to knock some sense into you.”
“Mira, seriously? Rumi, we won’t be doing that.”
“Speak for yourself!”
“It’s so we can both hug you when you need it.” Zoey pushed Mira’s knee with her hand.

Mira only rolled her eyes, “Well obviously, I assumed that was a given and didn’t need to be said.”

Rumi smiled softly at the two of them, taking her place in between them, curling into an almost identical pose as she had earlier on the couch, one leg curled under her, the other bent with her arms loosely wrapped around it. She sat back though, so she could see both girls either side of her; Zoey with her legs crossed and turned towards Rumi, a hand placed on Rumi’s knee in solidarity, while Mira also turned towards Rumi, one leg tucked underneath her, the other foot placed on the floor, bent knee gently pressed into Rumi’s thigh, needing the contact.
They were both right, they were close enough to knock some sense into her and hug her.

“Did you… did you want to watch a movie or…?”
Rumi smiled gratefully at Zoey. She was giving her an out, if she wasn’t ready, if she didn’t want to talk yet. And Rumi loved her for it. She knew that Mira would follow their lead, not pushing either. But both of them had been so patient with her, so gentle and kind and supportive. She owed them answers.

“No, um, not, not right now. I, uh, I think we should maybe talk?”

God Rumi hated how shaky her voice sounded, how rattled she felt inside. They deserved better than stumbling half explanations.

“So, um, I have… I have patterns.”
What the actual fuck. Well done Captain Obvious!

“We might have noticed.” Rumi held onto the warmth in Mira’s voice, under the sarcasm, her knowing smirk visible out of the corner of Rumi’s eye.

Rum gave a shaky laugh, barely a breath through her nose. “Sorry, I just, I’m not sure where to start.”
“How about you start with when you got them, and maybe then explain how?” Zoey’s voice was so soft, gently encouraging.

“I’ve always had them. I was born with them.”

“Born with them? How is that possible?” Mira leaned towards her, eyes focused on her face.
“Well my father, he was a… I was told that he was a demon.”

“So, you’re like only half demon?”
Rumi smiled at Zoey. Only. Trust her to try and be optimistic about this. “I guess technically yes, I am half demon. My mom was human, a hunter, and my father was a demon.”

“And do you know who he is? Was? Oh god, is he still around? Did we…?” Zoey’s panicked eyes caught Rumi’s and she laughed quietly.
“Calm down Zoey, I don’t know who he was, or if he’s still around. I’ve never met him, I don’t even know his name.”

“So how did a human and a demon have a child? More importantly, how did a hunter and a demon have a child?” Mira’s question was quiet, but her focus was intense. Rumi could tell she was trying not to overwhelm her with questions.
“Great question, no idea.”

“What!?”

Rumi shrugged, “Honestly, I don’t know. As you know, my mother died shortly after I was born. I never met my father and only found out when I was older that he was a demon. I’m sorry, but I truly don’t know anything.”
Mira frowned in disappointment, thinking hard.

“How have you managed to keep them hidden from us for so long?” Zoey had reached out and gently taken one of her hands, turning it over in her hand, watching the light play along Rumi’s skin, the patterns obvious despite their faded colour. “I mean they’re everywhere, how have we never noticed them before?”

“They grow, or I guess extend? Over time. When I was a kid it was only a few inches long, just on my right upper arm. By the time I had met the two of you, it had started to spread across my back, but hadn’t covered my chest or reached my other arm yet. As the years went by, they took up more and more space. Sometimes moving quickly, sometimes barely moving at all. As they spread, I just altered my wardrobe. Turtlenecks and high-necked tees that covered my chest. Long sleeved tees, jackets as part of my costume. Baggy hoodies with long sleeves. This eh, full body coverage, is new. That only happened last night.”

“Is that why you would never come to the bathhouse with us? Or go swimming?” Zoey asked.
“And always insist on your own bathroom and changing room, even when we were on tour?” Mira added.

