Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Zoey enjoyed perusing fandom spaces.

She had been in fandoms ever since, and honestly even before, she had received access to the internet.

She had been in all the greats, survived SuperWhoLock, unfortunately participated in Oncecest online discourse and had watched many ship wars go down, usually from afar.

And sometimes she was the one inciting them.

Heck, she had been an avid fanfic author before joining huntrix and she was certainly not going to stop now.

So long story short, Zoey was perfectly prepared to browse online Huntrix fandom spaces. Probably better prepared than the people telling her not to.

Sure, it meant she saw some really weird stuff. Most of it she skipped and blocked, some of it she read out of amusement and gave feedback on how Zoey actually would behave in that situation, with a trust me bro kind of source.

She’d read fics that shipped her with herself and who was she to judge, really. She’d been a teenager before. She’d read Onecest. A bit.

So yes, she was deep in fandom and had no delusions over what that would mean she would see.

She was on an anonymous account of course, on which she was even online friends with a good number of Huntrix fans.

One day she would tell them. One day.

Being this imbeded in the Huntrix fandom, sometimes producing fanart and fanfics to not be too suspicious of a lurker, meant she often saw gossip before it started trending.

Usually it was silly stuff.

Dating rumors, with various other idols.

Sometimes, inexplicably, with political figures.

Ship wars.

Dating rumors with the other two which she was all for because, well, it was true.

She even wrote a bunch of headcannon posts that were just one to one descriptions of how the other two acted.

And when she wasn’t fanning the flames, she usually just watched from the sidelines.

However.

Her eyes narrowed at what she was seeing in one of the many Huntrix discord servers she was in

This callout post discussion?

This new rumor?

This she couldn’t just leave be.

So she watched it unfold for now.

Nr1RumiStan24625: no but hear me out

They sent an image. An image of Rumi during that cursed Takedown performance.

Nr1RumiStan24625: look at how traumatized Rumi looks. That can’t have been acting

Technically, as much as Zoey hated it, that was correct. Rumi's reaction to the demons actions in Takedown was very real and very traumatic.

Though it had been publicly played off as a publicity stunt but. Well.

Clearly not everyone bought it.

TapedUpRoomba: So you think it was a ploy to humiliate Rumi?

Nr1RumiStan24625: yeah, like to show her tattoos. yknow?

Saighlboot: I get yer point, I mean her rating did drop after that stunt

Turtle-ey_awesome: So did the others tho?? touch some grass

Okay so maybe she would involve herself a little in this.

SajaTruther: Here’s the polytr*x shipper again

TapedUpRoomba: Give it up. Not the place for shipping. We’re srsly worried

Nr1RumiStan24625: yeah- like this isn’t my only point

Nr1RumiStan24625: hold on i made a list

Zoey's eyes narrowed at the screen again as she zoomed into the barrage of images the person sent.

It was a slew of screenshots from their appearances in the last few months, with red rings and arrows pointing at what they saw as signs that Rumi was being bullied by her and Mira.

And oh.

Okay.

Uho.

Zoey flipped through the photos.

Pictures of hickeys, misconstrued as bruises from so far away. Pictures of marks on Rumi's neck, taken for violence which sure, maybe technically. But Rumi literally, quite literally asked for that. That couldn’t be put on her! Or Mira!

Then videos. Multiple videos of the same event, where Rumi kept flinching when they lightly touched her.

Zoey remembered that day.

Vividly.

Well, she mostly remembered what happened after the fan signing and meet up.

A blush grew on her face as she remembered just how down bad Rumi had been that day.

Yeah, those flinches were not a sign of abuse, but the real reason really wasn’t publishable either.

She kept swiping.

Backstage, illegal she may add, videos of Mira gripping Rumi's shoulder and roughly pulling her, as the poster put it “out of sight of the public”. Which again? sure, technically.

And yes, again, technically she agreed with the poster, it was to be “bullied”. But like. Again. Rumi asked.

This was not the abuse scandal this poster thought it was but at the same time, Zoey saw no way out of talking them out of posting these images, because yeah. As a fan? She would be concerned too!

