Chapter Text
In a twist of irony, the very events that tore them apart are the events that bring them together, in the aftermath of the idol awards ,confessions begin to spill ,until eventually someone says it.
"I'm in love with you"
No more lies.
(Except about….that. Rumi doesn't tell them about kneeling before Celine, offering her her saingeom and begging her to-
A lie by omission isn't really a lie, right? As long as they never ask, it's not a lie)
Like a lot of new relationships, it's tentative, careful. It takes time to work out how to navigate it together - from the tender domestic moments to the more intimate moments. Both leave Rumi feeling exposed and raw whilst she works out where she fits into the dynamic.
It's hard at first, but Mira and Zoey are patient, they've always been patient with Rumi. They wait, they assure, they shower her with so much love that in the end she has no choice but to accept that is allowed to be here. Accept that she's allowed to love, and be loved.
They're slow, and tender in the bedroom. They let Rumi build her confidence until she's confident enough to tell them they don't have to be so nice to her. She doesn't mind if they make her whimper and beg, she trusts them to let her fall apart because she trusts that they'll be there to help put her back together.
Rumi finds her place, in every sense.
She bandages old wounds, and pushes the thoughts of those she should have around her to the back of her mind. She has Mira and Zoey. They're enough.
(They should be enough)
Everything is fine.
Great, even.
Better than ever.
(Is it though?)
Rumi loves waking up, she wakes up almost every morning right between her girls. The bed they sleep in can change on a nightly basis, but as long as they're all home they sleep beside each other.
Morning sunlight floods through the window, gently bathing them in sunlight as Rumi blinks awake. She's safe, warm. Loved.
She stretches a little, and gently nudges Zoey off her, who's been draped over her like a clingy sloth. A very beautiful if not very mischievous clingy sloth.
"Mmmm morning Ru" Zoey yawns, stretching a little herself before rubbing her eyes.
"Morning. Did I wake you?" Rumi asks quietly, Mira is still asleep on her other side.
"No, I was kinda already awake-ish" Zoey says sleepily "And I wouldn't have minded if you had woken me up"
"I mind" Mira grumbles groggily from Rumi's other side, she's not actually annoyed. Not really.
Rumi hears her phone buzz on the nightstand. She almost instinctively gets up to check it, but Mira's turning over and throwing an arm around her waist, pulling her back down before she's even tried to get up.
"Whatever it is, it's not important" Mira says gently, kissing Rumi's shoulder tenderly
"We can just stay like this for a little while" Zoey says, pressing herself closer to Rumi, resting her head against Rumi's chest.
Rumi would stay like this forever if she could.
Henri
Rumi, I know things have been complicated between you and Celine
this past year, but she's going to be in Seoul next week.
You should see her, she loves you and she misses you
"Please" Rumi whimpers, squirming in Mira's lap as the lose hairs from her braid cling to her sweat laced skin. Mira's fingers bring her closer and closer to the edge of orgasm, her thumb working circles around her clit.
'Please' is a fruitless effort on Rumi's part, she knows it. Mira knows it. Zoey, who's behind her on Mira's bed, holding her wrists together as she breathes a mean little laugh in Rumi's ear knows it.
"Do you think you deserve to come?" Zoey asks,voice low. Her breath is hot on Rumi's neck, sending shivers down Rumi's spine. Her hands tighten around Rumi's wrists as Rumi tries to move her arms. Mira smirks as she curls her fingers at just the right angle for Rumi to let out a gasp.
"I asked you a question"
"Y..yes!" Rumi breathes "I do"
Mira snorts, Zoey chuckles as she nips at Rumi's neck. Rumi knows the answer before either of them say anything and she can't help let out a disappointed whine. They've had her in Mira's lap since they got home from the Gala. The cocktail dress she'd worn still on but sitting around her waist, breasts exposed. Rumi can't quite tell how long she's been here like this, but they've bought her to the very brink of pleasure and cruelly dragged her away from it several times now.
"Quit whining, baby" Mira says harshly, bringing her free hand up to pinch Rumi's nipple, Rumi's head falling back into Zoey's shoulder as she let's out a moan. "If you didn't want this, you shouldn't have kept brushing us off. You can take it"
Mira curls her fingers again, Rumi bites her lip. She's close. So close. Pleasure built like a coil wound so tight it's ready to snap any moment, her chest and face suddenly warming as she lets out breathless little moans. Electricity firing down her spine.She's so very very close.
