Chapter Text
Being famous and having a famous girlfriend isn’t always nice and easy. Rumi loves Mira, of course she does. But she doesn’t love it when Mira’s shoots run late and she’s left waiting in Mira’s dressing room for hours on end because some director still isn’t satisfied with the pictures he is taking of Mira. It’s never Mira’s fault, she’s gorgeous every day and can pull off any concept she wants. Rumi knows this director, and has had the misfortune of working with him before. She’s going to have to wait another hour at the very least.
Rumi has already finished all of the episodes of a series she downloaded to watch. Sure, she could turn on the TV and use the streaming services available, but that’s not the same. She’s been texting a few people for the last hour, desperately looking for something entertaining. Almost everyone she’s texted is unavailable or in a whole other timezone and not eager to text with her.
So that leaves social media. Her guilty pleasure. Rumi tries not to be online too much. She’s set a certain amount of time for herself that she can be online for every day. But well, this is an emergency. She’s bored and waiting for her girlfriend and whatever, she’s a grown ass woman. If she wants to doomscroll a little on twitter, she can.
At least a dozen accounts tweet at Rumi or quote-retweet something she’s posted, every three seconds. When she had just debuted and opened her account Rumi would obsessively check everything. It didn’t matter if it was a comment from a spam account or a comment saying something mean. She’d check it out and fight the urge to reply if it was negative. Of course there had also been plenty of supporters back then but it had been hard for Rumi to look past the negativity and at the positivity.
She got better at it the longer she was in the industry. Ignoring and blacklisting a lot of words from her settings helped. Muting notifications worked wonders and once she implemented time limits to using social media apps things only improved more.
That doesn’t mean she ignores everything . Every now and again Rumi will indulge herself and let curiosity take over. Just a quick peek at the latest messages involving her.
Someone has tweeted directly at her. The message was posted less than ten seconds ago. Rumi taps on the first few words to get access to the rest, her eyes scanning the text as she reads the message.
pear says STREAM GOLDEN DELUXE NOWWW
@officialryurumi queen have you ever watched @keyboardbreakerzoey ‘s streams? shes like OBSESSED with you and mira… im watching her rn and shes been talking about u two for five minutes and chanting a mantra about getting wins for you.. SEND HER HELP.
Okay, that’s a little silly. And concerning . Rumi has dealt with obsessive fans in the past and she wasn’t a big fan. Mira too, has had her fair share of fans who got a little too comfortable with her. But well, checking this so-called keyboard breaker out and seeing if she’s actually a problem Bobby and her social media team need to deal with, can’t hurt.
Rumi taps the mentioned user and is brought to her profile.
ZOEY
🐢⌨️ ||
i love rumira
Zoey. 25. Burbank born and bred. Top 100 Rengar player in the world. Currently in Seoul for my South-Korea challenger arc. Streaming every day if not every other day.
Okay, so her name is Zoey. Being 25 makes her six years younger than Rumia and seven years Mira’s junior. She’s got her and Mira’s shipname in her profile name but there aren’t any other redflags. Yet . Rumi scrolls down to the pinned comment which has more of Zoey’s details, including links to her current streaming platform. There are other links but those have a large red cross emoji behind them. All the way down in the comment there is a section that explains the emoji means she’s currently banned from streaming on those platforms. It’s quite a lot of red crosses.
Her latest tweet is underneath the pinned one. It’s a link to her profile on her latest streaming platform.
@keyboardbreakerzoey just went live!
She’s live and ready to get some wins, or so the message goes anyway.
Watching streams isn’t something Rumi has ever really done. She doesn’t have the spare time to sit down and watch the news most of the time. Plus she gets more enjoyment out of watching a series or a movie but today isn’t going according to plan. So sure, why not watch a stream of someone who dubs herself the biggest RuMira fan. She does like that shipname, it’s cute and works well.
Rumi taps the most recent link, which was posted a little over ten minutes ago. She’s redirected to a streaming platform and quickly accepts cookies and continues as a guest without logging in or creating an account. She’s bored and she just wants a quick peak at whoever this Zoey is.
