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Jinu knew he was impulsive when he said yes to Rumi, the answer already ready on his tongue the moment she asked him to stay the night.
It was freeing to not hear Gwi-ma’s voice for the first time, shocking him to his entire core that he forgot how to function. His mind was blissfully quiet, all the voices, shame, despair was gone. Instead it was replaced by Rumi’s soft voice, the song they just sang playing over and over again like a record, the sound, he realized, was the most beautiful thing in the world.
It’s a voice Jinu doesn’t want to stop hearing now, wanting to have Rumi’s voice all for him to keep and to have forever. It was made for him and one he wants to love for whatever time he has left on this earth, Gwi-ma be damn. He wants to be by her side tonight, just before everything happens and he gets one last peaceful moment with her.
It’s why the demon stays rooted in the spot he was in, staring at Rumi as if he was a savior.
(In a way, Rumi was. The half demon freed him from shame and guilt for almost 400 years. Jinu will go on his hands and knees if he has to show her how grateful he is for her, praying to her like she is a goddess.
Jinu would do that in a heartbeat.)
Rumi’s offer of him staying the night with her was like an answer to his prayer, wondering briefly if she actually was a goddess. Even if he was shocked at first, the demon latched onto it, wanting more than anything to spend time with her for just a little longer.
This is the first selfish decision he wasn’t ashamed of, both aware of how much they craved to be with each other for the night.
And he wasn’t lying about the kiss either.
Derpy rides carefully across the blue Honmoon, following the lines that lead her back to her apartment. The tiger has made this trip far many times now, memorizing the ones that lead her back to her room, not even having to look down when doing so. Pride blooms in his chest for the tiger’s work paying off, scratching his behind his ears, head never leaving Rumi’s shoulder.
“Good boy,” Jinu rumbles out, hearing Rumi whine slightly from the movement. He chuckles at her actions, amused with how close she wants him to be with her. The demon nuzzles into her neck, a happy hum leaving her lips.
“Needy,” the demon whispers close to her ear, eyes flashing gold. The idol opens her eyes briefly, his smile growing wider seeing her let out an annoyed huff. She slams her hand tightly against his stomach, scolding him for his attitude. It only makes the amusement grow, trying his best to hold back his laughter.
“I’m cold and you are warm. So, stop moving,” Rumi demands, trying to make her face sound authoritative, but only sounds like whining to him.
Jinu’s laughter spills out, the dam breaking the moment she finishes her sentence. His smirk becomes a grin when she gives him an annoyed look, her chin sinking deeper into his shoulder blade to make it known she was displeased with his reaction. Another soft laugh leaves his lips, his fangs poking out as he smiles. Their patterns softly glow, the demon rubbing his thumb over Rumi’s knuckles.
“Then, I will be the best heater when I am in your bed tonight.”
Rumi giggles at that, a sound the demon cherishes. A real smile blooms on her face, even with the mischiefs glint in her eyes. A sense of thrill builds up inside him, always enjoying her teasing.
“Maybe you will be, but Derpy’s usually the best.”
A mock gasp leaves his mouth as he pulls a fake hurt expression. A snort comes out of her mouth, doing her best to hide it in his sweatshirt.
“Derpy?”
“Yes, he always makes me go to sleep every time he climbs on top of me. He basically is like a furnace.”
The smirk reappears on his face, ready to challenge his own tiger if Jinu wants to get what he wants for tonight.
“If I am a better heater than Derpy, will I get a kiss tonight?” Jinu flirts with her, hoping everything above that he does will be the happiest demon tonight.
Rumi holds all the power in this situation, the gleeful smile on her face telling him that she knows that as she hums, rubbing her cheeks against his once more. The half demon eyes gleam with intent, excitement growing inside him when he sees the tiniest bit of gold in them.
“I will have to be the judge of that.” Rumi answers, trying to keep her voice even. Her smile is as big as his. “And a maybe to the kiss.”
“So, that’s a yes, then.”
