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Mira hadn't known Rumi and Zoey for very long when she realized she needed to protect them. Not physically, of course—Zoey had been doing better than Mira in some aspects of their training, and Rumi probably learned how to fight as a toddler, if the things she said about her upbringing were true—but emotionally.
The three of them had only officially been HUNTR/X, and more importantly, demon hunters, for about six months or so, and Mira was still trying to get a read on them, ever the distrustful one. Having said that, she was quickly realizing that her fellow idols weren't built like her. They wore their hearts on their sleeves and didn't know how to act like words didn't bother them. Rumi did better than Zoey in that last aspect, probably because she had significantly more PR training, but Mira still noticed the way she lingered on certain remarks after interviews or had trouble scrolling past negative comments on social media. Thankfully, she didn't do that last thing too often—it was usually Zoey who did so—but it was still evidence to support Mira's conclusion: Rumi and Zoey hadn't developed a hard outer shell yet.
Maybe it was better if they didn't, though. Mira hadn't known them very long, but she liked them so far, and perhaps she was even starting to trust them to have her back. She thought it'd be a shame for their more outgoing personalities to be dulled by the harsh critics of the public. Therefore, Mira had resolved to support them as best she could, maybe offer a shoulder to cry on if needed, or whatever else she could do when it came to feelings. She wasn't too adept when it came to navigating comforting someone, but she thought she could figure it out.
This train of thought led to her current situation, standing at the door of Zoey's bedroom. The youngest member of HUNTR/X had been rather quiet the past few days, and Mira thought she knew why. Like many celebrities, Zoey had fallen down the rabbit hole of searching her name on social media. Unfortunately, Zoey was also apparently very sensitive to the criticisms of others. It probably had something to do with her childhood experiences, if the stories she had told them about her time in middle school were anything to go by.
Mira knocked on the door, waiting a moment for a sign to enter. Zoey's muffled voice beckoned her to open it, and Mira stepped inside.
Zoey was sprawled on her bed, dressed in comfortable sleep clothes and scrolling through something on her phone. She looked up as Mira walked in, a smile on her face that looked somewhat forced. She probably was happy to see Mira, but she seemed preoccupied with other thoughts at the moment.
"Hey," Mira greeted simply, before continuing her sentence, "I got this for you."
She didn't necessarily know how to approach this, but she knew she needed to do something to help Zoey's low mood before it got worse. Unfortunately, Mira wasn't the best at initiating emotional conversations. After thinking about it carefully, she had decided on giving Zoey something she liked to help her feel better, before veering into the more serious conversation. The object in question was a chocolate bar, which probably didn't seem like much at first glance, but it was specifically an American brand of chocolate. The amount of sugar in it was astronomical, but it was exactly what Zoey seemed to like.
Zoey looked slightly confused at this, blinking up at Mira, before scrambling up and out of her bed.
"Oh, uh, thanks!" She smiled toothily, looking at least a bit happier now, if only because she was distracted by Mira suddenly giving her some candy. Zoey took the chocolate from Mira, before looking at her expectantly, as if waiting for Mira to say something else. She was probably expecting some sort of context for this gift.
Mira hesitated for a moment before speaking.
"I noticed you've been spending a lot of time on twitter." She said carefully. "You know, people on there like to be bitter about everything. I'd block any mentions of your name if I were you."
Zoey seemed to withdraw at this, looking a bit crestfallen yet again as she probably thought about the things she had seen people say about her. A moment passed as she seemed to think deeply about something, before she spoke so suddenly it made Mira jump.
"But what if they're right?"
Zoey looked at Mira with such an open, vulnerable expression that Mira felt even more out of her depth. Regardless of her personal hesitance when it came to expression emotions, though, Mira was determined to get Zoey out of this mental spiral that she had fallen into.
"Look, those people don't know you. They make assumptions and spread rumors, but they have no idea who you actually are. They don't know how you spend days pouring your heart and soul into every song you write, or how you always try to cheer us up after a hard day of practicing choreography. They definitely don't know about the fact that you insist on donating to wildlife rescues every month, or that you always take spiders outside instead of hurting them."