They couldn’t even like, send in a cease and desist because wow would that make them look extra guilty.

She scrolled to a list the poster had sent in, of various quotes from her and Mira.

Quotes that out of context, both the context available to the public and also their own, private context, did sound bad.

If you were giving her and Mira no benefit of the doubt, read them in bad faith, and were willing to grasp at straws.

Turtle-ey_awesome: Ya’ll. Touch grass. Watch some squirrels. I beg you.

The chat was silent.

Then.

Saighlboot: yk now that you mention it

SajaTruther: yeah

TapedUpRoomba: post it

Oh Honmoon yikes!

This was getting out of hand.
Zoey had to text Bobby. Call her girlfriends. Avengers assemble. Stat!

—-

“So wait. Let me make sure I’ve got this situation right.” Rumi was looking at Zoey, absolutely flabbergasted.

The last 15 minutes, which was 20 minutes after Zoey had called them back from one on one dance practice, that given Rumi's new hickeys had gone south quick, and 5 minutes since the post went live, had been Zoey frantically explaining the mess they were in.

“Some of our fans. Think that behind closed doors, you two are.. abusing? me?” She sounded completely flabbergasted as she pointed at herself.

“Yeah uh- kinda. Or bullying? Generally treating you badly.” Zoey laughed awkwardly, leaning into Rumi's hug.

They had assembled themselves on the couch and Zoey, very comfortably, found herself sandwiched between the two.

“And like, I kinda see why they think that.” Mira groaned at what Zoey said.

“We really gotta chew the makeup team out over this. Those marks should not have been visible.” She groaned.

She wasn’t wrong. But Zoey didn’t like the idea of sicking Mira on the poor make up department for not properly covering the consequences of their own actions.

She made a mental note to stop Mira, once the immediate issue was settled.

“That aside.” Zoey held up her phone for the two to see.

“How do we handle this? Because while the hashtag #SaveRumi is currently small, I can guarantee it wont be for much longer. This is a juicy topic after all.” She tried to keep her voice almost unnaturally serious. This wasn’t her forte but they really had to get this done.

“I assume a simple post from Rumi won’t do much?” Mira mussed as she playfully fought Rumi for Zoey's upper body to hug.

“They’ll just think you two forced me to. Or are in my account.” Rumi shook her head, winning the battle and pulling Mira on top of herself and Zoey.

A win for deep pressure.

“Then what? Because I can’t imagine Bobby or frankly, anyone, will want us to post the truth.” Mira muttered into the crook of Zoey's neck. Staying serious was getting difficult.

“What? You don’t think Rumi posting “Sorry ya’ll, I just like being a Sub and a Bottom a lot, thanks for worrying though, toodles✨” will work?” Zoey was mostly joking, but she did think the idea would at least be interesting.
Rumi gave a snort of laughter below her.

“Yeah, I know it would get me trending, like big time- but that does not seem like the way to go.” She got out through giggles.

Her breath tickled Zoey's ear as she laughed.

Staying serious was so difficult right now.

But she got this.

“So the truth is out of the question. Any other ideas?” Mira looked up at Zoey with big, amused eyes, a small smirk on her face.

As if she already knew Zoey had about 100, all of varying degrees of unfeasible but funny, ideas.

“I mean. We could have Rumi top more. Let us be seen with the same marks.” Zoey brought up her second idea and Mira gave an actual laugh, not just a giggle.

“That would just make the fandom think we’re getting into fights!” She wheezed, clearly imagining the scenario.

“Technically that’s a step up from us ganging up on Rumi?” Zoey offered to defend the idea that she really did not think was all that good of a plan.

Though the more she thought about it…

No.

It was a bad idea.

Or was it?

—-

“Girls. That’s a terrible idea.” Bobby looked at them with a look of exasperation he rarely used.

But given that in the last 10 minutes that he had arrived, they had had to explain to him that part of the fandom thought Rumi was being abused, that the hashtag SaveRumi was gaining steadily in popularity and that all of this stemmed from their active and “delightfully freaky”,as Zoey put it, love life, his reaction was quite warranted.

At least he had already known they were dating or this may have been the death of him.

