CELINE..? Oh hell yea😼😼😼… imagine after the events of the movie and some much needed therapy, Celine feels like she can start dating again after being single for basically the entirety of rumi’s life, so she downloads some dating apps and ends up matching with the reader!! They go out on a few dates and see each other for a couple of months before deciding to make things offical with each other, Celine is happier than she’s been in two decades..so the girls start getting suspicious and decide to drop by for a surprise visit to find out what the hell is going on
◆ INTERVIEW: Celine x gn!Reader
◆ TYPE: SFW, romantic
◆ DISCLAIMERS: Suggestive at the near end but they're not Doing it I swear
◆ NOTES: Okay no I was holding myself back but this was just TOO CUTE to think about and I Really wanted to try writing for her oldass HALLELUJAH
This woman has a LOT of healing to do after everything. Generational trauma of her own, the whole thing with Miyeong, having to not only raise a half-demon child (not even her own but moreso a ghost of one of her closest) that defied reality but to manage reinforcing and holding onto the Honmoon ON HER OWN since god knows where the last Sunlight Sisters member went, and then the whole breaking point with Rumi wanting Celine to kill her
It'll take time to not just parse it all, but to mend things between her and Rumi (and Zoey and Mira by proxy). And even then things wouldn't ever be the same anymore, not when Rumi starts to slowly accept her patterns and goes against that mantra that Celine herself has lived in for decades
But when she does seek out the help, when she does actually start to work on herself after the movie's events, she gradually feels lighter. All that responsibility she's had on her shoulders for so long to the point where it had put her completely off-kilter at the end with what was basically two steps away from what could've been the worst possible outcome? Slowly alleviated to the point where it actually feels like she can breathe
It gives her the awareness that she most definitely was not a good adult figure for Rumi (she still doesn't feel like she has the right to call herself Rumi's mother, not now, not ever) and that there are things she definitely screwed up, yes, but at least she has that sort of acceptance that has her opening up to a lot of stuff instead of trapping herself in a hole by her own self. THIS includes dating!!!!
Celine's been basically alone for god knows how long—even before Rumi, idol life doesn't really give you the allowance to date anyone unless you want to risk a scandal—so this woman has NO clue of where to actually start in this day and age. She doesn't understand the way the dating pool works and it is NOT like she has anyone to ask, certainly not the girls bc one it feels. Embarrassing. And two bc she's kinda trying not to get in their way; they're their own people, and they've proved that they're more than capable of their duties as Hunters (perhaps even more so than herself)
So she installs a dating app after searching up "how to start dating at an older age" 😭. However she DOES actually put a different name than her own. This woman still has a reputation—one word that Celine of Sunlight Sisters is putting herself up on the market? GAME OVER she'll be SWARMED and the girls'll KNOW and it is SO OVER for her. Plus in the case that whoever she matches with actually does know her? She doesn't want that to influence the person's feelings yk :( not when she's opening herself up to something genuine after so long
She wouldn't expect to get a lot of matches, which is Crazy bc her facecard is genuinely so fucking lethal. Using Hinge as my reference 😝 but the pictures she posts up is like. Mostly faceless pics, like pics of the environment, things she's made, maybe one of her studio 🙂↕️ and the only pic of HERSELF is. Well. She looks slightly confused, but with the angle she uses and the way she's basically a MASTER of the camera, even despite being basically retired, it looks so stylistic that it's hard NOT to swipe right at her or anything
She'd have EXTREMELY high standards, so when matches Do come in, when she talks to them and they say like One wrong thing she kinda Ghosts instantly. She's working on her black-and-white worldview, but her standards? That is Not changing. One wrong thing and she's gone Bye Bye! She's not afraid to call people out on it either 🤷♀️
This DOES mean that she's kinda not finding a lot of success with dating apps, however. Is she getting a lot of people? Sure. But whether it's smth they say or do, or maybe something's just ticking her off in particular, none of them just seem right. At some point she starts thinking that Maybe it's too late for her to date...........until she matches with you
Celine doesn't know why or how, but you haven't set off any warning bells in her head as you two talk. It actually has her feeling sceptical bc after constantly meeting disappointment left and right, you're actually the first person that she's actually looking forward to talking to??? It's a new feeling, strange and refreshing, and she doesn't actually know how to feel about it after guarding herself for so long
It's when the two of you actually organise a first date/meet tgt when she decides to see for herself whether you're someone she'll have to ditch like everyone else.. or risk getting close to
Celine is a restless person. Has been for a good majority of her life, for better or worse.