“Jinu!”
“It’s a perfect way to die when you choke me to death too.”
For the second time that night, Rumi lets out a loud laugh, echoing throughout Seoul. The Honomoom ripples slightly from her actions, the blue washing over the city like a wave. It’s a beautiful sound, just as everything about Rumi is. The idol pulls him closer to her, enjoying her warmth just as much as she is.
“Yes, it will be,” she laughs out airly, pressing their foreheads together.
An airy laugh of his own comes out, letting himself go lax against her. For the first time in four centuries, the demon can feel himself fully relax, not being able to remember having such a peaceful moment like this since being with Gwi-ma. Jinu lets the calm of the night wash over him, listening to Rumi's careful breathing as the tiger takes the wheel for them.
It wasn’t long before they arrived at Rumi’s apartment, the blue striped tiger knocking over one of her potted plants. They both chuckle at his various attempts to fix them, the tiger’s smile full of teeth.
“It’s a habit he developed since visiting here,” Rumi informs him, giggling as his pupils dilate when the brown pot falls again.
“I can tell,” Jinu says, before letting out an idea he has after seeing this. An idea he hopes will come true in the future. “Maybe we can get him some empty ones to play with after defeating Gwi-ma.”
Rumi beams, smile so wide Jinu knows it must hurt, but it makes his heart feel full. It makes him hopeful about the future for the first time.
“We should.”
The demon flashes her a smile with all his teeth, his fangs glistening in the moonlight. He gives Derpy a thankful pat, the tiger purring in response. Jinu climbs off the creature, landing on the floor with a little hop. As his eyes glance back at Rumi, he can’t help but think about what she said to him before, about him looking like a prince.
Perhaps, this would be the perfect time to act the part, and as well as performing his gentleman duties.
With a cool smirk, he reaches his hand out towards her, something she accepts with a roll of her eyes and a laugh. Rumi lands next to him, hand in hand. It’s the warmest thing in the cool night, his grip tightening around her fingers.
“I told you, you needed my help, princess,” Jinu jokes, eyes flashing golden, hoping to get the reaction from the nickname. The demon knows in his bones that she likes him calling that as she pulled him close as soon as those words left his lips.
It makes excitement build inside his chest, hoping to see if the reaction was what he expected, Jinu will call her that for the rest of her life.
Instead, it went the exact opposite as he thought it would.
It seemed, without a second thought from her, Rumi kicked his shin. A satisfied smirk appears on her face as he lets out a hurt whine. The demon forgot how strong she was, blown away with how much pain he could feel from a single kick. (At the same time it thrilled him, hoping one day he could convince her to spare him, seeing her at her full strength. Oh, what a sight it would be.) For the moment though, his pride was wounded, dejected that his plan did not work. The glare he gives her only serves to make her smirk bigger.
“I didn’t deserve that.”
“Oh,” Rumi laughs out, as it was obvious. She stares at him innocently. “Yes you did.”
The demon lets out a mock huff as he joins her side again, his pride only becoming more bruised by her answer.
“I was performing my gentlemen duties.”
The idol laughs louder this time, smile gentle.
“That’s why you call being a gentleman?”
“Maybe,” the demon says with a wink. Rumi chuckles at his teasing antics, pleased with himself to make her laugh, hoping to take some pressure off for the Idol Awards tomorrow.
With a fond roll of her eyes, Rumi grabs onto his hand and pulls him along to the front of her glass door. Jinu expected himself to be nervous when this moment happened, his brain stopped working the moment he asked her to stay the night, but now that he is here, the demon can let the joy blooming inside his chest stop growing. He couldn’t wait to go into her room and spend the time together, holding her as he kept her safe and warm from the cold of the night. Jinu couldn’t wait to fall asleep together and wake up to her smile, the sunlight dripping onto her. Her brown eyes would sparkle with determination for the world she wants to create for them tomorrow, with her hand in his.