“Okay so to sum up.” He inhaled deeply. He had said no to that idea but he really needed to make sure they were on the same page here.

“Because you girls couldn’t keep it in your pants-“ His eyes flew to their current outfits. “Skirts. We now have a fake scandal? The truth of which would only cause a different disaster of a scandal?”

The three in front of him nodded in unison, looking endlessly guilty.

And worryingly, a little bit proud.

Turtles give him strength.

“Okay okay, this is what I got a pay raise for I suppose.” Time to earn those 4%.

He did have an idea.

It wasn’t technically that different from Zoey's, albeit a lot less sneaky and conspiracy inducing and far more leaning into the yuri bait direction.

Though given their relationship status, he didn’t feel all too bad about that.

Was it bait if there was no hook attached to the bread after all?

He really shouldn’t try and make fishing jokes.

He’d leave that to the straight men.

—-

“Okay so my shirt collar is here.” Mira held her finger down, pointing to a spot on her collarbone.

“And here.” She used Zoey's hand to pinpoint the spot on her neck.

“This really is just what I said.” Zoey giggled as Rumi reapplied her lipstick, shooting Zoey a small eye-roll.

“Your idea was to have the internet think we got into fistfights at home. Or? Abused each other? I guess?” Zoey was sent into another fit of giggles at the thought.

“I still think it would have been interesting.” Zoey insisted but shrugged. She knew this would be just as interesting, and nodded when Mira voiced that exact thought.

“Ready?” Rumi asked, straddling Mira and gripping her shoulders for balance.

“Always.” Mira's face was slightly flushed as she leaned her neck back, giving Rumi better access.

Rumi made quick work, leaning down first to where Mira was pointing and then to where Zoey's finger was, leaving very clear kiss marks with her lipstick on both areas.

She pulled back and watched Mira, still red in the face, readjust her shirt.

Perfect.

Just as with Zoey, the kiss marks were definitely very visible. But they still looked sloppily hidden.

Like they had just kind of forgotten they were there.

Rumi went back to the mirror and reapplied again, making sure the color was very visible. A bit more bold than her usual choice, a brighter, vibrant purple.

But that was exactly the point.

“Alright girls, act natural.” She winked at the two as they scrambled into position, Zoey picking up her switch, which was not in fact turned on, and Mira her book.

Zoey's head plopped onto Mira's lap for extra measure.

They both angled themselves for the marks to be perfectly visible and very “hidden”.

Perfect.

Rumi angled the camera up and snapped a few selfies, holding the lipstick in one hand, showing off the brand.

Bobby really was a genius to pull such a fitting brand deal out of nowhere and especially to be able to set it up within a day.

Photos taken, she plopped down onto the couch with her girlfriends, who jumped up to crowd around her phone.

“Oh I like that one! Look at how Mira's hand is in my hair!” Zoey pointed out an action she had been sure Mira hadn’t even realized she was doing.

A renewed blush on Mira's face confirmed her theory.

“Oh that is perfect, you’re right.” Rumi quickly sent the picture off for revue.

The email came back just minutes later. Bobby really knew how to speed-run these things.

“Aaand post!” Zoey giggled, a bit too much? Had she schemed something? and pressed post.

Oh well.

Nothing that would hurt them, Rumi was sure.

She looked back at the two, providing a copious amount of new kiss marks, before pulling away to admire her work.

They looked cute.

“Yknow.” She started, pulling up her messages with Bobby.

“Should we just treat this as a relationship soft launch?”

The other two nodded at her, eagerly.

—-

Zoey grinned in satisfaction at her screen, watching the Polytrix and PolytrixConfirmed tag trend globally within minutes of the post.

Completely burying the silly SaveRumi tag.

Sure, there were some queerbaiting accusations in there, which. Whatever.

But most people saw this as a softlaunch of their relationship- which it was.

Some people, deeply in denial, posted about how nice it was of her and Mira to help Rumi test out the lipstick by swatching it on their skin.

As if that made any sense.

Ah.

And here was the first message on what Zoey had really hoped people would notice, in a dedicated Polytrix discord server that of course she was in.

