Archive of Our Own

“I’m so glad it’s over,” Zoey says with a dopey smile as the warm bathwater relaxes her muscles.

“Same,” Mira murmurs, already half napping in the tub. “I’m so done with any Saja Boys. For life.”

“Yeah,” Rumi echoes the sentiment emptily as she settles in the bathtub. Her eyes are scanning the water but her mind is wondering off to certain kind, brown eyes she saw not too long ago. 

“Ru?” Zoey asks tentatively, sensing the change in Rumi. “What’s worrying you?”

Rumi chews on her bottom lip, barely containing her next words. “I’m just thinking. It’s still fresh, and I know we talked about it, but… I keep thinking of Jinu and what we could have had.” She’s been wanting to share for the longest time. Not telling them feels like lying to the most important people in her life. 

They stare at her with patience in their eyes and guarded sharpness in their faces. The Saja Boys are not a taboo topic between them but all three are careful when approaching the subject, considering all that has been revealed about Rumi. It can be a conflicting subject as it is still an open discussion between them. 

“He was the first to know about my patterns,” she says gingerly and then coughs to shift the lump that is forming in her throat, “except for Celine.”

“He understood something that he also had to deal with,” Mira offers slowly.

Rumi nods. “Yeah. For a while I thought he saw the situation and my role as a hunter the same way I did. It felt like we—like I can bring him to our side and… and keep him there.”

“I think,” Zoey joins, eyebrows scrunched up, “he did. In the end, he made his choice. He wanted to stay too, and be good.”

“Yeah.” Rumi shrugs and doesn’t meet her eyes. “Maybe, in another universe, he would have stayed,” she murmurs quietly. 

Mira scoffs lightly. “If you ask me, you deserve so much better than what he could have given you.”

“Mira,” Zoey warns with a weak laugh. 

“What? I’m just stating the obvious,” Mira says with mirth in her voice, doing her best to lighten the mood. “Our Rumi should get only the best.” Mira crosses her arms to get her point across even if the only thing indicating it is the ripple on the surface.

“Thanks, Mi.” Rumi tries for a grin but it comes out untrained. “But if it isn’t Juni, then I don’t know.” She rubs her shoulder marks absentmindedly. “Relationships are hard as far as I’ve heard. Not that I’d know from experience,” she admits with her gaze down. “The hardest part will be to explain my patterns. I never thought I would be able to be alright with them, but here we are.” She huffs out a laugh. 

“Your patterns are another beautiful part of you,” Zoey chimes in sweetly. “They don’t make you any less deserving of a relationship.”

“Yeah. Anyone who sees them as less than perfect is not worth your time.”

“Thanks for the sentiment, girls,” Rumi replies with a chuckle, “but, well, I don’t think I can explain the patterns without talking about the Honmoon and the demons, and all that jazz.” She laughs weakly and sinks lower into the water. “So,” she continues, defeated, “no dating people for me.” 

It wasn’t a must right now but she wished she could experience normal dating. Being so focused on a mission that she never chose to carry out in the first place, did not come with the free time to be an experimenting teenager or a dating adult. If dramas and movies have taught her anything, it is that the lead with supernatural abilities rarely gets a moment of peace. 

Rumi allows herself a smile. She gets to have time to rest now. Maybe the Honmoon is still not golden as they all hoped but they are keeping up. With the Saja Boys gone, they handle their duties as hunters with ease.

Zoey and Mira are eyeing each other with conspiratory glances while Rumi is just happy to be enjoying the warm water and her free time, spent with her very best friends. What else could she need right now, except, maybe, to stop this moment so she can enjoy it for eternity?

“Sooo,” Zoey begins and plays with the water around her nonchalantly, “your potential partner must know and accept your patterns, and you being a hunter?” she asks with glee.

Rumi rests the back of her head on the tub’s edge and hums. “Yeah, pretty much. I don’t want to be lying to such an important person in my life.” She shrugs.

“Would this person have to be fun to date and be around?” Mira teases, something hidden between her words. “Like you two spending an unhealthy amount of time together that you basically are codependent?”