In all honesty, Jinu wants every night to be like that with Rumi.
The idol pulls the handle with ease, knowing it is unlocked from Derpy and Sussie always visiting her. She steps inside, checking her space before she turns around, giving him a small grin as she pulls him inside. The demon follows after her, taking off his shoes and placing them neatly on her carpet, before he gets a good look at her room.
It is a lot more plain than what Jinu was expecting.
The room was big and spacious, the kind of bedroom one the demon expected Rumi can afford from the money she makes with Huntrix. The walls were painted a neutral blues, with a few posters of herself and her friends hanging on the walls. There were black lights on the wall, softly lightning up the room with a warm yellow. Her bed was also light blue, adorned with pink pillows with white papers scattered across the covers. There was a small work desk with her laptop and notebooks on top and a bathroom connected to her bedroom.
Rumi’s room was as ordinary as it can be, something the demon could not believe in his wildest imagination.
(Jinu didn’t mean to, but he started thinking of ways maybe they could add some stuff to her room, such as stuffed animals or pictures of them on the nightstand by her bed, his heart racing from the thought. He shook his head with a small chuckle he tried to hide, amazed by how much Rumi was able to let him believe in hope again and to see a better tomorrow.
The demon wouldn’t know what to do without Rumi.)
There was one part of her room that caught his attention though.
Right next to her bed there was a trash can and there was one item inside the thing. The teddy bears and choco train pants.
Jinu couldn’t help the snort leaving his mouth, amused beyond words with the sight in front of him.
She actually listened to him about those pants, huh?
The demon throws her a wicked grin, which only became bigger when he saw the scowl on her face, looking everywhere but him as she caught onto the fact that what he saw was in the trash can. Jinu will never let this go now.
“You actually listened to my fashion advice, Rumi,” Jinu teases her, his entire face smug.
“They were my favorite,” Rumi tries to defend pouting like a child, something he finds cute.
The demon grin widens, enjoying the teasing banter.
“Then, they were the worst favorite to have.”
His smugness only increases as the idol lets out an annoyed huff, particularly burning holes in the pants as he lets out a little laugh, enjoying the way he was getting under her skin. Rumi gives him a deadpanned expression as if offended by his laugh, before she looks at the pants again, a devilish grin of her own forming on her face. She lets out of his hand, stopping himself from grabbing onto it again because he did not want to let her go, as she walks off to her cabinet. The idol opens the drawers as she pulls out a pair of dark blue pajama pants, Jinu not being able to see the patterns on them. Rumi comes back, smiling like that of a devil as she presents the pants to him as he looks upon them in horror.
It’s another pair of the teddy bear and choco pants.
(Jinu is right, it is all the pajama pants she has.)
“Just for that,” Rumi starts off, her smile only growing as she sees his horrified expression grow. “You will be wearing these tonight.”
”You’re kidding.”
“They are your size, Jinu.”
“I am not wearing that.”
“Then, I guess you're not staying the night with me,” Rumi chirps, a smirk on her face as she turns around, knowing full well what she is doing to him. Jinu can feel himself fold, accepting his fate of wearing those pants as he grabs onto her shoulders, stopping the idol in her tracks.
“You little demon,” he mumbles out as he reaches out for the pants, pulling them close to his chest. A self satisfied smile plays on her lips.
“Oh,” Rumi chuckles, clearly pleased with his work. For the briefest moment the demon sees her eyes flashing gold, his heart doing somersaults from the action alone. (Jinu makes a note to himself that he must see that again, finding a way for the gold to gleam in her eyes again.) “I am.”
“And I like it so much,” Jinu tells her honestly, surprised with how soft his voice became. Rumi pauses, staring at him with wide eyes before her cheeks become pink. Happiness drips off her smile even with her eye roll and pushing him to the door, all her teeth showing.
“Go change before I change my mind, Jinu.”
Jinu throws her a smirk.
“Now we can’t let that happen, I don’t want to lose my home.”
