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Rumi could survive demons.
She could survive sleepless nights, encore stages, and choreography that nearly broke her tailbone.
But this?
This was going to kill or be her villain origin story.
“Welcome to Idol Arena: Showdown Special! ” the host bellowed. “Today we’ve got the fierce, the fiery, the fabulous ladies of Huntrix ! And facing off against them—rookie heartthrobs VenomKiss !”
As the camera panned between both groups.
The indoor stadium erupted . Lightsticks in Huntrix’s signature pink, purple, and blue flickered like a sea of fireflies, mixed with the newer blue-and-silver waves from VenomKiss’s fans.
Chants rang out.
“HUN-TRIX! HUN-TRIX!”
“RUMI! RUMI! RUMI!”
“MIRA I LOVE YOU!”
“ZOZO SLAYYYYY!”
Rumi forced a smile. She waved politely, posed with the rest of Huntrix for the wide shot, and clenched her fists behind her back where no one could see.
Because VenomKiss ?
They were way too handsy.
Rumi had been watching them since makeup call. Every lingering glance. Every “accidental” brush of fingers against Zoey’s arm. Every smirk aimed at Mira when she bent down to tie her shoes. And worse, Mira and Zoey—professional and polite—just smiled through it like it was nothing.
But it wasn’t nothing to Rumi.
They were hers. Hers to protect. Hers to love. Hers to growl about if some puffy-haired boy so much as breathed too close.
And she couldn’t even say it.
Not in front of cameras. Not when the whole world thought Huntrix was single and flirty and ready for variety show chaos.
So all Rumi could do... was compete.
Then another tried to make small talk with both of them before the cameras started rolling.
Don’t growl in front of the fans, Rumi reminded herself. Don’t glow. Don’t sprout fangs. You’re an idol, not a threat.
But her claws flexed under the sleeves of her jersey. Her iridescent patterns flickered a warm red beneath her skin.
One of the fans caught it.
“She’s glowing!”
“Rumi looks MAD hot today.”
“Do it again, Demon Queen!”
The first event was a relay race. Simple enough. Mira was running anchor, Zoey was mid-line, and Rumi—strategically—was in first position to set the tone.
And the tone was: Don’t mess with my girls.
Cheers rippled through the crowd.
"Let’s go Rumi!"
"She’s gonna SMOKE them!"
"VenomKiss is already sweating—look!"
The flag dropped.
Rumi launched forward like she was chasing prey, muscles burning, patterns glowing faintly under her jersey. She didn’t even need to look back to know she’d left the boys in the dust. The crowd screamed as she overtook both opposing runners before the first curve. By the time she passed the baton to Zoey, she was already jogging back with a smug smirk.
Zoey squealed when Mira crossed the finish line first, both of them tumbling into a hug.
Rumi purred.
Loudly.
The camera crew blinked. A boom mic operator actually flinched.
“Was that... a purr?” one of the VenomKiss boys muttered.
Fans shrieked.
“DID SHE JUST—??”
“She purred again!!!”
“She does that when Mira wins???”
“My god I ship it harder now.”
“Rumi’s like ‘That’s my girl y’all.’”
Zoey just beamed at Rumi and gave her a double thumbs-up. “Nice legs, babe!”
Rumi’s markings pulsed gold, then went iridescent again.
The next game was a partner charades challenge. The catch? Groups had to switch teams and partner with someone from the opposite side.
“Aw, c’mon, let us team with each other,” Mira pouted playfully.
But the producers wanted entertainment , and apparently that meant pairing Mira with the flirt who’d called her “gorgeous” earlier, and Zoey with the tall one who kept offering to help her stretch.
Rumi was stuck at the side bench, twitching.
Every second those boys stood next to her girls , Rumi’s claws ached.
Mira gave polite smiles. Zoey laughed nervously. The fans didn’t miss the tension.
Neither did Rumi.
When one of them tried to “guide” Mira’s hand during the guessing round, Rumi growled. Not subtle. Not cute. Full chest, chest-rumble, don’t-touch-my-girlfriend growl.
“Whoa, did someone bring a tiger?” the host joked nervously.
The camera caught it. So did every fan mic.
Crowd reaction was instant .