Mira's original point was just going to be about Zoey being a complex individual who was also incredibly talented, but somehow it had turned into her listing off every little quality she had ever noticed about Zoey, which also somehow were the things that made Mira feel a little bit warm and fuzzy inside. Maybe she was a bit too endeared with all of Zoey's quirks and mannerisms, but she wasn't going to think about that right now. This was about helping Zoey feel better—she could dissect her personal feelings later.
Zoey, for her part, was looking a little bit lost about the point Mira was trying to make, but she was also smiling, so that was probably a good sign. Mira needed to wrap this up quick, though, or she risked going on more tangents about everything she liked about Zoey.
"The point is, their opinions don't matter. I don't say things like this often, but I like you and I think you're a great person. I know for a fact Rumi thinks the same."
Zoey had started to blush a bit at the compliments, but she also looked significantly happier than when Mira had walked in, so Mira was counting that as a win.
"Anyway, just take a break from social media, drink some water, and tell me if you need anything, okay?" Mira was straightforward now, finally getting to the point she was trying to make. Anything else she was going to say was interrupted by Zoey suddenly wrapping her in a surprisingly very tight hug. Zoey mumbled something that somewhat sounded like a thank you, but Mira wasn't completely sure; regardless, it was clear that her words had made an impact.
Mira wasn't usually one for physical contact, but in this scenario, she found she didn't mind it as much.
Two years had passed since the initial formation of HUNTR/X. Mira and Zoey had become substantially closer. They were close with Rumi, too, but it still always felt like the eldest of the trio was keeping them at arm's length somehow. As if she was hiding something about herself, too great to ever reveal. Mira often wondered what it would take for Rumi to fully open up to them, but she tried not to push. Rumi was kind of like a half-feral stray cat, Mira thought. She had to let Rumi come to her, instead of forcing a closeness.
Unfortunately for Rumi, who seemed to almost pride herself in never needing anyone else to take care of her, she was unable to hide the fact that she was feeling under the weather. It hadn't been obvious at first, but Mira had picked up on it when Rumi started coughing, and then sniffling. Rumi insisted it was just allergies, but Mira remained doubtful. Her suspicions were confirmed when Rumi failed to come to the kitchen for breakfast that morning, most likely now fully downed with a cold.
"Rumi, open up." Mira said, knocking on her door.
Rumi simply answered with what sounded like go away, but was hard to discern completely through the door. Mira wasn't going to give up, though. She knew how much it sucked to be sick and alone, and she refused to let Rumi go through that. Despite her good intentions though, it seemed that Rumi was going to refuse to let her into her room. Mira didn't understand in the slightest, but perhaps this was simply another piece of the puzzle that was Rumi.
With a heavy sigh, Mira backed away, hesitating before heading back to their shared kitchen. If Rumi was just a skittish stray cat, then Mira knew a surefire way to get her to engage.
Walking into the kitchen revealed Zoey, who looked at Mira with concern evident in her eyes, having also failed at getting Rumi to come out of her room. Mira tried to reassure her, though, not wanting her to worry too much.
"I'll take care of it." She said confidently, if only because she knew Zoey would flit about anxiously if she felt that Mira didn't have the situation under control.
With that, Mira set about cooking a tried and true recipe, something she remembered from when she was very small, back before things became complicated with her family. It wasn't overly complicated, yet still comforting, mostly featuring rice and chicken. With the precise and swift way she followed the steps for the recipe, it wasn't long before she was serving up a warm bowl of Dakjuk, perfect for a certain sick individual who refused to let herself be taken care of.
This time when Mira knocked on Rumi's door, she received no response. Either Rumi was sleeping, or she was pouting because Mira wouldn't just leave her along to wallow in her misery. Likely to Rumi's chagrin, Mira refused to let her do that second thing. Whether Rumi liked it or not, Mira cared about her now, and that meant she was going to be taken care of. Mira never had a lot of close friends, so she wasn't completely used to this feeling yet, but she felt rather fiercely fond of the other woman. Maybe it was a warmth that went a bit past platonic feelings, but that wasn't the focal point. The crux of the matter was that Mira wasn't going to let someone she cared about suffer when she could do something to help.
