Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

If there was one thing Zoey enjoyed most in the world during her three-month hiatus, it was morning couch time. Unlike Rumi, who quickly became restless and started going to the gym every morning a week into the hiatus, and Mira, who was forcibly dragged along three days later, Zoey preferred to spend her mornings sipping tea and drawing in her sketchbook while lounging on the couch. Zoey loved her members, she really did, but she did not love doing cardio at sunrise. Sue her. 

Morning couch time also meant peace and quiet in the apartment. Even Zoey, objectively the loudest of the trio, craved silence from time to time. There was no better time for her to relax, draw, and maybe write some lyrics than in the morning, from the comfort of her couch. No distractions. No bickering from her dearest friends in the background. Just the quiet hum of the refrigerator, calls of birds from outside, and the whooshing noises of the air-con. 

Zoey raised her pencil to begin shading the eyes of the tiger demon when her peace was shattered by the sudden opening of the apartment door, followed by Rumi’s whining voice. “Mira, he was attractive! You would have looked good together.”

“Maybe as siblings,” Mira snorted, the slam of the door almost echoing her words. “Seriously, Rumi, that guy had my face.”

“Your face is attractive,” Rumi argued, walking into the living room and fixing her eyes on Zoey’s figure. “I’m sure Zoey would agree, right Zo?” At that moment, Mira followed Rumi into the space, her long hair slicked back into a ponytail, skin glistening from a light sheen of sweat.

Heat rushed to Zoey’s face as she agreed to the sentiment, eyes pointedly looking away from her pink-haired friend, “yeah, Mira, you’re really pretty!”. She hoped her blush wasn’t too noticeable. It probably was, at least to Mira. She’s always been a little scary with her ability to read her friends like open books. 

Mira flopped on the couch next to Zoey, sprawling her legs on top of the shorter girl’s as she let out a groan. Zoey gently pushed Mira’s legs off of her with a claim that the girl needed to shower before she could cuddle. Mira groaned again, “Zoey, you don’t get it. There was this guy at the gym today, and he had really nice abs-”

“She was staring,” Rumi interrupted.

“I was not!” Mira glared at the third girl, who had come to sit on the floor in front of the couch. “Anyways, he came up to me and asked for my number-”

“And she declined!”

“Yeah, and I declined. Now Rumi won’t shut up about it.” Mira’s face fell between her hands as she sighed, attempting to throw her legs back atop of Zoey’s and being denied for a second time.

“I’m just saying,” Rumi piped up, “he was really attractive. And totally Mira’s type, if the incident with the Saja Boys taught me anything.” Zoey looked at Rumi with her brows scrunched together. The Saja Boys? It was pretty obvious by the end of that whole… time in their lives that Mira detested the two pink-haired demons that seemed to pine after her. Zoey recognized that, even though she agreed that the two boys would have been cute with Mira. Anyway , Zoey thought, Mira had always seemed to have a preference for girls. Girls who weren’t trying to kill her.

Mira tossed her hands into the air dramatically. “Oh my God, fine, Rumi. He was conventionally attractive-” Rumi’s face lit up with an expression that taunted a ‘ told you so’ right into the tallest girl’s face, “-but then, just like any other man, he had to go and open his mouth.” 

Zoey gaped open-mouthed at the girl sitting next to her, contemplating whether someone had translated the Lesbian Masterdoc from English into Korean or if she was going to have to do it herself. For Mira, she thought. Well, actually, Zoey pondered, Mira is pretty fluent in English. She could probably read most of it, and Zoey could help her translate any words she didn’t know. Lost in her thoughts, Zoey clocked back into the conversation as Rumi claimed that Mira “has really high standards”. 

“Or maybe,” Mira sighed, “I’m just a raging lesbian. Ever thought about that one?” She turned to face the maknae, whose jaw was still dropped like a singing fish mounted to the wall. “Zoey, stop staring at me like that. You’ve known I like girls for years.”

“Yeah, duh,” Rumi inserted, “but we didn’t know you only like girls.”

Mira’s head instantly whipped to face their leader, fire burning in her eyes as she barked, “And is that going to be a problem for you?” Zoey sat quietly in the middle as the two glared at each other, only choosing to say something after Rumi’s face screwed up tightly and she opened her mouth, undoubtedly about to make the situation worse.

“Of course not!” Zoey reached to Mira, grabbing her hand tightly and giving it a comforting squeeze. “I am very proud of you opening up to us, and glad you felt confident enough to do so. I’m sure Rumi agrees, right Rumi?” Her eyes glanced over to the purple-haired girl, a silent prayer that she goes along with Zoey held deep within them. When she stayed silent, Mira let out a snort, reaching out and ruffling Zoey’s hair with her free hand.

“Thank you so much for your undying support, Zo.” She punctuated her sentence with an affectionate eye roll and a squeeze to Zoey’s hand. “What would I do without you, having to deal with Rumi’s homophobia all alone?”

“Hey,” Rumi whined. “I’m not homophobic!” The girl met eyes with Mira once again. “I just feel bad that I didn’t realize sooner. I’m sorry I pushed that guy towards you.”

Mira let go of Zoey, slowly standing from the couch. “It’s cool, Rumi,” she laughed. “I never expected your pretty ass to have a good gaydar anyways.” Mira smirked, making a move towards her room quickly, “If you’ll excuse me, I’m going to take a shower.” As the tall girl made her exit, Rumi sprung up from the floor quicker than Zoey had ever seen before, chasing after Mira and calling “not if I use all the hot water first!”

Zoey watched the two of them go, Rumi quickly speeding ahead and Mira reaching out to smack her ass as she raced by before ducking into her own room, Rumi’s protest of “fuck you!” echoing down the hall. Mira replies, “you wish” almost instantaneously as she slams her door, and Zoey sees Rumi’s feet skid to a halt before once again regaining pace. The slam of her door echoed throughout the apartment, punctuating the start of Zoey’s fifteen-minute maximum period of quiet and sketching before one of the two girls came back out to the living room. 

As Zoey sketched, thoughts of her two best friends swirled throughout her brain. Reflections on Mira’s flirtations with both of the girls throughout the years they had known each other filled her thoughts. A blush spread across Zoey’s cheeks once more as she thought of the casual affection the girl gave her after she came out. Obviously Zoey, and hopefully Rumi, given Mira’s obvious feelings for her, were glad that Mira felt safe with her friends after her confession. But , Zoey thought, she hasn’t always been this way. And hopefully Rumi’s weirdness didn’t push Mira back into her shell. Zoey decides then that she’ll confront Mira about her crush subtly, when the time is right, because the last thing they all need is homoerotic tension involving the only straight member of the group. 