She’s met with a screen showcasing some kind of lobby for the game Zoey is going to stream, League of Legends. In the corner of the screen there’s a live video of Zoey, who has just started another monologue. Rumi gets settled on the couch and listens to what the streamer has to say.
‘Today I am going to get to Master guys, trust me,’ Zoey tells the camera. She nods in determination as she clicks on the queue button. ‘I’m going to climb out of Diamond. And I am dedicating all of my kills and wins to Rumi and Mira.’
None of the terms Zoey just used make any sense to Rumi. But Zoey seems excited and is smiling confidently and well, Rumi rarely turns down gifts or tributes to her. There is still no sign of Mira so Rumi decides she’ll watch the stream and more particularly, Zoey, for a while longer.
It takes a few minutes for Zoey to find a match. Rumi watches on as Zoey rapidly types in Korean and is met with a few replies from her teammates. She asked them for a link to a performance website and a few of them respond. Zoey censors out their names as she takes a look at their stats and is seemingly satisfied.
There’s a slight hiccup when her teammates refuse to pick something that synergizes as a whole but Zoey gives in and picks something else. Rumi is still confused about just what exactly she’s spectating, but Zoey seems pumped up and she’s fun to listen to.
When Zoey is invaded by the enemy team in her own jungle but secures First Blood anyway, the streamer whoops and jumps out of her chair for a few seconds to celebrate. Then she sits back down and is focusing on the game again. But not before pointing at the camera and with a deadpan expression says, ‘That was for Rumi and Mira. I fucking love you.’
That’s… sweet . Rumi settles on the word sweet as a descriptor because she has no clue what other word could possibly make sense here.
Rumi finds herself quietly cheering for Zoey and her team as they contest the drake their enemies are trying to take down. Zoey is screaming at the top of her lungs and Rumi actually has to lower her volume.
The door to Mira’s room swings open and Mira walks through the opening. Rumi sits up a little straighter. With a final glance at the stream-- Zoey’s team stole the drake-- she puts her phone down and beams at Mira.
‘Honey, I’m home,’ Mira jokingly greets as she struts up to the couch Rumi is sitting on. She sits down next to Rumi, sighing happily when she finally is off her feet. ‘I’m ex- haaauuusted .’
‘All done with your shoot?’ Rumi asks as she pecks Mira on the cheek.
Mira hums. ‘Yes, finally . I’m sorry for making you wait, sweetheart.’
Rumi shakes her head, smiling when she links her arm through Mira’s. ‘Waiting for you is no problem at all, Mira. You know this. Besides, I was watching someone streaming a game. It was interesting. Apparently she’s doing something called “grinding” to get to a higher rank. And she’s dedicated all of her wins and kills to us.’
‘Oh, has she now?’ Mira asks, eyebrows raised. ‘Wait, I think I might know who you’re talking about. Korean-American, cute and bubbly?’
‘That’s her,’ Rumi confirms. She pulls out her phone and taps at the screen, then hands the device to Mira. ‘Zoey. She’s apparently living in Seoul right now. It’s got something to do with the game and how it’s played here or something?’
Mira nods along as she inspects the screen. ‘Yeah, that’s her alright. People have mentioned her to me before. She’s a big fan of both of us. As individuals and as a couple.’
People that are fans are nothing new. And neither are shippers. Though Rumi wonders if it’s still shipping when she and Mira are actually together and have been for years. After watching Zoey for almost an hour, Rumi now indeed is sure that Zoey loves both her and Mira. She lost track of how many times Zoey mentioned them by name. It was honestly impressive how well she could multitask talking about the two girlfriends while also focusing on a fast paced game.
‘Well, she’s cute,’ Rumi eventually says. ‘Entertaining to watch and listen to. Even if she does talk about us a lot. Not to mention just how many times she curses in a single sentence. It’s impressive, actually.’
Mira doesn’t say anything. She merely arches a single brow that has Rumi giggling.
‘Shut up, don’t look at me like that. I’m just going to keep an eye on her. Just gonna follow her with a throwaway and see what happens.’
By the time the two of them leave Mira’s private room, they're both following @keyboardbreakerzoey ‘s twitter from their own individual alternate accounts.
