Chapter Text
When Celine was in her trainee days, her mentor always said Anything can be healed with a warm bowl of soup. Of course she meant it as a solution to everyday ailments like the flu, a sore throat, or heartbreak. But Celine thought why couldn’t it be extrapolated to mending my relationship with my adopted child who grew up thinking I never loved her.
So three weeks into the Huntrix hiatus, Celine reached out to Rumi, a simple invite to dinner at her place. It was an olive branch.
Now 48 hours later, Celine was pacing back and forth between the kitchen and the dining room, uncharacteristically nervous.
This was the first time she was going to see her girls since the Idol Awards. Their relationship had been strained to say the least, and Celine honestly wasn’t sure how to talk to them again. Not after what went down between her and Rumi. The awful things that she said, and what she refused to do to her child.
Celine was spiralling which was something she decidedly does not do. Maybe this dinner was a bad idea? Maybe it was too soon? Maybe she should just fake an illness and call off the whole thing?
Her thoughts were interrupted by three sharp knocks on the front door. Without having to look Celine could already feel through the Honmoon who was on the other side.
Celine took a deep breath, attempting to calm herself, she looked in the mirror and smoothed out her hair and sweater before opening the door.
Mira, Zoey, and Rumi were standing on her front porch. Celine took a moment to visually take in the girls. Despite their best efforts at masking it, Celine could tell that they were also on edge, like they were bracing themselves for an attack. Mira was doing her best to look bored and uninterested, while Zoey was rocking back and forth and fidgeting with the strings on her hoodie.
Rumi on the other hand didn’t seem to be able to hide how she was feeling at all. Maybe it was because Celine was seeing her in short sleeves for the first time in half a decade, maybe it was because she raised Rumi and knew all her nervous ticks, or maybe it was the iridescent patterns with the occasional violet flicker pulsing along every inch of exposed skin.
Her gaze stayed on Rumi a moment longer than the other girls. Yes she seemed nervous, but beneath that there was something else, something she had never seen on Rumi, not even when she was a child. For the first time in her life, Rumi seemed…at peace.
Celine was used to seeing Rumi on stage or in battle, radiating confidence and power. But in every other aspect of her life Rumi could be much more subdued, closed off, and unsure. So this was a change. The traditional hunter side of her was screaming that it was not a good change, that Rumi should cover up. But the motherly side of her, the side she was working on listening to more, was proud of how much Rumi had grown.
Celine invited the three hunters into the house, and immediately muscle memory kicked in as they all took off their shoes and neatly stacked them on the shelf in the corner. The hearty aroma of ox bone broth wafted through the air, the scent getting stronger as they all made their way towards the dining room.
Celine had made tteokguk using seolleongtang, a simple but warming meal that took hours to prepare and simmer, and just happened to be Rumi’s favourite comfort food. The meaning of this was not lost on the other three girls.
Celine was trying.
The dinner itself was a quiet affair, save for some polite conversation, which mostly came from Zoey rambling to fill the silence. Rumi didn’t speak the entire meal, just kept her head down to her food, unsure of how to even talk to her adoptive mother anymore, not when the last time they spoke she was asking her to take her life. Mira was similarly quiet but for a different reason. She was doing her best to behave as Rumi had so kindly asked of her, and the only way to do that was to bite her tongue and eat her food.
Rumi slowly sipped the piping hot broth. The rich creamy bone broth felt soothing going down, and despite the tension in the room, it had the same calming effect that it always did. It warmed her soul and she could taste how much love and effort was put into making it. Just like in their training days after a particularly grueling practice, they would wash up and trudge into the kitchen as the scent of ox bone broth simmered for the whole day wafted through the house.
The knot that had wound itself tight in her stomach since she got the initial invite two days ago began to loosen and unwind with every sip that she took, and every bite of the soft and chewy rice cakes, followed up with the crunch and spicy kick of Celine’s homemade kimchi.