—

As Zoey had predicted, fifteen minutes later footsteps could quietly be heard echoing down the hall. She wouldn’t have heard them if not for years of noticing the way Mira walks on her tiptoes, as if the smallest noise would disrupt the entire ecosystem of wherever she went. Zoey looks up from her sketchbook, catching Mira slinking into the common area as if she were a spy. “Y’know,” Zoey exhales, turning to face a now-frozen Mira, “having a crush on a straight girl doesn’t suit you well.” So much for subtlety. 

Mira stares at the short girl like a deer in headlights as she processes the words that were just spoken. “You scared me,” Mira laughs awkwardly, reaching up to scratch the side of her head. 

“Mira, I’ve known you for, like, a decade,” Zoey responds with a giggle, trying desperately to stare into Mira’s face instead of gazing down at the girl’s baggy t-shirt and that covered the length of her shorts almost entirely, “of course I can tell when you come into a room. Anyways, whatever, you ignored my question.”

“You never asked me a question,” Mira fires back. “Just made a statement.” She walks over to the couch, plopping down next to Zoey and immediately resting her legs in the other’s lap. The two girls sit shoulder to shoulder, Zoey’s face flushed at the contact. Sure, Mira was touchy with the people she cared for, but she wasn’t usually this affectionate this early in the morning. 

Zoey nudged the taller girl’s shoulder, putting a little distance between the two. She hears the rush of water quietly in the background, gaining confidence to continue, or really, to start, questioning Mira. “Do you or do you not have romantic feelings for Rumi?” she asks.

“I do.” A slight pang hits the younger girl’s chest at this. 

“And you know you’re basically setting yourself up for failure?” At this comment, Mira lets out a loud guffaw that Zoey’s sure Rumi could hear over the noise of her shower. The older girl’s normally deadpan face creases in a million different places that Zoey could study for hours if only Mira laughed as hard as she did now consistently. 

“But,” Mira chokes out through low laughter, “I’m not.”

Zoey scoffs, smacking lightly at Mira’s shoulder again, and lowering her voice back into a whisper. “What do you mean you’re not? Rumi doesn’t like women, that’s obviously setting yourself up for failure!”

Mira’s laughing stops immediately. She wipes the remaining tears from her eyes as her usual deadpan expression returns, and Zoey wishes she never called the situation to attention. “Dude,” Mira groans, “are you for real? Rumi is like the textbook repressed sapphic who never explored shit ‘cause of her emotional constipation.”

Little highlight reels of Rumi memories play simultaneously in Zoey’s head. Mira braiding Rumi’s hair before bed. Their argument when battling demons on the train. Catching Rumi laying on top of Mira asleep on the living room floor last week. Zoey’s brain wheels halt to a squeaky stop as her eyes rest upon Mira’s. “Holy shit,” she gasps, “Mira, you’re a little bit terrifying sometimes. She’s totally into you and doesn’t know it!” The pink-haired girl leans conspiratorially into her best friend.

“Want to know a secret?” she asks.

“Obviously!”

Mira breathes in dramatically, her hand reaching to grip Zoey’s shoulder, keeping the smaller girl frozen in place. “She’s into both of us.”

Zoey’s brain wheels squeak loudly as she tries to fire them up again, but she’s left only with a ringing noise in her ears. Nothing. No evidence she could think of to prove that Rumi was into her the same way she was into Mira. Zoey got behind the idea that Rumi could be queer easily. But queer AND into Zoey? Out of the question. Zoey would even try to ignore her massive crush on Mira to help her leader find out about her feelings for the tall girl. She knew that was her purpose. She was always there to help others, to please them, to shout her support from the sidelines. A tap of Mira’s finger against her forehead brought Zoey back to reality. “Hey,” Mira whispered, her face etched with worry, “don’t think like that. I know you’re coming up with some crazy plan to give up your feelings for Rumi to-”

Zoey’s entire spine jumped quickly, face flushing as she shook her hands in denial. “I- I don’t have feelings for Rumi,” she defended. “Well, at least I don’t think I do.” For all Mira’s talent at reading people, she most definitely got it wrong this time, in Zoey’s eyes. 

Mira reached to cup both of Zoey’s hands in her own, gently interlacing their fingers. “Zoey, it’s fine if you do like her,” Mira says gently, surprising Zoey, given Mira’s jealous tendencies. “I understand why you would, believe me.”

“No, Mira, seriously, that wasn’t what I was thinking about at all!” Zoey’s words jumbled together, but Mira nodded her head, clearly understanding the whole thing due to years of closeness. “Actually, I, like, totally am into someone else. Like, yeah, Rumi is super pretty and a badass and one of the most loving people on the entire planet, but so are you and…” She trails off, the weight of her words catching up to her. 

“You like me?” Mira exhales. Zoey looks to the smirk on the older girl’s lips before quickly averting her gaze. She throws Mira’s legs off of her lap, standing up faster than she ever has before, turning away to excuse herself as fingers grip gently around her wrists. “Wait!” Mira tugs at her arm, urging Zoey to sit down next to the girl. She willingly complies, too embarrassed to look her friend in the eye. “I like you too,” Mira confesses, “and I like Rumi. And I think you may like the both of us, considering your word vomit a minute ago.”

“Has anyone ever told you that your ability to read people is a little terrifying sometimes?” Zoey slowly looks up to meet Mira’s eyes once more. The girl really is scary. She somehow knew that Zoey had feelings for Rumi before Zoey knew herself. Granted, Zoey was having issues keeping things subtle, and her aptly described “word vomit” reinforced that. Still, though, she remained in awe of the beautiful woman who read her to filth. 

“Only you, at least twice within the past ten minutes,” Mira laughs, Zoey’s gaze again dropping down to the girl’s full lips. She looks up again, only to see Mira’s eyes staring pointedly downwards, directly at her lips. Oh.

“Mira,” Zoey asked, leaning in slightly, “will you please kiss me?” 

When Mira meets her halfway, her hands reaching to gently cup Zoey’s face as if she’s the most precious thing in the entire world, Zoey’s heart blossoms into a thousand lilies. Mira’s lips slowly envelop her own, and she finds her hands tangling around Mira’s waist and pulling the older girl slightly on top of her. The kiss deepens, Zoey suckling gently at Mira’s bottom lip and drawing a sweet sigh from both women as Mira’s hands find Zoey’s hair. She starts to struggle for breath, just a little, pulling Mira closer against her, regretting that she will soon have to pull away for air. 

A quiet whisper of “oh, shit” causes the girls to spring apart from each other. Rumi gapes at the two of them from her place at the entrance to the common space, her face flushed enough to match her shimmering patterns and her hands entangled with one another nervously. She does a quick 180 as the two girls’ eyes drift over to her, a slight fear encompassing both of their faces. Rumi mumbles apologizes as she practically runs away, returning to her own bedroom and slamming the door once again. 

Mira rises from her place on top of Zoey, pulling her shirt down to cover her slightly exposed abdomen as she looks to her partner. “We should probably explain that,” she murmurs, “after we give her a little space to process.”