Rumi’s eyes are still closed as she scratches her itchy nose. “I don’t know. Maybe.” Rumi places her hands over her face to feel the warm water. The girls were right - the bathhouse really is relaxing. “But dating is so much trouble considering all the time we spend everyday on our music and career.“ She smiles as she lifts her hands and opens her eyes to see the steam. “If I am ever to date anyone, it’ll probably be someone from the industry.” 

Rumi sits upright again but freezes at the realization her space has become highly occupied. Mira and Zoey are almost shoulder to shoulder with her on either of her sides. It’s not unusual for either of them to unconsciously gravitate towards each other, but this feels more intentional. Rumi is trapped between them and something about this closeness makes her cheeks warmer than the air around.

“Oh, hi,” Rumi startles. “Didn’t hear you there.” 

She is screwed. She is so, so fucked. Figuratively. Her very attractive, very best friends are less than a flinch away. All three of them are confined to the space of the bathtub which, mind you, is big enough for each to have her own space. It is certainly a choice to invade all of Rumi’s.

“You know,” Zoey starts lightly, almost dreamily, “I can think of a person who fits your criteria to the dot.”

“Or two,” Mira says in a low tone. Her arm lands on the edge of the bathtub, right behind Rumi’s shoulders. The moment it touches her skin, she leans forward on instinct, only to be met with Zoey’s big dopey eyes. As she gets as close as touching Rumi’s nose with hers, Rumi sees her eyes grow heavy-lidded. 

Rumi has to take a deep breath she conceals poorly. From the corner of her eye she can see the vague glow of her patterns and for a second she wonders if her eyes are glowing without her knowledge. 

That becomes entirely irrelevant when she feels Mira’s chin resting on her shoulder from behind as she drapes an arm over her upper back. Rumi is trapped with nowhere to go. 

She is not going anywhere though. She is staying right here, sandwiched between her friends, and, goodness, somebody help her poor heart. If she wasn’t already wet from the tub, she would be sweating a river. 

“Can I, Ru?” Zoey whispers against her cheek. Rumi gulps down to clear some of the haziness in her mind that is overtaking her sensible thought process. She is unsuccessful. “Please.”

“Yes—” The answer hasn’t fully left Rumi’s lips when Zoey jumps at the chance to occupy them. 

All of her is so soft pressed against her. Rumi doesn’t move immediately, waiting for her brain to catch up with what the fuck is going on. The moment her body takes the steering wheel, she finally kisses her back. 

Zoey is gentle and unhurried in her kissing. She savors Rumi like a candy she will never get to try again. Zoey is guiding her while testing out the waters. One of her hands cradles her cheek and angles her head just right to deepen the kiss. Rumi inhales sharply, without meaning to. The air in her lungs has melted into a puddle, making her breathing harder and her thought process nonexistent.

Another set of lips latches onto Rumi’s neck. Her body responds in return with a full body shiver that she doesn’t anticipate. These lips are more restrained in their movement but something in Rumi’s mind tells her it won’t be for long. 

A tongue darts out to smooth Rumi’s skin. “Mi—Mira,” she manages to say in between Zoey’s persistent kisses. 

Mira leaves an apologetic smooch on her skin. “You’re still tense, Ru,” Mira mouths behind her ear. “Let us unwind you.” She reaches for Zoey, stroking the base of her neck calmly. 

Zoey takes the hint to part away from Rumi. Her eyes immediately catching Mira’s as she leans in with the need to have her lips on either of the girls. Rumi cannot escape nor get in between her girls. Both of them seem to know exactly what they are doing and how to match each other’s tempo. Rumi follows the way their lips move while also reminding herself of Zoey’s hand stroking her cheek unconsciously or Mira’s arm around her shoulders. She is still included in a way. But, goodness, Rumi really wants to be able to kiss both of them.

When those two part, Zoey has the most massive smile on her face as she holds the two girls’ faces in her hands like she has the world there. Mira licks her lips as they curve at the ends. Nothing else matters in the universe more than her girls right now. 