Rumi wasn’t sure about this whole dinner thing at first, but maybe it was worth it. She could see that Celine was really trying. Between making her favourite dish and not outright flinching or commenting on her exposed patterns, Rumi's thoughts on this dinner had firmly moved up from skeptical to cautiously optimistic.
Rumi was hoping that Celine and her could try again and rebuild their relationship, but if things went poorly Rumi thought at least she got to have her favourite meal one last time.
After dinner, once the table was cleared and dishes washed, Rumi had finally built up the courage to ask to speak with Celine, alone.
Zoey and Mira were hesitant to leave Rumi with the one person they knew had hurt her the most. But the steadfast determination in Rumi's eyes, told them she needed this and that she could do this on her own.
So the two hunters left the room to give Rumi and Celine as much privacy as they were comfortable with. Which meant they shut the door and stood right outside the living room, straining their ears to listen for any signs of distress or the conversation going south.
They stood in silence for a while, a good ten feet apart like they were about to engage in an old fashion duel. Neither of them knew how to begin, and so Celine decided to do the opposite of what she usually would, and instead of over thinking, she just said the first thing that came to mind.
“You look good.”
Rumi looked at her slightly confused, not expecting that to be the first comment, “uhh thanks? I’m just in a t-shirt and sweats though…”
Celine smiled a bit hesitantly but fondly at her child. “I didn’t mean your outfit. I meant you. You look happy, at peace.”
“Oh.”
Celine took a cautious step closer before speaking, “Rumi, I’m sorry. I never meant to hurt you. Everything I ever did was to protect you. But I now know what I did was wrong, that it caused more damage than good.”
Rumi stayed quiet, unsure of how to respond. So Celine continued to step closer until she was an arms length away.
“After we just lost your mom, I let my grief consume me. I was a shell of a person, just going through the motions to keep myself and a newborn baby alive. Raising you and watching you grow was what kept me going everyday. Holding you in my arms, rocking you to sleep at night. You helped me to feel human again. I loved you, I still love you so much.”
Rumi felt a lump building in her throat and tears stinging at her eyes, as one thought settled in her mind, why couldn’t you love all of me?
“As you got older, and your patterns started to spread, I was foolish and let my hatred and fear control me.”
“You hated me? Feared me?” Rumi’s voice broke and a tear escaped her eyes as she spoke.
Celine reached out and placed a gentle hand on her cheek, brushed the tears away and looked her in the eyes.
Rumi’s breath hitched at the contact, her mind thinking back to that night, why can’t you look at me.
“I could never hate you, and I never feared you. I feared for you. The demons that took the life of your mother and my best friends. I was so afraid, and to this day I still am afraid that they would find you and take you away too. Take away the most important person to me.”
Celine felt her throat tighten as she spoke, getting choked up at the thought of all she had lost and what she could still lose.
“But it was wrong of me to tell you to hide, to try to fix you. You don’t need to be fixed. You are perfect the way you are, patterns and flaws and all. And I am so sorry I ever made you believe otherwise.”
Celine took another step closer, tears welling in her eyes “I know that it’s going to take a lot more than one conversation to make this right, but I’m trying to be better. And I will do anything to keep you in my life, if you will let me.”
Rumi was shaking with tears streaming down her face, Celine was still caressing her cheek in that motherly way she had always longed to feel.
“Do you really love me?” Rumi said in such a small broken voice.
“More than anything. I love all of you.”
Rumi tried to hold back the sobs, she took one, then two, shaky breaths to try to settle herself, before ultimately falling apart.
It was hard to hear anything at first, Celine and Rumi seemed to be speaking in hushed tones, but a few words could be heard through the door.
“I’m sorry.”
“I’m trying my best.”
“Do you really love me?”
Zoey and Mira stood with ears pressed to the door, for almost half an hour. Until they heard what sounded like a mix of a sob and a scream, and that was all they needed to hear before they burst into the room.
They stood in the doorway, weapons drawn ready to attack, to protect their love. However the scene in front of them was not what they were expecting.