“I never insisted on having my own bathroom or changing room, I would have managed. But yes that’s why I had them, and why I always said no to the bathhouse.”

“And here we were just thinking you were being stupidly modest.” Mira muttered.

“If only.” Rumi gave Mira a small smile, before looking down at her knees.
“I’m sorry for how you both found out, I’m sorry I didn’t work up the courage to tell you both myself.” Zoey’s hand that was still trailing over her patterns on her arm, stopped at the admission. “I wanted to. I’ve wanted to tell you for years.”

Silence enveloped the trio, heavy with things unspoken.

Finally Mira broke it, an edge of hurt clear in her voice, “Then why didn’t you? We’ve known each other for so long, called each other family for almost a decade now. Why Rumi?”

Rumi felt her shoulders begin to curl inwards, the shame and guilt clawing up her throat trying to drown her words. Mira didn’t shout the words, didn’t scream at Rumi for being such an awful friend. Rumi thought that that would have been easier to bear. Anything other than this suffocating sadness that had permeated the room at the question.

“Looking back, I can see now how foolish I was, to believe I could get away with never having you see. Never having you know that I was this tainted thing.” Zoey tried to interrupt, “Rumi, you’re not a thing.” But Rumi held up a hand, “Please Zoey, I need to try and get this out.”
Zoey nodded her understanding, her hand returning to its previous occupation of tracing along the patterns on Rumi’s arm. It helped to steady something inside Rumi, helped her breathe a little easier. Mira’s knee was still pressed gently against Rumi’s thigh. She hadn’t said anything since asking the question, but she also hadn’t pulled away, and Rumi took that as a good sign.

“It’s a terrible reason, a terrible excuse really, but I was scared. I was so scared that if I ever showed you, you would reject me. Only see the patterns, forget about me, Rumi, who was still underneath. We’ve all trained for so long, trained so hard with our biggest mandate being to kill demons. And here was one right in the middle of you.”
“I felt like a fraud so many times, felt sick to my stomach from the lies and the secrets. I was the one reminding you both of your duty, getting on your back about slacking off training, reciting all of our lessons like I had some moral high ground. But the truth was I was terrified. Terrified that if I didn’t push you, if you weren’t at your best then you’d get hurt. I tried my best to be faster, stronger, harder; to take the hits that you didn’t see coming. Better me than you. But I knew that there were times when I wouldn’t be able to get there. And as much as I was hiding from you,” Rumi looked up with tears in her eyes, gaze flicking between Mira and Zoey, “you were both the best thing to ever happen to me. I’d be so lost without you. So I pushed, and I cajoled, and annoyed, and forced when I had to. To make sure you were the best, so that if I fell, or if the worst came to pass and I turned, you’d be ok.”

Silence fell over them again, Rumi not sure what else to tell them. Tears slowly travelled down her cheeks, dripping onto her hoody. There was still so much unsaid, so much they deserved to know. But she gave them this moment to absorb what she had just told them, let the knowledge settle before throwing more information on the fire.

Zoey shifted next to her, her fingers still lightly tracing down Rumi’s arm, grounding her in the moment. “What do you mean if the worst came to pass and you turned? Could you, could you fully turn into a demon?”
“I don’t think so, or well, I don’t think so anymore. But I’ve never really known what I am or what would happen. I wanted to cover my bases. Make sure you were trained, that you were strong enough.”

“Strong enough to kill you?” Zoey gasped as Mira’s question filled the room, but Rumi didn’t deny it.
“I just wanted you to be safe, even if that meant that you needed to be safe from me.”

Mira clenched her jaw so tightly Rumi was afraid she’d crack a tooth. But Rumi could see it wasn’t anger that was causing Mira to do that. Or well, not just anger. There was a shimmer to her eyes as she glared out at the skyline, refusing to meet Rumi’s eyes. Rumi reached out a hand cautiously and gently pried apart Mira’s fingers, which were clenched in a fist. Slowly her hand relaxed enough that Rumi could tangled their fingers together, squeezing gently. A shuddering breath left Mira at contact.
“I would never have wanted that to be your responsibility. I just needed to know that if you had to, if you have no other choice, you had the skills to do it.”