“Ten minutes,” Zoey agrees, locking hands with Mira. “Then we talk.”

—

“Rumi!” Mira calls as she bangs on the girl’s door for the third time. “We know you’re in there. Come out and talk to us, please?” She pauses a second, not hearing any response, and sighs. Zoey leans against the door gently, ready to propose the idea of giving Rumi some more time to think when the door flies open. She stumbles but is quickly caught by Rumi’s muscular arms, Mira grasping her shoulders from behind to help her stand up straight. Pressed between the two taller girls, Zoey’s face flushes for what she thinks is the millionth time today. After helping Zoey regain her balance, the girls let go of her body and she finds herself missing the sensation of being held by both of them. 

Rumi still wears her bathrobe and has her hair wrapped in a towel, which makes the scowl she gives to her two friends comical rather than intimidating. “What’s there to talk about?” she asks. “I saw what I saw.” The girl twiddles her thumbs together, looking pointedly at the ground while a hint of embarrassment creeps into her expression. Mira groans and pushes past Rumi, inviting herself into the leader’s room and sitting against the edge of her bed. She pats the spot next to her, and Rumi finds her way to the tall girl’s side. Zoey approaches as well, sitting on the other side of Rumi and gently placing her hand over the other girl’s and giving it a supportive squeeze.

After Huntrix had stabilized the Honmoon, they made the most sacred promise (a pinky-promise, Zoey’s idea) to not keep secrets from each other, no matter how much they thought hiding something would benefit the trio in the end. Zoey’s stomach dropped to her toes as she realized Rumi probably thought Zoey and Mira were sneaking around behind her back. Keeping secrets almost broke them once, and Zoey is determined to never risk losing her girls again. “We weren’t purposefully keeping anything from you, if that’s what you’re worried about,” Zoey says, eyes flickering to meet the leader’s. The side eye that Rumi gave in return could make a grown man cry, but she never removed her hand from underneath Zoey’s. A good sign, Zoey thought. 

“She’s right,” Mira confided, slinging her arm around Rumi’s shoulders. “What you saw was the aftermath of a confession. We haven’t even talked about what we are yet.” Rumi looks up, eyes flickering between her two friends as she takes in the new information.

“I thought you guys were hiding-”

“We’re not,” Mira says firmly. She bites her lip gently, barely noticeable to someone who doesn’t know her tells. While Zoey may not have Mira’s skill at reading people, she knew the girl bit her lip ever so slightly whenever she told a lie. Zoey knew she and Mira were going to have to break the promise for a little while, not wanting to overwhelm Rumi with their attraction to her when the poor girl hadn't even realized she likes women. If her heart could plunge deeper than it already had, Zoey was sure it would be in the pits of the underworld by now. 

“Mimi’s right,” Zoey chimes in, but is quickly cut off by Mira’s exasperated sigh.

“Don’t call me Mimi, it’s weird,” the pink-haired girl complains. Zoey notices a small smile forming on Rumi’s face at the teasing and decides to continue egging on her girlfriend(?) to make their leader laugh. Mira’s right again, Zoey thinks, we should have talked about us before talking to Rumi. 

“Mimi is a cute nickname,” Zoey whines. She gives extra effort to look dramatically from one member to the other, acting as if she just had the most brilliant idea of all time pop into her head. “And…” Zoey giggles, “Rumi’s name uses the ‘mi’ syllable too, so I could call you both Mimi and confuse you all the time.”

Rumi snorts, an affectionate smile creeping onto her face at Zoey’s antics. Upon noticing this, Mira relents, grumbling something about “fine, use the stupid nickname” under her breath. “Zoey,” Rumi laughs, “I love your commitment to chaos, but Mira’s right. If you call me Mimi, I might just scream.” Her fingers entangle with Zoey’s, sending a blood rush straight to the maknae’s heart, as she leans against Mira’s shoulder. “I didn’t mean to react badly,” Rumi confesses quietly after the three had settled down. “I’m happy that you two are happy, but I’m worried about what it means for the three of us as Huntrix. I love the fans, but some of them can be pretty conservative and I don’t want you to get hurt…”

Mira and Zoey lock eyes, a message transmitted through the contact instantaneously. “We have each other’s backs,” Zoey says. “Whatever happens, it’s the three of us together, always.”

“And,” Mira adds, “we still have two months left in our hiatus. We have plenty of time before we have to worry about what the fans think, and that’s if we even decide to go public about any of this, which we probably won’t.”

Rumi nods her head, taking in the words. “We have time,” she smiles, “to explore ourselves. Without worrying about the group image. Let’s do it!”

“I couldn’t agree more,” Zoey cheers. She practically straddles Rumi’s lap in her excitement to pull the two girls into a group hug, but with both of their arms around her she feels like this is exactly where she is meant to be. Two months of this before returning to work? She’d take it. Zoey only hopes that Rumi will take the time to introspect, and in the best-case scenario she’d fall for Zoey and Mira too. 

Chapter Text

When Mira mentioned the remaining two months of the hiatus, she knew deep down that it wouldn’t really last that long. She predicted a month or so more before the group got restless and started planning for their next comeback. What Mira didn’t expect, however, was for the quiet to only last three more days. 

Her alarm went off at six in the morning, announcing the need for Mira to get out of bed and prepare to head to the gym with Rumi. She turned the alarm off as quickly as possible so as not to disturb Zoey, who was clinging to her in her sleep, but failed, hearing Zoey’s grumpy grumble of “too early”. She leaned down to kiss the top of her girlfriend’s (yes, they were official) head before separating herself from the girl’s koala-like embrace. Mira agreed with the sentiment, it was far too early for her to be awake, especially after staying up until nearly three talking to Zoey.

“Mira, have you noticed that Rumi gets all weird when you and I are affectionate in front of her?” the small girl had asked, big doe eyes filled with worry. “I’m scared we’re making her uncomfortable.”

“She’s jealous,” Mira whispered back. “You notice how her patterns start to glimmer? That only happens when she’s worked up about something, not when she’s uncomfortable.”

Zoey had pondered the statement for a minute before responding, “Right, like how her patterns didn’t show when the ahjussi selling fruit kept hitting on her yesterday, but they did when I told her she looked pretty a few hours later.”

“Exactly.” Mira pecked Zoey’s lips gently before pulling back from the girl. “You’re a genius, Zo.” Mira could feel heat radiating off of Zoey’s body despite not being able to see her flushed cheeks in the darkness. She reached out to pull her girlfriend’s body against her own, falling asleep soon after.

As Mira got out of bed, Zoey’s hand gripped at her wrist. “Come back to sleep,” Zoey whined, attempting to pull the taller girl back into the blankets. 