Rumi on the other hand is endlessly confused and slightly offended as to why more kisses are not coming her way. She just watched her two most important people kiss right in front of her face and she wishes to join.

Zoey and Mira look at her with soften eyes. Mira nods and Zoey perks up, immediately moving to the side. Rumi frowns at that because the air around her grows colder. That doesn’t last long for another presence finds her place between Rumi’s legs. Her eyes widen as Mira comes into view.

“It’s okay. We will take it slow,” she explains warmly. “I want you to tell us when this is not okay with you.”

Rumi’s mouth has gone dry and for a second the bath water seems like a good drinking source. She gulps down because what the hell is going on. Seriously, she’d better be dreaming because a pretty girl is in front of her and she is embarrassing herself by gaping like a fish. 

Mira lifts her chin with a hand and leans close to her. “Words, Rumi. Me and Zo won’t do anything until you give us the green light.” Rumi nods, thinking that this is enough of a confirmation to continue but Mira comes even closer. “Use your beautiful voice.”

“Yes. Please. Just—fuck, kiss me, Mira.”

Mira has always been weak in the knees when one of her girls asks for something. She can never deny them anything. They deserve the absolute best. Considering all that has happened to them, they are in need of a break but especially Rumi who is still filled with unwavering stress and is unable to rest.

So Mira kisses her. It is as indulgent as it gets considering the years she has had to endure without that taste. Zoey’s chapstick is all over her mouth and it isn’t enough. Mira snakes a hand around and tugs gently at a couple of strands that have escaped Rumi’s head towel. She wants to be patient, she really does, but when Rumi says she wants more, then she gets more. 

Zoey busies herself with tasting Rumi’s strong back and neck. She leaves small kisses anywhere possible, feeling the minute twitches in Rumi’s muscles. The way she is letting herself move alongside Mira makes Zoey’s skin crawl with excitement. Neither of them planned this, and if they had to, this wouldn’t be happening in the bathhouse of all places. Good thing they always reserve the whole place to themselves. Clever Mira.

Zoey sucks on the junction of Rumi’s neck and shoulder at the same time Mira opens up Rumi’s lips to slide her tongue in. The combination is deadly, seeing as a loud whine vibrates inside Rumi’s throat. The bouncy echo is such a sweet sound, quite encouraging. 

However, Mira and Zoey unglue themselves in the next second, as they register the recent ripples through the Honmoon. Their first thought is demons but nothing else points to it. Their eyes meet but neither knows what happened exactly. 

Rumi sinks lower into the water between them and rests her head on Zoey’s shoulder. Her eyes are tightly closed and her breathing is labored. Both of her hands are holding onto Mira’s shoulders. Just then do they both realise that Rumi’s nails have grown to their demon size and possibly piercing Mira’s skin, hard.

“Fuck,” comes out Rumi’s ragged breath. Her body still has to catch up with her mind, but truthfully nothing is working properly. “This was…” Rumi doesn’t know what. She feels like she is suffocating with so much but in the best and sweetest way possible. 

“Too much?” Zoey supplies. She reaches a hand out to stroke Rumi’s cheek. 

“No!” Rumi chokes. “No, no. I’m—You guys, I don’t—” Rumi places a hand over her eyes and focuses on getting her breathing out of control. “Is this what kissing feels like?”

Mira chuckles. “If you liked it, then yes.” She can’t help but look at the sweet blush on Rumi’s cheeks and the way her shoulders shake with every steadying breath. Her markings are glowing but something shinier catches Mira’s curious eyes. She brings a hand towards Rumi’s open mouth. “Would you look at that,” Mira muses.

The moment her thumb scrapes over the fangs, Rumi opens her eyes sharply. Seeing that it’s Mira, she brings herself to relax, and also unconsciously opens wider. Mira’s thumb pushes onto her tongue which makes Rumi melt and shudder even more in Zoey’s hands. 

“—ira,” she calls around the finger, as she is being held firmly at the chin. The stretch, however, is starting to hurt. 

