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Celine had once told that the greatest thing they would develop as parents teachers was an uncanny sense of knowing when their charge was up to something.
Mira, being a seventeen year old from a household that could be politely described as difficult, not that Mira would ever be polite in describing her family, had scoffed and rolled her eyes.
And yet here Mira was, thirty seven and infinitely wiser, staring at the dark ceiling of her bedroom with the sense that something was afoot.
Carefully, she pulled herself away from her sleeping wives, curled into each other with Zoey's face tucked into Rumi's chest, and padded into the hallway as she slipped on her glasses. She strained her ears and picked up a soft rustling, something that other people, not trained in tracking down beings who'd prefer not to be found, might have missed.
She followed the noise to the kitchen, and was greeted by an open cabinet and Derpy's glowing tail peeking out from behind the counter, and the sound of tiny hands tearing at packaging.
A smile spread across her lips as she crept around the kitchen and flipped on one of the smaller lights, not enough to flashbang the cuprit but enough for her to know she'd been caught. She peeked around the counter, finally laying eyes on them.
Ryu Min-Ji stared up at her, frozen with a ramyeon pack in hand and her mouth formed into a hilarious 'o' shape, a container of Yakgwa cookies opened beside her for Sussie and Derpy to graze.
"Hi Eomma," the six year old greeted with the tone of the condemned.
"Hey kitten," she greeted, keeping the laugh out of her voice, "What are you doing up this late?"
Min-Ji's stomach answered for her, gurgling with a ferocity that nearly sent Mira into hysterics, something made harder as Min-Ji blushed.
"Hungry, then. Did you get enough at dinner?"
"Yes!" Min-Ji insisted, like saying otherwise was the gravest offense she could think of, "I just…got hungry again,"
"I see," she walked to the fridge, taking out a roll of gimbap, "Can I trade you for the ramyeon?
Min-Ji gasped and nodded, handing over the ramyeon cup and shooing Derpy and Sussie away from the cookies, much to the latter's obvious displeasure.
"You can have some too you spoiled bird," she told them as she began cutting up the gimbap roll, and Min-Ji, ever the velcro child, latched onto her leg in eager anticipation.
Mira smiled, reaching down to pet curly purple hair before returning to her task. Light brown eyes glanced up at her with an adoration that seemed exclusive to children, and her mouth curled into a wide, gap toothed smile that filled her heart with an aching warmth.
She put away the knife and picked up her daughter, handing her a slice before tossing another to Sussie, and a third to Derpy for good measure.
"Thank you Eomma!" Min-Ji pressed a kiss her cheek before stuffing the slice in her mouth, the proximity allowing Mira to get a good look at her daughter.
Min-Ji was a mix of Mira's two favourite people: Zoey, who'd carried her, and Rumi, whose 'unique' heritage had helped in making her. It left her with a round face covered in a spray of freckles and curling patterns more akin to birthmarks than anything supernatural, three of which stretched her cheek like a cat's whiskers. Nothing from her, and that had been intentional. She didn't want any chance of her family butting back into her life in an attempt to access "their blood".
Not that it mattered to Min-Ji, who only saw Eomma with her pretty glasses and beautiful long hair, who cooked for her and danced with her and put her on her shoulders so she could look down on Umma and Mami.
And not that it mattered to her, who'd known the instant she'd first held this squalling wonderful being that she'd do anything to do right by her.
"Eomma, you look sad," Min-Ji's voice alerted her to the tightness behind her eyes, and the twist of her lips.
"I'm not sad, baby," she croaked, "I'm just thinking about how much I love you," she pressed a kiss to Min-Ji's pudgy cheek before blowing a raspberry, "My precious little girl,"
Min-Ji giggled, pushing her face away, "Eomma, I'm a big girl now!"
"Is that so?" Mira cocked her head, balancing Min-Ji in her arms, "I suppose you are growing like a weed. Maybe I should stop carrying you around everywhere,"
Her daughter gasped like the idea was the most horrible thing she'd ever heard, "No!"
"I guess I'll keep carrying you a little longer then," Mira laughed, appeasing her daughter with the last gimbap slice. Not like she'd ever seriously consider that. Zoey had introduced them to that stupid 'one day you'll put you're child down and never pick them up again' factoid and she and Rumi had promptly broken down before resolving to keep carrying Min-Ji until her college graduation.
Just the reminder of that fact had Mira fighting the pressure behind her eyes and holding her daughter just a little bit closer. Min-Ji melted into her hold, growing heavy with the familiar lethargy of a sleepy girl.
"Min-Min, would you like to sleep in our bed tonight? Have a cuddle pile with Umma and Mami?"
Min-Ji nodded, mumbling something inaudible against Mira's neck. Mira hummed a soft lullaby as she cleaned up the sink and set off for their bedroom, and Min-Ji was dead asleep by the time Mira opened the bedroom door and was greeted by glowing, catlike eyes.
"Min-Ji got up for a midnight snack, so I fed her some gimbap and let her sleep with us,"
"Right," Rumi said softly, "Little miss 'I'm a big girl' brought up that idea,"
Mira didn't dignify the accusation with a response, simply tucking herself and Min-Ji into bed, laying their daughter on her chest.
Zoey lurched forward, grasping blindly at their daughter.
"Gatita," she mumbled, pressing a kiss to Min-Ji's cheek before gluing herself to Mira's side. Rumi reached over, petting Min-Ji's hair, her eyes meeting Mira's.
"Our baby girl's getting so big," Mira whispered, "Soon she's gonna be bigger than Zoey,"
"Noooo," their wife whined, "She needs to stay small,"
"I think Mira agrees with you," Rumi teased.
Mira pouted, pressing a kiss to Min-Ji's hair. The girl wiggled a moment before settling.
"You have the sappiest Eomma, baby. She would do anything for you. We all would,"
Mira blushed as their daughter slept, and around them, the Honmoon settled, pulsing with the love of its Hunters for their daughter.