Work Text:
Celine knew she was in trouble from the minute she rode home on a shiny new Triumph Scrambler 400 X and saw Mira’s eyes hungrily roam over every centimeter of the 180 kilogram bike. Shit. This might’ve worked out a little differently than she’d hoped.
Not that she got and learned how to ride the motorcycle to impress a fifteen year old after being roasted again, that’d be ridiculous. It was a completely and totally necessary purchase so they wouldn’t have to rely on a bulky car or the Honmoon all the time and that was definitely the only reason she purchased it. It had absolutely nothing at all to do with her bruised ego, or imagining another world where Mi-Yeong called her her “badass biker chick”. Nope, nothing like that. That’d be ridiculous.
… And if the purchase just so happened to earn her a few cool points in the eyes of her ward, where was the harm in that?
But then Mira, who in her year and a half years of living with Celine had asked for exactly five things (two of which weren’t even for herself), requested a bike of her own. Celine couldn’t say yes considering Mira wasn’t even old enough to have a license yet, but how could she refuse?
After warring with her choices for a few days, Celine had ended up finding ways to compromise with buying Mira more helmets, jackets, and pants than she technically needed, but hey. Options were never a bad thing. Plus, it brought a smile to Mira’s face every time.
Now though, on Mira’s eighteenth birthday, no more compromises. That morning, Celine had tasked Rumi and Zoey with keeping Mira busy inside the house so Celine can sneak out to bring Mira’s gift home from the mechanic who Celine paid generously to give her old bike a tune up, even walking the bike for the last mile so Mira wouldn’t hear the engine and get suspicious. She’ll need to go back for the car later, but she doubts Mira will say no to a driving lesson on her own bike.
But that means Mira would be riding home alone.
On a new bike.
With no one guiding her.
Relax Celine, she’ll be fine. You’ll be five feet behind her in the car, she tells herself.
Before Celine’s anxiety spirals further, the front door opens and her three wards step out.
“Okay, you two have been acting weirder than usual, what’s—” Mira pushes through the other two and stops at the sight of Celine’s old Triumph Scrambler 400 X.
“What the hell?” Mira asks, spiking Celine’s heart rate. Is this a mistake? Did Celine misinterpret? Would Mira have preferred a new bike over the hand-me-down?
“Is this some kind of prank?” Mira narrows her eyes at Celine.
A… prank?
That’s not the reaction Celine expected.
Celine’s eyes first shift to Zoey for help (or an explanation), who’s wearing one of Mira’s hoodies with a cat meme on the front of it. The sleeves are several inches too long on Zoey (the sweatshirt itself is at least two sizes too big on the smaller teenager, and the jeans are rolled up several times to expose the very top of Zoey’s turtle socks.) Celine makes a mental note to buy Zoey clothes that actually fit…
Oh. Oh no. They weren’t…
No shoes on Zoey. And loose, disheveled hair.
Celine takes in Mira’s wrinkled long sleeve grey t-shirt with turtles on the front that doesn’t quite reach her wrists and tight jean shorts. Also no shoes and loose, disheveled hair.
Heavy stones settle in Celine’s stomach, and her face pales.
“Celine?”
Rumi didn’t join them did she?
Her sort of-adopted daughter stands a few inches away from the other two, her braid looking much less messy than the other two’s hair as if she’d recently redone it, with black leggings, shoes—thank god at least one of them has enough sense to put shoes on in eight degree weather—and her favorite pink hoodie.
Okay, maybe Celine’s wrong. At the very least she’d have to double check though to make sure Rumi hadn’t told them her secret. She rubs absently at her forearms, but with how thick her dark brown kangaroo leather jacket is, she barely feels it. She tightens her ponytail tighter against the nape of her neck, her thick black hair curling over her shoulder without her helmet to contain it.
”I-if you don’t like it—” she finally starts before Mira interrupts.
“No! No, it’s great, I just… this is your old bike.”
”Yes…?” Celine’s heart slams against her ribs as her anxiety picks up. She made the wrong choice, she made the wrong choice, she made the wrong choice. Fuck, what does she do now? “I can, um, I can get you a different bike if you want?” She despises the way her voice shoots up an octave at the end of the question. Why exactly could she face down a horde of demons on her own for fourteen years, but the judgment of a lanky teenager that barely reaches Celine’s nose makes her stutter like a schoolgirl in the principal’s office?
Mira steps back in shock. “Wait, you’re… giving me your old bike? But…why?”