Relief washes over Rumi when Mira retreats her hand only to get whiplash when she comes back with a sudden kiss. Rumi can’t keep up as the other girl goes straight for the fangs with her tongue. It’s so much. It’s warming Rumi up from the inside as her head is still in this floaty palace, watching herself short-circuit from afar. She is never getting enough of this feeling. 

Mira is barely holding back. She is biting on Rumi’s lips harshly and trying to devour her whole. Her whole body follows her lead and gives Rumi no time to react before something else happens. One of Mira’s hands reaches out to hold her by the side of the throat while the other is lightly scratching at her scalp. Every little sensation is a bit too much. Rumi’s overheating and shivering at the same time.

Mira pulls back with a satisfied grin and a lack of air. She cleans her bottom lip with her thumb and looks at it proudly. Rumi’s gaze is too unfocused to see anything but her body is more than aware of any shift. Aware enough to sense how Mira brings Zoey by the neck for a kiss that she isn’t expecting. Rumi’s thought process is nowhere to be found but she gathers enough of her sense to register Zoey’s quiet moans that Mira hungrily swallows. 

Rumi completely relaxes against Zoey who instinctively brings a hand around her shoulders to keep her from slipping. Her throat is dry despite the humid air and her neck is starting to hurt but how irrelevant that is now. She twists her head and leaves a sweet kiss on Zoey’s neck. She keeps on leaving soothing kisses as the two girls seem so engrossed in each other.

Zoey taps Mira’s shoulder and they part but stay close, foreheads touching. “Fucking hell,” Zoey breathes out. “If we keep going then…” She takes a big gulp of air in. “Can we not… not here?”

“Can we not what here?” Rumi asks curiously.

“My room or yours?” Mira says with a smile in her voice. Rumi realizes those two have had this conversation before.

“Rumi’s,” Zoey offers with a big smile.

Mira nods and hums. She leans back and looks down on Rumi with softness in her eyes. “How are you doing?”

“If dreams feel this good, never ever wake me up again. Put me in a coma or something.”

Mira chuckles and Zoey echoes her as she removes the sticky hair strands on the side of the face. “You think you’re dreaming?”

“I’m sandwiched between the two most attractive people I know,” Rumi slurs. “And I also kissed both of them. Multiple times.” She snickers to herself. “This must be a dream. A damn good at that.”

Zoey put a hand on her forehead. “Hm. You might have overheated a bit.”

“Okay,” Mira says decisively, “time to go home.” She begins to stand up in order to exit the tub and bring them their towels and clothes. 

“No,” Rumi whines like a petulant child as her hands grab onto Mira’s shoulders. “No, pretty dream Mira, don’t goooo.”

Both of the girls laugh, endeared by her antics. Mira lifts herself some more and with a little help from Zoey, they manage to untangle her from Rumi’s grabby hands. She sinks into Zoey who keeps her hands to her sides by locking her in a tight hug. 

“But, Mira,” Rumi pouts.

“I’ll be back in a jiffy.” Mira leans down to give her a peck and strides towards their lockers. 

Rumi finally settles but is not done murmuring to herself about how unfair it is. Zoey finds it adorable. She places a hand on Rumi’s cheek which she doesn’t seem to acknowledge. Well, not until Zoey turns her face gently and kisses her worries away. Without breaking contact, Zoey floats around to face Rumi and adjusts them, Rumi basically in her lap.

This, them, it is quite calm compared to minutes ago. Rumi greatly enjoys being kissed and held like this with no need to mind the time it takes. Kissing is indeed a very nice activity and she can spend hours doing it. Which definitely begs the question, why hasn’t she done that before?

She knew she had to invest a lot of time in training, dancing, music lessons and overall everything her life was always meant to be, but she feels like somewhere along the way everyone forgot to tell her that being loved like this is possible and she can have it. 

She can also have it with the most important people in the whole wide world. She can have Zoey draped all over her without a worry in the world, or Mira sitting so close to her and with her legs in her lap. She won’t have to stress about fangs and patterns or demon nails and eyes. Neither of the girls really shied away from those. If anything, they seem to be having fun getting a reaction from her to see how it can affect all her demon parts. 