A comment on an item she had placed to be visible in the edge of the picture.

PolyTrickster: Ya’ll??!

The image was attached with a circle around an item on the floor, in the upper left corner. Barely visible, really. Just the end of it. Enough to start debate. Too little to start a scandal.

PolyTrickster: Is that a fucking leash???

Chapter Text

Zoey was bored.

Sure, she was happy they had sealed the Honmoon with the power of friendship and sure, she was ecstatic when just a few days later they had realized it was actually not friendship alone that they felt for each other.

And wow was she happy they had been able to get together, have amazing dates, cuddles and other stuff she really shouldn’t be thinking about during a board room meeting about a new collaboration with some fashion brand.

And of course she was over the (Hon)moon that they had decided to announce their relationship to the public, to thundering applause at that.

But now that it had all settled, no Honmoon to protect, no convoluted feelings to ruminate about, no relationship to hide, nothing, she was bored.

And not just because she was stuck in a meeting that originally had been scheduled for Mira, who had inconveniently become sick for the day and insisted Zoey go instead.

Rumi would have, but she had her own boring meetings to go to.

So yeah.

Zoey was bored.

Bored out of her mind.

And a little bit mad at Mira. Not really. But she had to focus this boredom somewhere so now she was jokingly mad at Mira for being sick and forcing this boredom of the board room- oh hey funny- onto her.

And if she was mad, that meant she was allowed to get revenge.

That’s how this worked, right?

A small smile settled on her face as she let her mind wander, not really listening to the discussion of the new product line. It would be good anyway.

Mira liked fashion right?

Zoey could work with that.
Time for petty revenge.

—-

Turtle-ey_awesome: Hey anyone ever notice that Mira’s like always wearing a choker?

TapedUpRoomba: Yeah, so?

Turtle-ey_awesome: Think there’s more to it?

Zoey grinned to herself an evil little grin as she saw the amount of people that were suddenly typing in the discord server.

She had decided to lay the trap in a Huntr/x server, not a Polytrix ship one, as to attract the largest crowd. Let the shipping breach containment, as it were.

Saighlboot: Now that you point it out??

Saighlboot: She even wears stuff around her neck in casual outfits,,

They sent an image of the day Zoey and her girls had gone to visit the totally legit throat doctor. And yep, Mira sure did have something on back then as well. Less bold than a choker, but still around her neck.

Multiple people started typing again furiously. Zoey's grin grew as she wiggled around on the sofa like a gleeful little slug. A gleeful, evil little slug.

TapedUpRoomba: You don’t think,,,

Yes, yes! Write it! Zoey beamed at the screen. Her grin widened as a user sent in the promo photo they had taken a few months ago. A red circle around the offending item in the corner.

PolyTrickster: Wait shit ya’ll! The leash! The fucking leash!! I knew it!!

And there it was. It all came together. Zoey really was a brilliant evil mastermind! PolyTrickster must feel so vindicated right around now too.

Zoey cackled, the sound startling Mira who had been peacefully and unaware reading a book on the chair next to her.

Oh ignorance was bliss.

—-

Mira didn’t stay ignorant for long.

When she opened her phone during their evening couch cuddle, Zoey could tell the second she was hit with the news as her body stiffened up and a large frown formed on her face.

“What’s wrong?” Zoey tried to sound as genuinely curious as she could. Mira shot her a look that indicated that she had failed.

“Why.” Mira directed the question straight at Zoey.

“Why is #Bottom!Mira trending?!” Her rage was, for the most part, faked as Zoey could read from the burning blush rising on Mira's cheeks.

Zoey just looked at her with a smile.

“Why are you asking me?” She chirped and she could practically feel the seething rage in Mira building up. She would definitely let it out on her tonight. Score!

“Yeah, how would Zoey know?” Rumi, in actual genuine curiosity, piped up from beside Mira, looking at the screen. That curiosity quickly shifted to a giggle. Then another.

In seconds, Rumi had doubled over, laughing to herself. Mira glared at her now too. Zoey kept batting her eyelashes up at Mira, the pinnacle of innocence.