“RUUUUMIIII GROWLED???”
“She’s gonna eat that guy alive.”
“That’s Mira’s girl. Boy better back off.”
“IS THIS LIVE?!! THIS IS LIVE RIGHT??”
Fans started making signs on the spot with their lightsticks glowing the lettering:
RUMI = GUARD DOG
SHE’S PROTECTING HER WIVES
DON’T TOUCH THE PINK ONE
Bobby—watching from behind the camera—was already halfway through his second stress drink. But his grin was proud. Rumi was doing exactly what she did best.
Owning the room.
The obstacle course was next.
And Rumi? Oh, she wasn’t playing anymore.
There was no way she was going to let some over-styled boy group one-up her in front of her girlfriends and the nation.
The moment the whistle blew, she destroyed the course.
She climbed the rope wall like it owed her money. She flipped over balance beams with zero hesitation. She even landed the tire hop segment while winking at Zoey, who was cheering from the sideline like a lovesick cheerleader.
By the end of the course, one of the VenomKiss members had fallen face-first into the sandpit. Another tripped over a cone. The crowd howled.
Zoey yelled from the sidelines, “Show ‘em, baby!”
Fans screamed louder.
“BABY?! SHE CALLED HER BABY?!”
“Purr AND pet names? We’re being FED.”
“HUNTRIX GOT NO MERCY.”
“Queen behavior only.”
Rumi purred at the finish line. Zoey and Mira tackled her in a hug.
The host turned to the camera. “I think we’ve officially discovered who runs this arena.”
After a lunch break where Rumi physically blocked a VenomKiss member from sitting next to Zoey with a perfectly timed yawn-and-stretch, the final event arrived: Couple Balloon Pop.
A challenge where two idols stood back to back and had to pop a balloon between them by pushing into each other.
Physical contact. Thrusting.
Rumi’s limit had been reached. Her eye twitched.
“Okay!” the host shouted, “Now for our final game, it’s the Couple Balloon Pop! We’ll mix the teams again—”
“Nope,” Rumi said, straightening up.
The whole indoor stadium went quiet.
The host blinked. “S-Sorry?”
Rumi tilted her head, calm but final. “They’re with me.”
Gasps from the crowd. Mira froze mid-laugh. Zoey choked.
The host tried to save face. “H-Haha, well, it is just a game—”
“She’s with me,” Rumi said, crossing her arms. Her tone didn’t leave room for argument.
She looked directly at Zoey. Then Mira. Her voice softened just enough. “Both of them. I’m popping both their balloons.”
The audience exploded .
“IS SHE SERIOUS?!”
“WE ARE WITNESSING HISTORY.”
“THIS ISN’T A SHIP ANYMORE. IT’S A WHOLE BOAT.”
“BOY GROUP WHO??? HUNTRIX RUNS THIS.”
“MARK MY WORDS: THIS IS GOING VIRAL.”
The producers scrambled to adjust the rules, but no one could argue. The fans wanted this . The energy was electric. Even Bobby, somewhere backstage, just whispered, “Let her have this,” and waved them on.
Then a nervous laugh from the host. “O-okay! Special rule from Huntrix, I guess!”
Rumi popped the balloon with Mira in one clean press. Then again with Zoey, even slower.
The camera zoomed in on Rumi’s smug little smile, her golden-red patterns glowing just beneath her jersey collar.
As the show wrapped, the host shook their hands and tried to keep from sweating under Rumi’s sharp gaze. The boys bowed and backed away.
The lights dimmed, and the credits rolled. Fans waved signs, screamed, and started chanting again:
“RU-MI! RU-MI!”
“HU-N-TRIX! HU-N-TRIX!”
“THEY’RE DATING! WE KNOW IT!”
Backstage, Bobby wiped his face with a towel. “That went better than I thought,” he said. “You only growled five times.”
“Six,” Zoey corrected.
“I counted,” Mira added.
Rumi stretched lazily on the green room couch. “They flirted with what’s mine. ”
Mira slid into her lap, arms around her neck. “You showed them.”
Zoey leaned against the armrest, brushing her fingers over Rumi’s arm. “You’re literally glowing, by the way.”
