Chapter Text
When the morning comes, Celine is nowhere to be found.
There's no note, notification on their phones or anything other clue of her whereabouts.
Bobby seems a little worried, Rumi is a little frustrated she's not able to find her, but Mira and Zoey are more intrigued over anything else — they'd seen that woman in action before, they're not worried for her in the slightest.
She shows up again a week later. Aside from a few minor injuries, she doesn't look any different from when she left.
They ask her about it.
"We don't have to worry about Kim anymore. I assure you she's not gonna cause us any more trouble." Is all she says.
"What does that mean?" Mira raises one brow.
"Don't worry. She's alive and unharmed. Mostly." Celine replies, failing to elaborate.
Now that there's no longer a threat that came with people knowing Rumi's back home — thanks to whatever Celine did — they spend some time talking about what to tell the public about Rumi's disappearance.
"Kim poisoned her with tiger's claw incense, a flower that has a intoxicating effect on demons." Celine explains.
"Sweet smoke..." Mira recalls.
"Its has long lasting effects but Rumi will recover once it has fully left her organism and it has no impact on her physical health." Celine continues, stroking Rumi's hair, who has her head on her lap.
"That's good to know, I was worried about that." Bobby sighs in relief. "But she'll probably have to stay out of the public eye until she's fully recovered, or the theories will be wild, and not in a good way." He adds.
"What do you say, Rumi? Are you okay with people knowing?" Zoey, kneeling on the ground next to Rumi on the couch, caresses her face to get her attention.
Rumi stares at her with confusion for a moment.
"No... hiding." She finally mutters out slowly.
"You know that people are probably gonna be rude about it, right?" Mira brings up.
Rumi hums affirmatively.
"Guess we're bringing it up then." Mira concludes.
"We'll need to figure out what to tell the public, we can't exactly talk about the whole demon thing right?" Bobby asks.
"No lies." Rumi demands, a little louder than everyone expected.
They all take a moment to look at her. She has a determined expression on her face.
"Why don't we just stay as close to the truth as possible then?" Zoey suggests.
"I agree." Mira backs up. "Let's just say she was kidnapped and drugged by her captor but she managed to escape and is currently recovering. That's just what happened without mentioning the demon stuff."
Celine looks down for a moment.
"I don't know about that. How would that affect your image as Huntrix?" She starts. "Once you're back to the spotlight people will probably have questions about it, what are you gonna do if..."
"No hiding!" Rumi cuts her off, getting up from her lap to look at her. "No lies." Her voice is firm enough for they all to know she's completely aware of everything going on now.
"Okay." Celine gives in. "It's your choice."
At night, Rumi and Mira both fall asleep on the couch while the three girls were watching a movie together, and an idea pops into Zoey's head as she watches her girls.
She carefully reaches out for Rumi's face, removes her muzzle and sets it aside — she doesn't think they need it anymore anyway. She then takes out her phone and takes a picture of the two sleeping figures, with her own hand showing up holding Rumi's.
She posts with on each one of her social media accounts, with the caption "She's safe" and a heart wrapped in bandages emoji.
After posting it, she sets and her own phone as well as the girls' on silent and tucks herself in against Rumi, dozing off in no time.
They're back.
As months go by, Rumi makes a lot of progress.
Processing still takes her a while, she can't stand being alone, her social skills have never been worse due to the brain fog and her motor coordination still needs some work. But she's able to speak longer sentences now, she can understand what's being said to her, she no longer needs a muzzle and she can complete some basic tasks without help, and for the ones she still needs help with, her loved ones ones are more than happy to do it.
All of that also allowed her to share more of what happened to her.
"She didn't really hurt me." She tells Mira and Zoey one night, while they're getting ready for bed. "She just left me chained up in a dark basement by myself. She didn't talk to me at all aside from the first day, she didn't show up except to replace the incense..."
"God, Rumi... How didn't you go crazy?" Mira asks, pulling her a little closer to her side.
"I probably did a little bit." Rumi chuckles. "But it would've probably been worse if I wasn't intoxicated."
"Well, crazy or not, we're not letting anyone take you away from us ever again." Zoey says, firmly.
"You're dang right we won't." Mira confirms.
Rumi just smiles at them and snuggles between her girls with a yawn, feeling the pressure of both of their arms confortingly tightening around her.
Some days are worst than others, and she'll still have setbacks and moments where her mind just stops working again, so someone else needs to do the thinking for her.
Her anxiety has been high, being around people she doesn't know is hard, not to mention having to deal with triggers she didn't use to have.
They receive an interview proposal a few weeks after Rumi is back online.
Although everyone tells her that she doesn't have to worry about that right now, she wants to do it. She just wants some normalcy again, to feel like she's in control of something.
She wants to prove to herself that she's capable.