"Rumi. I have food." She said, before knocking again, this time louder so Rumi couldn't ignore her. She heard some tentative shuffling about them, and her lips twitched into a small smile as she heard the noise come closer to the door. There was no way Rumi could resist the porridge, she thought, briefly victorious.
Unfortunately, it seemed this still wasn't enough to entice Rumi to open the door with Mira still there. Instead of simply letting Mira hand over the bowl of food like anyone else would, Rumi presented her with a strange demand.
"You can just leave it out there." Her voice was hoarse, clearly the sound of a sick person, and Mira made a mental note to make her some tea later as well.
"You want me to just leave this on the floor outside?" Mira asked, squinting at the door as if it held the answers.
A moment passed, as if Rumi was thinking about her strange request, before she simply responded with a muffled yes.
Mira, personally, did not want to place a bowl of food on the ground, even if it would only be for a moment. She didn't understand why Rumi was being so evasive, but maybe it was something as simple as not wanting to be seen while in a vulnerable state. Mira's thought about Rumi being a stray cat briefly arose again.
"If I promise to close my eyes, will you take this out of my hands?" Mira tried to offer a middle ground, though she wasn't sure if Rumi would take it.
"…Okay."
Mira promptly squeezed her eyes shut, simply stating: "My eyes are closed now."
Almost immediately, the door opened, though it was a slow, careful movement, likely not even opening fully. She felt Rumi's hand brush against hers for a moment, clearly warmer than a healthy person would be, before the bowl was lifted out of her hands and the door was promptly shut again. Another mental note was added to Mira's ever growing catalogue—she would definitely have to bring Rumi some medication for the fever she clearly had.
Despite the strange interaction, Mira felt better knowing that she could take care of Rumi like this, even if it wasn't exactly a conventional way to look after a sick person. Rumi had a lot of eccentricities, probably due to her unique childhood, but Mira found she couldn't really mind it. It was simply who Rumi was, and Mira was willing to accept that.
As Mira turned away, she heard Rumi's voice once more, saying Mira's name in an almost unbearably soft manner.
"Thank you, Mira."
Mira walked into the living room one day to see Rumi and Zoey, sitting side by side on the couch and watching a drama on Zoey's laptop. It was six months before their lives would change drastically, when Rumi's patterns would be revealed—of course, none of them knew that was coming. Rumi, wearing long sleeves as she always did, even when inside, was watching the screen intently as Zoey occasionally interjected with small remarks and giggles.
"What are you watching?" She asked in an amused tone.
Zoey and Rumi both glanced up at her, brightening as they spotted the third member of their group.
"Oh, it's this new romance drama that just came out. The love interest is kind of silly, though." Zoey explained.
"I think the love interest is sweet." Rumi said, almost wistfully. "He buys her flowers."
Mira didn't chime in, yet to see the drama and therefore unable to make a judgment on the character. Zoey looked incredibly contemplative of Rumi's words before speaking.
"I guess flowers are sweet." A second passed before she spoke again, this time about something only tangentially related. "I've never received romantic flowers."
"Romantic flowers? As opposed to what sort of flowers?" Mira responded, lips pulled back in a smile as they conversed.
"As opposed to friend flowers! Obviously friend flowers are great too, but it's different." Zoey insisted, apparently very passionate about the different types of flowers.
"I've never received romantic flowers either." Rumi said, an offhand remark that stuck with Mira.
Mira supposed that made sense. Zoey had a rough time socializing before HUNTR/X, and Rumi wasn't the best at making long-term friends either; plus, there was the fact that Mira felt Celine was probably the protective type of guardian that would not appreciate someone she didn't trust to romantically approach Rumi.