Apparently, people kiss not only each other’s lips but also neck, judging by how willing her girls were. So Rumi dives in to try it out for herself. She breaks away from Zoey and just as fast starts trailing kissing along her pulse point. Zoey sighs and allows her full reign. She goes as far as placing reassuring hand on her nape. 

Zoey’s skin is as soft as pudding and Rumi wonders for a moment what it would taste like. That seems like a reasonable thing to wonder about. And if she doesn’t do in this beautiful, magical dream, then when would she? So, she bites down.

Zoey squeaks and Rumi shoots up. “Ru!”

“Sorry, sorry.” She lifts her hands apologetically. Zoey puffs out her cheeks amused. “Just wanted to try it out since I won’t be getting another chance.”

“What?” Zoey asks with a confused expression. She shakes her head with a scowl. “You still think this is a dream? You mean, you’re for real?”

“Uh, yeah,” Rumi confirms, confused. “Why else would you and Mira be kissing me?”

“Oh, you big, doofus,” Zoey calls with laughter and forcibly brings Rumi’s face to hers to smash their lips together. It is a kiss with no purpose but to touch. There is nothing to it but Zoey trying to convince Rumi that this is the furthest from unreal. That this, right here, is something they have all been waiting for.

Loud laughter sounds from behind Rumi’s back and they turn to see Mira boldly walking towards them, entirely enjoying the view for herself.

“You got a kiss attack from Zoey so you must have said something insecure and probably a little silly,” Mira explains with a snort. Her long legs peek from large shirt she has thrown on as she sits on the edge of the tub. 

“Oh, she did,” Zoey confirms in a whisper. Both snickers as if they are in cahoots. “She genuinely thinks she is dreaming because she got to kiss us.” Zoey puts herself on the edge of the tub, leaving Rumi the only one in the warm water.

Mira looks at a flushed Rumi who is looking for the least painful way to drown herself. Mira places a kiss over the hands, hiding her embarrassed face. Rumi might be their leader but Mira can’t help how adorable she is in her fluster. 

“Rumi?” Mira calls gently. Rumi shakes her head violently, still taking cover behind her hands. “Rumi, please, look at us.”

Rumi grunts petulantly but gives up any further hiding attempts. She has pursed her lips and is not looking at her girls. “Somebody, dig me a hole I can peacefully die in. My reputation cannot take more embarrassment damage.”

“Usually, I would have given you the spare shovel I carry but right now calls for a long cuddle session.”

Rumi pouts but meets their eyes. 

“Ru,” Zoey starts with a soft voice, almost scared to imply anything, “you don’t have to hide from us.”

“I know,” Rumi murmurs into the water as she sinks up to her chin.

“And,” Mira adds sternly, “we absolutely wanted to kiss you for the longest time so we are as bad as you, if not worse.”

Zoey nods vigorously. “Honestly, I never thought we would get to tell you. It still feels surreal.” Her hands fly up to aid her explanation. “It is a huge relief that you also like like us, y’know?” She giggles but a flip switches in an instant. “Wait, you do, right?”

“Zo,” Mira teases with a quirk to her lip.

“Oh, goodness,” Zoey panics, flapping her hands and snapping her head between Mira and Rumi. “We still haven’t told her.” She cups her mouth. 

“What? Tell me what?” Rumi asks with sparkly eyes as she lifts herself from the tub.

Mira tosses a towel over her bare shoulders. “For starters, we like you.”

“Like,” Zoey picks up, “like you very very much. Like, romantically like you.”

“And,” Mira adds with a smile, “we have been wanting to tell you how smitten we are with you since forever, but we always had our hands full.”

“Wait,” Rumi interrupts, shaking a hand. “Both? Both of you like me?”

Mira and Zoey exchange a look and Zoey answers, “Very much so. Yes.”

“We have been talking about it,” Mira explains while handing Zoey her turtle towel. “We tried to rationalise it and persuade ourselves that our love is purely platonic but here we are.”