"No" Mira says, voice too gentle as her fingers still before pulling away. The coil doesn't snap but violently unravels, Rumi is left breathless and impossibly frustrated, her legs shaking as she lifts her head to look at Mira, Mira looking back at her with her finest smirk. Rumi wills her face to look angry, defiant. Anything but the pathetic pleading expression she knows Mira has clocked already.
"Tsk" Mira clicks with amusement "cute"
Rumi feels tears prick the corner of her eyes as she sees the cruel grin on Mira's face, feels the cruel grip of Zoeys hands holding her hands behind her back.
"Please" She tries again, quietly. Defeated. Tears start spilling over her cheek as Zoey hums in her ear behind her.
"We said please," Zoey reminds her " 'Please Rumi, don't use the gala to work' and 'please Rumi come and get a drink with us' and 'please come for a walk around the gardens they're really pretty' but you ignored us every time - you ignored us and then we couldn't even find you"
Zoey yanks Rumi's braid, forcing her head back towards her.
"We said please sooooo many times Rumi" Zoey pushes Rumi's head back down to look at Mira "But you were to busy hiding, to busy working"
"You can say please a few more times too" Mira says, reaching up to roughly wipe a tear from Rumi's face with her thumb as Rumi let's out another sob.
"Shut up. You love it. What are you crying for?" Zoey taunts, running a finger down Rumi's spine. Rumi shivers and arches her back at the sensation, Mira taking the opportunity to seize a nipple with her mouth, sucking roughly before biting.
Rumi yelps, Mira snorts with amusement before pushing two fingers back inside her, earning a gasp and a moan. Rumi can feel herself clenching desperately around Mira's fingers.
"Please" she tries again, looking at Mira before trying to turn her head to look at Zoey. Mira reaches up and grips Rumi's jaw, pulling her face back to look at her.
"Don't look at her. She isn't going to help you," She keeps her fingers maddeningly still " 'Please' what ,Rumi?"
"I want to come. Please" Rumi whines, trying not to grind down on Mira's fingers. Mira notices and smirks at her.
"You're so desperate. Beg" Mira curls her fingers and hits that sweet spot inside her that makes Rumi moan so pretty.
"Please. Please I'm sorry. I'm sorry I brushed you both off. I'm sorry I didn't make time to get drinks" Mira picks up the pace, continuously curling her fingers, beckoning Rumi's orgasm closer and closer "…fuuuuck Please please I'm sorry. Please let me come"
The pleasure builds again, muscles tensing, heat rising. Begging turns into babbling before once again Mira stills her fingers.
"Have you earned it?" Mira asks as a fresh wave of tears falls down Rumi's cheeks. Somewhere in Rumi mind she registers that Zoeys hands have let go of her wrists and she no longer feels her pressed against her back, her breath no longer warming the back of her neck, the hairs no longer standing on end.
She shakes her head, knowing its what Mira wants to see and Mira smiles approvingly.
"Do you want to?"
Rumi nods. Yes she wants to earn it. To show them she does care, and she's here.
Mira pulls her fingers out and pushes Rumi off of her lap before yanking her face to look at Zoey, shes taken off the pink cocktail dress Rumi last saw her in and gone are her underwear and bra. She's laying legs open in front of her, pussy slick with arousal. She's propped up on her elbows, watching Rumi, cheeks still rosy from the gala Champagne.
There's something about it that brings back the gala to Rumi's mind, Zoey standing with champagne glass in hand as Rumi waved her away. Dismissed like staff as Rumi continued dutifully talking to another attendee. Some hotshot working in media, she thinks. There's a pang of guilt in the pit of her stomach before she's yanked from her memories with Mira roughly pushing her face between Zoey's legs.
"If you want to hide and work so bad, hide your face in her pussy and make her come. If you do a good job, you can come too" Mira says, her voice cruelly sweet, a hand gently brushing Rumi's ass cheek. Too gentle.
Rumi yelps as Mira's palm lands hard on her ass, the pain white hot as she scrambles to focus on Zoey, hands hooking underneath her legs. She runs her tongue between her folds, Zoey rewarding her with a moan of appreciation, her hand darting to Rumi's head.
"Good girl" Mira murmers in Rumi's ear, leaning over her "Give her all the attention you wouldn't give her earlier"
Another pang of guilt hits Rumi's stomach and she finds herself desperate to show Zoey how sorry she is, in case they really are mad at her for being so busy working they couldn't even find her. In case they thought she was hiding on purpose, hiding from them. Her tongue finds her clit and Zoey lets out a low moan, lifting her hips. Rumi works her tongue faster, building a steady rhythm that has Zoey moaning and writhing, Rumi can tell when she's close, shes panting and pushing herself into Rumi's face, letting out cries of "fuck fuck fuck !". She knows she's on the precipice when Zoey's legs start shaking. Rumi picks up the pace, humming against her clit before closing her mouth around it and sucking.