Rumi was sobbing and clinging to Celine like a life line, while Celine had tears running down her face, with her arms awkwardly hovering around Rumi’s shaking shoulders. Hesitantly, as if the movement was foreign to her, Celine wrapped her arms tightly around Rumi, with one hand rubbing soothing circles on the half demon’s back.
Rumi’s breath hitched at the contact, and if it was even possible, she cried even harder. Sobs now tinted with relief because her umma was finally holding her again.
Celine felt like she had traveled back in time 18 years. Rumi was five-years-old again, tucked into her chest, crying over patterns that refused to disappear. Celine’s heart ached at the sound and the sight of her child so broken.
She hated that she was the one who caused Rumi to feel so alone, so unloved for all these years. She never meant to cause harm, and for a long time she genuinely believed that the patterns could be fixed, and Rumi’s life would be better for it.
Ever since the night that her own child, in every sense except for blood, had got down on her knees, presented her sacred weapon and asked her to do the unthinkable, Celine’s entire life, her values, and everything she believed to be true was turned upside down and thrown out the window.
Unlearning her hunter beliefs, and facing her own grief and grudges was painful, but the thought of losing Rumi for good? That was pure agony.
Celine was internally cursing herself for all those times she told Rumi that she needed to hide or to cover up. It was too late to take back all the damage and self hatred that she instilled in her child’s big beautiful heart. But it wasn’t too late to try again, to be better, to be the mother that Rumi deserved.
Celine would not and could not ever replace Mi-yeong, but that was never the intention.
Mi-yeong always referred to Rumi as our baby. Celine may not have given birth to Rumi, but she was always meant to be her Mom.
Celine with her cheeks still damp, but looking much more settled than Rumi who’s breathing has gone ragged and every few breaths choked on a sob, noticed Mira and Zoey standing in the doorway. Both with very concerned but confused looks on their face.
Mira was the first to speak, getting over the shock of seeing her Mentor who was always so composed and collected, expressing so much emotion and grief. “What did you do?” Her tone low but firm, accusing and protective.
Celine just gave a small smile, more like a slight curve of her lip, to the other girls. She was proud of them too, they both have grown so much, a far cry from the insecure, angry and anxious teens they once were.
“We were just talking, hashing out things that I should have apologized for a long time ago.”
Mira took a step forward, fists clenched and face contorted in anger “Then why is she crying like that!” Mira saw red when she heard the heart breaking cries from Rumi and she zeroed in on the one person who could have caused them, so much so that she didn’t even notice it was Celine who Rumi was clinging to.
Zoey on the other hand did notice. Placing a hand on Mira’s arm, in an attempt to simultaneously calm the pink haired girl and hold her back if she decided to swing a punch.
“Mira, can you get Rumi a glass of water? I think we should try to help her calm down.”
At the sound of her girlfriend's voice, Mira took a step back, and finally took in the whole picture. Celine was hugging Rumi, she was holding her and looking at her with so much care and regret. It was jarring, but not unwelcomed. She gave a curt nod, and left the room.
Celine tried to pull back from Rumi for just a moment, so she could guide her to take a seat on the couch, but Rumi only held on tighter and cried harder at feeling her umma pull away again.
“No! Please don’t leave!” She sobbed.
Celine’s heart broke and so did Zoey’s. Celine held her tighter as she turned to look at Zoey, giving her a silent plea for help to execute her plan at relocating to somewhere more comfortable.
Zoey nodded, and cautiously walked into the room to speak to Rumi.
“Rumi, baby? Celine’s not going anywhere, we just want to move somewhere more comfy. Can you do that? Let's go sit on the couch, okay?
Rumi made no indication that she could even hear Zoey, as she was still breathing hard with tears streaming down her face. But eventually Rumi uncurled her hands that were twisted in Celine’s sweater, and wrapped her arms around her shoulders instead, face still tucked into the crook of her neck. Rumi nodded her head as if to indicate she was ready to move.
Zoey and Celine hesitated for a moment, mildly confused as to how they were going to move Rumi when she still wouldn’t disconnect from the older woman. But then a look of understanding appeared on Celine’s face.