Celine shrugs. “You wanted a bike. Since your parents never, uh…” She scratches the back of her head. How does she do this? “Well, I… your parents… they never really gave you anything. Maybe you’ll get an inheritance from them one day, but maybe not. And I thought you might… since you’ll probably never receive anything from them and you liked my bike so much…” She’s so not winning any ‘cool points’ for this.
Not that that’s why she’s doing this. She’s doing it solely for practical reasons.
Yup, practical reasons. That’s all.
“You’re giving me your old bike,” Mira confirms.
“Yes.”
Mira takes a tentative step forward, then another until she crushes Celine in a giant hug. “Thank you. You have no idea how much this means to me.”
Celine is briefly taken aback—Mira has gotten better about asking for and initiating affection, but it’s still rare—then wraps her arms around Mira, drawing her in closer. “You’re welcome.”
They hold each other for a moment, then Celine steps back. “Do you wanna take it for a ride?”
Mira smirks. “Duh. I’ll go change.”
She jogs towards the house, Zoey following close behind. Rumi turns as well, but Celine stops her before she can change her mind.
“Rumi, can I speak to you for a minute?”
Rumi glances at her. “Yes, Celine?”
Celine’s gaze darts to the door, then back to Rumi. How does she start this conversation? “Did they… do you… are you safe?” She finally settles on.
Rumi raises a tired eyebrow. “What does that mean?”
She bristles. Now eighteen, she and Celine have been butting heads more and more. “Are you safe?” she repeats, glancing at the door before lowering her voice. Celine really doesn’t want to spell it out further. “Did you… your patterns. Did they see your patterns at all? The hair, the—the clothes…”
Rumi’s eyes widen as she realizes what Celine is asking, then her expression settles into a glare. “No,” she says, “Because someone thinks it’s unsafe for me to tell them.”
“We’re not having this conversation again, Rumi.”
“Oh? Because it seems like you brought it up.”
Celine pinches the bridge of her nose. Does Rumi not understand that Celine is trying to keep Rumi alive? Mira and Zoey have grown into excellent hunters, and remarkable young women, but Celine would not risk Rumi’s safety. “Just answer the question. Are you safe?”
Rumi heaves a giant sigh and mutters something under her breath. “Yes, Celine. I’m safe. They don’t know about my patterns.”
Before Celine can respond, the door opens and Zoey steps through, her hair now pulled into two low messy buns. “Rumi! Do you wanna watch Hotel Del Luna with me and Mira later?”
Rumi’s face softens. “Sure Zoey, that sounds great!”
Zoey squeals. “Great! Oh, and Celine, Mira should be out in a minute.”
“Thank you, Zoey. Did you have a fun morning?” Celine isn’t sure if she really wants the answer, but she doesn’t want to seem rude.
“Uh huh,” Zoey nods, “We watched some movies and then Mira and I went to the shrubs to train for a bit. I still wanna see if she can throw me as far as you threw Rumi that one time before I met you guys.”
Redness creeps into Rumi’s cheeks, and Celine grimaces. She can’t tell if Zoey is covering for their… shenanigans… or not, but either way. She’d rather discuss the training accident than… that.
The door opens again, and Mira sprints out, her pink hair pulled into two low pigtails by her ears (an excellent way to keep it off her neck under her helmet), and Celine steps back, leaning back against the motorcycle, and being careful not to knock it over.
“Let’s fucking go!” Mira shouts. Birds sing above them as if they could sense the excitement of the day, and Honmoon threads weave around all three of her wards—its song joyous as Mira, Rumi, and Zoey all stare at each other.
Mira hovers near the doorway, and Rumi’s eyes widen, flitting down and back up again so many times Celine wonders if her eyes will fling right out of their sockets, and her mouth hangs open at the sight of Mira’s tight biker jacket buttoned up to her throat. The purple and teal stripes lining the chest and arms shine against the black textile fabric in the sunlight (Celine has done hours of research on textile versus leather. She’s still not sure she chose correctly but Mira had wanted the “cool badass biker suit” for her birthday last year and Celine hadn’t had the heart to deny her).
Black leather hisses as Celine adjusts her stance, sitting lightly on the seat and placing one foot on the footpeg as her sapphire blue helmet dangles from the handlebars by the chinstrap, her black gloves peeking through the open chin.
Mira tries to nonchalantly adjust her collar, but Celine senses the nerves radiating off of her. “Do I look okay?” Mira asks as the tips of her ears turn scarlet.
Rumi looks Mira up and down again, then shoots Celine an irritated look as if Celine is to blame for this whole situation.