"Rumiiiiiiii!" Zoey cries as Rumi pushes her over the edge, still lapping at her clit to see her through her orgasm, only stopping when Zoey is breathlessly trying to squirm away.
Rumi feels the mattress shift behind her and she realises at some point Mira had left the bed, Mira hums appreciatively as her hand runs up the section of her back that's exposed, the cocktail dress having slipped lower, its position starting to feel tight and annoying around her stomach. Mira slips her fingers through Rumi's hair, soothing her scalp before yanking again, lifting her head as Zoey wriggles from beneath her before bonelessly flopping beside her, rosy faced and out of breath.
Mira pushes her face back into the mattress and Rumi grimaces. Her scalp hurts, and her neck hurts. the feeling of excitement and need has been replaced with something closer to worry and dread. a knot of anxiety forming where the coil of pleasure had once been.
Zoey lets out a breathless laugh, her eyes are closed as she tries to steady her breathing before opening them and turning to Rumi.
"ohhhhh my god holy fucking shi -" Her eyes widen as she looks at Rumi's pained face "Ru?"
Something in her voice must make Mira panic.
"Ru baby, colour?" She's asking, her hands moving from Rumi's head and thigh.
Green, Rumi wants to reply. She already ruined their evening at the Gala with her inability to stop working for five minutes, she doesn't want to ruin this too with her wrong feelings. Green-
"oh no you're fucking not" Zoey says, and Rumi realises she must have ended up saying it out loud. Then Mira and Zoey are moving, gently pulling Rumi up to sit with them "I'm calling red, I don't feel comfortable carrying on, you are not fine Rumi"
"Same" Mira says, fiddling to unbuckle the harness around her hips she didn't have on before Rumi's head was occupied between Zoey's legs "I don't want to carry on if you're not enjoying it"
"I am!" Rumi protests, but she's sat with her shoulders up and only looks at Zoey long enough to see her eyebrow raised, the guilt clawing up at her chest again "I was…."
There's a dull thud on the floor as Mira frees herself from the harness and she repositions herself in front of Rumi.
"It's OK Rumi" She says softly, gentle fingers brushing stray strands of her purple hair from her face. Zoey leans over, putting her arms around her and kissing her cheek. Rumi leans into it. grateful for their softness, even if she knows she doesn't deserve it.
"What happened?" Zoey asks gently "When did it stop being fun?"
"ummm" Rumi mumbles, looking down "Zoey's cheeks were flushed….from the champagne. And it reminded me of brushing her off at the Gala and then I suddenly felt really worried that you both were really were actually mad at me, and my dress was too tight and…….. nothing felt good anymore"
And you thought I was hiding
She feels silly sitting there between them, them comforting her so tenderly whilst she admits she thought they were mad at her. Her eyes stare at the edge of the mattress so she doesn't have to look at them whilst she finishes spoiling their entire evening.
"Fuck, Rumi I'm so sorry! I should have checked in sooner! We were being pretty mean and we've all had champagne" Mira apologises, tracing a finger down Rumi's face before lifting Rumi's face to look at her, much more tenderly than earlier "You know we wouldn't have done that if we were actually mad at you, right?"
Rumi looks into Mira's eyes, Mira's finger still on her chin. Fuck, she's so pretty. Zoey too. She's so lucky to have them. They put up with so much from her.
"Rumi! You know that right? I need you to tell me you know that" Mira looks worried.
She feels Zoey's body stiffen beside her and her brain scrambles to reassure them.
"I know! I swear I know…I just…. I got into my head. I'm sorry"
Mira's face softens and she feels Zoey's body relax, Mira leans forward and kisses her cheek gently.
"You don't have to be sorry" She says "Been a while since you've gotten in your head like that though. Something else been on your mind?"
Rumi shakes her head, looking down. It's easier to pretend when she doesn't have to look up at her.
"OK, Water, Snacks, Shower, bed!" Zoey announces, with a nod "Unless there's anything else you need Ru, we don't have to go to bed bed but we probably should get into bed even if we don't sleep. We could watch a movie, or talk some more if you want to! Obviously cuddles-"
"Zoey!" Mira reprimands for the rambling, but its warm and she has a smile in the corners of her mouth.
They help Rumi unzip her dress, leaving it discarded on the floor with Mira and Zoey's to be dealt with later, replacing it with an oversized T-shirt whilst they go to the kitchen in search of cold bottled water and snacks before heading for a shower. Non of their en-suits are built for three people, but they make it work as they wash the day off of them, someone getting an occasional elbow to the face as hair is washed. Zoey making the occasional remark at how much Shampoo and Conditioner both Mira and Rumi use.