“Can’t, baby,” Mira chuckled, pulling her wrist softly out of Zoey’s grasp, “I’ve got to go to the gym with Rumi, remember?” Zoey huffed and buried her face back into the giant turtle plush that took up half of her bed. Mira walked away with a smile on her face as she left the younger girl’s room. It only took a minute for the girl to change into her workout clothes after she got to her room, and she hastily made her way to the common area, not in the mood to be chastised for tardiness by Rumi. 

“Zoey try to convince you to go back to bed again?” Rumi called out when Mira walked into the large room.

“At least pretend to act surprised,” Mira grumbled, moving to the sink to fill up the large pink water bottle she grabbed. Rumi laughed lightly, her full cheeks tinted the same shade as Mira’s bottle. 

—

The short walk to the gym provided a decent warmup, and after a quick stretch the two women retreated to the corner where the gym’s leg machines resided. Mira and Rumi conversed lightly while counting each other’s reps on the different machines, the topic of Zoey and Mira’s relationship soon coming up in hushed conversation. “Was it scary when you realized you liked Zoey?” the leader asked while Mira took her turn on the leg press. 

“I mean,” Mira grunted, bringing her knees down towards her chest, “a bit. I was scared of messing up our friendship if Zoey didn’t reciprocate.” She extended her legs for the final time before pulling her knees back and freeing herself from the machine. “You’re up.”

Rumi takes Mira’s place at the machine, changing the weight to be slightly heavier and beginning her reps. “You guys are really cute together,” Rumi says sincerely. Mira smiles, a slight blush on her face at the compliment. Rumi finishes her reps and hops off the machine, reaching for the spray bottle full of cleaning liquid that Mira hands her. After cleaning the machine, Rumi follows Mira as the tall girl leads the way to the leg extension machine. “It just seems so easy for you. Being together and all,” Rumi ponders.

Mira turns around to face the girl, her face scrunched into confusion. Rumi had never given her any indication that she was the type to see gay relationships as less valid, but her friend’s words struck a pang deep in her heart. Mira’s head spins as she remembers girl friends from her school days who would tell her it would be easier if they could date other girls. How most of them never considered what it was really like to be a woman who only loves women in a society that prioritizes the wants of men. How when she was growing up nothing about Mira had ever been considered normal enough to love. Even now, Mira’s heart dropped with the anxiety of one of the girls she loved not understanding her, despite her emotional walls being reinforced with defensiveness. “What do you mean by that?” Mira’s voice raises with skepticism, fearing the worst.

“Dating girls,” Rumi responds. “It seems so much easier than dating guys. Sometimes I wish I was gay.”

Mira’s temper flares at the girl’s words. Easy? When has being a lesbian ever been easy? Mira was shunned by her family after they found out about her secret high school girlfriend, and Rumi thought it was easy? “The fuck you mean, easy?” Mira explodes, trying her best to keep her voice at an angry whisper. “It’s never once been easy! Did I ever tell you why I don’t talk to my parents? Surprise! It’s because they disowned me after finding out that I’m gay.” Rumi’s face drops into a regretful expression, Mira slowly getting closer to the girl as she ranted. “You and Zoey were the first people I was ever close with that accepted me for who I am! And now you start with this bullshit?” Mira steps closer into Rumi’s personal space. Rumi takes a step backward. “It’s not easy, okay? Everyone expects you to fall in love with a man. Everyone! Especially when you’re an idol! It’s like you said the other day, right? Some fans are conservative and they flip out when their idols end up dating someone of the opposite sex, so imagine how bad it would be to have your relationship with another woman exposed.” She takes another step closer as Rumi takes another one back, the leader’s back colliding with the wall. Mira’s right hand comes up by Rumi’s head, bracketing the shorter girl against her. “So fuck off, Rumi.”

After a moment filled with tension, Mira pulls away from the girl, taking a few steps back and instantly regretting her words. She knows she shouldn’t have said all that, especially not when she knows Rumi hasn’t come to terms with herself yet, and definitely not in a public setting. “Fuck, Rumi, I…” Mira trails off. “I’m sorry.” She leans herself against the wall, next to Rumi, sliding down until she hits the floor. 

“It’s good you got that off your chest,” Rumi says, sliding down to sit next to her friend. She reaches over to take Mira’s hand in her own, similar to how Zoey does when she comforts her members. “And I want you to know when I said dating girls seems easy, I didn’t mean it like it’s easy to exist in society. It’s just… It seems so soft.”

Mira raises her eyebrows. “Explain.”

“Guys are just,” Rumi pauses, retreating into her head for a moment, “difficult. A lot of them only see you for your looks, you know? They don’t really care much about getting to know you. And the one time a guy did…” A hesitant silence washes over the women as Mira squeezes Rumi’s trembling hand. “I guess,” Rumi starts, “what I’m trying to say is that you and Zoey fell for all of each other, not just a part. I like guys, I know that, but it seems harder to fall in love with a man while having the same type of love you two feel for each other.”

Mira releases Rumi’s hand to wrap her arm around her neck, pulling the shorter girl closer and letting her head rest upon Mira’s bony shoulder. “You can have that too, babe,” Mira reassures. “It might take a while for you to realize that you deserve that kind of love, but you can have it too.”

“Thanks, Mira,” Rumi sighs, her face tucked into Mira’s neck. Mira feels her face flush, praying to whatever’s out there that Rumi doesn’t look up because she’s sure the girl would realize how down bad she is if she saw her face. Rumi inhales sharply against her neck as if she were trying to stifle a giggle. “You didn’t deny that you’re in love with Zoey,” she teases.

Mira moves to nudge her shoulder against the leader’s face. “Haven’t told her yet, but I am,” Mira chuckles. Rumi nuzzles closer into Mira’s neck, arm wrapping around her friend’s middle to give her a soft hug. 

“I’m proud of you,” she whispers. Mira smiles, pulling Rumi away from her and standing up, hand extended to help the other girl off of the floor. Rumi accepts and once she’s standing she loops her arm through Mira’s, pulling her through the gym and telling her, “let’s go home.”

—

Later that evening, Mira is stretched like a big cat across Zoey’s lap while they rest on the couch, Rumi in the kitchen making dinner. The noise of Rumi’s phone ringing interrupts the silence, followed by Rumi’s call of, “Could one of you guys come and answer this for me? My hands are covered in chicken juice!” Mira springs up, rushing to the kitchen to answer the call from their manager, Bobby, placing him on speaker for Rumi and saying hello. 

“Hey, Mira,” he greets, “are the other girls with you?”

Zoey bounds into the kitchen. “Is that Bobby? Hi Bobby!” she laughs while Rumi calls out an affirmative in the background. “What’s up?”

“Well…” Mira can hear the hesitation in Bobby’s voice, her stomach twisting into knots at the normally bubbly manager’s tone. “Have any of you been on the internet lately?” A chorus of “no’s” follows. “I’m surprised, really, I’d have expected at least one of you to have been on socials. Most likely Zoey. Definitely Zoey…” he trails off, obviously stalling for time. Zoey pulls her phone from her hoodie pocket and opens up a social media app. 