A lot of accomodations need to be put in place in order for Rumi to even get to the studio where the interview would be recorded. Instead of the usual kpop costumes, she's wearing a hoodie and comfy pants, both adorned to match Mira and Zoey's more elaborated outfits, as anything tighter makes her feel trapped and shorter makes her feel exposed. Celine tried braiding her hair like usually, but Rumi couldn't stand the feeling of her roots being pulled, so they settled for a loose braid decorated with shiny charms. The tiger plushie, that rarely leaves her side now, has a matching hoodie made by Zoey.
Of course, when they were invited for the interview one of the very first things Rumi did was to make sure they were aware that it's not going to be a regular Huntrix interview, and that she's still not her usual self due to the current circumstances. They replied saying that they're more than understanding about it and that they're willing to put in place any changes that will make her more comfortable.
"Remember, we can leave whenever you want." Mira reminds her as they're about to leave the dressing room.
"Mira's right, if you feel like you can't handle it at any point of the interview, don't even hesitate in getting up and leaving." Bobby agrees. "I'll handle any PR issues that could come with that. Besides, your fandom is usually very understanding."
"I can do this. I know I can." Rumi replies with confidence.
"Well, you won't be alone either way." Zoey smiles at her, grabbing her hand
Mira squeezes Rumi's shoulder, as her other hand is busy holding the tiger.
"We're gonna kill it." Mira smiles as well.
"However this goes, I just wanted to say that I'm so, so proud of you, Rumi. And of you two as well." Bobby expresses. "Don't let anything make you forget about how far you've come." He adds.
Rumi can't find the words to answer, so she just leans forward and hugs him, briefly letting go of Zoey's hand. He rubs her back while she burries her face in his shoulder for a moment, purring.
"You're on in five minutes!" A staff lets them know.
Rumi zones out for a few minutes, and doesn't really process getting into places and the introduction. She comes back into awareness with a gentle nudge on her shoulder.
"He asked if you can talk about what happened." Zoey gently informs her, her hand is resting on Rumi's shoulder in a grounding gesture.
She blinks at Zoey and the host for a moment.
"Yes, I can." She finally replies.
No one says anything for a moment.
"Uh..." The host frowns.
Rumi then realizes that he probably wanted her to elaborate on her answer.
"Zoey and I went out to run some errands that day," Mira starts, "when we came back, she was gone, and we didn't see her again until a few months ago."
"Can you tell us more about your version of it, Rumi?" The host insists.
"It happened in your bedroom, right?" Zoey cues.
Rumi nods.
"I fell asleep, but I was awake." She tries to explain the feeling of the incense acting in her body. "Sorry, I meant..." She looks at Mira and Zoey for help.
"You mean they doped you, right?" Mira suggests.
"Yes. Then it was dark. And tight." She subconsciously squeezes her wrist.
Zoey grabs her hand to stop the gesture and mouths the words "good job" with a sweet smile.
For the rest of the interview, Mira and Zoey do most of the talking, with Rumi occasionally speaking up to add a comment when one of the girls cue her to it.
The spotlight pointed right at her is making her nervous, so she leans into Zoey's shoulder, seeking comfort.
Zoey wraps her arms around her, squeezing a little.
"So, you've stated before that Rumi has had substances forced on her by her kidnapper?" The host asks.
Rumi glances at him, still leaning on Zoey.
"Correct." Mira confirms.
"What kind of substances take this long for the effects to go away, huh?"
There's a pause. Rumi realizes he's talking down to her, but can't formulate a response herself.
"I'm sorry, I'm not sure we understand what you mean." Zoey answers with fake innocence.
The host mumbles something for a moment, then turns to Rumi again.
"Well, and what is this you brought with you?" He points at the stuffed tiger.
"Hm?" Rumi cradles the toy in her arms.
"If you're trying to look innocent this might be just a little bit much." He takes the toy away from her hands, smiling the whole time like all of that is a big joke. "Did you borrow this from a younger cousin or something?" He teasingly waves the plushie next to her head and takes it away from her when she reaches for it.
Rumi doesn't know why or when she starts crying, but she feels a fews teardrops falling down on the back of her hand.
Mira and Zoey both get up from the interview couch. Zoey switches places with Rumi, so that she's between both girls and further away from the host.
"Do you want to leave?" She asks, covering both hers and Rumi's microphones.
Rumi shakes her head.
"I can do this." She replies, wiping her tears away.
Mira snatches the stuffed tiger from the host's hands while glaring at him, then sits back down and hands it back to Rumi with a soft smile.
"Okay... Uh... For our next question..."
For the rest of the interview, he mostly ignores Rumi, but Mira and Zoey continue to ask her follow up questions and she's able to give brief answers to most of them.
They're back home soon enough, and Rumi starts processing how poorly the interview probably went.
She sits on the couch and undoes her braid, then pulls her hood up. She brings her knees to her chest and nuzzles the stuffed tiger, feeling the urge to throw it to the other side of the room but not having the heart to do so.
"Hey." Mira gets on her level. "You did good. That host was a jerk."
"But I..." Rumi starts.
"Listen to me." Mira grabs her face with both hands. "You did nothing wrong. You were great and we're all proud of you."
"And not just us." Zoey adds, coming to sit with them. "Look!"