Mira had received her fair share of romantic flowers before. Mostly before she really entered her rebellious phase, when people still tried to cozy up to her for her parents' money. Situations like that had left a bad taste in her mouth when it came to grand displays of romantic affection, but this conversation was starting to make her change her mind. She could understand why Zoey and Rumi craved something like that, if they had never experienced it before.
The conversation continued from there, devolving into general conversation about new dramas and such. Mira filed away the interaction for later.
It was only half a year later when Mira suddenly remembered that exchange. By this point, they had found out about Rumi's patterns, and the three of them were closer then ever. Apparently, near death experiences were very effective at helping you bond with your groupmates. The only issue was, Mira had also fully accepted that she was completely, utterly in love with both Zoey and Rumi. Which wouldn't be a problem, if it weren't for the fact that they both seemed rather oblivious when it came to romantic advances. Thus came into play the discussion they had months ago.
Mira had woken up rather early, heading out in a hoodie and sunglasses to peruse the local flower shops. She could have easily had them delivered, but she wanted to pick them out herself. By the time she returned, she was the proud owner of two beautiful bouquets of red roses. The rest of her plan was easy enough, cooking up a tasty breakfast for her girls to wake up to.
She was just putting the finishing garnishes on the plates of food when Rumi and Zoey both showed up, likely drawn by the scent of food.
"Good morning." Mira greeted, smiling softly at the two of them.
Rumi looked at Mira quizzically, as if wondering what was going on, while Zoey looked rather intrigued by the flowers that rested on the table.
"Oh- Do you have a date with someone or something?" Zoey was the first to speak, not afraid to outright ask why Mira had bought roses. She looked almost a bit worried as she asked this, though Mira wasn't sure why.
Mira, who would later insist she was not nervous in the slightest, walked over to the table and picked up the bouquets. Although she was fairly certain that Zoey and Rumi reciprocated her feelings, there was still a voice in the back of her head saying that they didn't. While she didn't think they would react badly in such a case, there was always a fear of doing something that would make her lose her chosen family. Despite this, Mira had decided to take a risk, wanting to be open and upfront about her emotions.
"This one is for you," she started, handing a bouquet to Rumi, "and this one is yours."
While the bundles of flowers primarily features red roses, they were accented with different, smaller flowers, carefully selected based on Rumi and Zoey's favorite colors.
"Aw, thank you, Mira! They're so pretty." Zoey was immediately enamored with the bouquet, smiling brightly.
Rumi was also smiling, but she looked at Mira intently, as if trying to discern what Mira was going to say next. Rumi was always good at reading Mira's intentions, even if Mira tried to hide it.
"Are these for a special occasion?" Rumi asked, finally speaking.
"They're romantic flowers." Mira said carefully as an explanation, referencing the conversation they had months ago.
Zoey's eyes widened, a look of realization in her eyes as she caught on to the implication, before making direct eye contact with Rumi, who looked amused for some reason.
"I mean, they don't have to be if you don't feel that way about me. They can be friend flowers." Mira tried to play it cool, as if her heart rate hadn't increased in the past few minutes.
"Mira!" Zoey suddenly exclaimed, dragging out her name. "Of course we feel the same way about you. It's just kind of funny because me and Rumi were planning something for tomorrow."
Rumi nodded in agreement, adding on: "We had a very fancy dinner reservation."
Mira felt a weight lift off of her chest, a tension she hadn't realized she was holding.
"Will you be my girlfriends?" She asked, a bit sudden but unable to hold back her words any longer.
"Yes, of course." Rumi's confirmation was accompanied by a soft smile, looking at Mira in a way so tender, Mira felt she might melt.
Zoey, on the other hand, was more physical with her response, rushing forward and nearly knocking Mira over with the force of her hug.
"A thousand times yes!" She said, clinging tightly to Mira like a koala.