-----
The next day Romance decides to go easy on Mira, letting her go only one hour later than she was supposed to be done. Rumi suggests going out for dinner but Mira declines, instead suggesting ordering in. Rumi happily agrees
Rumi has just finished taking a long and relaxing bath. She’s still toweling her hair dry as she enters their living room, eyeing Mira on the couch. Her girlfriend is lounging around, expression calm as she is scrolling through her phone. Rumi smiles as she walks over to Mira and sits down on the other end of the couch.
‘Nice bath?’ Mira asks as she glances at Rumi for a moment. ‘Sorry for not joining you.’
‘It’s okay. We would’ve never gotten out again,’ Rumi replies. She takes out a nail file from her bathrobe pocket and begins to work on her nails. ‘Anything fun going on?’
Mira scoots a little closer to Rumi. ‘Nothing in particular. I was just scrolling through twitter. Actually, I am a little curious about what our biggest fan is up to. She should be streaming again soon.’
Rumi bumps her shoulder against Mira’s, side-eying Mira’s phone and feed as Mira goes to the search bar. Mira types out Zoey’s details and pulls up her page. A post has been made just minutes ago.
ZOEY
🐢⌨️ ||
i love rumira
no stream tonite or tomorrow. got permabanned. literally one win away from reaching 200 LP in master. i swear on my next account im just not going to type in chat at all. dont quote me on that. see u in a few days.
‘Aw, she’s not streaming tonight or tomorrow,’ Mira says after reading the tweet. ‘Something about her account being banned. Poor thing, she was doing so well.’
Rumi stops filing her nails. ‘That’s a shame. I don’t really understand what the game is about or half of the things she discusses but she’s fun enough to listen to and watch getting angry. I think she broke two keyboards last stream.’
Mira frowns. ‘That can’t be good. I thought the average keyboard can be pretty expensive.’
‘Ehh, I’m pretty sure she buys a bunch of cheap ones to break. Apparently she’s known as the rage-quitting keyboard breaker. Whatever that combination of words means. But she’s cute.’
'Definitely cute,’ Mira agrees. She puts down her phone as she props her feet up on the coffee table in front of her. ‘And she’s a really big fan of ours. Maybe we could cheer her up, make her feel better about losing her account and her points?’
Rumi immediately sits up straight. She nods enthusiastically. ‘That’s a really good idea. I’ll cheer her up and try to read her vibe. See if she’s actually a crazy fan we should worry about, or if she’s just someone who really likes us.’
‘And you want to check her out in person,’ Mira dryly adds. ‘As in if she’s datable, or something. Yeah, I saw you getting ready to say you’re checking her out to see if she’s a weirdo or not. I know you, Ryu Rumi.’
‘Geez, don’t clock me like that,’ Rumi grumbles. She picks up her own phone and opens up her twitter, fingers flying across the screen as she quickly types a message directed at Zoey.
Ryu Rumi (Golden Deluxe out now!)
@keyboardbreakerzoey Me and Mira heard you’re a big fan of us. So sorry about your account being banned! In an attempt to cheer you up, I’d love for you to stop by my fanmeet tomorrow. I’ll make sure you get in!
She posts the tweet, grinning at Mira. Mira, who has been looking over her shoulder the whole time is grinning just as wolfishly. Zoey’s reaction is pretty much immediate.
ZOEY 🐢⌨️ || i love rumira
@officalryurumi Oh my god??? that is so sweet??? i’ll absolutely be there!!! 😭😭😭
Both of their phones buzz as they receive a second notification from Zoey’s account, which they’re following with their own alternate accounts.
ZOEY 🐢⌨️ || i love rumira
HOOOOLY FUCKIN AIRBALL IM SEEING RUMI TOMORROW 🦅🦅🦅 LOSING TWO WEEKS OF PROGRESS IS SO WORTH
Rumi chuckles at the difference between the two posts.
‘I think your plan is working.’ Rumi says.
Next to her, Mira smiles smugly. ‘Damn right it is. Now you’ve just got to be cool tomorrow and not make her our biggest hater instead of our biggest fan.’
