It's all wonderful. Zoey Mira meeting Rumi and immediately helping her. The Abusive Celine turning into CELINE REDEMPTION, Rumi being a feral hunter that Just Wanted Celine To Look At Her For Once, angst, hurt, comfort, more angst, and even more angst with happy ending! VERY happy ending!!!!
Okay, so I spoke with the author, and while they said they were okay with the post staying up, it felt wrong of me to keep it up the way it was, so this is OUR little secret, okay? Anyone who asked to be notified when this comes out, still will, promise!
When Rumi was a child, Celine was scared, so scared of who she might become. Afraid of the possibility of her father's heritage shining. As she grew, though, she was oh so human.
-
She is so small in Celine's arms. She looks like any other baby, save for the little purple tufts atop her head. Hard to believe her father is who he is.
She is asleep, and her eyes are closed, but Celine knows that those eyes belong to her mother. The warm brown, the kind of eyes that make you want to be good, the kind of eyes that can reach even a demons heart.
Ji-ho died for her Soleil, a demon died for her, and his sacrifice still wasn't enough. She is still immortalized as stone. Trapped far below. She wanted to fly, she always said.
"When I die, I'm going to fly. Join the birds as the wind." She'd said it so wistfully, in a way that told Celine this was something precious being put in her hands.
Celine shrugged and added, "When I die, I think I'll still be as trapped as I am now." It's more bitter than Celine intends.
Mi-yeong looks at Celine, now, head tilted, "Yeah?"
Celine hums, "Yeah."
Neither of them speak for awhile after that, Celine thinks that's all there is to say, but then Mi-yeong grabs her hand. It's soft and a little cold, and when she squeezes down, "How about you join me in the wind instead?"
She wanted to fly, and Celine took that from her because she's a horribly selfish woman. If she could fly, then she could fly away from Celine. Down there, she is always with her. She hopes Mi-yeong isn't too angry with her for that. Maybe she can make it up to her with her care for Rumi
Rumi, this tiny, precious thing. This is Mi-yeong's daughter. This is Celine's treasure. Celine will keep her safe, no matter what, no matter who her father is. Was.
She wonders, how much of Ji-ho is in Rumi? Celine doesn't want it to matter, but it probably will. After all, Celine is a horribly selfish woman.
/
Rumi is five and too young to know Celine's tales of demons as anything more than tales. Rumi is five and too young to know who Ji-ho is.
Rumi is five and hasn't shown anything exceptionally demon, maybe a bit odd, but nothing demonic. She is a child still, she may grow out of these oddities or maybe when she's older Celine will teach her what to show the media, but no matter what, under her roof Rumi can be herself.
Rumi is five and acts more like Celine than Mi-yeong's daughter should. She looks more like her mother every day, though.
That doesn't make up for what Celine has stolen.
The girl is human.
She is not a demon. She isn't like her father. The thought sickens her as soon as she has it.
Rumi is human. She is almost sure that. How could she not be human when she acts so much like one? How could she not be when her plate has to have trains on it? That is the pickiness of a human child. How could she not be when Celine has to tuck her in at night, or else she'll have nightmares? That is the childish fear of a human girl. How could she not be when there are no patterns marring her skin, marking her as not?
She is human, and the relief underwhelming when put next to Celine's ever present, all consuming guilt.
"'Line! 'Line! 'Line!" A little voice chants and her focus snaps to Rumi. She presents her now empty snack plate to Celine, "all done!" Ever so politely. The girl is so mild mannered, and Celine is grateful, her precious thing could be as bratty and spoiled as she wanted to be and Celine would love her, but Celine enjoys being saved the headache.
Celine sighs and smiles, "All done, huh? Good girl. Let's get this clean up and then we can do something fun, okay?"
/
Rumi is eight, and no patterns are present. Celine is sure they won't show up now, not as she's happily showing Celine her saingeom.
Such a loaded, powerful sword, fit for a hunter.
Rumi is eight, and the honmoon has chosen her as it's Gladiator. Celine is sure Rumi can not be a demon, not when the honmoon clearly loves her. She is eight.