Mira's laugh was one of relief, loud and carefree in a way she usually didn't express. As Zoey beckoned for Rumi to come over and join in the hug, Mira couldn't help but think that this was one of the happiest moments of her life. She loved her girls, and they loved her back—she had known this for years—but their acceptance of being her girlfriends made her feel warm and safe, as if knowing they had chosen her in the same way she had chosen them. They were her family, and she knew nothing would separate them.
It had only been a few months since their relationship had been made official, and Mira could tell that something was up with Zoey. She'd been rather nervous lately, a bit withdrawn. The thing that really made Mira worry, though, was how much time she was spending alone in her room rather than hanging out with them. Mira wondered if Zoey got caught up on social media again. Rumi had noticed too, but Zoey could be surprisingly evasive when she wanted to be. Mira found herself having to wait for the perfect opportunity to ask Zoey what was going on, a time where they weren't busy and could have a conversation.
The time came when Rumi wasn't home, having some important meeting with Celine about the company. She had promised to fill them in on the details when she got back. Zoey and Mira coincidentally both had nothing planned for the day. The two of them were on the couch, Zoey practically sprawled on top of Mira as they picked out a movie to watch. Mira saw the perfect chance to have a conversation about what was bothering Zoey.
"So, is there a reason you've been avoiding us?"
Zoey looked at her with wide eyes, apparently not expecting to be called out like that.
"What? I haven't been avoiding you. I'm literally cuddling with you right now." She laughed nervously.
Mira simply looked at her with an eyebrow raised, holding her gaze intently. Zoey broke nearly immediately, blurting out what had been on her mind.
"I think I'm asexual."
Mira felt her expression soften, seeing the vulnerable look on Zoey's face. This was clearly something that meant a lot to her, especially considering how anxious it had made her to think about telling them. Mira wasn't completely familiar with the term, but she thought she got the general gist of it. She decided to still ask, though, just to make sure she understood completely.
"Okay. What does that mean exactly?" She said, careful to make sure her tone of voice was sincere and open to Zoey's response.
"Oh! Well, it means different things to different people, but to me it means I only experience sexual attraction to people I have a bond with." Zoey glanced at Mira, still a bit nervous but easing up a bit as Mira seemed open to the conversation. Mira, for her part, nodded in response, digesting her words.
"The specific term is demisexual. There's a lot of different terms though, to describe different experiences. They all fall under the asexuality spectrum though." Zoey was quickly getting into her rambling mode, where she began to talk a mile a minute about something that greatly interested her. "Because I thought I was asexual for a while until I realized I was attracted to you and Rumi? Like, in a sexual way. So I thought it didn't fit, but then I found out about demisexual, and it all just sort of clicked."
Mira was still nodding along to show she was listening, doing her best to absorb the information Zoey was presenting her with. It was obvious this was something Zoey was passionate about, which actually provided context about why she'd been more withdrawn lately. The explanation she was giving also piqued Mira's interest; while she hadn't heard the exact term before, the description sounded familiar, in a way that Mira resonated with it.
"You've been researching this a lot, haven't you? Is that why you've been distracted lately?" Mira asked, not in an accusatory manner.
"Yeah…and I guess I just wanted to sort out my feelings before I brought it up to you and Rumi." Zoey admitted, smiling sheepishly. "Obviously I knew you would both support me, but…I don't know. I was worried."
Mira could see her point of view. Zoey was already a somewhat nervous person, so it made sense that learning something new about her identity would make her even more anxious as she obsessed over learning every small detail about it. That was simply the sort of person she was. Although Mira wished Zoey—and Rumi, as well—would come to her whenever they were worried about something, she knew both of them tended to hide their more complicated feelings. That was okay, though; Mira would always wait patiently for them to open up.
"You know me and Rumi love you, and we'll accept every part of you. You don't have to worry about things alone. We're here for you."
Mira absentmindedly brought a hand up to stroke at Zoey's hair, softly petting her in a manner Mira knew she found comforting.
Moved by Mira's words, Zoey shifted to wrap her arms around her girlfriend, burying her face in Mira's neck.
"Thanks, Mira." She said, voice somewhat muffled as she was apparently trying to become one with Mira from how tightly she clung to her. "I love you, too."