“This isn’t your home, Jinu,” Rumi laughs, trying her best to not be loud to wake Mira and Zoey up. His smirk only widens.
“It will be soon,” Jinu tells her, realizing he means every word he says.
”Jinu!”
The idol forces him in her bathroom, slamming the door with his laughter echoing in her room. It doesn’t take long to bear his surroundings as he changes. The demon decides to let go of his jacket and jean pants, keeping his sweatshirt on. He puts the teddy bear and choco train pants on, loathing the way he can feel himself starting to like them. Jinu’s mind flashes to the pants in the trash can, then sits sadly in their prison. Maybe, after all this, he can change her mind and make them wear them again.
Maybe, they could be matching each other as well.
The thought alone makes Jinu feel a happiness he hasn’t felt in four centuries, never believing he could be able to experience something like this.
Jinu walks out of the bathroom with those pleasant thoughts, placing his clothes onto her desk. The demon sees the way Rumi has settled herself in the bed, resting comfortably on top of her stomach. It’s when his eyes land on her face that he loses all his breath, lungs burning from the notion.
Rumi’s hair is down.
Her purple hair is like a waterfall, running down her back. The lilac shines brightly in the moonlight, which only highlights her face majestically. Rumi’s hair frames her face perfectly, making it look regal and as if she just stepped out of a painting.
It made her look so beautiful, the sight being so much better than what Jinu’s imagination can come up with.
The demon stares at her, mouth in the shape of a small “o,” his feet like cement. The idol chuckles from his reaction, playing with a strand of her purple hair that is free and down.
“Cat got your tongue?” Rumi teases him, enjoying the way he is looking at her.
Yes it did because she is so—
“Beautiful,” Jinu says so softly, voice barely above a whisper. The demon makes his way towards her, stopping right in front of her. His hand reaches out towards her lilac hair, cradling his fingers through it. He looks at her with so much awe and affection, thinking she could not get any prettier than this. “You look so beautiful like this.”
“I guess.”
“You guess?”
A laugh escapes from her throat, a red blush slowly crawling on her cheeks. It makes his chest feel warm, forcing his mind to remember every detail of this so he never forgets what Rumi looks like when her hair is down. The half demon shifts herself towards him, leaning into his fingers, touched by his words. He begins to rub her scalp, the idol humming from the action. Jinu looks upon her with a soft look, wanting to card his hand through her hair all the time.
“Unfornately, I will have to put it back in a braid tomorrow,” Rumi whispers to him, making it known that he only has tonight to enjoy her hair like this. In a split second, Jinu makes a decision so he never misses a sight like his again.
“I can undone your braid tomorrow after the Idol awards,” Jinu answers immediately, already mapping out how to reach her dressing room when she is done performing. The demon needs this more than anything he needs in his life.
The idol chuckles softly at that, an affectionate glint in her eyes from his thought words.
“You do not have to do that, Jinu.”
”Yes I do, you are never wearing your braid around me again.”
”Jinu!” She laughs softly, grabbing onto his wrist. The affection still gleams in her eyes. The demon doesn’t say anything in return, continuing to rub her head, enjoying the domesticity of it. They stare at each other fondly, only breaking the trance when Rumi clears her throat.
“I thought you were supposed to prove to me that you were the best heater now?” Rumi questions him, a smirk growing on her face. A scoff leaves his lips, as if would forget about that.
“Oh don’t worry, I will,” Jinu says evenly as he crawls in her bed, the half demon moving over to make space for him. His eyes flash golden when they meet her brown orbs. “I need that kiss tonight.”
“You know it's a maybe, Jinu.”
Jinu gives her a wicked grin, confidence building up inside him.
“A maybe that will become a yes when you feel my arms around you.”
Rumi pushes his face away from him, a giggle leaving her mouth as one leaves his from him too. With a hand on the demon’s bicep, they settle against her pillow, the bed sinking from their combined weight. The bed felt as if he was sinking into a marshmallow, letting the softness of it wrap around him. The two of them are inches apart, their noses particularly touching each other as he opens his arms, inviting her to what his job would be the whole night.