She is a child, Celine wasn't even chosen until she was fourteen, she didn't fight until much later.
Her precious girl is eight years old, and Celine can not protect her.
She wanted to keep Rumi from everything. Not hide it. No she can not hide it when Celine is the last hunter fighting, not when Celine will have to train the next generation. She still hoped to keep Rumi separate. Keep her safe. She cannot do that if Rumi is to be a hunter.
It leaves Celine sick to her stomach. She cannot celebrate this first summoning, not when it marks Rumi as something other than a little girl. She is now part of something bigger than a little girl should be.
Celine swallows down the rising bile and vows, if she cannot protect Rumi, she will turn Rumi into the best hunter so she protect herself.
Even if that means erasing Ji-ho.
Celine is old and mature enough now to admit he was her friend, that matters less than Rumi's safety.
/
Rumi is fifteen now and has been dressing more and more conservative over the past few years. She wears nothing but hoodies lately. Celine is worried.
Maybe the media is too much for her. She knows what it's like to be a teenager with one too many eyes on her, eyes that all hold too many opinions.
It's not just the clothes. She's so withdrawn now. Her little precious girl, who used to talk her ear off barely says anything anymore.
She's pulling away. It reminds Celine of Mi-yeong when she met Ji-ho.
Celine is worried.
/
"Rumi, you have to let me see. You're bleeding." This is ridiculous, Celine wants to shout but knows she shouldn't. The internet says yelling at teens who are struggling only pushes them away.
Maybe just talking to them does to.
Rumi shakes her head.
She doesn't want to push, but Rumi isn't giving her much of a choice. "Rumi. Show me your wound and let me dress it. I'm not asking." She tries not to sound aggressive while staying firm. She probably failed.
She definitely failed, Rumi gets impossibly tense, and snaps, "I can fucking do it myself, back off Celine! I'm not gonna die on you over something that probably barely needs stitches. Stop looking at me like you're seeing my mom instead!" She doesn't mean it, probably. All the parenting books say teenagers get mean. It still hurts.
She gets up and snatches the first aid kit before hurrying to her room. Celine pretends not to see her winces of pain, Celine pretends not to see her limp, Celine pretends not to jump when Rumi's door slams.
She only hopes the commotion didn't wake Mira, the girl is barely getting settled.
It's the first time Rumi has yelled at her, or anyone, maybe.
Anger is so horribly human.
It's horribly animal to snap when backed into a corner.
Celine scolds herself for the thought, Rumi is human.
/
The girls have debuted and Rumi is eighteen now. Her girl, their girl, all grown up.
Huntr/x is an overnight success almost. The time and effort the girls put into it all paying off, Celine couldn't be prouder. She's also glad that she has the power to protect them from harsher parts of the industry, parts of the industry no one protected the sunlight sisters from.
They have a policy, Rumi reports back through text every other day. tells her anything and everything she can think of. If she misses a report Celine has the right to show up. She also has to text after hunts, let Celine know they're still breathing and catalog any injury.
Rumi hasn't been injured since that night. Celine believes it more likely that Rumi just hasn't let an injury be noticed since that night. Rumi seemed to start getting better. She still wore hoodies, but she started smiling and telling Celine everything she knew about the stars again.
Ding!
Huh, it's late, who'd message now?
Mon trésor: Celine.
Mon trésor: I love you.
That's... worrying. When Rumi was struggling, the internet always said messages like that were a red flag.
Celine's pulse spikes.
The honmoon feels uneasy too.
She calls Rumi.
The ringing feels like it takes an eternity
"Hello?"
The tension melts from Celine in an instant. "Evening, I love you too Rumi, but..." she has to think for a moment, "what brought the sudden affection on?"
"Oh."
"..."
"I just missed you, I guess."
She's fine... Celine is just paranoid. "I miss you, too. The house is all too empty without the three of you making a mess of it.." Celine tries to be playful and laugh, but it's true. She misses the girls. She hasn't been alone since she was younger than them.