-----
She has instructed her staff to let Zoey through when they see her. All of them have been shown a picture of the streamer and Rumi even went as far as to print out a few copies of Zoey’s face from her latest selfie post. Bobby, her manager, has picked up on just how excited Rumi is to meet one of, if not her biggest fan.
‘So, who exactly is Zoey that has you personally reaching out to her and inviting her to your meet and greet?’ Bobby asks. ‘I know you sometimes like to be charitable or interact with fans, but this is pretty unusual.’
Rumi looks over at Bobby, who has his arms crossed and his eyebrows raised. She opens her mouth, ready to answer him, when Mystery, her make-up artist clicks his tongue.
‘I dunno, Bobby, there’s just something about her,’ Rumi says as she closes her eyes so Mystery can put the finishing touches to her eyeshadow. ‘She’s very different from what I’m used to being around. Curses more than Mira, and that’s saying something.’
Bobby chortles at the comment. ‘I did some homework when you brought her up. You’re not wrong. She somehow managed to say fuck fifteen times within fourty seconds. It’s a miracle she has sponsors at all with the way she speaks.’
Rumi cracks open a single eye. ‘Dilligent as always, doing research into people I’m interested in. Anything I should be worried about?’
‘Not really,’ is Bobby’s immediate reply. ‘Sure, she curses a ton and has had dozens of accounts banned across different games, streaming platforms and social media. But she seems loyal to her fans and has good enough ideals. A lot of her revenue goes into charity, actually. Mostly related to the preservation of sealife.’
‘Sealife?’ Rumi echoes. ‘Hm. Yes, that does make sense. She seems to like turtles a lot.’
Bobby’s phone chimes and he glances down at it. ‘Alright, five minutes until the event begins. You ready?’
Rumi stands up from her chair, quickly bowing to her stylist before grinning at Bobby. ‘Yep. Let’s make some fans happy.’
-----
The meet and greet event has been going on for about an hour and there has been no sign of Zoey yet. That’s okay though, Rumi is sure Zoey will show up eventually, especially after she kept tweeting about how hyped she is throughout the rest of the evening and deep into the night. In the meantime Rumi gives her undivided attention to her fans, eagerly shaking hands and taking selfies with them.
Someone wearing a yellow bucket hat and an oversized sweater with Rumi’s face from a few years ago plastered onto the front, catches Rumi’s attention. The yellow hat is eye-catching, just like the fact the individual is being flanked by one of her staff members. Rumi sits up a little straighter in an attempt to get a look at whoever is approaching her.
‘Rumi-ssi, Zoey is here.’ her staff member informs her.
From behind the staff member called Baby, funnily enough, steps a short woman. Rumi recognizes her immediately. She’s even cuter and more attractive in real life and wow, Rumi didn’t realize just how many freckles she’s got. Her hand twitches as she feels the urge to reach out and trace the freckles with her thumb.
Focus, Rumi.
‘Zoey, hey, so glad you made it,’ Rumi greets Zoey. She stands up out of her chair and walks around the table to Zoey. She’s slightly taller than the younger woman. ‘Hope the wait wasn’t too long?’
Zoey laughs. It’s high-pitched, unlike how she’s heard Zoey laugh on stream. Though her laughter while streaming is usually bordering on the edge of unhinged.
‘I’m here glad to be!’ Zoey stammers out. Then she clears her throat and corrects herself. ‘I’m glad to be here. Thank you for the invite. It’s incredibly sweet of you. Uhm, you can speak in Korean if you want. I’m fluent.’
Rumi shakes her head in response. ‘No, no, it’s okay. I’ve been talking Korean pretty much nonstop this week. Let’s just stick to English. Less stuffy honorifics to keep track of.’
‘Damn, I was kinda looking forward to calling you shit like Rumi-unnie,’ Zoey says. Her eyes widening as she realizes she just said the words out loud, her cheeks flushing. ‘Okay, just ignore that I said that.’
Rumi-unnie . That does have a nice ring to it. She’s been addressed that way plenty of times by her juniors. It’s nothing new. But the way Zoey said it so cockily is definitely making Rumi feel something different.