It wasn't like she was restless in the typical sense that she had to keep moving, though the moving did help alleviate it sometimes. It was the type of restlessness that helped her during her days as a Sunlight Sister, and the same type that accompanied her when it all fell apart after. Right now, even in the midst of learning to let go of the guard she desperately held onto like a lifeline, that restlessness refused to leave her.
But in this moment, she was restless because of something else. Someone new.
You.
It wasn't like she was clueless about romance—she could count the amount of dalliances and relationships she's had with one hand, but she still wasn't completely clueless—but it had been far too long (decades, perhaps) since she last dared to indulge without the overwhelming weight of duty and caution resting on her shoulders. Being guarded for so long, however, has changed her views and standards on a lot of things, and that included things such as whether someone was, as Zoey often says, a 'red flag' or a 'green flag'; she understood after a brief explanation, but it served as yet another reminder of how out-of-touch she now was while clinging onto tradition, the only thing she really had eyes on for perhaps far too long.
She was ready to give up on finding love in her old age, and yet there you were.
Matched.
And before she knew it, she told you her actual identity, for better or worse, and eventually she had organised a.. date with you.
(Not as if this was the first out of many dates she's ever attended through her search, but this was the first that made her feel that sort of restlessness, as if this was—you were—something important.)
Now here she was, standing outside of a classy restaurant that she had mentioned she liked in passing during one of your conversations before you proposed to make it the location for your first date—not a surprise, never a surprise, not when she had told you she has a particular dislike for surprises (though she doesn't tell you of the why). She was simply standing outside.. and she wanted to pace as thoughts clouded her mind.
They often did, it wasn't new, but they were particularly bothersome today despite its comparatively miniscule level of importance compared to the demons she had to slay and the tearing Honmoon she had to repair, amongst other things within that vein. No, instead it was little things—silly things—like where you were, and why you weren't here yet, and perhaps she got the time wrong (she didn't, she's checked multiple times and she was early), and if you decided to ditch her all along, and--
"Celine..?"
The call for her name snapped her back into focus and her body tensed as she swivelled around, her dress following the motion, to see.. you.
Just you. In your own formal attire.
(The woman was trying not to stare because come now, fawning over someone's looks as if she were still some teenager? Please.)
Her shoulders untensed incrementally and she spoke calmly enough, though her eyes had narrowed at your presence, "[Y/N]. I thought I've already addressed my dislike for surprises."
"I know that, but you were lost in your head. I tried to call out for you when I approached but you didn't respond," you explained matter-of-factly, like you weren't much bothered for her sudden frostiness. And as if that weren't enough, you added, "I know you mentioned not liking sudden movements in your line of sight either, so that was honestly the best I could do instead of waving a hand at your face."
..She did say that. And she was too wrapped up in her own thoughts to say anything.
Huh.
You had just called her out and stood your ground.
Her gaze watched you and the way you stood, waiting for her reply patiently rather than whimpering like a fool or getting completely defensive, and the tension seems to leave her body at the realisation of a lack of a threat. "Ah. I suppose I was.. out of sorts." And she bows her head lightly to you, "My apologies."
You simply waved it off with a chuckle, "Don't worry. I can get in my head a lot too. Wanna talk about it?"
She shakes her head, though she finds herself.. not automatically frowning or feeling some sort of tense pinching between her eyebrows for once, "No. It's nothing important."
She expected you to get invasive (though so far, really, she's been trying to expect the worst), but you simply hummed and nodded as if you understood, "Okay. More time for us then. Though speaking of... I thought I'd get here early to wait for you, but you got here earlier."
"..Yes."
"Cute." (Her? No.) "But why?"
Why did she come here earlier than she needed to? Because she was punctual? Because she no longer really needed to delay her departure to the last possible moment for the sake of watching over Rumi as much as possible? Because she was.. actually looking forward to meeting this one person who had her hopes up? Or maybe...
"I wanted to see if you would truly show yourself," Celine answers, and she can't help but look away despite her decades of experience with looking at unfavourable truths in the eye, whether it be the camera or impending doom, "or if I shouldn't bother to waste my time any further."
Because she doesn't have the time to really waste. Not when she's used it up for the sake of the world. Not when she pushed everyone and everything away with the fear that it'll all crumble if her faults and fears were ever seen if anyone got too close. And even now, even as she had worked tirelessly on herself and the prejudices that tradition had drilled into her at the cost of feeling, that instinct to push people—push you—away still held fast.
