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Rumi leans forward, her legs stretched out in front of her. The studio is warmer than usual, acclimatized to the sweltering summer heat in Seoul. Glancing up, she gets a glimpse of herself in the full-body mirrors covering the walls of their dance studio. The first thing she takes note of is her patterns, now shimmering faintly, and free to do so without anything covering them.
What she used to hide now displays her every emotion, ranging from fear to love. Rumi sometimes finds herself wishing she could cover up again; however, she’s taken a liking to the summer breeze that blows through her hair and sends a chill up her spine. She never got to appreciate, let alone experience, small things like that.
She feels a twinge of something in her stomach. Despite how far she’s come in the past few months, it’s hard to reverse two decades of teachings, especially with how often they were repeated, like a mantra meant specifically for her. She will always feel something towards her patterns, the marks that plagued her skin for so long, but were now openly accepted.
Rumi’s grateful. So, so grateful that the girls she feared would turn away the second they saw, had accepted her. They saw her faults and fears and pieced her soul back together, rewiring how she saw herself. She no longer saw herself as a burden, unworthy of the love given so freely to her that she wished she could accept, and she now realized she was deserving.
Life had been different since the Idol Awards, when everything she knew was stripped away, and her relationships were ripped apart. The new Honmoon was created through their faults and fears, and it was stronger. There had been few demons, if any at all, and all three girls were grateful for the break.
The first half of their hiatus had been filled with long conversations, therapy sessions, and clearing up allegations made concerning the Saja Boys or the HUNTR/X breakup at the Idol Awards. They had repeatedly stated that they were still together and would remain so for a long time.
Another relationship shift had occurred. Mira, Rumi, and Zoey had officially gotten together during the second month of their three-month hiatus. They recognized their feelings for each other, Zoey having been the one who confessed first, and reciprocated the others’ feelings. They told Bobby shortly after the relationship started, but had refused to contact Celine.
After learning what had happened between Rumi and Celine after raising their weapons, Mira and Zoey decided they would speak to Celine only if they were forced to, and even then, begrudgingly. Rumi explained how she viewed the situation and might visit Celine if she so chose, and Mira and Zoey reassured her that they would stand by her no matter what she chose.
Deep into her thoughts, and seemingly unaware of anything unrelated to what was reflected in the mirror, Rumi misses the footsteps approaching behind her, and gets startled when Mira abruptly sits herself down beside her, Zoey following close behind. Together, the three of them form a small triangle as Mira and Zoey begin stretching. After a few months away from the studio, carefully tucked away from the industry, they have to relearn their routines.
Mira nudges Rumi’s leg with her foot, giving her a questioning glance. “You alright?”
Rumi nods, a genuine smile on her face. “Yeah, just.. getting used to everything.” She doesn’t go into further detail, even though she can feel the pang of guilt at not saying the full truth. She promised no more lies, but this isn’t a total lie, is it?
Mira doesn’t seem to catch on, but if she does, she pays little attention to it. Zoey gives her a warm, reassuring smile. “We do have a lot to catch up on, don’t we?”
Within the few months of their hiatus, they hadn’t completely taken a break. There were days when Mira could only be found in the studio, rerunning choreos until she was exhausted. Zoey could frequently be found in their at-home studio, scribbling down her thoughts and lyrics like it was something she needed to breathe. Of course, Rumi’s hands were not clean in this, either.
She would usually be in the room with them on days like this, just watching and occasionally stepping in to help. However, she had her fair share of time spent in the studio herself, repeating lines until her throat was raw and aching. They were trying to rid themselves of their overworking tendencies, but their actions were not proven to be very effective.
So really, they didn’t have a lot to get used to. Their hiatus could barely be counted as a break, save for their bathhouse trips.
After a few minutes of counting their stretches, Mira gets up to switch on the speakers, turning on one of their new tracks. They had planned to release a comeback album once they returned, exhibiting their growth and acceptance.
Taking a quick sip of her water, Rumi stands up and walks over to her starting position, Mira and Zoey on either side of her as they wait for the music to start.
A few grueling hours pass by as they learn and relearn their parts. As they wind down, Zoey flops herself on the ground with her water bottle pressed to her forehead, her bangs sticking to her forehead. Rumi’s braid was less than perfect, her bangs and flyaways slipping out. Mira, looking unfazed and perfect as ever, sat with her back against one of the mirrors, her knees pulled high as she downs her water. Rumi sits close enough that their shoulders are touching, feeling the warmth from the other.
“I don’t know about you, but I think a trip to the bathhouse would be nice right about now..” Rumi says in a semi-convincing tone containing a lilt of amusement. Zoey pipes up at that, her eyes nearly sparkling.