‘It’s alright,’ Rumi manages to force out of her mouth. ‘Just Rumi is fine. Or unnie, if that’s what you would prefer. Either way, I’m glad to see you here.’
Zoey grins at Rumi. ‘This is so awesome. I actually cried a little bit when I read your tweet. I like, genuinely couldn’t believe you were directly tweeting at me. And that you were inviting me over here as some, what, guest of honor?’
‘Guest of honor sounds about right,’ Rumi agrees. ‘I have to be honest with you though, I never really heard of you before. That was until a few days ago when someone tweeted about your stream. I was bored and got curious and watched you for a while. I’m still not sure what exactly you were doing or playing, but you seemed to be good at it.’
‘Oh, y-you watched my stream?’ Zoey asks, tripping over her own words. ‘Damn. That’s crazy. Actually crazy. Ah, I probably kept talking about you and Mira, huh?’
Rumi laughs into her hand at the panic seeping from Zoey’s voice. ‘You talked about us a bunch, yeah. And at the same time you managed to play your games and cuss out your teammates. It was very fun to watch.’
Zoey beams at the compliments. ‘Well, that’s good then. If I had known you were watching I would’ve locked in even harder.’
They stand in silence for a few seconds, slightly awkwardly grinning.
‘I prepared a gift for you,’ Rumi then says. She nods at Baby, who steps closer to her and hands her a little paper bag. ‘I had to guess your size, if it’s not the right one, feel free to swap for another at the sales table.’
‘Oh, shit!’ Zoey exclaims as she inspects the contents of the bag. ‘That’s like, really new merchandise. You’re sure I can have this?’
Rumi nods. ‘Mhm! Of course it is. I also signed the shirt with special ink that doesn’t really wash out. Did you bring anything of your own you wanted signed?’
‘Just a few things,’ Zoey coyly says. ‘Not a whole bunch.’
After Rumi has signed a copy of practically every album and single she has ever released on CD and a bunch of photocards, Zoey is satisfied and beaming at Rumi. Rumi thinks her smile might just be brighter than the sun. She can’t stop looking at the younger woman. When Zoey asks to take a few selfies with her, Rumi obliges. She’s fairly certain she’s looking at Zoey in every picture that gets taken.
Someone clears their throat from the front of the queue and Rumi glances at her watch. As much fun as she’s having talking to Zoey, she should go and tend to her other fans too. Zoey catches on and stops rambling, shoulders sagging slightly. Rumi reaches for Zoey’s hands.
‘Thank you again for coming here,’ Rumi repeats. She squeezes Zoey’s hands in her own. ‘I hope this cheered you up a little bit?’
Zoey looks down at their hands. Then up at Rumi before looking down again. Rumi begins to wonder if she might have broken the streamer. But then Zoey looks at her and smiles. God, she’s cute when she smiles, Rumi thinks. She smiles with her gums exposed, her eyes turning into half-moons.
‘Absolutely,’ Zoey finally answers. ‘This was awesome. And I’m the one who should be thanking you, you’re the one who invited me here in the first place! So, really, the honor and thanks are all mine.’
Rumi laughs at Zoey’s politeness. ‘It wasn’t a problem. It was good to meet you. Hopefully we can meet again another time.’
And with a final squeeze to Zoey’s shoulder, Rumi waves her goodbye and Zoey actually skips away from her, bags swinging back and forth and her hat almost falling off. It’s amusing and cute. Rumi chews on the inside of her cheek as she tries her best to give her full attention to her next fan.
She spends the rest of the afternoon laughing with fans, taking selfies and graciously accepting gifts. The event has gone off without a hitch, much to everyone’s relief. There have been fan meetings in the past that got chaotic when a fan got too handsy or didn’t respect boundaries. Bobby calls it a success and drives Rumi to her penthouse.
Mira is already home and waiting for Rumi, immediately swooping in for a quick kiss. Rumi eagerly answers the kiss, her hands settling atop of Mira’s hips. The exhaustion from the long and intense day seems to disappear from her bones as Mira’s lips brush against Rumi’s and her hands cup her face.