Rumi licks her lips unconsciously, staring into the water. “Hold on.” Her head snaps at the two girls, already covered in their towels and shirts. “Does that mean you two were dating this whole time?”

“Yes?” Zoey tilts her head. “Wait! You didn’t know? Like, at all?”

“Well, I—” Rumi stutters and gapes. “No, I didn’t know.” She thinks on it a bit more and grunts in her hands. “We live under the same roof and I didn’t notice you two are together. I’m so st—”

“Hey.” Zoey points a finger at her. “This,” she explains while drawing a circle in the air with her wrist, “is a no-self-deprecation zone.” 

“In your defense, we did try to keep it on the downlow,” Mira chimes in. She waves at Rumi to step out of the tub and embraces her with a long, hot pink towel. “We didn’t want the paps or the fans conspiring. It would have added pressure to sealing the Honmoon.”

“But I did not notice. We live together and—and you two are my closest people. How could I not—?”

Zoey places a hand on her shoulder as Rumi parts from Mira, wrapped snugly in her barbie towel. “There is nothing to blame yourself for. I’m just glad we are still us.” She smiles warmly at both of them. Mira reflects the infectious smile but Rumi takes a couple more seconds for it to settle on her face.

“We are very much into you, Ru,” Mira says. “But if you don’t want that, then nothing has to change. We can still be just us. It’s as simple as that.”

Both of them are looking at her expectantly but softness gleams in their eyes. There is no pressure to answer or to talk. They are giving her the space to think on it. Rumi feels the small smile plastered on her face but something she forgets to expect almost every time is the fall of her relaxed shoulders. Her whole heart is rediscovering the home Zoey and Mira are to her. 

So it is understandable that Rumi takes her time to actually process what was just said. Really, she needs to focus on—

Oh.

“Oh,” she gasps quietly. “You two actually want to date me?” Zoey giggles. Mira has an amused smile as she wraps Rumi in a hug. Zoey joins the pile without prompting. “All the talk about my type and the kissing afterwards were just…” Rumi says bewildered, all of it catching to her now.

“We saw our chance and took it,” Zoey clarifies.

“Yeah,” Mira confirms, “it wasn’t the way we wanted to do things but it happened regardless.”

“Woah,” Rumi gapes. She leans back to take a good look at them and their intertwined arms. 

They are tangled like they would be for any other celebratory occasion. However, right now there is something else in place. This time it feels fuller and finished. It feels safe and happy like the usual but new heartstrings have formed. Rumi might need a couple of days to a couple of months to fully comprehend the reality of them. 

“This is so—I don’t know what to say.” Despite not knowing what to say, Rumi continues, “I can actually have this? With you two? You mean to tell me this has always been an option. I could—we could have been like this?” Her shock is met with the big smiles that Mira and Zoey are struggling to bite down and stifle. “I’m allowed to have this?” Rumi’s voice comes out small.

“Rumi…”

“Of course, you can,” Mira reassures. “You deserve so much.”

Tears swell in Rumi’s eyes. They almost escape but she feels too much in her chest to have the breath to let them slide. “I love you two so, so much,” she sobs as her head lands on their shoulders.

They don’t cry but they let Rumi have the time to calm down from her realisation. Her mind is buzzing vibrantly and replaying the last moments. Mira and Zoey hold tightly onto her as she accepts the good, warm thing settling into her lungs and her life. It’s been hard time coming but Rumi is doing her very best to see herself fully. She is receiving more than she can handle and she has to remind herself that good things have always been meant for her and she does not have to deserve them. She already does by being who she is.

“Let’s go home,” Mira encourages softly when Rumi gives her a loop-sided smile that Zoey commits to mind and heart. 

They go home. They talk. And they move on. Together. This time they are more than united. Each of them planning to stay exactly where she is. Rumi’s heart feels a bit too big for her chest but just enough to fit the love she harbors for her closest people. For the first time in a while, they all fit together, cuddling, without the pressure of duty or your family roots.

For the first time in a while, all three of them hold hope for the future between them and neither is shy to look forward to something brighter.