“Yes! You know I could never pass up a bathhouse proposal!” Zoey says, her eyebrows wiggling jokingly. Mira smirks at this, looking at Rumi. “We just have to go back to get our disguises, then we can go somewhere after, too.”
Zoey jumps up, suddenly full of energy for someone who was just melting on the floor. She pulls Mira and Rumi up, practically dragging them back to their penthouse. Grabbing extra clothes and fixing their appearances, they start their journey to the bathhouse.
Mira walks to Rumi’s left, entwining their fingers with a barely-contained smile. Rumi nudges her shoulder with a small giggle, but doesn’t pull her hand away. On the contrary, she squeezes their hands closer together. Zoey grasps her free hand, making sure Rumi remains in the middle.
They hold Rumi close and cherish her as often as they can, making sure she knows how loved she is. She’ll lightly joke about it, but never pull away.
They take a turn and end up in front of the bathhouse in a short time, pushing the door open. In a few short minutes, they’re submerged in warm water. The three of them remain close even in the water, close enough to touch but not doing so. Rumi can’t believe how many trips here she’s missed, and if she had experienced it before, she just might’ve ignored the patterns and tagged along anyway.
While she could spend this time wondering about her existence and the importance of her patterns and how they shaped her being, she decides to push those thoughts into the furthest depths of her mind, saved for another day. Would her therapist be proud? Probably not, but she doesn’t want to plague herself with something of that depth when she had finally started to feel happy.
Zoey chooses this time to gently lean her head against Rumi’s shoulder. She’s always been the most tactile between the three of them, not that the others have ever minded. They’ve always accepted it as a fact, just another part of Zoey they could love and cherish.
She’s close enough to smell Zoey’s shampoo, something floral and refreshing. She allows herself to breathe it in for a moment, accepting the warmth Zoey gives off. Mira leans in close and kisses her temple, right along one of her patterns.
Mira smirks as it shifts in hue from its pale iridescence to a light pink, displaying the love she feels for her girls. Her girls. She pecks her cheek before pulling back. Rumi looks disappointed but settles when Mira leans into her side, her patterns shifting back to normal aside from a faint golden hue where Zoey and Mira are.
They remain there, calm and comfortable, until their shoulders finally relax and they melt into one another, the warm water working its magic.
Before any of them can doze off, they drag themselves out of the tub and change into their disguises. Mira changes into jeans and a tank top, slipping her glasses on before putting on a hat. Zoey wears a baggy shirt with jean shorts and long socks, her hair down. Rumi wears jeans and a soft, worn t-shirt.
They walk out of the building shoulder-to-shoulder after checking out, walking around the city in the afternoon sun. Having worked up an appetite through dance and their bathhouse trip, the girls decide to stop for a quick snack and drink.
They step into a small shop with a cafe attached. Rumi decides on taro boba, while Mira chooses sakura. Zoey debates on which flavour she should buy, quickly deciding on honeydew. They each purchase a bag of chips (Zoey was particularly joyous when she discovered they sell kkobuk chips)
They leave before Mira can convince herself to buy one of the cute keychains the shop is selling. She’ll never admit how much she loves collecting small, cute items such as animal keychains.
Before they know it, they’re lounging on their beloved couch back at the penthouse, empty takeout containers on the table. Rumi had turned on a movie for background noise as the three did their own things. Mira was sitting upright, one arm draped over the back of the couch and around Rumi, who was sitting curled into her side and watching whatever popped up on her feed. Zoey’s head was on Mira’s lap, sprawled out over half of their couch.
As the sun finally began to make its descent, the three girls dragged themselves off the comfort and warmth of their couch and into the bathroom. They help each other change into pajamas and clean their makeup off. Rumi sits down while Mira and Zoey gently unbraid her hair and brush through it. She nearly falls asleep on the spot.
Mira kisses the crown of her head and helps her stand up, wrapping an arm around her and resting her head on her shoulder. Zoey wraps her arms around both of them, and they remain intertwined. Rumi practically melts into them, letting her eyes flutter shut as she leans further into her girls.
They eventually pull apart to relocate to a bedroom. They haven’t officially moved into one room, but they rarely sleep alone, especially after the Idol Awards. Stepping into Mira’s room, they collapse onto her bed with a groan.
“I love you guys,” Rumi murmurs, tucking herself closer to Mira. “So much.” Zoey drapes an arm over both of them, a sleepy smile on her face.
“We love you too, baby,” Zoey says, kissing her cheek. “Forever.” Mira hums in agreement, a happy smile on her face. She pulls them closer, and the three drift off, comfortably warm in each other’s arms.