“Hah!!” Rumi let out, pointing a finger at Mira, who almost growled in return.

“Your turn!” Rumi looked at Mira with utter glee. She got out her own phone and from the look of her face, has started perusing the hashtag.

“Ooh okay, I see.” Rumi glanced over at Mira, voice smug.

Zoey, in order to at least have a very thin alibi as to why she knew what they were talking about, scrolled around on her phone for just about five seconds before looking up at Mira with a shit eating grin plastered on her face.

“I don’t know what the fuss is here, Mira.” She gave a low, nigh maniacal cackle at the pouting glare she received as Mira crossed her arms and leaned into the couch.

“I mean, we did buy you all those chokers after all. Necklaces too.“ Zoey was finding it harder and harder to not sound as smug as she felt.

“That is so unrelated! I’ve been wearing chokers for far longer than I’ve known you two! They’re a cool fashion accessory!” She did make a good point. But it was funnier to act like she hadn’t.

Zoey sat up a bit straighter, settling herself even closer to Mira and let her fingers play with the fabric of the choker that Mira was wearing at this very moment.

Mira went red and refused to look Zoey in the eyes.

“That was just you, practicing for us.” She grinned as she could see a shiver run through Mira. Rumi caught on quickly as she put her phone down and scooted up right next to the redhead, letting her hands roam just a bit. Innocent touches. Enough to drive Mira completely mad. It was a difficult balance to strike, but Rumi had mastered the art.

“Besides Mira.” Zoey knew that the hurt in her voice was entirely unconvincing, but she still put on her best pouting puppy face.

“Don’t you like the idea of us collaring you?” Zoey wasn’t able to keep up the puppy eyes much longer as she saw the effect of her words unfold in front of her.

Mira went completely rigid.

Completely red.

Her lips pressed thinly together and her thighs very noticeably followed suit.

Bingo.

Revenge tasted oh so sweet.

In the literal sense too, if Zoey could have her way.

Rumi broke out into another fit of giggles as her hand found its way to Mira's jaw, angling it towards her. She wasn’t putting any pressure in, Mira was just obliging her. For once.

“Come on darling, answer Zoey's question.” It wasn’t often that Rumi acted so confidently in matters outside of work. But when it happened? Wow did Zoey sure love to see it. Feel it. Whatever. Which organ she was receiving the input with was really quite irrelevant.

Mira, to her credit, managed to snap out of the daze they had very purposefully put her in as she shook her head.

“That! That is so not the point! We should put a pin in that, but it is so not the point!” Her voice was hoarse, flustered. Perfect.

Zoey was especially excited by the “put a pin in that” comment.

Sure, this had started out as a way to tease Mira for her easily misunderstood fashion choices but. Well. If she could manifest the meaning of those fashion choices, who was she to say no?

“The point is that I am not a bottom!” She sounded quite genuinely exasperated as she screeched it out.

“I mean come on! Of all the people that is trending about?? It’s me?!” She gestured wildly to the other two.

“I mean- Rumi is right here??” Rumi looked at her in mock offense as she slapped her arm lightly in admonishment.

“Hey! I top!”

“Once in a blue moon, sure!” Zoey laughed under the halfhearted glare she was receiving from Rumi. Not that she was wrong. And there was nothing wrong with that either. Zoey was quite a fan of Rumi's preferences actually.

“And also you Zoey! You with your dog like people pleaser attitude? And between us, I’m! The one pegged as a bottom?!” Oh that word choice had to have been on purpose. Zoey had to seize the opportunity. She had no choice, really.

“I mean yeah, if I’m pegging you, you would indeed be the bottom.”

Zoey was hit in the face with a cushion.

Worth it.

—-

Mira was still seething a week later.

The ridiculous hashtag refused to fucking die.

And no, she didn’t care that the public speculated, or at this point really, knew she bottomed. She was perfectly proud of that. But could they at least get it fucking right.

If they could peg her as a freak, could they at least get the flavor of freak right? Was that too much to ask?

Part of her kind of liked that she had accidentally been showing up in quasi collars from them for years. It did feel nice. That sense of belonging. In the emotional and literal way.

