Chapter Text
Huntrix Tower was quiet at night in a way the city below never was, too quiet, sometimes. Rumi felt every empty echo in her bones.
The elevator hummed beneath her feet, a low mechanical sigh as it climbed toward the main floor. The ride always felt longer this late. Sweat rolled down her spine, trickling between the black-and-violet patterns glowing faintly across her ribs. She reached up to brush loose curls from her forehead, muscles trembling with the kind of deep fatigue you only earned from pushing yourself past your limits.
She had done that a lot lately. Running, lifting, training. Anything to keep her from thinking. Anything to keep her from dreaming.
The elevator doors parted with a soft chime.
Rumi stepped into the dim living space, glass windows spanning through the dark, moonlight catching the edges of mirrored furniture, casting pale gleams across the polished floor. The city lights glittered below, silent and far away, like a different world.
She headed instinctively toward the kitchen for water, feet soft on cool tile—
“Hey.”
Rumi froze.
Mira sat up slowly on the couch, curls cascading over one shoulder, exhaustion visible beneath her steady gaze. She looked like she’d been half asleep but waiting. Like she’d been aware of every late-night workout Rumi disappeared into for the past two weeks.
Rumi’s heart stumbled in her chest.
“Hi,” she whispered, voice barely audible.
Mira rose from the couch with a quiet determination that made Rumi want to step backward. Not because she feared Mira, she never had, but because she didn’t feel ready. Not yet. Not for this conversation, not for those eyes.
Not for forgiveness she wasn’t sure she deserved.
Still, Mira approached, slow and careful, as if Rumi were made of something delicate.
Her hand came up, hovering, giving Rumi every opportunity to move away. When Rumi didn’t, Mira rested her palm on her shoulder. Warm. Grounding. Familiar in a way that broke something loose in Rumi’s chest.
“You look exhausted,” Mira murmured.
Rumi swallowed hard, awareness tingling under her patterns at the deliberate softness in Mira’s tone.
“I feel exhausted,” she managed.
Mira’s expression softened further, but before she could say more, a door creaked open down the hall, and out came Zoey who was looking down at her phone. “Mira check this out,” she said softly, wanting to show her a funny video she had found on her phone before noticing that Mira was no longer on the couch. Her eyes scanned the room, finding her quickly and her eyes lit up, “Oh, Rumi! You’re back!”
Phone quickly forgotten, she made her way over to the pair before freezing as her eyes roamed the purple haired girl's frame. She was only in a sports bra and some biker shorts, her patterns on full display, glowing a soft pink. Her skin was covered in a light sheen of sweat and her muscles were rippling from the workout she had just finished. “Woah,” Zoey muttered to herself as her eyes raked across her body, taking it all in. This was the most skin she had ever seen from their leader and she was not disappointed in what she saw.
Mira smirked at the younger girl as she watched a fierce blush spread across her cheeks, but she had to admit, she was feeling a very similar way.
Rumi flushed violently, arms crossing over her midsection as if that could hide the swirling neon script of her demon heritage pulsing faintly over her skin.
Mira shook her head gently. “You don’t need to hide from us, Rumi.”
“I’d prefer you didn’t,” Zoey added, eyes completely unfiltered. “You’re like ridiculously beautiful right now.”
Rumi sucked in a surprised breath, her eyes quickly flitting between Zoey’s and Mira’s. The disgust, shock, discomfort, and fear that she expected to see in their eyes wasn’t there, only warmth, a little awe, and something else she didn’t dare identify. She let her arms drop hesitantly and her patterns responded instantly, shimmering from pink to a soft iridescent glow.
This time Mira and Zoey were the ones who gasped at the sheer beauty of Rumi and her patterns. “Holy shit, I think I’m gonna faint,” Zoey whispered, swaying on her feet, her blush somehow darkening further and spreading to her ears.
Rumi looked at her in concern, but Mira only laughed softly at her reaction which helped allow Rumi to relax. “I know it’s late,” Mira started, her eyes returning to meet Rumi’s, “but we’d really like to talk if you’re up for it. We miss you.”
Rumi’s heart clenched painfully. She stared between the two girls who had fought at her side, bled beside her, screamed her name across a battlefield. Who still looked at her like she was someone worth staying for.
She nodded.
Zoey practically bounced toward the couch, dragging Mira with her. Rumi followed, perching on the ottoman across from them. The tower’s soft ambient lighting painted the three of them in warm gold, gentler than she deserved.
For a long moment, no one spoke.
Then Rumi inhaled shakily. “I’m sorry. For lying. For avoiding you. For…everything.”
Zoey’s face fell. Mira sat forward, elbows on her knees, eyes never leaving Rumi’s. “Thank you,” she replied softly, “I can’t say we aren’t a little upset, but more than anything Rumi, we just want to understand.”
She watched as Rumi flinched slightly, her body seeming to shrink in on herself. Mira hated seeing it, this isn’t how their leader normally looked, but they had to be honest and had to get everything out into the open if they wanted to move forward. Zoey’s hand reached out and squeezed just above her knee in a comforting gesture as the two girls waited for Rumi to speak again.
“That’s fair,” Rumi admitted quietly. She took a deep breath to center herself and hopefully slow her racing heart before starting again. “I guess I’ll start from the beginning. My dad was a demon, which means that I’m a half demon.”
“So your patterns aren’t some kind of demon curse?” Zoey questioned.
“No, I was born with them,” Rumi answered. “They started on my shoulder. Small, light, hard to see and easy to cover up, but as time went on they started to spread. Celine said-”
“Celine,” Mira questioned with a raised brow, “Celine knew?”