“Bobby, what’s wrong?” Rumi calls right over Mira’s shoulder, startling the taller girl. Since when had she gotten so close? Mira’s gaze meets Zoey’s as the younger girl’s face lights up with horror, quickly averting her eyes to continue scrolling on her phone. 

“Um, well, there’s been a bit of an incident…” the manager stalls again as Mira reaches her hand out and steals Zoey’s phone. Her eyes widen in terror as she sees the screen covered in images of her and Rumi at the gym, cuddling into each other. She scrolls down again to see another picture, one of Mira pinning Rumi to the wall during their fight, captioned “#Rumira”. 

“Dating rumors?” Mira exclaims, turning slightly so Rumi could see Zoey’s phone over her shoulder. “Rumi and I have fucking dating rumors?” An embarrassed red hue overtakes both girls’ faces when Bobby confirms that there are, in fact, dating rumors. Mira zones out her manager’s ramblings about staying on the down-low until the situation blows over, too focused on her own panic. It’s one thing for her to have dating rumors with another girl. Mira expected some random dating rumors with Zoey to pop up after the hiatus, and both girls had agreed that they would find them amusing. She had never expected Rumi to get involved. 

Zoey hangs up the call quickly after noticing her girlfriend and best friend staring in shock. “People need to learn to respect our privacy,” Zoey huffs. 

“Well,” Rumi recovers quietly, “at least the pictures are kind of cute.” 

Without a word, Mira stomps off to her room. 

—

“Go away, Rumi,” Mira calls in response to the soft taps against her door. 

“Not Rumi.” The door creaks open as Zoey peers her head into the room, eyes settling onto the ball Mira has curled her body into. Zoey enters the room, closing the door gently, before hopping onto her girlfriend’s bed and settling beside her. “Wanna tell me what’s wrong?” the maknae asks. 

Mira’s face is buried in her knees, so when she whispers “what if she leaves?” she’s sure Zoey wouldn’t be able to hear it. Zoey’s whispered “what?” tells Mira that she was wrong once again. “I got her dragged into my mess,” Mira mumbles, her words a little clearer when she raises her face out of her knees to look at her girlfriend. “We were arguing earlier, Zo. I dragged her into my mess, and she probably wants nothing to do with me anymore.”

Zoey pulls Mira’s head against her chest, easing the girl down against her pillows and gently forcing her to relax her body. “So why did you assume it was Rumi at the door instead of me, huh?” Zoey asks. Mira rolls her eyes in response. Of course Zoey would pick up on that. “It’s because you know deep down she’s not going to leave you, babe,” Zoey coos, her fingers moving to play with the other girl’s long hair. “Neither of us are going to leave you.”

“I love you both so much.” Tears well in Mira’s eyes as she makes the confession. “I love you.”

“I love you too,” Zoey cries, tears already streaming down her face. Mira feels her body being pulled closer against the small girl, her arms snaking around her lover’s neck as Zoey pulls her in by the waist. The girls lie face to face, foreheads pressed together, crying for a moment. Zoey leans down and captures Mira’s lips with her own. Mira kisses back gently, the press of her girlfriend’s lips feeling like a promise. When the two break for air, Mira chases after Zoey’s lips, pecking them gently before putting a bit of distance between them. 

“You’re right,” Mira admits. “I know you two will always be at my side. It’s just… Now knowing what I know, loving both of you… Having a family…” Her voice cracks as she trails off.

“It’s scary,” Zoey agrees. A knock on the door punctuates the girl’s sentence, cutting her off before she can say more. The door opens slowly, Rumi announcing herself as she comes into the room. She comes to sit on Mira’s opposite side, tracing circles on the tallest girl’s back with her fingers. 

“Rumi, I’m sorry you got involved in this,” Mira whispers, turning her body to face the newly arrived girl. 

“Nothing to be sorry for,” Rumi responds, continuing to trace circles on the girl’s arm now that she’s shifted positions. “You’re one of my best friends, Mira. There’s never going to be a time when I’m not by your side. The three of us get through everything together, remember?”

Mira nods an affirmative as she closes her eyes tightly, wishing that “together” meant that both Zoey and Rumi would kiss her gently and cuddle her to sleep.

Chapter Text

Restlessness filled the air in the Huntrix apartment a week after the photos of Rumi and Mira had been posted. The company had ordered the girls to stay in their apartment until the dating scandal died down. Rumi thought it would be over quickly. Most scandals like this blow by in a few days, give or take, when a new scandal inevitably occurs and the internet decides to focus on that instead. That was how the media worked. People were interested in the hottest new news, not something that has shown up on their social media feed for multiple days in a row. Unfortunately, this time the fans have decided to put their undying focus into Rumi and Mira’s dating scandal, which meant an even longer house arrest. Rumi was starting to get tenser than normal. The only time she had been out of the apartment in the past week was on her supervised grocery trip with Bobby and she desperately needed a change of scenery. 

Mira had dubbed their situation “mandatory rest time” and she followed that title like it was her life motto. When the girl wasn’t flirting with Zoey or teasing Rumi she either locked herself in her room for alone time or lounged on the couch. On the other hand, Zoey had been zooming around the apartment out of boredom for the past four days. To Rumi it seemed as if the youngest girl couldn’t sit still. She was always switching positions when sitting anywhere, frantically writing lyrics in one of her notebooks, or playing an online game that she once tried and failed to explain to Rumi. Rumi herself fell in a state between Zoey and Mira. Some days she slept late and lazed around, others she would practice her vocals for hours on end despite still being on a hiatus. 

Tonight, Rumi had proposed that the three watch a movie together to change up the pace a little bit. The others had been excited at the announcement, but Rumi cringed when she saw Mira and Zoey smirking at each other, the same devious expression on their faces. She was going to regret this. Still , Rumi thought, she’d do anything for her girls .

They were around halfway through the found footage horror movie that Zoey had suggested, and Rumi was clutching a pillow to her chest like it was a shield that would protect her from the ghosts on screen. Mira and Zoey had been chatting quietly throughout the movie, making predictions about who would survive to the end or how the building became haunted initially. Zoey pressed into Rumi’s side and Mira’s arm was outstretched on the top of the couch, and having her best friends so close to her made Rumi a little less terrified of what the screen would show next. The last time the movie made Rumi jump, Zoey had laid a comforting hand on her thigh, which hasn’t moved since. 

When the lights flickered on screen and the TV went totally black, Rumi knew something bad was going to happen. The lights rose again, only for the figure of a ghost to be standing right in front of the camera. The purple-haired girl yelped, burying her face into the pillow she held. “Rumi, you good?” Zoey asked quietly, startling Rumi for a second time.

“I’m fine, totally fine,” Rumi giggled uncomfortably. “We fight demons all the time, I’m not scared of some stupid ghosts…” She felt the burn of Zoey’s skeptical eyes staring at her.