But that part she could unpack in therapy.

The petty part though?

She had given that part of herself free rein over her credit card and now she was eagerly awaiting an array of purchases.

She was nigh 100% certain that somehow, Zoey had started this. She didn’t know when or how, but this had Zoey's name all over it. There was no way she wouldn’t have known about the tag before Mira had found it, after all.

So when the packages came in, Zoey was the first to receive her gifts. And the person she insisted on wearing her gifts, the most.

Rumi could of course as well, Mira hoped she would even as the items would look lovely on her.

But the aim here was to get revenge on Zoey, first and foremost.

“Mira.” Zoey gaped, as she stared down into the box. Rumi peered over Zoey's shoulder, her own parcel left unopened for now. Her eyes widened as they fell on the items in the box.

“This is so petty.” Zoey's words may have been harsh, but her voice was soft. A small, actual smile appeared on her face as she took out the first layer of gifts.

Small necklaces, bracelets, earrings. All sets that she knew, matched the chokers Mira owned. The ones they had gotten her.

“The word you’re looking for, is pretty.” Mira corrected, amusement in her voice. They hadn’t opened the smaller packages yet. She couldn’t wait.

“That too.” Zoey agreed as she quickly clasped on the set that matched Mira's simple red and black choker of the day. Rumi practically tore her package open and mimicked Zoey's actions.

They looked pretty like this.

Hers.

Maybe the internet had a bit of a point actually.

“Aww!” Zoey looked between the three, eyes wide and bubbly. “Now we can be freaks together!!” Mira rolled her eyes. Rumi practically drooled. Different reactions and really? Mira was the bottom?

Come on!

“So what’s in the second box?” Rumi asked, taking out a smaller box from underneath the items that were now strewn about the coffee table.

“Why don’t you open it up and find out?” Mira gave a wolfish grin as a response and Zoey actually lit up when seeing it.

Again.

And she was the bottom.

The grin only widened as Zoey tore through the wrapping paper and popped the lid off.

Mira was realizing, after their reactions to the more conventional jewelry, that this really wasn’t retaliation. This was just feeding their freak.

Oh well.

Zoey's enthusiasm did not lessen when her eyes fell on the second gift. But wow. Did her facial features ever change. Zoey's jaw hung open as her eyes flew wide, the blush that had just manage to abate coming back to her in full swing. Her hands gripped the box tightly. Possessively.

Rumi was quick to follow suit and Mira was surprised she didn’t drop the box. Or drool. Though she did look close to doing both. Mira couldn’t help but laugh at their stunned faces.

Stunned, horny faces.

And all it had taken was gifting them personalized collars.

And she was supposed to be the fucking bottom?!

Screw that!

Bottom, her ass.

She couldn’t wait for the conspiracies to flow in when the internet noticed her girlfriend’s new jewelry.

Poor Bobby was not ready for this PR nightmare.

Chapter Text

Not much could rattle Celine by now. She had survived demons, her band mates, her band mates ridiculous demon boyfriend, being in love with her bandmates and then said bandmates dying.

Then she had survived raising a half demon child while having not a singular clue as to what she was doing. She survived training new hunters. She had survived over 30 years in the media spotlight.

At this point, she was fairly certain she had seen everything and experienced every emotion humans could.

Which was why she was more than a bit shocked that a trending hashtag, concerning what should have been a routine interview of her girls, had her choking on her normal sixth espresso shot at the early morning of 11am.

Because what.

Putain!

Bordel de merde!

400 years. They had kept it a secret for 400 years.

So how.

How.

Putain de merde, how?

How was #Huntr/xDemonAttack trending?!

—-

“…on the bright side, people seem to be on board with this?” Zoey’s voice was hopeful as she looked at her phone, watching reactions to their most recent interview.

“I’ll say- look at those comments.” Mira sounded more amused than anything as she scrolled through her own feed, arm wrapped tightly around Zoey to comfort the girl.

“I do like the fandom name “hunters”.” Rumi agreed, shuffling closer to Zoey’s side as well.

Zoey felt. Not great. Mixed.