Rumi nodded slowly, “Yes, she knew. She was the one who told me I needed to cover them up, hide them from everyone. From you.”
Zoey shook her head in confusion, “Why?”
Rumi swallowed, looking down at her hands to avoid having to look them in the eye, “She said you wouldn’t understand. That she had trained you too well as hunters. That the minute you saw my patterns, saw what I am, you would turn on me.”
Mira tensed and Zoey gasped softly at the revelation, “Did you believe that?” Zoey asked softly, her voice wavering only slightly.
“I didn’t want to.” Rumi’s eyes burned. “I wanted to trust you. But Celine, she raised me. And even she couldn’t even look at me without…without flinching. If she couldn’t love me, why would either of you?”
Zoey whimpered slightly at the answer and Mira’s jaw clenched so tightly it trembled, but Rumi continued. “It was selfish, I know, but I couldn’t lose you. I don’t know what I would do without you both. You two are genuinely the only good thing in my life. I couldn’t risk losing you, so I hid.” She scoffed at herself, “And look how that turned out. I fucked it up anyway.”
Mira reached out gently taking Rumi’s hand her in her own, “Hey you didn’t fuck up anything. We’re still right here, and we’re not going anywhere.”
Zoey reached out and took her other hand, “Mira’s right Rumi. We love you, all of you, half demon and all.”
Rumi finally looked up, her tear filled eyes meeting Zoey’s and Mira’s and it took everything in her not to sob out loud. “I should have trusted you with the truth. I’m so sorry.”
Mira squeezed her hand, “Hey, it’s not your fault. You were conditioned your whole life to hide yourself. I probably would have done the same thing in your shoes.”
Zoey nodded along, but her mind started to spiral as she thought back to all the times the girls had expressed their hatred of demons. “Oh my god,” she whispered. “Takedown, that's why you hated the lyrics, you felt like they were about you.”
“Well, they kinda were,” Rumi answered sheepishly.
Zoey and Mira both froze before each of them moved to sit on either side of her, wrapping her up in their arms and squeezing tightly. “We’re so sorry. No wonder you felt like you couldn’t trust us,” Mira whispered, holding Rumi tighter. “I promise, we don’t think any of that about you at all.”
Rumi choked on a sob as she felt their words to wash over her and allowed herself to be held.
“And then we raised our weapons at you, oh god Rumi, please forgive us,” Zoey whimpered as she started to cry into her leader’s shoulder.
Rumi squeezed the two girls tighter in response, “Of course I forgive you. I don’t blame you for any of it. You were just doing what you were trained to do.”
“We were never trained to turn our weapons on our partner. We failed you that night Rumi, I’m so sorry,” Mira whispered, her own tears running silently down her cheeks.
“You did not fail me that night,” Rumi whispered, holding onto them a bit tighter. “You were there when I needed you most. We defeated Gwi-ma together.”
Zoey sobbed harder, hiccuping into Rumi’s shoulder, “We’re still so sorry Rumi.”
“I’m sorry too. We all made mistakes,” Rumi answered, “But I’ve really missed you guys, so if you’re up for it, I would love for us to move on. I promise, no more hiding, no more lies.”
Zoey and Mira nodded into her shoulders as they moved to hold her tighter, feeling relief and comfort in the arms of their best friend. Now that things were starting to be out in the open they could finally move on together.
After a few more minutes of hugging and crying, Zoey and Mira moved back to the couch, still wanting to address a few more things.
“Now that that’s settled,” Mira started, her voice still scratchy from crying, “why haven’t you been sleeping?”
Rumi tensed. She had been having nightmares constantly since the night of the Idol Awards. Images of Jinu’s betrayal, his death, Mira and Zoey turning their weapons on her, and worst of all her kneeling in front of Celine begging her to take her life, flashed before her eyes. She still wasn't ready to address most of that with them yet.
“I’ve been having nightmares,” she admitted. “So instead of sleeping I’ve been going downstairs and working out, trying to exhaust myself enough that I would just pass out into something dreamless.”
“Yeah we’ve noticed,” Zoey whispered unintentionally out loud as her eyes dipped, very noticeably, to Rumi’s exposed arms and abs. Rumi blushed slightly under the heat of her gaze and Mira elbowed her in the ribs. Zoey winced but her eyes widened at her mistake and she admonished herself for speaking an inside thought out loud after Rumi’s confession.
“Anyway,” Mira said, “I don’t want to make you uncomfortable, but you need to sleep Rumi. We’d be happy to stay with you, if you think it would help.”
Rumi’s eyes widened as she thought about it. She wasn't used to letting people get that close, but having them there with her, holding her, looking out for her, the idea made her unbelievably excited, “Yeah, I would like that.”
Both girls practically glowed with relief as they led her down the hall. Rumi showered quickly, steam curling around her as the last of the adrenaline drained out of her bones.
When she emerged in soft shorts and an oversized shirt, Mira and Zoey were already on her bed, one on each side, faces open, gentle, waiting.
Her chest tightened painfully at the sight.
She slipped between them.
Mira reached over to turn off the lamp on the bedside table before her arm curled around Rumi’s waist. Zoey’s tucked around her middle. Warmth, steady and protective, pressed in on both sides.“Goodnight Rumi. Sleep well, we’ll be here when you wake up.”
“Yeah, and tomorrow, we can move forward, together,” Zoey whispered, nuzzling into her shoulder.
Rumi exhaled. Her patterns shimmered faintly in the dark, colors shifting slowly, like the sky before dawn.
For the first time in weeks, her eyes closed without fear.
Sleep came instantly.
And peacefully.