"Celine, when you say you love me. Do you mean it?"
"Of cours-"
"Do you? Unconditionally. No matter what."
Is she trying to come out? Celine is prepared for that. She'd be hypocritical to scorn Rumi for being queer.
"Yes, Rumi, nothing you could do would make me love you less." She says it genuinely, she means.
"Even if I was a demon?"
What. What? Did she find out? How did she- nononononono.
Celine hangs up.
Rumi is human.
Me: sorry for the suddenly hanging up.
Me: that was a bit of an inappropriate question.
Me: You're a hunter, Rumi. I'm a hunter, we are hunters.
Mon trésor: Right, I'm sorry.
Mon trésor: It was a pretty messed up hypothetical.
/
It's been six years since their debut, the girls are getting close, Celine sees the shimmers of gold. Their tour just ended. After their break, it's time.
Rumi doesnt show any skin anymore. Head to toe, she's always covered.
Fans are concerned, Mira and Zoey are concerned, Celine is concerned.
Too bad she's never been good at telling Rumi that.
/
She feels a demon, she can just sense it.
When she turns around, sickle held out at the beast, the honmoon is upset. Why?
Magenta, angry, glowing patterns.
Magenta, angry, glowing patterns and...Rumi?
She has patterns, Rumi has patterns.
It could a trick a demon pretending, but deep down, Celine knows. She knows her daughter Rumi.
She knew she knew back then that this was possible, but the window of time... this wasn't supposed to happen. Not now.
Rumi stalks closer, and Celine can't help but instinctually tense. Then she stops short of Celine, and she can't help but relax.
"I thought... I thought I had time, but I don't. I can't fix it. I can't fix it. Celine, please, you have to fix it!" The honmoon ripples as if there's been a tear.
Celine wonders what 'fix it means' but then Rumi drops to her knees and summons her saingeom.
"Celine, please... do it." Her voices is so... small, and broken. It makes Celine sick to hear. She shouldn't sound like that.
All she can do is stand there and watch.
Rumi shudders through a breath, Celine realizes she's holding back tears.
Her grip on the blade tightens, Celine sees the blood slip down from her palms. She pushes the sword up higher, dips her head lower. Rumi begs, "Please, Celine, I'm hurting the honmoon! Can't you see? You saw! please!" She's pleading for her death. She's pleading for her death. How could her treasure want that? How could she think Celine would do it?
She can't stand it anymore. She drops down to the dirt with Rumi and throws the sword from her hands. "No. Rumi, I won't hurt you. We can figure this out, just... tell me please what happened?"
Celine pleads and holds Rumi, praying a hug is enough to hold the broken pieces of both of them together
Rumi swallow and holds back tears, Celine wishes she could tell Rumi it was okay to cry, but then she'd be a hypocrite.
She scrambles out of Celine's hold, violent, rockets herself backward. Her clothes are stained with dirt, shame, that was a nice stage outfit.
She stumbles up and reaches for her sword, but Celine is faster.
Rumi could just dematerialize it and summon it again, she's unsure she's thinking clearly enough to know that.
"Celine, please! I, I need you to fix it! Zoey and Mira saw." She lets out a small desperate sob that guts Celine. "They know too...please please I never ask you for anything, just this once!" You'll never get to ask me for anything again, if I grant you this wish, is all Celine can think.
Rumi hunches over and claws dig into her forearms, and Celine wants to tell her to stop, tell her not hurt herself.
"They know! Zoey and Mira know and... please, I couldn't die with them looking at me like that. I dont want to die like a demon!" The girls grip on herself tightens and Celine can see the blood.
"PLEASE, I'm not a demon, I've had...patterns, but I'm not a demon!" Rumi looks up, her expression is so upset, and Celine can't fix it. "Celine, Celine, Celine, I'm not a demon. You can still love me! If you love me, please kill me!"
Her cries are so desperate, each one cutting through Celine. Oh, how could her girl be hurting this bad?
'I'm not a demon.' You are one, though. 'So you can still love me.' I'd never not love you.