“Well, what are you waiting for?”
Rumi scoffs fondly, pulling herself towards him as her head sits on top of his chest.
“Demanding.”
“I am,” Jinu says with pride, a soft chuckle echoes between the two of them.
The half demon makes herself comfortable against him, head falling against her chest as he puts his chin on top. His arms wrap around her, his grip gentle around her. Jinu pulls her close to him as their legs get tangled up with each other, as if they have done this hundreds of times before. She moves her head around, finding the spot on his chest that was perfect for her, letting out a happy hum when she found it. Jinu begins to rub her back, hands moving in a circular motion. Faintly, their patterns flow against each other.
Rumi fits into him like a puzzle piece, sliding into place almost immediately. It is as if she was made to fit into him, determined from the beginning to be by Jinu’s side.
It makes Jinu grip onto her tighter, never wanting to let her go again.
A silence falls between them, the calm breathing being the only noise between the two of them. Jinu soaks in everything, taking in the way she snuggles closer to him and the way she grabs onto him as if she were her favorite stuffed animal. It’s everything he has wanted from this night, being as close as he possibly can with her, hoping onto any god above he can experience this again.
Eventually, the demon breaks the silence, needing to know how he is doing as Rumi’s personal heater.
“So, how am I doing as a heater?” Jinu asks about his performance, a smirk wide on his face.
Rumi laughs, keeping her eyes on him even as she rubs her cheek against his chest.
“You’re perfect,” Rumi informs him of his performance, mentally high-fiving himself from her answer. Another laugh leaves her mouth. “You’re somehow much more of a furnace than Derpy is.”
Jinu’s smirk becomes bigger, leaning his head down onto it right next to her ear. The demon pulls her close enough to where she can’t escape and hears everything he has to say to her.
“Will I be rewarded with a kiss then?”
Rumi moves her head up to get a better look at him, eyes widened by a fraction as his smirk turns into a pleased smile.The urge to kiss her right then and there is strong, but he stops himself because he wants her to say that he can and to confirm to him that she wants this as much as he does.
Jinu wants more than anything in this world to know Rumi feels the same way as does.
“You said I had to be better than Derpy and, as I knew, I am. So that means—”
And then all of a sudden, it happened.
Before Jinu can finish his sentence, her hands cradle his cheek and her lips are on his, effectively silencing him. His eyes are blown wide open, starstruck. They were almost the size of dinner plates. Her lips are soft, gently pressing against his as if he is the most precious thing in the world. It takes him a moment to move, slow with his actions, brain trying to comprehend that this is actually happening. Rumi stays there for a few seconds before she parts, creating some distance between the two of them. Her hands are still on his cheeks, thumb brushing against his bottom lip. A pleased grin grows on her face as she sees how red they are starting to become, watching his dumbfounded expression. Their brown eyes catch each other.
“It’s nice to make you shut up,” Rumi elegantly tells him after their first kiss. Her smile becomes bigger. “I like it when you’re quiet like this.”
Jinu's brain catches up to her words, floored with what she said.
Needed to shut him up?
That little—
“You demon,” Jinu says for the second time that day, breaking all the distance between the two of them, staring only at her lips. There is a mischievous glint in her eyes, smile evil.
“I learned from the best.”
Rumi’s mouth opens again, but he chases her down, lips capturing all the words that were about to leave her tongue. His hands release from her back and cradle her cheeks, bringing them only closer together. Vaguely, he feels Rumi’s hands wrap around his neck, but his focus is entirely on her. The demon pours everything into the kiss, all worship, affection, care, longing, and love he felt for her, this moment meaning everything to him. Rumi saw the humanity Jinu thought he lost so long ago, awaking it in him like a fire. She made him feel whole and he hopes this kiss is able to show her that. Jinu presses his lips harder against hers, the happy hum telling him that she liked it.
