Chapter Text
Celine looked down at the paper in front of her. One word seared into her brain. Little. Of course, she had always known that this was the most likely outcome. She wasn’t blind. Rumi still sucked her thumb when stressed, still wet the bed, and even occasionally had daytime accidents. So, no, it wasn’t shocking that Rumi was Little.
Unfortunately, the music industry wasn’t particularly kind to Littles. Particularly those in Rumi’s age range. Additionally, Celine struggled to reconcile Rumi’s status as Little with her duty and destiny as a Demon Hunter. It made her heart clench to think of her baby in such a dangerous situation. But the Honmoon had chosen her, and Celine couldn’t do anything about that.
She scrubbed her hand over her face and let out a frustrated sigh. Celine wanted to protect her baby, but she needed to protect the world. It broke her heart, but she knew what she needed to do.
Suppressants. They weren’t exactly legal, but if you had enough money it was easy enough to get your hands on them. And Celine had plenty of money.
Rumi could never know. It was too dangerous. Celine reassured herself that it wouldn’t be forever. Just until the Honmoon was golden.
So, Celine set about burying the official paperwork and creating the fakes. She reached out to get the suppressants, even though the thought sent a shiver down her spine. When the deed was done, Celine pushed away from her desk and padded down the hall trying to keep her footsteps as quiet as possible.
When she arrived at Rumi’s room, she paused. Did Celine even deserve to continue to care for the girl? The Little? It wasn’t fair. But she reminded herself that it was for Rumi’s own good. For the good of the world. She pushed the door open and observed the sleeping child within.
Rumi lay curled on her side, thumb tucked firmly in her mouth, teddy bear clutched close to her chest. Celine swallowed back a sob. Her poor, poor girl. She tucked a stray strand of purple behind a delicate ear and pressed a kiss to the sleeping girl’s forehead.
“I’m so sorry, baby,” Celine whispered, a stray tear trickled down her cheek. “It’s not fair, I know, sweet girl. But it’ll be for the best. It won’t be forever. I promise, baby. I promise.”