They change into cozy pyjamas and settle on Zoey's room for bedtime, it's messier than Rumi and Mira's, but she's the only one of them with a TV in their room, even if she does watch it with the subtitles on ("The subtitles help me hear better!" She would protest anytime she was teased about it "And no I can't turn the volume up because then it's to loud to hear it properly!").
They settle in bed, Rumi tucked in between them as the TV lights up in the background.
Zoey goes to put on a show they've been watching, about three college students who've come to love each other, but one of them got stabbed in the last episode, they survive, but its all gotten quite angsty.
"Zo, I'm not sure this is the best aftercare show" Mira gently points out before suggesting one of Zoey's favourite turtle documentaries.
Zoey falls asleep first, clinging to Rumi's back like a koala, snoring softly against her neck. Mira's lying face to face with her, Rumi can feel her studying her, observing her face for the worry that's creeping back into her mind. And maybe it's because she's too tired to hide it, but it doesn't take long before Mira is gently cupping Rumi's face with her hand, stroking her cheek with her thumb
"Talk to me" She whispers, mindful of the snoring Maknae behind Rumi. Zoey could sleep through a parade, fire alarms and an apocalypse but God forbid someone talk too loud.
"Its really late, we should probably sleep" Rumi whispers, leaning her face into Mira's palm.
"We don't have anything on the schedule tomorrow" Mira says "We should talk about what's on your mind, we can lie in in the morning. Spend the day doing nothing. Nap on the couch. Whatever you want"
Rumi withdraws her face slightly, another pang of guilt that doesn't deserve such soft touches. Their schedules are clear , Mira and Zoey's.
Rumi's is not.
She was hoping she'd be able to slip out, hoping Mira and Zoey would be taking advantage of their day off with a long lie in so she wouldn't have to tell them. If they were up, she'd mutter excuses about emergencies and leave before they had a chance to ask questions.
Rumi opens her mouth to reply, sure they should talk. 'Good thing no one has anywhere to be ! 'But even with the room only lit up with the flickering light of the TV, Mira must able to read her expression. Even without Mira's glasses on, their faces are too close to conceal anything.
"Rumi?" Mira is trying not to sound annoyed, But Rumi can hear it creeping into her voice "Your schedule is clear tomorrow?"
Rumi contemplates lying. It would be an easy lie. "Of course it is" She would say. Mira didn't have to be fully convinced, just convinced enough to stop talking about it.
"No" She eventually confesses "I have a meeting with.…in the morning"
"Who with? There's nothing on the calendar?"
"Celine" Rumi mumbles, looking away from Mira
"Rumi!" Mira sighs, moving her hand away from Rumi's face "oh for fucks- Celine? Celine?! Rumi, we agreed to go to the Gala because we had no plans the day after! Zoey and I did what we did, because you told us we had no plans the day after! You're seeing Celine?! Celine!?"
"I mean, I didn't- "
Zoey starts stirring behind her, Rumi and Mira both go still and silent until Zoey settles back into snoring.
"I didn't say my schedule was clear….I just didn't add anything to the shared schedule. I knew how you'd feel about me seeing Celine after…everything" Rumi whispers, a little more defensively than she'd intended to sound.
Another sigh.
"Rumi. Jagiya. You make me want to shake the idiot out of you"
Rumi flinches. She's not supposed to make her girlfriend annoyed enough to want to shake her. Mira is covering her face with her palm, sighing low and steady, almost groaning.
"Ryu Rumi.Sweet, beautiful Rumi. Love of my life Rumi. I need you to know that neither me or Zoey are in the least bit angry about the Gala, we knew you were going to overwork. It's ok, we've accepted that sometimes you need help switching off" Mira is looking directly at her now, her words are softer but her face still bears annoyance.
"But?" Rumi asks, barely above a whisper. She already knows what's coming. She deserves what's coming.
"I am beyond furious that you didn't tell us that you were planning on meeting Celine"
Rumi doesn't say anything, just looks down and stares at the edge of the duvet covering them. Her eyes finding a thread that has come loose, it threatens to unravel the thing wide open if accidentally caught.
"Get some sleep, we can talk later" Mira says, leaning forward to kiss Rumi on the forehead.
Rumi looks up at Mira, confused at the display of tenderness when she's been so useless and selfish. Mira is mad at her, she should act mad.
Again, Mira knows exactly what Rumi's face is asking. When did Rumi let her get so good at reading her like an open book?