Mira nodded once, sharply, still not meeting Rumi’s eyes. But she did return the squeeze, fingers locked tightly with Rumi’s.

A stuttering breath made Rumi turn towards Zoey, who had tears streaming down her face. She looked so sad, so broken by the news. Rumi took the arm that was still in Zoey’s hands and used it to pull the smaller girls head into her shoulder. Zoey cried quietly into Rumi’s shoulder, Rumi carding her fingers through her hair, giving her as much time as she needed.

If this was their reaction to finding out that she had been pushing them, training them, on the off chance that something went wrong, how the fuck was she meant to tell them about what happened between herself and Celine last night?

She’d cross that bridge when she got to it. Not if, but when. No more secrets, no more lies. She would tell them everything… But maybe not today.

Zoey’s breathing steadied, and she sniffed heavily before sitting up straight, giving Rumi a small smile. Rumi returned the smile, using her thumb to wipe the remains of the tears from her cheeks. Glancing at Mira, Rumi saw that she had calmed a little, jaw no longer clenching as much, her fingers now playing with Rumi’s.

Rumi took a deep cleansing breath, releasing it slowly. She already felt exhausted.
“You have every right to be mad at me, furious really. I broke your trust, lying to you for so long. And then for you to find out in the worst way. I was just so scared of losing you, of you hating me and leaving me behind.”

Zoey sniffed again, “We would never do that to you, we love you Rumi! You’re our family, our sister.”
But Mira interrupted, “Except we did Zoey.”

Rumi felt Zoey stiffen next to her, but she switched her gaze to Mira, watching as she took a deep breath. When she let it out, it was as if she had become smaller, diminished somehow.
“We did turn on her, we pulled our weapons on her. And then we made her leave.”

Mira lifted her head, devastation and guilt clearly written across her face, “I pulled my weapon on you. You tried to reach out, to explain, and I wouldn’t let you.”
“Mira, I don’t blame you for that.”

“Well I do! I blame me! How different could have last night have gone if I had just listened instead of immediately shutting down. Like I always do when things get hard.”
“How different could things have gone last night if I had trusted you years ago and told you the truth!” Rumi countered. “Look, I’m not, I’m not saying it didn’t hurt, what happened backstage at the Idol Awards. But at no point did I blame you.” She turned to include Zoey, who had started crying again, “Either of you.”

“Mira, look at me.” Mira’s eyes snapped up to Rumi’s, and she could see the internal war happening behind her eyes; Mira’s inner voices tearing herself down, making her feel small. Rumi squeezed her fingers tightly again, “I know the purpose of sitting either side of me was in case you needed to knock some sense into me, but I have no hesitations about using an Uno-reverse and kicking your ass for all that self-hatred talk instead.”

Mira blinked once, twice, before a small hesitant smile lifted a corner of her mouth, “Shut up.”
Rumi smiled gently at her, tugging her forward by their joint hands until she was leaning against her shoulder. She used her other hand to pull Zoey back in, the three of them leaning on each other, all of them crying a little (or in Zoey’s case a lot).

They stayed in that little huddle for a while, until they all had a bit of their composure back.

“Is there any water in that mountain of snacks? I feel like we’re getting dehydrated from all the crying.” Rumi muttered, trying to lighten the mood. Zoey snorted inelegantly and leaned forward to route through everything piled on the coffee table. She managed to fish out a large bottle of water, and a couple of energy drinks. She handed them around and they sat quietly for a bit, sharing the water and sipping on the energy drinks.

Mira cleared her voice softly, drawing Rumi’s attention, “So what was the plan?”
“The plan?” Rumi asked, confused.
“Yeah, you eh, you mentioned it last night, before you, when we, um, were backstage. You said that you had a plan?”

