Chapter Text
Rumi swung her legs over the side of her bed, stifling a yawn. According to her alarm clock, it was 9:30 a.m, long after she was supposed to get up. Still, the blankets were so cozy and Jinu's arms so warm that it was nearly impossible to force herself out of bed.
She glanced back at his still-sleeping face. The morning sunlight that filtered into the room played across his angular cheekbones, throwing the hollow of his neck into shadow. All she wanted to do was crawl back under the covers beside him, but she left the room anyways. She had an important conversation ahead of her.
Mira and Zoey were sitting at the tiny, circular kitchen table, chattering animatedly over their breakfasts. A third plate rested in front of Rumi's place, and she sat down carefully.
"Guys, I need your help with something," she confessed.
Their faces immediately took on expressions of concern. "What's wrong?" Zoey asked.
"Well, nothing's wrong," Rumi said quickly. "It's just - um - it's about Jinu." Why were the words so much harder to say out loud than when she'd practiced in her head?
"What about Jinu?" Mira practically growled. "If he broke your heart, I swear I will end him - "
"No, he's fine! We're both fine. I just need a little help with some... couple stuff," Rumi assured her. She could feel the heat rising to her cheeks.
Zoey perked up instantly. "Ooh, do you need date ideas?"
'Not exactly," Rumi mumbled, steeling herself. "The problem is... I can never get him to do anything with me."
She'd finally said it. The thing that had been bugging her since the start of her and Jinu's relationship. Sure, they'd kissed, but it never led into anything more. Even though she desperately wanted to, Rumi wasn't quite sure how to take that next step.
Judging by the looks on their faces, her friends immediately understood what she meant. "Okay," Mira said slowly, not a trace of judgment in her tone. The girls had always been open with each other about this sort of thing, and Rumi was glad today was no exception. "Have you tried just asking him?"
Rumi blushed furiously. "No, because that would be - weird. Like, 'hey Jinu, do you want to have sex with me'?"
"You're right," Zoey agreed. "You can't just ask him. But don't worry: I have an idea!"
"Just one?" Mira asked with a smirk.
The manic glint in Zoey's eyes reminded Rumi of the day of the Golden disaster, when she'd lost her voice. Just like then, the younger girl never hesitated to support her. "Actually, ten notebooks full of them. Give me one second!"
Mira rolled her eyes at Zoey's back as she dashed from the room, returning a few moments later with a pile of notebooks. She spread them out on the table with a flourish, and Rumi noticed that every cover was the same shade of light lavender.
"Are those - " she started to say, but Mira beat her to it.
"The color of Mystery's hair?"
Zoey glanced around nervously as if the demon might overhear, even though he lived a few floors below the girls along with Romance, Baby, and Abby. Jinu was the only Saja Boy who'd earned the privilege of sharing a room with one of the Hunters. "No they're not - " she began, but took in Rumi and Mira's amused expressions and sighed. "Okay, they were written with him in mind."
"I'm not teasing you," Rumi said hurriedly. Zoey and Mystery had officially started dating a week ago, and the black-haired Hunter had a tendency to get a little... overexcited. Besides, Rumi wasn't much better herself.
"So, this is Plan A," Zoey started to explain. Before she could say anything more, however, Rumi heard the sound of bare feet on the tiled floor behind her.
"What were you guys talking about?" Jinu asked, leaning down to brush his lips against the top of her head and taking a seat beside her. Rumi froze in place, afraid she would spontaneously combust if he'd heard anything.
"Nothing. Just - girl stuff," Mira stammered.
Zoey gathered up all the notebooks in one fluid motion. "Show you later," she mouthed.
"Is... everything okay?" Jinu whispered. The confused expression on his face made him even more adorable than usual, and Rumi managed to regain her wits.
"Better than okay," she assured him, pecking his cheek. A wide grin began to tug up the corners of her mouth. She finally had a plan, and she couldn't wait for it to pay off.