This is all Celine's fault. She takes a step forward and can only whisper, "I'm sorry."
Celine swallows down a lump in her throat, "I'm so sorry, Rumi. This isn't... I... this is who you are."
The reaction is instant, "it's not! Please don't tell me it is! I'm a hunter! Like you, like mom, PLEASE!" It's messy and desperate and possibly the most emotional Celine had ever seen her.
Celine sighs and stops her own tears from falling. Rumi needs her.
"Rumi, your mom was a hunter you are a hunter. Your father however..." Celine trails off. Celine didn't know demons could care so deeply, be so charming. Ji-ho was a good man, despite it all, despite what he is.
He was so excited to start a family with them, Celine and Tae-hee's involvement never bothered him, Celine asked why once he just said, "Why would I be upset with a big family?"
He considered them apart of his family.
And Celine just... threw that away.
Erased him from his daughter's life, stole the humanity he fought so hard to earn, for them to see.
He was a good man.
Celine thought it was for the best.
This proves it wasn't.
"Your father was the most human demon I'd ever seen, but he was still a demon." It's sounds abrasive, like an accusation. It's not meant to be one.
Rumi just sobs and cries out unintelligible words.
Celine hopes they aren't more pleas for death.
"I'm so sorry Rumi..." Celine breathes out.
Her precious girl, her sweet kind girl.
When she collapses back into the ground, Celine follows. Dropping down to hold Rumi.
She wishes this wasn't happening in front of Mi-yeong.
Her clothes get sullied, by tears, snot, and saliva, but that's okay, there's been grosser. Babies are gross.
"Celine.." Rumi's voice is quiet and hoarse. Her throat no doubt raw from the violent tears. Celine hums
Rumi's arms wrap around her, fingers tightening into her clothes, like she was a child again.
"Celine, you have to do it... I'm a monster... you have to do it so Mira and Zoey can take on the other demons..." she's so hyperfocused on death, like its the solution to everything.
Celine clutches Rumi and shakes her head. How does she fix this? How does she convince rumi to stay alive?
"Mira and Zoey can't do it without you. Hunters come in three for a reason, and they're unprepared for the amount demons. With the honmoon so broken... I'm not even sure it can be repaired." Celine takes a deep breath, "your sword? What's left of the honmoon is with you. You have a duty."
It's probably wrong to tell her about duty and honor right now, but it's the only thing Celine can think of to keep her alive.
"Come back when you've fixed this, okay? Go and fix this, then come and find me." She feels Rumi nods against her chest.
They disentangle silently, Rumi grabs her saingeom and disappears into smoke.
Maybe saving the world will prove to Rumi she deserves to live. Celine wishes she taught Rumi that from the beginning.
Stay alive, my precious girl, is all Celine thinks, staring where Rumi just was.
/
It's been two days, and Celine hasn't heard from Rumi, but there's a new honmoon, and it feels so... alive. It's strong and healthy and unburdened by the grief of the old one. She hasn't heard from Rumi, but she can feel her, feel she's alive. That's enough for now.
/
It's been a week since that night by the tree, Celine can't sleep because she keeps having nightmares where does it, or Rumi takes matters into her own hands or-
There's a knock at her door, she is exhausted, she doesn't want to deal with anyone.
She gets up anyways.
When she opens the door, there's Rumi, alive, healthy, but her face is screwed up into that same distressed expression of that night.
Her patterns are different.
Celine can't breathe for a moment.
She steps aside, lets Rumi in, and leads her to the table. "Sit down, would you?"
It's meant to be innocent, friendly, but Rumi's brows furrow in confusion, mouth opening and closing. She finally settles on something to say, "we really shouldn't do this in the house. It will make a mess."
Do this? What, talk? How- oh. She still thinks... she still thinks she should die.
Celine feels sick
This is all her fault.
"Rumi, sit down." It's an order, a command. Rumi has always been good at following those, so she sits.
Heaving a heavy sigh, "I'll make tea, you wait right there," she gestures at Rumi.