Mira smiled softly, welcoming the affection, holding Zoey close in return and pressing a soft kiss to the top of her head.
"Tell me more about the asexuality spectrum. How did you find out about it?" It was clear Zoey had done significant research into the topic, and was probably brimming with information. Mira knew Zoey's favorite thing in the world was rambling about subjects she was knowledgeable about, so Mira steered the conversation in that direction, giving Zoey a chance to impart her knowledge. Plus, Mira was becoming increasingly curious about the different identities under the asexuality spectrum, especially the one Zoey had already mentioned.
"Oh! Well, it all started when I saw an interesting looking flag on a post about queer identities…"
The soft sound of Zoey and Rumi chattering followed Mira as she made her way to her bedroom, a familiar sound that put her at ease knowing that her girls were nearby. They had just gotten back from a fan event that lasted the greater part of the day, and Mira was absolutely exhausted. Though she would do anything for their fans, she had reached her social limit for the day.
It had been almost a year since they made their relationship official, and Mira still felt ecstatic whenever she thought about that day. The fact that the loves of her life loved her back was something she would never get over, especially when she thought about how far she'd come. She was truly happy with them, not just because of their romantic relationship, but simply because they were her people, her chosen family, and they loved her just as much as she loved them.
Mira, of course, was planning something special for their anniversary, though she wasn't completely sure what it would be yet. There would definitely be bouquets of flowers, though.
She flopped onto her bed, sinking into the plush mattress. For a moment, she simply closed her eyes, relishing the feeling of lying down after being up and about for the whole day. Then, she pulled out her phone and started looking at the restaurants she had considered making reservations at, weighing her options for where she wanted to take Zoey and Rumi on that day. It was still about a month away, but Mira was anything but unprepared; she wanted to make sure it was perfect for all three of them.
A brief knock on her door interrupted her, and she set her phone down, shutting off the screen. Wherever she chose to bring them for their anniversary was going to be a surprise and she didn't want either of her girlfriends finding out what she was planning just yet.
"Come in." She called out, not bothering to get up from the bed. In her defense, she was exhausted and just wanted to take a nap at this point.
Rumi entered the room then, quirking a brow curiously at the way Mira was sprawled on her bed.
"You look cozy." She remarked with amusement.
"It'd be cozier if you were next to me." Mira responded, aiming for a flirtatious tone.
Rumi simply laughed in response, but she didn't hesitate to crawl onto the bed next to Mira. She wasted no time in nuzzling close to her, resting her head on Mira's chest.
"Zoey wants to watch a movie, the new one that just came out that she's been talking about?" Rumi said, explaining her appearance.
Mira hummed in response, her brain lagging for a moment due to her sleepiness, before she spoke.
"Tell her to bring her laptop in here." Mira suggested, her sentence being interrupted in the middle with a yawn.
"You sure? We can leave you alone if you want to take a nap."
"No, it's fine. I'd rather spend time with you two." Mira said, shaking her head.
Rumi smiled, before shifting slightly so she could face Mira and press a kiss to the tip of her nose.
"I'll be right back." With that, Rumi got off the bed and left the room for a moment. Mira definitely did not pout at the loss of warmth and softness.
Thankfully, Rumi came back soon, with Zoey in tow.
Zoey practically bounded over to Mira, jostling her slightly with how she basically leapt onto the bed. Rumi followed at a more leisurely pace, taking her place on the other side of Mira. It took a few moments of rearranging themselves, Zoey giggling the whole time, before they were finally comfortable.
"Okay, so, this new movie is sort of a sci-fi type of story and…" Zoey didn't hesitate to launch into a rundown about the movie's premise.
With Zoey to the left of her, happily chattering away, and Rumi nestled close on her right side, Mira was once again struck by how lucky she was. To be loved so deeply by two wonderful people, and have the privilege of loving them back—frankly, the younger version of Mira never thought she'd be in such a situation. It was everything she had ever dreamed of and more. There was no where else she'd rather be.