“Switch spots with me?” Zoey whispered, lightly tapping on Rumi’s leg as a signal for the girl to get up so she could move to the end. Rumi complied, scooting to the middle of the couch, now pressed between Zoey and Mira. Heat jolted through her body as Zoey laced her fingers through Rumi’s and Mira laid her head against the leader’s shoulder. 

“It’s okay to be scared of the stupid ghosts, you know,” Mira laughs lightly, poking at Rumi’s thigh. “Zoey’s movie choices aren’t for the weak.”

“Hey!” the small girl protested. “My movie choices are awesome, thank you!”

Mira laughs again. “Never said they weren’t, babe.” The use of the pet name makes Rumi’s heart contract while her patterns start to glow softly. She wasn’t exactly uncomfortable between the couple, they had known each other for years and cuddled countless times, but the nicknames were…new. Warmth flooded into Rumi when she thought of how happy her friends were together, but there was still a feeling in her gut that she couldn’t explain. She wished she could be as happy as them one day. Zoey and Mira scan their friend’s body before their eyes meet. For a minute, Rumi feels like she’s trapped in the middle of a conversation she can’t understand, like her friends are hiding something.

“What’s wrong?” Rumi’s voice cracks as she asks the question. Zoey and Mira look at each other again before Zoey begins to giggle.

“It’s your patterns!” The maknae beams at Rumi. “They’re really colorful! It’s cute.” 

“I-” Rumi ducks her head into her pillow once more out of embarrassment. “Yeah, they do that sometimes. I think it happens when I feel strong emotions, but I’m not totally sure…” the girl rambles, voice soft as if the two would hate her because of the confession. 

Zoey and Mira make eye contact again, and this time Rumi catches what seems like nervousness in their expressions. “Well,” Mira starts, nudging her shoulder playfully into Rumi’s, “this movie must really be scaring you, to have your patterns light up like that.”

“Yeah, definitely…” Rumi laughs awkwardly, returning her focus to the screen in front of her. Nobody spoke for the rest of the movie, although Mira and Zoey still comforted Rumi every time she got startled. As she went to bed later that night, Rumi couldn’t shake the feeling that Mira and Zoey were hiding something big from her. 

—

Another week and a half passes by before the company allows the girls to go out in public unsupervised again. The rumors about Rumi and Mira had died down when news broke that a member of a rookie girl group had accidentally cursed on a livestream. Rumi felt bad for the girl, she knew what the pressure of being an industry rookie was like, but she was glad that the spotlight was finally off of her and Mira. Zoey had immediately decided to celebrate their freedom by buying three tickets to the aquarium. The trio had gotten there without being spotted, likely due to their disguises. Rumi was wearing a hoodie and leggings despite the heat to cover her patterns, not out of shame but because she didn’t want to draw the public eye. Zoey wore a ridiculous blonde wig underneath her bucket hat, whereas Mira had opted to wear a sleek black face mask. 

Zoey eagerly pulled the other girls through the aquarium, Rumi knowing she was making a beeline for the sea turtles. Mira had exchanged a small look with Rumi when Zoey started her mission, and Rumi’s heart fluttered at the softness in the tall girl’s eyes. She hoped Mira looked that affectionate when thinking about her, too. Zoey halted to a stop, causing Rumi to stumble slightly into her with Mira falling quickly behind. She could feel her patterns begin to shimmer, praying that the designs on her head, neck, and hands didn’t give her away. She wasn’t sure why her patterns glowed, but chalked it up to the embarrassment of nearly falling in a public place. 

“Look!” Zoey called, a beaming smile matching her shining eyes as she gestured to the turtle tank in front of her. “Aren’t they so cool?” Rumi can tell a little smile blossoms onto her face as she watches Zoey get close to the tank, reaching her small hand to touch the glass. The maknae giggles when a turtle swims directly past her. 

“Definitely cool,” Mira agrees. Rumi looks over at the girl only to see her staring at her girlfriend with more softness than she had before. Rumi quickly averts her eyes, looking back at the turtles as they swim by.

“I miss seeing these little guys sometimes,” Zoey laments, taking her hand away from the glass and turning to face the others. “When I was little, I would see them at the beach all the time. Green sea turtles. They lay their eggs in the sand, and during the night the hatched babies find their way to the ocean.” Zoey pauses. “Not all of them make it, though.” Rumi takes Zoey’s hand when a frown appears on the younger girl’s face. “But the ones that do,” Zoey continues, “travel all around the world during their lives! They’re kind of like me, moving here all the way from America.”

“Do they travel alone?” Mira asks gently. 

“Usually, yeah,” Zoey says quietly. “But they’re amazing navigators. Adult females will return to their home beach when it’s time to lay their eggs. Even though they travel, they find a safe space. I think here is my safe space.”

“Here in Korea?” Rumi wonders.

“No,” Zoey whispers, tears welling in her eyes, “here, with the two of you.” Tears streak down the younger girl’s face and Rumi pulls her and Mira into a group hug. Her body trembles and she’s sure the others can feel it, but it’s okay because she feels her girls shaking too. They hold each other tight, not caring that they were in public because the only thing that mattered was that they were together. 

When Rumi pulls away, she bites her lip as her eyes flicker between the two girls in front of her. Mira’s eyes were puffy from tears but still held the deep affection they had throughout the day when she turned and looked at both Zoey and Rumi. Zoey’s face is flushed a deep pink, nearly matching the color of Rumi’s patterns, as she wipes her tears away. They’re beautiful, Rumi thinks. They’re everything. She’s pulled from her straying thoughts as she hears Mira curse quietly while wiping at her eyes. “I accidentally tore out my contact lens,” Mira grumbles. “Sorry to ruin the moment.”

Rumi laughs, pushing at Mira’s shoulder. “Well go on and fix it then,” she giggles. “We don’t need to stumble around the rest of the aquarium because of your poor vision.”

“Ha ha,” Mira says, completely deadpan. “Hilarious, Rumi. I’m going to find a bathroom, I’ll meet you back here when I’m done.” The tall girl stalks away and Rumi watches her go, including when she stumbles into a pillar a few feet away. The girl really had awful vision. 

“Be careful!” Zoey hollers after her girlfriend. She then turns to face Rumi, a ghost of a smile on her lips. “Thank you for listening.”

“Always,” Rumi replies without hesitation. “I could listen to you talk about the things you love for hours.” A sly smirk creeps onto Zoey’s face, and though she doesn’t regret what she said Rumi knows she set herself up.

“Is that permission for me to tell you more turtle fun facts?” Zoey giggles.

“Hit me,” Rumi laughs. 