But instead, you just.. take a step closer. And then, you smiled at her reassuringly, your voice like a sudden drop of clarity in a rushing current of self-torment, "I don't want to waste time either, which is why I wanted to come here early. I wanted to get to know you beyond the screen, and I wanted to do it as soon as I could."
"But why? I'm sure there are others that'd be less.. difficult to get along with," the insecurity had slipped out on its own, and she didn't really have a heart to take it back—she wanted to know your answer.
And you give her that answer, "Because I like you," as if it were the simplest little thing in the world.
Yet it melted the rest of her tension in an instant. All that was left was her restlessness, but this was a different sort. A new form of restlessness.. or rather, that feels like the wrong term for it.
Eagerness. Eager to try.
..She hasn't felt that in decades.
From then on :( it is genuinely so smooth sailing :(. You have your first date, a dinner date at that restaurant, and from then on it kinda continues. Compared to everything else in life before therapy had her letting go of it, she felt so unbelievably pressured by everything. And yet being with you has been the least pressured she's ever felt which is crazy bc she honestly expected there to be at least SOME pressure. But there isn't. You happily accept what she gives you, and I think she'd REALLY appreciate it if you stood your ground with her too—she likes having that form of accountability check, esp when she can get too much sometimes
And yk what? She's honestly a really good gf!! This woman is UNBELIEVABLY attentive of you and your needs, even when you don't even know that you need smth. She doesn't express her affection with words a lot, she doesn't really trust herself to say the right thing at first, but she likes to express it through action and stuff
She'd also really adore kissing you, yes on the mouth but I mean particularly everywhere else. Forehead, cheek, knuckles, that kinda thing. Whenever she does, she also has this cute pink dusting her cheeks at first, though she tends to pretend it's not there HAHA
Being with you has been the happiest she's actually been, and honestly? That is a FIRST for any of the HUNTR/X members. Like, Zoey and Mira are asking Rumi if she's Ever seen Celine like this before—smiling softly at her phone, humming as she cleaned the house, that kind of thing. To which Rumi says No bc she is as shocked as they are 😭 like where did this COME FROM????
Are they glad for her? Yes! They are! They might still hold a little bit of animosity for her, but honestly that's just smth they'll all have to live with (esp Celine and Rumi) and they'd have made amends at this point so they CAN see kinda why she used to be Like That, so therefore they all generally agree that Celine deserves to be happy after basically also fighting her own battles for so long. So for them to see Celine genuinely happy was a GOOD thing......but also Really weird. And this trio 😭 is nothing but nosy 😭 they're like overgrown children 😭
"Are.. you sure it's okay to sneak in like this? I mean, I support whatever the two of you do," Zoey whispered as she watched Rumi slip the key into the lock, "but is this.. safe? This is Celine."
Mira, meanwhile, chuckled on Rumi's opposite side, "You say that, but this was your idea."
"There's a difference between ideas and reality, Mira--"
"Either way," Rumi cut in as the lock clicked, "it's a bit too late to turn back around."
"Rumi, acting brave doesn't work when you have patterns that act like your own personal mood ring."
"Yeahhh it's kinda doing this weird colour disco and usually that means you're thinking if this'll be worth the hit."
"And neither of you are helping with the commentary!"
"Sorry!" "Sor-- wait, do you hear that?"
The three of them quiet down as Rumi slowly, carefully opens the door so that the three of them could listen further in without actually going in, and sure enough.. they hear two voices—a distinctly breathless laugh, followed by a hum? ..Or a--
Zoey gripped onto Rumi's bicep as she rushed out with a hushed voice and wide eyes, "IS THAT CELINE?"
Mira easily mirrored Zoey with Rumi's other bicep, "Sounds like she's not alone either. Or she is and she's gone psycho."
Rumi straightened up, her girls following yet still holding onto her, "Oh, that's a completely different person. But what are they doing?"
"Two guesses on what's going on."
"I don't think I want to know."
"I do. She's been too.." Mira trailed off as she searched for the word, her eyes narrowed at the house's interior, "..happy lately."
"..And that's a bad thing?"
"Who knows, it's new territory. Either way, I want to know why."
"Celine might really kill us this time," Zoey shrugged, "but me too."
Rumi groaned, yet she chewed on her lip for a brief moment before sighing, "..Yeah, okay, me too. So.. going in?"
"Yep." "Mhm!"