Rumi smiled at her, trying to reassure Mira, “Ah that. Well, the plan was to turn the Honmoon gold.”
“That was it?” Mira responded in disbelief.
“I mean, yeah, pretty much.”

“But,” Zoey learned forward, looking confused, “Wouldn’t that have meant you’d have to leave? Or that it would hurt you?”
“Maybe?” Rumi shrugged, “Again, I don’t know. But I believed for a long time that turning the Honmoon gold would remove my patterns. That it would fix me.”

Mira, ever practical, asked “What evidence are you basing that on?”
“None,” Rumi replied, “It was blind faith. Mixed with a lot of hope and desperation.”

Rumi could see the cogs turning in Mira’s brain, see the exact moment she realised the glaring hole in Rumi’s story.
“You were born with your patterns.”
“Yes.”
“And your mother died shortly after you were born.” Rumi watched as Mira started ticking things off on her fingers. She didn’t want to hide anything from them, wasn’t trying to keep it secret; but she had hoped that they could maybe not touch on this today. But Mira was joining the dots too quickly.

“You don’t know who your father was, you believed turning the Honmoon gold would get rid of your patterns with no evidence.”
“What are you getting at Mira?” Zoey was sitting up, confusion settling on her face, but Mira ignored her.
“Rumi, who told you about your father? Who told you what you are?”

Rumi sighed deeply. Here we go, she thought.

“Celine did.”
“And how does she know about your father? That you’re a demon?”
“The patterns aren’t faked Mira, they exist so it’s true.”
“I’m not saying they are, but how does she know?”

Rumi gave her a helpless look, “I don’t know. I don’t know how much she knows about my father or my heritage, or his history with my mother. Everything she’s told me, I’ve told you.”

“Our faults and fears must never be seen.”

It was a whisper on the wind, barely a sound, and yet both Rumi and Mira heard it. They both turned to see Zoey looking at Rumi in horror.
“She told you to do it, she made you hide.”

Rumi nodded, “She said it was for the best. To hide the patterns until we could turn the Honmoon gold. That that would make them disappear and then I’d be normal again. Then I’d be fixed. Until then, she was adamant that I couldn’t tell anyone. Especially not either of you.”

Mira’s voice rose, “Why the fuck didn’t you say so earlier!? Why did you make it seem like it had been your choice to not tell us?”
“Because it was! It was my choice.” Rumi said back, voice level, “I chose to do what she said, I bought into it. I could have ignored her, told you anyway. But I chose not to.”
“You were a child Rumi! A goddamn child! She conditioned you, brainwashed you into believing something that wasn’t true.”
“Mira – ”

“No! Don’t you defend her, don’t you fucking dare defend her.” Mira wrenched herself off the couch and started pacing back and forth like a caged animal, “After all her lectures, her monologues about how great and mighty the hunters were, how honourable they were, and there she was in the background, fucking up your head.”

Rumi watched her pace, her heart breaking a little at the pain that was radiating from Mira. Zoey was clutching her hand like she might disappear.

“Telling a child, a child, that they should hide part of themselves, that part of them was wrong, that they didn’t fit. That it was their fault, their responsibility to change themselves to fit, to make everything easier for everyone else.”

Rumi watched as Mira spiralled, until she couldn’t watch anymore. She gave Zoey’s hand a squeeze before letting go and approaching Mira. Mira didn’t even seem to register that Rumi had moved, her mind turned inwards, but Rumi just grabbed her by the shoulders as she ranted and pulled her head into the crook of her neck. Mira froze for half a second before almost collapsing into Rumi, shoulders shaking as sobs shook her frame.
“I know, I know this hits close to home for you Mira. It’s partly why I didn’t want to bring it up. I didn’t want you to be hurting more than you needed to.”

Mira sniffled before lifting her head to look at Rumi. Her eyes were red rimmed, and her cheeks were blotchy. Her bottom lip trembled as she hung onto Rumi for dear life. “She told me, she convinced me, that what my parents did to me was wrong. That it was manipulation and emotional blackmail. But then she turned around and did the same thing to you. How could she do that? How did she justify it? How can you?”