“Green sea turtles are named after their green coloring,” Zoey begins to ramble, “but it’s not actually their skin that’s green! They eat so many plants that the color gets reflected into their fat, but there are other species of sea turtles with green fat and-” Rumi nods along as Zoey continues her speech, occasionally reacting with a pleased hum that makes her seem like an active listener. In reality, Rumi has started to tune out every word Zoey said, too focused on how beautiful the other girl was, horrible blonde wig and all. Zoey’s large eyes widened whenever she spit out a fun fact she found particularly interesting and Rumi felt like she could drown in them if Zoey let her. She counted the freckles scattered across the younger girl’s nose and cheeks before her gaze drops to Zoey’s moving lips. Rumi’s eyes quickly return to Zoey’s, a flush creeping up her neck at the thought of Zoey’s lips. 

“Rumi?” Zoey calls, too distant for Rumi to register it at first. “Rumi?” The older girl shakes her head a little, as if she were wiping the daydreams from her brain. “Are you alright?” Zoey asks.

“I’m great,” Rumi says quietly. “Never been better.” Or more confused, she thinks. 

“Good.” Zoey huffs, but the sweet smile she gives Rumi betrays that she isn’t actually annoyed. Rumi figures the younger girl knows she had zoned out and is grateful that she didn’t upset Zoey. The girl glances at her phone quickly, letting out a startled gasp. “Rumi! It’s been like, seven minutes since Mira went to the bathroom! It never takes her that long to get her contacts in. Do you think we should go find her?”

Rumi reaches out her hand to the smaller girl, who interlaces their fingers. “Let’s go.”

—

It takes the pair another five minutes to find Mira, spotting her long pink hair from behind. Rumi pulls Zoey towards the hidden alcove where Mira was sitting on a bench, staring at the jellyfish tank in front of her. To Rumi’s surprise, Zoey doesn’t call out when she sees her girlfriend, instead perfectly content to let Rumi drag her along and, Rumi assumes, to give Mira a few more seconds of peace. Rumi comes up behind the tall girl, tapping her shoulder gently to get her attention. Mira’s head whips around and Rumi suddenly can’t breathe. 

Mira’s eyes were no longer puffy and she had removed her face mask, so when she turns Rumi sees her entire face perfectly backlit by the lights in the jellyfish tank. The tall girl had a soft blue glow surrounding her entire form and Rumi felt hypnotized by it. The way the color brought out the soft blush in Mira’s cheeks mesmerized Rumi, and she found herself looking down so as not to stare, but her gaze lands on the smirk on Mira’s lips and for the second time today Rumi quickly averts her eyes. 

“We were worried sick!” Zoey chastises her girlfriend. “You said you’d meet back with us!”

“Sorry, baby,” Mira apologized. A weight fell upon Rumi’s chest when she heard the sweet tone of Mira’s voice when she called Zoey baby. The couple had been more outwardly affectionate with each other during their house arrest, but every time Rumi had witnessed the two of them her lungs tightened, wrapping around her heart and making it skip a beat. She had even snapped at the couple once, rudely telling them to keep PDA out of the common space. Rumi apologized after she cooled down, but she never figured out why she was so worked up in the first place. 

“What happened?” Zoey questions gently, moving to sit next to Mira on the bench. 

“Got distracted by the jellyfish,” Mira mumbles, gesturing to the tank. “They’re pretty. They swim in little patterns that make me tired. I’m sorry I worried you.” She glances at Zoey first, then back to Rumi.

“You’re forgiven,” Rumi meets the girl’s eyes with a smile. “And you look exhausted.”

“Yeah, well, crying took a lot out of me,” Mira laughs softly, smiling back at Rumi. 

“Let’s head home,” Zoey proposes. “We can eat ramyeon and cuddle on the couch before bed.” Mira and Rumi nod, Rumi whispering “sounds perfect” under her breath as the trio gets ready to leave the aquarium.

—

“Guys, we have a problem!” Zoey calls from the kitchen. Rumi and Mira both get off of the couch to go check on the younger girl. They find her perched on the countertop, ruffling through the cabinets she couldn’t reach even on her tiptoes, her blonde wig thankfully removed from her head.

“Get down from there,” Mira scolds. “I could have helped you get whatever you were looking for.”

“I wanted to be helpful and cook dinner for you two,” Zoey pouts. Rumi melts at the adorable look on the girl’s face. It was sweet of her to offer to cook, but Mira and Rumi should have known better than to crash on the couch without helping Zoey get stuff off of the top shelf. “Anyways, that’s not the problem,” Zoey continues. “We don’t have any ramyeon left!”

“I knew we should have stopped at the store on the way home,” Mira groans, grabbing her girlfriend by the waist and helping her hop off of the counter. “Our last supervised grocery run was almost a week ago!”

“But you were tired,” Zoey pushes, “and I thought we had some ramyeon left. Like, when do we not have ramyeon?”

“Apparently now,” Rumi laughs. Zoey breaks away from her girlfriend to punch Rumi’s shoulder gently, chastising her for being a smartass. 

“You two go back to resting,” Zoey declares, slipping out of the kitchen. “I’m going to run to the convenience store next door real quick and get us dinner.” Rumi and Mira follow, finding Zoey already at the door with her sandals slipped on. 

“Be safe,” Mira says. She kisses Zoey’s forehead softly and in return Zoey pecks her lips before heading out the door. Rumi’s patterns glow as her body heats up from the inside. She didn’t have a problem with Mira and Zoey’s affection, she really didn’t. She had seen them kiss each other’s cheeks and foreheads multiple times. But seeing her two best friends kiss for real? She hasn’t witnessed that since she accidentally walked in on them weeks ago. The vision sent Rumi spiraling, entire body flushed and mouth wide open. Mira turns around to face her, noticing her expression.

“What’s wrong with you?” Mira asks sharply. 

“You and Zoey…” Rumi trails off, unsure of how to describe what she was feeling in the moment. “You kissed.”

Mira snorts. “Wouldn’t be the first time, you literally saw the first one.”

“I…” Rumi stutters. “I just…”

Mira sighs heavily, taking a step towards Rumi. “Tell me you aren’t getting weird about lesbianism again.”

“No, never!” Rumi exclaims. She can feel Mira’s piercing stare entering her veins, travelling around her entire circulatory system, pressure building at the center of her heart. “I’m happy that you’re happy.”

Mira takes another step forwards, and Rumi doesn’t take one back. “You say that a lot,” Mira grunts, “but your body language says otherwise, hmm? Your patterns get a lot more vibrant than normal and you tense up. You can tell me if it bothers you, you know?”

Rumi squeaks a little as Mira shuffles a bit closer, looking up to meet her eyes as they stand inches away from each other. Even during the confrontation, all Rumi can think about is how hot Mira looks when she’s angry. Rumi had felt the same way pinned to the wall at the gym, but she never said anything about it. She never really processed why she felt that way back then, not really, not until now. “You and Zoey kissing doesn’t bother me,” Rumi exhales with a shaky breath. 

“So what is it then?” Mira roars, not bothering to keep her voice down. “Why do you get so tense whenever Zoey and I kiss?”