And they all step in, following Rumi's lead as they sneak in closer to the sounds quietly resounding through the usually-quiet-and-empty halls of this house, their stances slightly crouched and their palms ready to summon their spirit weapons if need be.
They get quieter.. and closer.. and closer, to the living room...
"..taste so good, Celine..."
"No need to.. joke-- nh..."
"But I'm not..."
..and they peek at the figures on the couch from the doorway and--
"WHAT?!"
"GOD--" "FUCK--"
The two of you were in the midst of making out, with you bending down to kiss her from above as one of your hands had wandered to squeeze the skin of her waist as her shirt had ridden up, with the intention of exploring up even more. Celine, meanwhile, had a hand gripping your hip and another hugging around your upper back and pulling you in as close as possible.
Keyword: were.
Thanks to the sudden interruption, you were startled enough that your other hand, initially leaned beside Celine's head for balance, had slipped to the edge of the couch, causing you to slip and fall. Your lover does try to catch you, yes, but the ongoing fall causes the both of you to topple down together on the carpet with a dull thud.
The two of you and the mystery intruder with long, purple hair were all rendered to silence at the sudden event—the purple-haired woman noticeably cringing in a way that was akin to a child realising that maybe she screwed up a little—and two other figures, one tall with pink hair and one short with a derpy-looking cat hoodie, emerged from behind her with equally shocked faces.
"Who..?"
"Oh. My god." And Zoey's face brightens significantly at the realisation, "Celine's been happy because she's in love! Aww!"
"Wh-- buh--"
Mira elbowed their leader with a snort, the surprise overridden by her ridiculous reactions, "You sound like a gaping fish."
"I-- I HAVE A RIGHT TO SOUND LIKE A--"
"Rumi."
"YES, CELINE?"
"What was so important that you needed to come here without further notice?"
"ISN'T THIS MY HOUSE TOO?? It's not like I was expecting to see you with someone's tongue in your--"
"RUMI!"
"I'M SORRY."
Celine pinches the bridge of her nose as she gets up from the floor, but then she hears the start of a laugh coming out of you from beside her.. and she can't help but--
"Mira, is that Celine smiling?"
"Without the cameras? That's a first."
She narrowed her eyes, "Do you have something to say?"
"Nope." "NO ABSOLUTELY NOT. QUIET AS A MOUSE."
It is then, that you get up yourself and looked between your girlfriend and the trio of colourful (literally) characters, "I'm guessing these are the girls you mentioned. They seem fun."
"They.. yes. I suppose," Celine sighed, a touch of fondness to her tone. She doesn't quite lean into your side, not while they were here, but she moves her hand so that your pinkies touch. "They can be nuisances like this, but.. I find that it's not so bad."
When introductions are made, Rumi is still Shellshocked, Mira is amused, Zoey is absolutely BUZZING and Celine is tired (in an affectionate way). It's not like she wasn't planning to introduce them to you, but.........she kinda.......wasn't planning on doing so until like Later on in case it really doesn't pan out..................and MAYBE it'd be kind of like a "you didn't ask" sort of thing............listen the woman is Basically new to the whole relationship thing okay 😭 they're mindboggled at how you've been going strong for months without saying anything though
As much as the trio's reactions are certainly a mix, however, the general consensus is that they're actually really happy for her!! Honestly you seem really good for her, and they've found that she's been smiling more often, or at the very least her expression feels more at peace compared to the rest of the time they've known her. ESPECIALLY Rumi, as someone who's basically been RAISED by her, bc through her whole life it felt like Celine had that sort of distance or wall she couldn't pass through. But as of late, it doesn't feel like it's there anymore. Sure the therapy and recovery DEFINITELY helped a lot, but since you two started your relationship and before she found out, she couldn't put her finger on it but Celine feels more.....open now yk? She's genuinely proud and happy for her :( and they have a little bonding moment over it
You end up being like? The second unofficial parent? The first unofficial dad is OBVIOUSLY Bobby and this is NOT a polycule but you're like the other fun parent that they keep wanting to hang out with to see why Celine likes you AND just bc genuinely they just wanna hang w you when they're not busy. Celine, for her part, is actually relieved that the girls get along with you. They're not her children, ofc not, but she's been mentoring them for a good while that it feels somewhat close to that (even if she didn't want to face that fact before). She doesn't realise it, but it's actually the final confirmation within her that has her going "ah. You're the one", even if she speaks of them like they're nuisances (affectionately)
Overall :3c everyone's happier for it yk :3c and also it's all so amusing but :3c treat her well okay!!!