Chapter Text
“We need to talk.”
Rumi’s sitting on the couch, hugging her legs to her chest as she stares past Bobby, looking out at the iridescent Honmoon. She doesn’t say anything. It’s not even been hours after they defeated Gwi-ma. The adrenaline has faded and she’s just exhausted. But Bobby wants to talk. If it was anyone else, she probably would’ve ignored it and crawled into bed. Maybe begged Zoey and Mira to hold her. But it’s Bobby.
“What was that back there? And don’t sell me the story you gave me afterwards, I know that was a load of crap.”
Oh. Bobby’s upset. He doesn’t cuss, not usually. Rumi remembers one time he cussed up a storm, a fit of protective rage because of a stalker that had been following Zoey around. If that’s a ten, and Bobby’s usually at zero, then this is probably a three which is still pretty bad. Bobby above a one is never good.
“What’s with your tattoos Rumi? When did that happen, because those weren’t there yesterday!“
Oh maybe that’s a four…Rumi really should say something, but she’s so tired. She’s not sure why she can’t even order her thoughts properly to speak, and a quick glance at Mira and Zoey says they’re in the same boat. Zoey looks like she’s about to say something before closing her mouth. Mira looks like she might fall asleep. But they’re all trying, for Bobby.
“What was with that talking wall of fire? And why is there a rainbow over the city?!”
And suddenly, Rumi sits up straight and her eyes snap to Bobby, wide with shock.
“You can see that?” she asks, shocked. A glance tells her Mira and Zoey are joining in on the disbelief. He can see the Honmoon? How? No one except Hunters can see it! If he can see it, who else can see it? “How…long have you been able to see it?”
“Since a few hours ago…” His voice doesn’t sound any less agitated, but there’s that concern. She doesn’t know how to describe Bobby’s relationship with them. He sometimes feels like an older brother and then other times he feels like what Rumi imagines a dad would be like. What she does know is that they’re his girls, however that manifests, and he always did right by them.
Huntr/x share a glance between them. They owe him this, they decide silently.
“It’s called the Honmoon,” Zoey says quietly, “it’s a magical barrier that protects the human world from Demons.”
“The wall of fire was the Demon King Gwi-ma,” Mira continues, “the Saja Boys worked for him. That concert was meant to steal everyone’s souls.”
Rumi takes a breath.
“We’re Demon Hunters, we fight Demons and protect the innocent,” she says. Protect the innocent…yeah sure, they protect the innocent…except the ones they didn’t protect. “And my patterns are…” Her voice fails her. She’s accepted herself, it should be easy, right? She can say it. She can say it. She can say it.
She pulls her legs closer, trying to become smaller.
“…they’re demon markings,” she says finally. Her voice is barely a whisper.
She watches Bobby’s face tighten. His brows twist. His fists clench. Is…is he mad at them? He’s right to be, to be honest. It’s a big secret to keep from him. And the fact that they’re only telling him because he can see it…
“Which Demon bastard did that to you?” he growls. His voice is choked with that protective rage that makes her feel safe and sometimes, if she lets herself pretend for a bit, loved.
“What?” Rumi’s not sure she heard him right. “No no one did this to me!” Except her father. Celine never said it out loud, but the implication was always there. “I was born this way.” A mistake. It shouldn’t have happened. She shouldn’t—
Her spiral is interrupted when Zoey leans against her.
Bobby relaxes slightly.
“Demon Hunters, Demon hunting Demon, magic shields, Gwi-ma.” Bobby slumps into an armchair with a sigh. “This is a lot girls.”
“We know,” Zoey says from her spot against Rumi, “and we’re sorry for lying all this time. We were sworn to secrecy. But if you can see the Honmoon and stuff, there’s no point keeping it a secret.”
Bobby sighs. He leans forward in his seat, running a hand through his hair. He looks at each of them, before settling his eyes on Rumi. “Okay so…what happened at the Idol Awards? You guys were doing amazing with Golden, but then switched up to Takedown? I thought you decided Takedown wasn’t connecting you to the fans.”
“That was the Saja Boys’ plan to destroy the Honmoon,” Rumi says quietly. “Jinu knew about my patterns and had Demons disguised as Mira and Zoey to expose them to the world. I thought…” She pauses, not sure how to word this. She feels Zoey shift against her. Looking down to see their maknae curling into her slightly, Rumi wraps her arm around her shoulder. “It was a trick, and it almost worked.”
There’s silence. Rumi glances over to Mira, who’s avoiding her gaze. She swallows dryly. Meanwhile, Bobby is frowning at the news.
“I should’ve picked them for bad news,” he says, “I’m sorry girls…”
Mira looks at him sharply. “What for?”
“I gave up on you,” he confesses, “I…I saw you on the stage, what you—I mean the Demons disguised as you—did and I…”
Before Rumi can move, before Zoey can protest his words, Mira’s moved off the couch and wrapped him in a hug. “You did nothing wrong,” she says, “we gave up too. If Rumi hadn’t come back, we would’ve all lost.”
Rumi is silent, thinking back to how close she’d come to not coming back.
“So what now?” Zoey asks quietly.
“Now…” Bobby says as Mira moves back to her spot on the couch, “I think we all deserve a break. A holiday away from all this. Pampering, lazy days and time to talk.”
Rumi smiles.
It feels fake.