"I'm mad as fuck with you for not saying anything about Celine, but you still deserve to know that you're loved…..dickhead"
It still feels way too early when Zoey finds herself waking at the sound of Rumi and Mira's voices. She still feels so groggy, surely it isn't time to be getting up yet? It's their day off, they shouldn't be awake this early should they? She blinks and glances at the clock, just about able to make out that it's 7.30 a.m.
"You're sure though, Ru? We can come with you?" Zoey hears Mira saying in hushed tones but Zoey can still hear the worry in her voice
"It's fine Mira, I'm fine" Rumi says, bringing Zoey to full alertness as she sits upright.
"What's going on?" She asks, looking back and forth between Mira and Rumi, who both equally look upset and exhausted, but Rumi is fully dressed with her braid immaculately redone. Mira is still in her pyjamas, her pink hair unbrushed and frizzy.
Rumi doesn't say anything, and looks down at the floor whilst Mira shoots her a look, annoyed, but Zoey can still see the care behind it. Mira always cares, no matter how upset, annoyed or angry she might be with you.
"Do you want me to tell her?" Mira asks Rumi, it's gentle, a genuine offer of help, instead of a threat and somehow that makes Zoey feel more anxious.
"Tell me what?" Why is her throat suddenly so dry?
"Ummm…" Rumi starts, bringing her head up just enough to look at Zoey, even if she wont look her in the eyes "I'm heading out…to see Celine. She's back in Seoul this week, she umm…wanted to meet"
"Oh" Is all Zoey manages at the news that Rumi is meeting up with the person that caused their Rumi so much pain and heartbreak for so long. The person that convinced her they would never accept her, that they would kill her. They could never hurt her.
"I'll be back later, not too late though. Promise" Rumi says before leaving the room, they hear her footsteps slowly fade through the hallway.
Zoey lets herself be coaxed out of bed by Mira's promises of pancakes and coffee, she loves it when Mira makes breakfast - not that Zoey minds making breakfast, but it always tastes better when Mira makes it. Except today, the pancakes, despite them being served fresh from the pan, lack their usual comforting warmth and the coffee is unusually bitter.
They settle on the couch after breakfast, Zoey picks out a TV show, clicking play and it resumes with one of the main characters in a hospital bed, having barely survived being thrown down the stairs by her abusive father.
"You sure you want to watch this one, Zo?" Mira asks "It's pretty upsetting"
"I don't want to be happy right now" Zoey answers, although she does lean into Mira as she puts her arm around her.
They watch, silently. Zoey's attention wanders in and out as she fights through the tangle of thoughts in her head, before it all gets too much and the words spill from her mouth before she can catch them.
"What if she still doesn't trust us?"
She feels Mira shift, before she feels Mira's hand on her jaw, gently turning Zoey's face to look at her.
"Zo, its been a year. She's bound to still have a few issues" Mira says softly "I don't think it means she doesn't trust us"
"But she should have told us she was meeting Celine instead of dropping it on us this morning!" Zoey argues, tears pricking at the corner of her eyes "Celine's the reason we…" Her voice trails off at the memory of them backstrage at the idol awards, Rumi's terrified face as they held their weapons up at her. At their Rumi.
"What if Celine hurts her again?"
"I know you're worried , Zo. Rumi's a big girl though, if we want her to trust us we need to trust her" Mira says, "I'm not happy about it either, we can talk to her more later though yeah?"
Zoey sinks back into Mira, catching the lingering notes of Mira's perfume that Zoey's convinced has bled into everything Mira owns - it's dark and rich, cherries and chocolate.
She tries to focus on the TV, but it isn't long before she's trapped in her own thoughts again.
"What if we're not enough? What if we're too much?" She asks, looking up at Mira again "She didn't trust us enough to stop and ask if we were actually mad at her. She could have called yellow at any point, we could have told her. but she didn't…. We didn't even notice until she looked like she was at breaking point"
"I know, we should have checked in sooner. I feel awful about it too, I was overconfident" Mira tries to reassure Zoey. They had both been overconfident,forgetting to check in. "We're not going to make that mistake again, though.Until we're sure Rumi will use her safe words, we're not doing anything more than hand holding. Aggressive hand holding if were reaaallly in the mood"
That gets a small snort of amusement from Zoey.
"I promise we'll talk to her a little more later, but I think she might want some space once she gets home, lets just make sure she knows she's not alone. You can help me make dinner tonight, whatever Rumi wants….as long as you don't set the kitchen on fire again" Mira says, a small smirk forming in the corners of her mouth
"That was once, five years ago, Mira!"