Which, in a way, she kind of is but in a perfect world Rumi wouldn’t need to hide and could be with whoever she chooses. Celine wants that so badly for Rumi, but it’s not a possibility until after they turn the Honmoon golden. They’d had their debut last month, and the world is already exploding with chatter about them.
They can do it. And then they will truly be safe, Celine reassures herself.
“Oh, my god that suit is hot,” Rumi blurts out, then clears her throat, backtracking. “Uh, I mean, good. You look good.”
Ugh, she’s hopeless.
Mira chuckles and stares at Rumi. “Thanks.”
They hold each other’s gazes for so long, Celine debates if she needs to take action. If they kiss right in front of Celine, she won’t hesitate to grab the hose. Hopefully Zoey—no, nope, Zoey isn’t any better. She tugs at Mira’s matching textile pants, grinning as wide as the Cheshire Cat as she literally brings a hand to her chest as if suppressing a racing heart, her newly trimmed fringe framing her dark eyes that reminded Celine of her other soulmate, who still owned the same amount of space in her heart as Mi-Yeong does despite the years that have passed and mistakes that were made. Mira slings a lazy arm around Zoey, pressing their foreheads together, and one of Mira’s gloves falls out of her pocket, landing on the pavement with a soft thump.
Celine doesn’t miss the flash of pain across Rumi’s face as if she’d been struck, and her heart shatters for her love’s daughter. Rumi shoots her a look of pure longing and desperation, but Celine subtly shakes her head.
I wish it could be different. I want this for you too, but I need to keep you safe. I can’t lose you too.
Then Mira’s other hand shoots out and squeezes Rumi’s hand, and Rumi barely suppresses a gasp as she squeezes back.
Celine rolls her eyes. Seriously? Can they keep their hands to themselves for five minutes, please? She was never this bad with Mi-Yeong.
Mi-Yeong. Just the name alone makes Celine’s heart squeeze.
Oh, Mi-Yeong. I wish you could’ve been here to see your girl grow up, she thinks.
She clears her throat, and the three of them jump apart as Celine picks up the purple and teal helmet sitting on the grey and black bike seat, holding it out. “Ready, Mira? Don’t forget your gloves.”
Mira rushes forward, snatching the fallen glove off the ground and sliding her helmet down over her head. It’s a different shape than Celine’s, the frame covering her entire face instead of a gap at the chin.
Slipping her own helmet and gloves on, Celine steps back as Mira throws a leg over the bike, raising the kickstand with her heel and turning the key in the ignition, then she settles behind Mira. “Alright, now make sure it’s in neutral and press the button.”
The motorcycle roars to life, and Mira lets out a breathless chuckle. “Sweet.”
************************************************
If someone had told Celine nineteen years ago that she’d be raising and training all three hunters on her own—and that one of them would be her soulmate and lover’s daughter—she probably would’ve thrown up or had a mental breakdown. It shouldn’t be this way. Generations of hunters had been raised by all three previous hunters.
But watching Mira ride down the empty rural roads with Celine following close behind in the car, she can’t say for certain if she wished things were different.
Of course she missed Mi-yeong and Yujin so much it hurt most days, but watching Rumi, Mira, and Zoey grow up soothes that ache more than she expected. They are already remarkable hunters, and they would only improve even more with time. Celine knows that they will be able to do what her generation could not and turn the Honmoon golden, and she will be the only one of her trio around to see it.
Which is odd to think about.
Mira turns into the driveway and places her feet on the ground as she lowers the kickstand and kills the engine. Celine pulls in behind her, taking the keys out of the ignition and leaving her helmet and gloves in the car as she walks towards Mira.
“You did well,” Celine says, “You’ll need a bit more practice but I’ve scheduled your license test for a month from now. Until then, make sure I’m with you unless it’s an emergency.”
“That… was… awesome,” Mira pants, out of breath as she lifts her visor, her eyes dance with exhilaration.
“I’m glad you like it,” Celine laughs, “You looked good out there. Nice and relaxed.” And the happiest Celine thinks she’s ever seen her.
“Those little times you let me drive it in the past were nothing compared to this.”
Celine’s heart flutters. Maybe she’d win those ‘cool points’ after all.
“I swear I looked even better than you when you first got that bike! You nearly crashed so many times and were wobbling around like a toddler who hasn’t learned how to walk yet!” Mira cackles as she removes her helmet.
Celine sighs. So much for ‘cool points’.
But seeing the bright smile on Mira’s face and knowing her other two wards waited inside to hear how it went, she’s okay with it.
No, she had never in a million years imagined that she’d have to train all three new hunters alone.
But she wouldn’t trade these girls for anything.