‘Hello to you too,’ Rumi cheekily says when Mira finally pulls back. ‘Did you miss me that much?’
And while she rolls her eyes, Mira can’t help but smile and go for another kiss. ‘Yes, I missed you a lot,’ she says after the second kiss. ‘It was boring today without you. I finally get a day off and then you have an event going on.’
Rumi hums as she squeezes Mira’s hips. ‘I know, I know. But we’re both here now, we can spend some time together. And talk about Zoey.’
‘Zoey, that’s right, you saw her today, yeah?’ Mira eagerly asks. ‘How did that go? What was she like?’
‘Hmmm,’ Rumi furrows her brows. ‘Energetic. A little awkward. Very passionate and sweet. Easy to talk to.’
Mira smiles. ‘That sounds good. I kinda wish I had popped by the meet and greet now.’
‘I’m glad you didn’t. Last time you dropped by unannounced you almost gave Bobby a heart attack. You know he likes it when everything goes as is scheduled.’
‘Ugh, true,’ Mira groans. ‘I guess we’ll just have to do a meet and greet with the two of us again.
While Mira gets to work in the kitchen, Rumi goes to unwind on the couch. She’s glad to finally be home. Rumi is getting settled on the couch when her phone buzzes from a notification. Zoey has just gone live. It’s not a scheduled stream.
Rumi taps the notification and is redirected to the stream which started just seconds ago.
‘Chat.’ Zoey says as she stares right into the camera. Her eyes are wide open, her head bobbing up and down as she is practically dancing while sitting in her chair. ‘Chat, holy fuck. This afternoon was so fucking amazing. Like, I’m still shaking.’
To reiterate her words, Zoey rolls her chair backwards and holds her arm up to the camera. Just like she said, her hand is shaking and her arm is covered in goosebumps. Rumi notices she’s wearing the shirt she was given. It looks good on her, Rumi definitely got her size right at first glance.
‘I fucking shook hands with her guys,’ Zoey squeals. She spins a few circles in her chair as she cackles maniacially. ‘We took selfies. We talked for like, five minutes about me and my gameplay and she said she has no clue what I’m doing or talking about, but that she likes my streams. She’s watched my streams guys, multiple!’
Zoey jumps out of her chair and runs a few laps around her room before sitting back down, still jittery from excitement and giggling up a storm. Rumi can’t help but beam at the screen, knowing that she’s the reason Zoey is so happy today.
‘Okay. I’m locking in,’ Zoey says when she has calmed down enough. ‘We’ve got a fresh account. Still need to do placements but I’ve got a pretty good feeling that we’ll get placed somewhere in Diamond. Hopefully division three or two.’
Rumi softly smiles at the screen as Zoey queues up and reads through the live chat. She answers a few questions, some of which have to do with who and how she’ll be playing today. Someone asks about Rumi and Zoey immediately begins to rant about how perfect and gorgeous Rumi is in person.
It’s actually making Rumi blush, she realizes. She touches her cheek and sighs when she feels the warmth. Then there’s the sound of feet on the tiles and Mira leans over the edge of the couch.
‘What are you watching?’ Mira asks as she drapes herself over Rumi’s shoulders. Her eyebrows are raised as she notices Zoey. ‘Ah. I see. You could’ve told me that she went live.’
‘I got distracted with watching,’ Rumi confesses. ‘She’s been talking about me pretty much the whole time. I’m honestly flattered.’
Mira grins. ‘Eh, cute girl gushing about you. I’d get flattered too. Do you think she’ll talk about me during the stream?’
Rumi hums, glancing at her phone screen. Zoey is in the loading screen and ranting to the chat about how this match is already fucked because they’ve got no tanks or good crowd control champions.
‘Maybe? I think we should keep watching to find out.’
‘Food’s almost ready. We can watch while we eat,’ Mira suggests. ‘I’m sure it will be entertaining.’
Zoey and her team play a perfect game, whatever that means. But Zoey seems happy about it and blows kisses at the camera at some point, giving a shout-out to Rumi for giving her the energy she needed to carry her team.