She sits and stares at Celine with this confused expression, and Celine can't look at her. She thinks she's here for Celine to kill her. How twisted would that be? To kill Rumi in her childhood home, with her favorite tea brewing? That's only minusculely better than doing so in front of her mother's grave.
Her favorite tea is brewing, or is it Celine's favorite tea? She was always trying to mimic her growing up, it was hard to tell if she liked something because Celine did or if she genuinely enjoyed it.
Did Celine not know Rumi? Did Celine erase Rumi and replace her with herself like she did to Ji-ho?
Celine is a horribly selfish woman.
She pours the tea into cups and brings them to the table, sets Rumi's in front of her. It's her favorite, from when she was a child, there's a train wrapping around its perimeter. For a moment, she fears it was a bad choice, but then Rumi's eyes land on it, and while her shoulders are still as tense has before, the corners of her lips are quirked up in a not quite smile.
Celine takes a sip, Rumi follows.
They stare at each other, drinking their tea in silence, the worlds most awkward staring contest.
She rubs her thumb along the cups rim, "How are Zoey and Mira? I saw a recording of the Namsam tower event. It seemed to be an intense fight." It's a start.
Rumi nibbles at her lip as if chewing on the question. "They're... okay? We're not- we- there's a lot that needs worked on. But physically? Fine. Neither of them got any serious injuries then... I would've told you."
She wondered if she would have told her had she sustained a major injury.
When Rumi huffs, it's frustrated and indignant. It reminds Celine of a time before Rumi's world became about training and demons. "Celine, why are we putting this off? This last meal thing... it's twisted. Please... just... kill me."
Celine clenches her jaw, they're doing this now. Okay. "Why? Are you in a hurry? I have time, you clearly have the time considering you're about to die, according to you."
Oh if looks could kill.
"Because I don't have time! I'm supposed to be home for movie night in a few hours!" She stands with her words, chair screeching, her palms slam on the table and it splashes tea out of the cup.
Celine pretends to think, "Then why are you here? You have something to do later. It's rude to skip plans, Rumi."
Rumi is angry or at least frustrated. That's good. She'll choose her words less carefully. Celine will be able to know what to say.
"I can't be at movie night! I can't! I can't pretend to be human," her eyes look anywhere but at Celine. "I can't play dress up as someone who deserves popcorn and soft blankets and predictable plots," She sighs and flops back down in her chair.
bowing her head and staring into her tea, she delivers Celine's final straw, "I can't pretend I deserve them even after lying for so long," she sighs "I can't pretend to be someone who should be alive..."
Celine sets down her tea and pushes it aside. Getting up from her chair, she rounds the table and kneels in front of Rumi.
"Rumi. You feel you don't deserve to be with Zoey and Mira? You are one part of a whole. You girls... you're connected. Your death would rip out a piece of them with it." Celine remembers the emptiness, the burning, the honmoons anguish. Celine hasn't felt fully alive since then.
Rumi opens her mouth to protest, Celine is faster, cutting her off with a hand on her check. "Losing your mother... it, it tore me and Tae-hee apart. Hunters... you need all three for a reason," Celine pushes down the part of her that protests this vulnerability. Rumi needs this.
"What kept me alive after losing them... was you. You are my sweet, precious, girl. My angel." Celine can see Rumi roll her eyes. "No, you are. Ironic, considering half your heritage, but... you are my angel. My north star. When I lost direction, when nothing mattered, not even my duty as a hunter... you did. You need me. You kept me alive."
Celine pauses, watches Rumi take this information in. She opens mouth her mouth, closes it and bites her lip, allowing Celine to keep going.
She brushes her thumb across her sweet girls face, "I was a guardian where you needed a mother. I thought... I thought turning you into the best hunter would save you" she was wrong. "I thought if I could just... keep you safe, alive it would be okay. I thought in order to do that, I had to keep this part of you secret, even from yourself..." oh so wrong.