“Because maybe,” Rumi yells, frustration taking over the fear in her body, “I want it too.” She exhales audibly, surprised at her own outburst, even more surprised she said what she did. Rumi hadn’t considered it before. Kissing Zoey. Kissing Mira. But now that she had thought it, said it even? She wonders how she hadn’t come to the conclusion sooner. 

“What?” Mira whispers, all the fight seemingly knocked out of her. 

“You heard me,” Rumi grumbles, not giving the other girl time to think before reaching up to cup her cheeks, pressing her lips hard against Mira’s. Mira gasped before kissing back, winding her arms around Rumi, one hand holding her tightly at the waist and the other clawing at her back. Rumi released a surprised yelp as she felt the contact, pressing her lips even harder against Mira’s. The tall girl spins them around as she breaks away for a quick breath, smashing her lips back into Rumi’s as she starts to guide her towards the wall. Rumi’s back slams against the wall, memories of the gym resurfacing once more, and she thinks for a second that the dating rumors were worth it if they got her back into this position. Mira breaks away from Rumi’s lips suddenly, gasping for air. 

“You like this?” Mira whispers, running her hand up Rumi’s torso. Rumi whines before seeking Mira’s lips once more. Mira complies, her tongue swiping at Rumi’s bottom lip as it seeks entry into her mouth. As she kisses Mira, Rumi understands everything. Understands her feelings, her jealousy, her love for Mira and Zoey. Fuck! Rumi thinks. Mira was already dating Zoey! Rumi goes to pull away, but a gentle thud rings out before she can. Mira ends up pulling them apart, glancing to the open doorway to see Zoey staring at them, bag of groceries forgotten on the floor. 

Rumi scrambles away from Mira, regaining her breath and unable to regulate the thoughts racing through her head as she meets Zoey’s eyes. “Zoey, I’m so sorry,” Rumi apologizes, tears falling wildly, “this is all my fault!” She tenses as Zoey walks towards her, stopping half a foot away from the older girl, Rumi’s back hitting the wall once more. “I started it. I got jealous and snapped, and I kissed Mira without thinking, and really, I’m sor-” Rumi is cut off by the gentle press of Zoey’s lips against her own. She melts into the kiss, her hands gently finding Zoey’s shoulders. The girl kissed softly, much slower than how Mira had kissed her but equally as confident. The initial shock wears away and Rumi moves her lips against Zoey’s, reciprocating the kiss with a soft passion. Zoey’s hands cup Rumi’s face during the kiss, her fingers gently wiping away stray tears. As Zoey continues her ministrations, Rumi embarrassingly moans into the younger girl’s mouth. She pulls back quickly, face flushed and the sound of Zoey’s soft giggles ringing in her ears.

“You’re so cute, Rumi,” Zoey says, pulling away from Rumi a bit and reaching out to Mira, inviting her to join them. “What are we gonna do with you?”

“We?” Rumi asks, startled. Mira is pulled into the circle, her hand wrapped around Zoey’s, and her other hand reaches to take Rumi’s. 

“We,” Mira confirmed. “I know you’re oblivious to this kind of stuff, but Zoey and I are both into you. Romantically.”

“Yep!” Zoey cheers, planting her lips against Rumi’s cheek quickly. “Very, very into you.”

Rumi’s knees give out from under her at the confession, Mira and Zoey supporting her as they lower themselves to a huddle on the floor. “I was worried you guys were hiding something bad from me,” Rumi whines. “I was so scared that you two didn’t want me around anymore, especially with how weird I got when you two were affectionate with each other, and…”

A moment of silence goes by before Zoey pipes up quietly. “We didn’t want to overwhelm you,” she confesses. “Adjusting to me and Mira getting together was already a big change, and we were worried that telling you about our feelings for you would send you spiraling. Especially because we both knew that you didn’t know you wanted us back yet.”

“You knew?” Rumi squeaks. “I didn’t even know until Mira confronted me about my jealousy. That was like ten minutes ago!”

“I didn’t know at first either, if it makes you feel any better,” Zoey giggles. “But Mira’s terrifying, remember? She notices things neither of us see all the time.”

“It’s a gift,” Mira brags, inspiring laughter from the girls. “Seriously, though, Rumi. We were keeping a secret from you, and that was wrong of us. Zoey and I both feel terrible, but we hope you can forgive us.”

“You’re forgiven,” Rumi responds without hesitation. “It’s hard for me to be upset with you guys. We made a promise, but that was the direct result of me lying to you for years, and… I can’t be mad when you were just waiting for me to catch up.”

Zoey’s quiet sniffles evolve into full-on sobs as she tackles Rumi directly into Mira’s side, her arms reaching around the two and pulling them into a hug. “Thank you for not hating us,” she whimpers, gripping the other two with a strength not expected for her size. 

“I could never hate you,” Rumi whispers. “I love you too much for that.” Her heart flutters at her own words, speaking before she could think again but not regretting what she said. She loved them. She loved her girls, and they loved her. Rumi feels her entire body relax, letting the truth consume her whole. She was here, on the floor of their apartment’s entryway, pressed against the two people she loved most in the world. Exactly where she was meant to be. 

“I never expected Rumi to confess first,” Mira laughs deeply, pulling away from the hug and letting out a gasp at the sight before her. Rumi and Zoey open their eyes to see the entire area illuminated by the soft pink glow Rumi’s patterns are radiating. 

“Beautiful,” Zoey gasps. “Rumi, you’re absolutely beautiful.” 

Rumi smiles bashfully, looking between her girls. “I couldn’t stop thinking about you both at the aquarium earlier,” she starts confidently. “Zoey’s excited face when she was talking about the turtles. The way Mira looked in front of the jellyfish tank. God, I… I love you both. Romantically,” she tags on a beat later as clarification. Mira and Zoey both laugh, responding “I love you guys too” and “I love you so much”, their words jumbling together and filling Rumi’s heart with joy. 

Rumi watches as Mira stretches her long legs out, shifting to lean against Rumi when a rustle of plastic makes her freeze. The three girls followed Mira’s leg down to see she had accidentally kicked the grocery bag full of ramyeon that Zoey had brought back from the convenience store. Zoey bursts into explosive laughter, laying on the ground and clutching at her sides as she cries out, “Oh my God! I can’t believe we forgot about dinner!”

“For good reason,” Mira reaches out to smack the maknae’s leg, calming the laughing girl down. 

“Definitely a good reason,” Rumi agrees. She brushes off her thighs and stands up, offering her hands to Mira and Zoey. “Dinner first, then we cuddle on the couch.”

Zoey and Mira exchange a devious grin before replying “sounds perfect” in sync. Rumi blushes, realizing that they heard her earlier when the plans had been made. She shakes her head fondly as they begin to move in harmony, ready to spend the rest of the night wrapped up in each other, the three of them together, always.