She still thought she had been funny. And honestly, it’s not like she would respond differently if she was sent back in time to do the interview again. It was funny! It was!

But!

She had not expected the fandom to explode like this. She thought she had been making a funny haha halloween joke to brush off a frankly ridiculous question that she still couldn’t believe made it into the script.

But nope!

Turned out, the fandom was taking this and running with it at lighting speed.

Which sure, yes, they were surging in popularity once again, which was a good thing.

But also.

That popularity was based on the fandom taking the mention- the joking! at least for all the world knew, joking! mention of demons, and turning it into a whole thing!

Ugh.

“Hey, it’s not like anyone actually knows about the whole demon hunting thing. You didn’t blow our cover.” Mira spoke softly as she gave Zoey a tight squeeze. Rumi hummed in agreement.

“Honestly, this might make hunting easier. If we get seen, we play it off as leaning into the bit.” Rumi rubbed her sleeves as she said that, looking weirdly hopeful.

They weren’t wrong.

With the amount of fanart now that had put various weapons in the girls’ hands, it wouldn’t be too difficult to play off six shin-kal, a woldo and a saingeom, all things considered.

But it also meant that the conspiracy theorists were now closer on their tail. Closer to the actual truth. And not just the somehow less scandalous truth that was them dating each other. The like. Dangerous truth!

“Plus, Bobby’s on top of this. He’s got us scheduled for a movie now with demons. Playing it off as you accidentally leaking some plot. As one giant publicity stunt.” Zoey groaned as Mira mentioned the movie that they were practically pulling out of their ass as they scrambled to work within this new reality where their fans at least superficially acknowledged demons.

The two did make good points, Zoey knew.

But she had one last fear. One they all had.

And that was, that Celine would catch wind of this.

As if on some cursed cue, the doors to the elevator opened.

Zoey didn’t even need to look back over the couch to know who was entering their penthouse. The long even strides, though with more energy than usual, gave that away quickly enough.

Oh no.

“Hey there Celine, what brings you to our little neck of the sky?” Mira managed to ask in an impressively neutral tone, considering her phone was opened to a clear piece of fanart of Zoey with a longsword fighting a demon.

Celine responded with a disbelieving scoff.

“Oh ta gueule, Mira.” Her words were (probably) sharp, though at the very least Celine’s tone seemed constrained and more tired and if Zoey squinted her ears- that definitely wasn’t the right expression- she could make out a hint of mirth. A whisper of it.

Mira just let out a small bark of laughter at the french. Rumi grimaced. Zoey had no clue what she had said and she would need her girlfriends to translate for her later.

“Girls. Why is that trending.”

Zoey had a brief moment in which she almost thought of saying “why is what trending” but she knew that of all the responses, that would be the worst one.

Not that she didn’t desperately want to see an angry Celine, she was very certain it would be extremely hot, but this probably wasn’t the time or place.

The three shared a look.

Here went nothing.

“Okay so uhm. Don’t be mad.” Zoey started up as she found the offending viral clip with far too much ease and handed Celine her phone to watch it.

“But I uh. I may have slipped up.”

Hopefully she survived to see another day after this.

Her genius humor really may actually be the death of her.

She had dug her own grave with her funny.

—-

Celine took the phone, trying not to show the actual panic she was feeling internally.

Her hands still shook a bit and she definitely was speaking more french than she usually did, but it probably, hopefully, couldn’t be read as the anxiety attack that she was going through internally right now.

Her eyes, after a second, found the phone screen.

It was a paused video, showing the three girls at a standard interview. Zoey in the middle, clearly being asked a question. Mira on her left, Rumi on her right. A less intimate scene that was mirroring how the girls were curled up in each other on their couch at this very minute.

Celine briefly wondered when they were planning on telling her that they were dating. An issue for a different panic attack.

She pressed play and set the volume up so she could hear.

After the audience laughter at whatever Zoey had just said died down, the interviewer shifted, his eyes glancing down at his cards as he suddenly looked nervous. And more serious than he really should.

“So, girls. Before we let you go, we have one final question. A bit of a serious one.” Celine truly wondered now why Rumi wasn’t the one being asked this question then. Had they thought that the maknae would be easier to get information out of? She made the mental note to blacklist the host and maybe the whole show.