Mira snorts at the gesture while Rumi pretends to catch one of the kisses. And that makes Mira snort even louder. Rumi rolls her eyes at Mira’s reaction and gives her a playful nudge. Mira, of course, nudges her back. And the play-fighting begins, shoves increasing in strength.
They end up rolling off of the couch and landing on the soft carpet. They’re both trying to stifle their laughter and panting. But every time they’re about to settle down, they look at each other. And start laughing again. Rumi forces both of them to roll over and look away until they’ve calmed down.
‘Do you want to get to know her better? Zoey, I mean,’ Mira asks after they’ve both stopped panting. She props herself up on her elbows, ‘I know that you’ve just learned about her and met her today and all that. But you seem into her.’
Rumi is quiet for a few moments, staring at Mira. She reaches out to stroke her cheekbone. Mira shivers and then leans into her touch.
‘She’s… something,’ Rumi says. She remembers how she said the almost exact same thing to Bobby earlier in the day. ‘I don’t know. When I met her, it all made perfect sense. Yeah, it was awkward. But also good. It’s like my body recognized her from another life, or something.’
‘That sounds so dramatic,’ Mira says dry-pan. ‘But it also makes sense. Sometimes you meet someone and it just clicks.’
Rumi nods, her thumb tracing Mira’s lower lip. Mira watches her intently. ‘I want to get to know her better. And I hope you do too.’
Mira’s tongue darts out and she licks Rumi’s thumb, earning a yelp and a quick slap to her shoulder. She smirks at Rumi. Then her expression softens. ‘Yeah. I want to see if my body remembers her from another universe, too.’
‘Ugh. That really does sound dramatic.’
-----
Neither Rumi or Zoey get any time to watch more of Zoey’s content the next week. Mira flies abroad to shoot a series of commercials in Australia while Rumi is invited to numerous talk shows and flown out to New York for an interview with Buzzfeed, a special kind of interview where she’ll get the opportunity to play with some adorable kittens while being asked all kinds of questions.
She is presented with four kittens. A black kitten, two calicos and a tabby. They’re eagerly sniffing her fingers and pawing at her legs. Rumi has taken a seat on some of the pillows laid out for her and the filming crew has been adjusting their cameras and microphones. The interview begins with some catching up and light questions.
While she talks about her upcoming plans for a tour through Asia and maybe the USA, the small tabby climbs onto her lap and mewls softly. Rumi scratches the kitten behind its ears as she continues to add she would like to go on another world tour, but hasn’t figured out when exactly just yet.
Rumi smiles at the kitten that is getting comfortable on her lap. The other three are still playing with her braid and each other, constantly mewling and writhing around. This one is already asleep by the time Rumi is asked another question.
‘So, Rumi, the Deluxe version of your album, Golden, featured two new songs you hadn’t released before. Both of them were rather romantic. Are we right to assume you wrote those two with your girlfriend Mira in mind?’
She already knew they were going to ask this. Bobby had screened all of the questions in advance, of course. The last time someone had tried asking her an unapproved question in an interview, Bobby had been ready to sue them on the spot.
With a quick scratch between the tabby kitten’s ears, Rumi looks up at the camera and the interviewer sitting next to it.
‘I was absolutely inspired by Mira. She’s been my muse for almost a decade now,’ Rumi begins her answer. She glances to her side when one of the two calicos begins to nibble on her jeans. She gently picks it up and puts it on her lap next to the sleeping kitten. ‘I fall in love with her again basically every time we’re together.’
The interviewer smiles at her. ‘You two are one of the most loved couples in the world at this point. But I have to ask something else. Every now and again rumors pop up about the two of you. Rumors talking about how you sometimes see other people while also staying in a committed relationship together. Can you tell me more about that?’
Rumi’s smile falters for a moment. That question hadn’t been run by her and cleared with both her and Bobby. She’s got somewhat of a clue as to who exactly leaked the rumors in the first place. Bobby had told her it had been taken care of, but apparently not. No matter, they can talk about it later.
‘That’s a bit of a private question,’ Rumi says with a forced smile when she mentally recovers enough. ‘Give me a moment to think about it.’