Celine felt tears prick her eyes, "I know... because of me, you think you're a monster. You are not. Your father? He was good, he was a good man. He was so kind, a bit of a dork, but most importantly... he loved." He loved like he breathed. He loved everything, but he loved wind and stars the most.
She shook her head lightly, this was about Rumi. "Half demon does not make you less human. You are so human, Rumi, you are so terrifyingly human."
Celine heaved a heavy sigh, "Rumi, if you cannot live for yourself. Live for your girls, for me, and over time, we'll teach you live for yourself, but please..." She can not hold her tears anymore.
"Please stay alive," she cries through it, humiliating, but maybe it made her point further.
Rumi throws herself into her, and it feels backwards that she's trying to keep Rumi from suicide yet Rumi ends up holding her through tears.
She feels Rumis head against the back of her head. "Okay," Rumi agrees in whispers, "I'm sorry, Maman." Rumi holds her tight, Celine holds her back tight enough to crush.
"Promise me!" Celine hisses it out, quiet and wavering with tears.
"I promise."
"Promise what?"
"I promise, I won't die."
And Celine? Shatters. Her tears turn to sobs. Ugly and loud, her body shakes with decades of pent up fear and grief. She apologizes to ghosts long dead, she repents for all her mistakes, old and new. She prays for a better future.
Rumi holds her through it all. Celine is so relieved Rumi is alive for Celine to make it up to her later for it.
Rumi is alive and Ji-ho's daughter and human and demon. The most important one is she is alive.
The struggle of appreciating your own fic after you've posted it. I made that story for ME and I can't even enjoy it
Hi, different anon here! Have you considered changing the font of the fic and then reading while drunk/tipsy/high/severely sleep deprived? Huuuuge game changer, trust me.
😂😂😂😂😂
I will DEFINITELY have to try that some time. That sounds like a blast. I can imagine I would enjoy that more. Probably while drunk, or sleep deprived for sure, but I KNOW I'd have a bad experience reading my fic when high, because each time I get high, I think I'm literally dying, lmao. I would probably try biting my own arm, honestly. I have some insane trips. There's a bit of author lore drop for you.
in response to your writing feeling rookie, I genuinely don't think so! I was constantly like snapping my fingers (in my head lol) about how nice the flow is. like, everything was easy to follow, and I never got lost on what you were trying to convey. very good shit!!
Well... Wow, I am speechless... This is- this is so nice 🥹🥹🥹
Like, literally, thank you anon, this made my night! 💕💕💕💕💕
Honestly never thought I'd get an anon message either, so that was also a very pleasant surprise, lol. I've always wanted one, haha! No joke, even before I wrote anything for this fandom. Idk what the appeal is to me.
You know what, a very specific fanfic of mine I'd like to recommend to the Polytrix masses, is this one. Because I think everyone should cry about Rumi and her teddy bear 🧸
That, and I'm particularly proud of it. Despite how short it is, lol
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
Never thought I would get my fic recommended and I've been recommended TWICE (from what I know of, anyways). I feel so honored T^ T
Like, I know Festering, Itching, Biting 100% is decently written, but it still feels rookie to me, lol. It is rookie writing, that's my first ever actual full length fic, lmao. And rookie writing isn't bad, btw, everyone had to start somewhere!!!
Love y'all, genuinely wouldn't have finished writing that story without the Polytrix fandom!
Fanart of 'Pull me to the ground' by SomethingLikeSawyer
Context to those who didn't read (GO READ IT!!!):
Zoemira pick up Rumi at a bar, and in a later chapter are comparing their checklists of preferences and kinks for future hookups.
Rumi as a character is pathologically ignorant to her own needs and is very confused by the concept of partners checking if she's okay after hours of making her beg and cry
GOD PLEASE THIS ART IS AMAZING!!!!! GO READ YHIS FIC! It’s so so so so so fucking hot, the first chapter and third are the hottest things ever and I can not wait until more chapters drop because holy fuck
Rumi does not know how to take care of herself emotionally and is like super distanced and closed off
dededos
theartofmadeline
snowghoul
ellievsbear
tangentwithtanner
titsay
origamiaround