She shows them her phone, scrolling down on a social media app. On the screen, there's a bunch of posts talking about the interview, all of them defending Rumi.
Zoey reads some of them for her.
"Wth??? Her first interview after being literally kidnapped and him being condescending about a stuffed animal???"
"That host insinuating Rumi's doing drugs KNOWING she had them forced into her..."
"He was highly unprofessional AND insensitive. She clearly brought the stuffed animal with her for comfort, why would he shame her like that???"
"Come on, man, it's Rumi, lead singer of the most famous kpop group in the world. If she wants to take a stuffed animal with her to a concert she'd pull it off. Plus the matching outfits were the cutest thing!!!"
"She was out of the public eye for months because she got kidnapped and that guy expects her to act like it's just another interview?"
"Let's not forget that it has been PUBLIC KNOWLEDGE that she's still recovering from a very traumatic experience AND from getting intoxicated."
"Anyway, Rumi, we love you!!! Take all the time you need to get better, we look forward to seeing you on stage again!!!"
"I told you." Mira smiles at her.
Rumi smiles slightly, looking at the screen.
Zoey scrolls further down, showing them posts of fans taking pictures with their stuffed animals and posting them under the hashtag #rumi'sstuffiearmy.
On that night, Mira and Zoey are in the kitchen isle making dinner while Rumi's on the couch cuddling Derpy, with Sussie perching on the backrest near them.
Rumi's still scrolling through the posts about the interview — there isn't a single negative comment about her.
The elevators door slide open. Before Rumi can turn around to see who it is, she already guesses it's Bobby and Celine.
"Hey, girls!" Bobby greets.
"Hi, Bobby!" Mira and Zoey reply in unison.
"Hi, Bobby!" Rumi joins in a little too late, but no one mentions it.
"I've watched the interview." Celine shares. "What a disrespectful host!" She hisses. "How are you doing, darling?" She sits next to Rumi, lovingly placing her hand on her knee.
"I'm okay." She replies, sincerely.
"Are you sure?" Bobby asks, concerned. "He crossed quite a few lines! I tried to get someone to intervene but no one knew what was going on; apparently he went off script." He's takes a few deep breaths, trying to not get taken over by anger. "Anyway, I'm pretty sure I can get that taken down if you want."
"It's okay, really. We've dealt with rude interviewers before." She says after taking a moment to process. "Besides, our fandom's pretty cool." She scrolls down her phone one more time.
"It's up to you." Celine leans foward to kiss Rumi's forehead.
Rumi purrs in response.
"You know, you can talk at the table just as easily as you can on the couch. Zoey and I spent two hours making dinner, so if it gets cold you're all still gonna eat it." Mira sasses while finishing setting the table and sitting down.
Rumi sticks out her tongue teasingly at her.
Mira gets up, resting her hands on her hips and raising a brow defiantly.
"Oh, Rumi's in trouble..." Zoey giggles.
Mira runs to her and throws her over her shoulder with ease.
"No! Celine, save me!" Rumi laughs, reaching her hand to her mother.
"I'm sorry, Rumi, you must deal with the consequences of your actions." Celine grims humorously.
"I'm gonna bite you!" Rumi threatens, unseriously.
"You wanna be back on the muzzle?" Mira jokes back, setting her down on the chair next to hers.
As they all settle down and get ready to eat, Rumi tries to grab the chopsticks just to realize her shaky hands can't grip them properly.
"I might need help." She admits, slightly embarrassed. "Please."
"Say no more!" Zoey exclaims, setting her own chopsticks down for a moment to pick up Rumi's.
The dinner is nice. Everyone is talking and laughing, Zoey is taking turns feeding herself and Rumi — occasionally stealing a bite as "payment" — they pause everytime Rumi's having trouble understanding what they say and patiently wait for her to get her words out when she has something to say.
By the end of it, Rumi's too tired to generate or process any words at all — a good kind of tired. She just leans into Zoey while purring and kneads on her lap, feeling Mira's hands massaging her scalp.
Once Celine and Bobby leave, Mira and Zoey guide Rumi to her bedroom — a recent achievement was being able to enter the room again.
"She's gone." Mira chuckles as they lay Rumi down in bed.
"Just like a kitty." Zoey coos. "Hey, Mira?"
"Yeah?"
"Do you think she'll ever be the same again?" She asks, caressing the bridge of Rumi's nose, who wrinkles her nose and grabs Zoey's wrist to nuzzle on it.
"I don't know." Mira confesses. "But hey, this isn't so bad, is it?"
"Not at all." Zoey smiles. "But I still worry sometimes. About people being mean or what will happen if we're not around to help her."
"We... We'll be... okay." Rumi mumbles, pulling Zoey down to the bed with her and snuggling her. "Sleep."
"You heard her." Mira tucks in both of the girls and then lays down on Rumi's other side. "We'll be okay."
"Yeah... We'll be okay." Zoey agrees. "I love you two."
"Love you." Mira replies.
Rumi grunts and sniffs both of the girls affectionately in response.
They'll be okay.