She glances past the shoulder of her interviewer and makes eye contact with Bobby who cocks his head to the side. He’s asking her if she wants to continue with a single look. All she has to do is shake her head and the interview will be over.
‘Uhm. Me and Mira have always been open and honest with each other. At least we have tried to. And a few years ago we had a little bit of friction, I think there were edits of that going viral,’ Rumi dryly chuckles at the mention of the edits. ‘It was a rough patch but instead of avoiding each other, Mira and I sat down and talked about it. And we realized that we both sometimes wanted to explore outside of our relationship, while also staying together.’
Is she being a little too honest? Maybe. But in the last few years society has become more and more accepting of same-sex relationships and relationships that aren’t entirely how they’re supposed to be, or how people think they’re supposed to be. Sure, gay marriage isn’t allowed in South-Korea, but Rumi’s sure that’ll become legal soon enough. She’s tired of constantly hiding and beating around the bush. She’s been out as bisexual for as long as she’s been an idol.
‘Mira also brought up at some point, a few months and failed secret dates later, that maybe being with people outside of our relationship isn’t exactly what we need. She mentioned a third, and I was and still am down for that. We’ve just not really found anyone to fill that spot yet.’
And with that answer, Rumi glances at Bobby and gives him a small nod. Bobby jumps into action and tells the crew that they’re done. The man looks like he is ready to rip the interviewer a new one, but Rumi walks up to him and tells him it's fine. She thanks the crew for their hard work and time and after kissing each of the kittens goodbye, takes her leave.
‘Well, that happened,’ Bobby mutters as he walks down the hallway with her. ‘You’re sure about this? I mean, I fully support you. And Mira, obviously. But I think this is going to blow up on the internet.’
Rumi shrugs. ‘Let it. I’m done hiding. I just want to live like the person I am.’
------
The interview is posted the same day. Just as Bobby predicted, the internet explodes.
Everyone is talking about how the world famous South-Korean idol has come out as polyamorous and confessing that she and her lover of nearly a decade are interested in a third in their relationship.
There’s only one person whose reaction Rumi and Mira are curious about.
They’re cuddled up on their shared bed, a movie on in the background. Neither of them are paying attention to it, instead focused on their phones. Rumi has been refreshing the timeline on her alternate account basically every second, desperate to see if Zoey has posted yet.
Mira groans when she’s reloaded her feed just for nothing new to show up. She
‘Relax, Mira, she’s probably just busy with other things,’ Rumi soothes Mira. She reaches out to stroke Mira’s hair, her fingers running through the smooth pink strands. ‘Maybe she’s playing some games offline and away from the camera. She mentioned she likes to unwind like that sometimes.’
‘Ugh, I know, you’re right,’ Mira huffs. She leans into Rumi’s touch, sighing as Rumi scratches at her scalp. ‘I don’t even know why I’m so nervous about this. It honestly reminds me a little of when I started crushing on you.’
Rumi arches her brows, grinning at Mira. ‘Yeah, I think I remember that. Are you crushing on Zoey?’
Mira gives her a little half-shrug. ‘I don’t know, maybe? I’m interested. You’re also interested, by the way.’
Their phones buzz. A notification from Zoey.
ZOEY 🐢⌨️ || i love rumira
RUMIRA POLY CONFIRMED? I HAVE A CHANCE? PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE I CAN BE THEIR THIRD ILL BE SO GOOD I SWEARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR
Mira and Rumi exchange a quick glance. They’re both smirking. That’s pretty much the reaction they were expecting and hoping for. Another buzz as another tweet is posted.
ZOEY 🐢⌨️ || RUMIRA I CAN BE UR 3RD
EVERYONE GET THE FUCK OUT OF THE WAY ITS MY TIME TO SHINE
‘Damn, alright,’ Mira says with a chuckle. ‘Changed her name and everything.’
Rumi smiles brightly. Then hesitates as she looks at Mira.
‘So. We practically set bait and got a bite. Now what do we do?’
‘Great idea. I have no clue,’ Mira replies bluntly. Then she grins. ‘And that’s exciting.’