Rumi felt her own tears running down her face, Mira’s pain matching her own. “I’m not defending her, I promise. I understand now that what she did was wrong. But I don’t think it ever came from a place of malice. She didn’t know what to do, had no one to talk to about it, and made some bad decisions and choices. But she’s not like your parents, and what she told you,” Rumi held onto Mira’s shoulders tightly, willing her to listen, “What she told you is true. Your parents were assholes, and you deserve better.”

Mira looked desperately into Rumi’s face, searching her eyes for any doubt, any flinch that hinted she didn’t believe what she was saying. But Rumi held firm and squeezed her shoulders again, “Say it, Mira.”

“My parents are assholes and I deserve better.”

“Damn straight you do!”

The pair of them were tackled from the side, nearly toppling them, as Zoey launched herself at them. All of them were crying again, but hiccupped laughter was bubbling between them as well. Mira steered them all back to the couch where they collapsed together, legs tangles, heads on shoulders, hands holding arms or shoulders, anything to ground them, connect them.

Their breathing eventually settled, tears drying for the moment. Rumi felt hollowed out from all the talking and crying. And she still hadn’t told them everything. The conversation with Celine hovered over her head, her own words echoing back to her: Do it! Like an invisible executioners’ axe. She would tell them, she promised herself. But if she could not do that this evening, not unpack that piece of her darkness, that would be great.

Zoey was the first to speak once they had all settled down again, “Is this why you didn’t want Bobby to ring her?”
Rumi lifted her eyes to meet Zoey’s, “Partly yeah.”
Mira nudged her from the other side, “What’s the other part?”

Rumi felt her stomach clench with nerves. “I went to see her. Last night.”
“What? When?”
“After… after I had spoken with the two of you, backstage.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah.” Rumi sighed, “It wasn’t the most pleasant conversation. She wasn’t happy to see the patterns had spread. Tried to make a plan where we could somehow convince you that the patterns were just a misunderstanding, or an invention of Gwi-Ma’s to tear us apart.”
Mira scoffed, as Zoey rubbed soothing circles into Rumi’s palm with her fingertips. The motion was soothing, and Rumi used it to keep herself present, to not get dragged into memories of the tree, and what had transpired there.

“We didn’t end the conversation on the best of terms.”

Mira hummed under her breath, not quite a laugh, but more of an acknowledgement of how underwhelming that statement probably was.
Zoey however rose slightly to look into Rumi’s eyes, “There’s more isn’t there.”
“What do you mean?”

“More to what happened with Celine, more from your childhood. More to talk about.”

Rumi ran a hand down her face. “There is.” She wouldn’t deny it, she was done lying.
“We should also probably talk about Jinu.”

A stab of pain, sharper than a knife, pierced Rumi’s chest. Jinu.
She had been trying so hard to do everything except think about Jinu. His face in his final moments flashed before her eyes. At peace finally, a small smile curling his lips as he closed his eyes and gave up his soul. To save her.

“We should, there’s still a lot to talk about. But please,” Rumi whispered, “Not right. I can’t do anymore right now.”

Zoey reached over and used the back of her knuckles to wipe away the tears falling from Rumi’s eyes. “Of course, whenever you’re ready Rumi. We’re right here and we’re not going anywhere.”
Mira ran a hand over her back, soothing her as she lay curled up on the couch with them, trying to keep her pain in check.

Today had been a massive step in the right direction. But there was still so much to talk out, so much to say, so much to discuss. It had been a long time coming, but Rumi was so relieved that she didn’t have to lie to them anymore, didn’t have to hide from them anymore. Her family, her sisters, surrounded her, their love for her and each other palpable.
The truth hurt. It cut, and it bruised, and it burned. But it also healed, and with time it would cleanse all the wounds they had given each other. And for the first time in a long time, Rumi felt like things were going to be ok.