Rumi let out a pleased purr, loud enough to vibrate the cushions.
Outside the green room, a fan who had accidentally wandered past paused, wide-eyed. “Was that a... tiger?”
No one corrected them.
The episode hadn’t even finished airing before the internet imploded.
Clips of Rumi growling trended within the hour. Fan-cams looped her obstacle course run over dramatic music. And the balloon pop moment?
Instant legend.
#RumiMine
#HuntrixWives
#LetRumiBreathe
#DemonPossessiveQueen
#VenomKissedHerLast
By the time they made it back to their dressing room, a behind-the-scenes crew was already knocking on the door.
“Hi!” chirped the assistant producer. “Mind if we film some post-show content for streaming?”
Rumi froze, halfway through peeling off her warm-up jacket. Zoey and Mira exchanged a look.
“We’ll be quick!” the producer added. “Just some fun questions, favorite moments, thoughts on the games, you know!”
Bobby gave them a thumbs-up from the hallway. “Be nice.”
He meant don’t growl . Rumi rolled her eyes.
The camera rolled.
Clip One: “Favorite Moment from Today’s Show?”
Mira leaned into the mic first. “Rumi destroying everyone at the rope climb. I think one of the boys cried a little.”
Zoey giggled. “Oh yeah, and when she pounced across the sand pit? Hot.”
Rumi blinked at them, eyes darting to the red blinking light on the camera. “...I liked when Zoey cheered for me.”
“Aw,” Zoey cooed. “She purred when I did.”
Mira looked directly into the lens. “She purred every time. We counted.”
The producer laughed nervously. “That’s… adorable?”
The mic caught Rumi’s low, warning purr as Mira started playing with her fingers.
The comments on the official YouTube upload exploded:
THAT PURR WAS REAL
NO ONE IS TALKING ABOUT HOW GLOWY HER SKIN IS HELLO???
Someone check if the VenomKiss boys made it home alive
Bobby, blink twice if Rumi threatened you
Clip Two: “Who Would You Pick as a Teammate Again?”
“Zoey,” Rumi said instantly.
Zoey beamed. “Rumi and Mira!”
Mira raised an eyebrow. “ Not me?”
“You were paired with him,” Rumi said, visibly frowning.
“Oh my god,” Mira whispered, turning back to the camera. “She’s still mad. ”
“I am not—!”
Zoey snorted. “She hasn’t stopped glaring since the charades round.”
Rumi crossed her arms. “He touched her hand.”
The producer tried to keep a straight face. “So… there may be some protective energy here?”
“Protective?” Mira repeated with a smirk. “She growled . During lunch.”
“Growled again when someone sat too close,” Zoey added.
Rumi slouched in her seat, defeated. “Why are you both like this?”
The livestream chat on the behind-the-scenes portal lost its mind:
THEY’RE DATING
SHE GROWLED AT LUNCH. LUNCH???
Just let them hold hands on camera already
I don’t even like girl groups and I’m obsessed now
Clip Three: “If You Were an Animal, What Would You Be?”
“Easy,” Mira said, leaning her head on Rumi’s shoulder. “Rumi’s a big cat.”
“Tiger,” Zoey corrected. “With laser eyes. And claws. And she purrs when you scratch behind her ears.”
“I do not—” Rumi started.
Zoey reached up and lightly scratched.
Purr.
The crew all gasped. The boom mic operator nearly dropped their rig.
Mira clapped. “Told you.”
The camera zoomed in slightly as Rumi blushed and tried to hide her face in Mira’s hoodie sleeve.
After Bobby watched the replay on his phone. His stylus hovered above a long message draft to PR.
“Don’t do it,” Zoey said, plucking the stylus from his hand.
“She growled at five people,” Bobby whispered.
“And saved production budget by making the episode go viral,” Mira pointed out, slipping an arm around Rumi’s waist.
Rumi, half-curled on the couch with her head resting on Zoey’s lap, grumbled. “I didn’t even say anything directly. ”
“You growled , baby,” Zoey said sweetly. “And we love it when you do.”
Mira kissed her cheek. “Don’t stop now.”
“I’m not gonna survive the next variety show, am I?” Bobby mumbled.
The girls just laughed.