She smiled softly at Rumi, just like she’d done a million times when Rumi was a toddler and pulled the same move. Although it was much easier to do back when Rumi was the third of her size. Celine bent down, wrapped her arms under Rumi’s legs and picked her up with ease.
Zoey watched with wide eyes as Celine showed off her Hunter strength and carried her full grown sobbing half-demon to the couch.
Mira came back into the room to see Rumi sitting on the couch, leaning in to Celine on her left and Zoey on her right.
Mira gave a gentle smile to Rumi and bent down to meet her eyes. Rumi had calmed down a bit but still had a few tears trailing down her cheek, snot dripping from her nose, and breath stuttering. Rumi had never been a pretty crier.
“Hey sweet heart, can you drink some water? I don’t want you to get dehydrated.” Rumi looked up at her girlfriend and tried to give a small smile in thanks, but her lip wobbled when she nodded her head.
Rumi leaned forward as Mira held the cup out to her, gently tilting the glass to her mouth with one hand, and holding her cheek steady with the other hand. When she was done drinking, Rumi kept her face in her girlfriend's palm, nuzzled it gently, face slowly relaxing with a small exhausted sleepy smile.
Zoey watched the two with nothing but love, as if they were her whole world.
Celine observed her Hunters and the way they took care of each other with pure unconditional love. She always had her suspicions about them, the three having never been subtle about their feelings for each other, but she didn’t realize they finally plucked up the courage to actually get together.
Celine saw so much of herself and her two girls in them. In the way they cared for one another, felt for one another, soulmates, bound not just by the Honmoon but with their love.
Rumi finished the rest of the water and leaned back against the plush couch. Eyes closed and already starting to drift off, emotionally drained.
Celine looked to the other two girls, unsure if it was too soon, but offered “It’s late, you can stay the night, if you want.”
Zoey and Mira both hesitated. But they took one look towards Rumi in her half asleep state, and they could tell how much Rumi needed this.
So instead of arguing, Mira said “Okay, thank you.” While Zoey nodded along.
Celine gave a soft smile, a genuine one, which once again shocked Mira and Zoey with how gentle she could be.
“Your rooms are still the same, just as you left them. I would show you to them, but well…" All three of them looked down at Rumi who now had stopped crying but was fast asleep and curled into Celine’s side.
Both girls smiled at Rumi, taking in how small and cute she looked. Emotionally spent, but adorable nonetheless. They took turns giving her a kiss good night on the forehead, but they both paused one last time before leaving, not wanting to leave Rumi alone after the night she had.
Celine noticed them lagging behind, “don’t worry, I’ll stay with her tonight, you girls get some rest too.”
Satisfied with that response both girls took their leave and bid their mentor good night.
Once they were gone, Celine leaned over to adjust Rumi into a better sleeping position on the couch. She stood up to get a blanket, but Rumi’s hand shot out to grab hers.
“No, please…stay.”
Celine’s heart clenched at the pain and desperation in Rumi’s voice, but then melted at seeing the unadulterated love and vulnerability coming from Rumi, she squeezes the hand in hers.
“I’m not going anywhere aegiya, just grabbing a blanket for us.”
Rumi opened her eyes slightly and tilted her head up to look at her. “Promise?” She sounded so small and childlike, her emotions laid bare for her to see. Celine knew she wasn’t just asking her to stay for the night.
“I promise, I’ll be here all night... I’ll always be here for you Rumi. I’m sorry it’s taken me so long, but I promise I’m trying, I will be better.” Celine took a shaky breath “I need you in my life too.”
Rumi, already falling back asleep after Celine tucked the blanket around her, mumbles “good…love you, umma.”
Celine’s heart clenched at being called umma by her child for the first time in years.
Celine sat back down and settled in her seat, with Rumi’s head pillowed in her lap, blankets draped over them.
She carded her fingers through Rumi’s hair as she slowly unraveled her signature braid.
“I love you too, all of you.”
Rumi was already fast asleep and didn’t hear what Celine had said, but she still slept soundly without nightmares for the first time in weeks.