The demon believes he just found heaven.
When Jinu feels like he can’t breathe, that’s when he lets her go. They are both trying to catch their breaths as he rubs her cheeks. The demon lifts the idol head up slightly, bringing their foreheads together as they curl into each other. Their eyes meet each other, brown eyes gleaming with joy.
Rumi's smile could challenge the sun.
“You got your kiss.”
“And it was the best thing ever.”
The idol giggles as she releases one of her hands from his neck, placing it on his cheek. The demon leans into the touch, kissing her palm, savoring her warmth.
“Don’t think you will be getting one all the time though,” Rumi threatens with glee, the demon knowing if he could read her mind, she can see the way she will be plotting her next kiss with him. Her smile grows. “It’s a gift to get a kiss from me.”
“My next kiss should be after the Idol Awards,” Jinu immediately states, voice fond. He already knows he wants her to kiss him on stage. “It’s the gift I want after we defeat Gwi-ma.”
A fond chuckle of her own spills from her throat, the demon feeling it vibrate against his body. She leans her head down, curling into his chest again as their arms wrap around each other’s bodies.
“Maybe you will get that gift, Jinu.”
Jinu couldn’t wait for tomorrow now, the feeling of their victory only intensifying when he gets that kiss from Rumi.
The demon hears her breathing become shallow, chest rising and falling at a slower pace than it was before. A tiny yawn escapes her mouth, him chuckling from her actions. Jinu presses their foreheads against each other again, face soft.
“Go to sleep, Rumi,” Jinu whispers to her, rubbing her back again. “You need all the rest you can for tomorrow.”
The idol lets out a tired hum before she moves her head back to his chest, falling asleep in an instant. Jinu hugs her tighter as he puts his head on her shoulder, taking in all her warmth.
As he lets the exhaustion take hold on his bones and eyes growing heavy, he realizes that he loves Rumi.
It should have been so obvious after their time (date, is what he decides because it's the most appropriate word he can come with everything he felt about being with her on that day) at the aquarium.
Jinu realizes he never wants to leave her side. He wants to be the person she can come to whenever the patterns on the skins scare her, talking to her as he tells her she is perfect just the way she is. The demon wants to be the one where she can laugh and sing freely with her, letting her walls down to be who she really is. He wants to be the one that teases her about her style, even with how much he adored her terrible fashion taste. He wants to be the one that gets to see her smile first and the one who gets to see it last.
Jinu wants to be the one Rumi loves the most.
It warms his entire chest, heart beating painfully from the amount of affection he has for her, almost feeling like worship at times. The revelation breaks the tiredness, making him more awake than he has ever been in his whole life as he watches her, Rumi’s chest rising and falling with ease as she snuggles closer to him, a wide smile growing on his face.
The demon cards her hair through his fingers, struck again with how it looked even more beautiful when it was down. Jinu makes a note to himself that he has to convince to wear it down more often, meaning when he said she would never wear a braid around him again, The demon wants to show everyone how stunning she looked like this. It’s something he wants to see after the Idol Awards, free from Gwi-ma and finally being able to be himself.
Jinu presses a gentle kiss to her forehead, making sure to put enough pressure on to where it does not wake her, but one where she knows that she is loved. Rumi hums happily as she curls further into his chest.
The demon chuckles, amused by the way she is like a cat when she sleeps. He tries his best to remember as many details as possible from this moment, using this as motivation for what tomorrow and the rest of his days will look like after the Idol Awards and maybe even convincing the Saja Boys that the hunters are not so bad.
The thought alone makes a wide smile form on his hand, letting himself believe in the hope Rumi gave him.
“Tomorrow, we’ll be free,” Jinu promises, mumbling the words softly on the top of her head. The demon pulls her closer, amazed with (yet again and he always will be) how well they fit together. For the first time, the hope for the future looks bright, meaning every word he said.
It’s a promise Jinu intends to keep.