Zoey nodded in the video and the real life Zoey shot her an apologetic look.

“Well we all know about your amazing entrance to your latest show, coming in from high up above.” The girls nodded, uncertainty in their faces clear as day.

“But some questions have come up about that. For instance, your private jet that you jumped from, had veered off course, according to flight trackers. And additionally, we have no records of it ever landing.”

That beauf- that oiseaux! Forget blacklist. Celine was going to kill him actually.

“So our first question here is- what happened up there?”

The girls blinked, nigh at the same time.

A beat of quiet passed.

Then.

“We had.. technical difficulties.” Zoey answered, voice strained. She looked extremely uncomfortable in the video. Yeah, Celine was definitely going to kill this guy.

The interviewer looked at them almost condescendingly as he grabbed a remote before continuing using his wretched gift of speech that Celine would absolutely snuff out.

“You know girls, recently half of a plane was recorded crashing into the ocean. The recording is blurry as the fisherman who took the video used a flip phone, but by the looks of it-“ Celine’s throat went dry.

An image popped up behind the three girls of what was unmistakably half of their private jet, crashing into the water. How had this image been taken and Celine not heard of it?!  What was she even paying people for?!

“Is that not your private jet? Or at least part of it?” The interviewer finished his sentence, looking at the three women, who all looked to various degrees like a deer in headlights.

A few tense, quiet seconds passed.

“…so?” Mira spoke first and if looks could kill, that man would have made Gwi-Ma’s acquaintance in a matter of seconds.

“So we just want to know. What happened here?”

The crowd was quiet now in the video.

As was the interviewer.

As were the girls.

“…see I would technically call that a difficulty. Would you not?” Zoey’s voice sounded light, but Celine could hear that subtle edge of fear in it. Real life Zoey let out a sound that was almost a whine. Poor girl.

The interviewer sighed.

“Come on girls.” Oh she hated that condescending tone.

“This is a safe space.” What a lie.

“Tell us truthfully- what happened?”

By the way that Zoey curled up closer on the couch, Celine felt like she was about to see why her girls were trending alongside demons.

“Will you lay off us if I tell you that demons attacked us and ripped the plane in half?”

Celine’s mouth went slack at hearing Zoey just tell the whole truth. On TV. To the whole world.

“Girls-“ Why couldn’t he address them by name? “I said truthfully.”

“Oh look who’s too good for demons now.”

Zoey shot back, thinly veiled anger- or at least thinly veiled to Celine- lacing her voice.

The current Zoey squeaked on the couch as Celine turned her phone off and looked at the three.

Her panic was slowly subsiding.

Yes sure, Zoey had given the game away. But also. Nobody would truly take that seriously and there was no way for them to have been prepared for those questions.

Honestly?

“You handled that well Zoey.”

Zoey looked shocked beyond belief as she went rigid, eyes wide.

“I.. did?”

“I for one, would have stabbed him-“

“Wait yeah I saw that on a VHS tape-“

“And! You didn’t!” Celine cut Zoey off quickly, not wanting to relive that particular memory right now. It had been an utter PR disaster. At least Mi-Yeong had thought it was hot though.

“So good job on that. Well done.” Her voice was still tight as she tried to keep the rage she felt towards that interviewer in check.

“I’m sure Bobby is handling this too. It’s not what I expected when I saw that viral hashtag, but I’m glad it’s this and nothing worse.” She handed Zoey her phone back with still trembling hands.

“Now. If you’ll excuse me. I need to go find that poor excuse of a man because ça me saoule et il va bientôt découvrir comment on traite les gens comme lui en Hexagone. Je vais lui faire rouler la tête, putain!”

—-

Zoey blinked numbly as Celine stormed off.

Turns out, she had been right.

Extremely right.

Righter than anyone had ever righted.

Celine was unfathomably hot when angry.

That rapid fire french was something Zoey was going to have Mira and Rumi replicate the moment they were certain Celine had left the building.

Fuck was that hot.

Maybe she should start problems again.

This time, on purpose.