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The Huntr/x girls were supposed to be on break — a real break this time. No training, no meetings, no interviews, no expectations. Just blankets, movies, snacks, and each other.
It was a rare kind of calm, the kind that settled into the bones.
Rumi said it felt like “cloud weather.”
Mira called it “hibernation season.”
Zoey just called it “home.”
They were all bundled on the couch, three girls under two blankets, watching a documentary about turtles migrating across oceans. Normally, Zoey loved stuff like this — soft, quiet, rhythmic things that didn’t ask too much of her brain. Especially on days when her dog side felt closer to the surface.
But today?
Today it wasn’t just close.
It was in full control.
Zoey’s cheek rested on Rumi’s shoulder as she brought her nose forward and breathed in, slow and intentional. She wasn’t even trying to hide it. She pressed a little closer. Then shifted her head just enough to bury her face into Rumi’s collarbone and inhale again.
Rumi felt her breath hitch. “Zoey… you okay?”
Zoey didn’t answer immediately. She just rested there, breathing in soft puffs like she was memorizing Rumi’s scent cell by cell.
After a few seconds, she whispered, “You smell safe.”
Rumi melted instantly. “Oh, Zo…”
Mira looked over from the other side. “She’s been doing that since this morning, you know.” She brushed Zoey’s hair aside. “She sniffed me eight times while I brushed my teeth.”
Zoey’s ears went pink. “You smelled nice.”
Mira laughed, leaning in to kiss her head. “I wasn’t judging.”
Zoey let out a tiny whine — barely audible — and pressed into both of them more. Her tail, half-visible under the blanket, flicked once.
A softness settled around them, warm and snug. Mira and Rumi exchanged quiet smiles. They knew Zoey had days like this — days where her instincts made her extra clingy, extra snuggly, extra scent-driven.
But they didn’t know why today felt heavier.
Zoey did.
She just hadn’t told them yet.
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When they first woke up, Zoey seemed normal. Sleepy, hair messy in the cutest way, tail limp and warm across the blankets. She yawned, stretched, and pulled both girlfriends into her arms without hesitation.
But then her phone rang.
She shouldn’t have answered. She knew she shouldn’t have. She had blocked that number a long time ago.
But numb habit made her swipe the screen before she could think.
“Zoey.”
Her father’s voice. Not warm. Not curious. Flat. Cold. A tone that always felt like looking at a blade.
Zoey froze.
Rumi had still been in bed, asleep. Mira was brushing her teeth. No one saw the moment Zoey’s body went stiff, her tail tucked itself close, her breath stilled.
For a moment, her father didn’t speak.
Then:
“I heard you’re still alive.”
Dead silence.
Zoey swallowed.
“Yes,” she whispered.
A breath. Not relief — irritation.
“You should’ve done the decent thing by now,” he said. “A creature like you should’ve spared us the shame.”
The blood in Zoey’s body turned to ice.
Her father continued, unbothered, like he was discussing the weather. “You think being half-animal is normal? You think anyone wants a daughter like that? If we had known, we would’ve—”
He stopped. Not because he reconsidered, but because he chose not to say it out loud.
Then:
“It would be better for us if you were gone.”
The line went dead.
Zoey stood in the bathroom for three full minutes before she could breathe again.
She didn’t cry.
She didn’t scream.
She didn’t even shake.
She simply shut the phone off, placed it face-down on the counter, and walked back out.
But something inside her had cracked. Quietly. Deeply. Like a bone snapping under water.
And that’s when it started.
The need.
The instinct.
The overwhelming urge to smell her girlfriends — to surround herself with their scent, their warmth, their presence.
Her body knew what her brain refused to say:
She needed reassurance.
She needed grounding.
She needed them.
She needed to smell home.
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Zoey nestled deeper against Rumi, nose brushing the soft fabric of her hoodie. Rumi felt the puff of warm breath through the cotton.
“Zoey,” Rumi whispered, “you’re sniffing a lot today.”
Zoey didn’t respond.
She just tightened her hold.
Mira watched her closely now. “Zo… what’s going on?”
Zoey’s ears flattened.
That was all Mira needed.
“Oh sweetheart…” Mira scooted closer until their sides touched. “Talk to us.”
Zoey pressed her face into Rumi’s chest again, inhaling sharply like she needed it. Her voice came out muffled.
“No. It’s dumb.”
Rumi combed her fingers through Zoey’s hair. “Nothing that makes you act like this is dumb.”
Zoey shook her head stubbornly.
“Zoey,” Mira said softly, “look at us.”
Slowly — painfully slowly — Zoey pulled back. Her eyes were glassy but not crying, stuck in that awful limbo where tears want to fall but the body refuses to release them.
Mira cupped her cheek. “Tell us.”
Zoey hesitated.
Rumi placed her hand over Zoey’s heart. “You don’t have to be scared. We’re right here.”
And that was what finally cracked her.
Her voice shook. “My parents called.”
Both girlfriends tensed.
Zoey took a shaky breath. “They said… they said it would be better if I were dead.”
Rumi’s breath hitched. Hard.
Mira went still, face turning cold with protective anger.
Zoey’s voice wavered. “They never wanted… this part of me. They never wanted me.”
And then she exhaled — broken, ashamed, barely holding herself together.
“I’m sorry,” Zoey whispered suddenly, shaking her head. “I didn’t mean to act like this. I just— I got scared. And then I wanted— I wanted to stay close— and—”
Rumi didn’t let her finish.
She pulled Zoey directly into her arms, squeezing her so tight Zoey let out a tiny gasp.
“Don’t apologize,” Rumi whispered fiercely. “Not ever. Not for needing comfort. Not for being scared. And definitely not for being you.”
Mira wrapped her arms around both of them, voice trembling. “Your parents don’t get to decide your worth, Zoey. They don’t get to hurt you and walk away like that. You’re ours. You’re family.”
Zoey’s breath hitched as she clung to them.
Rumi stroked her hair gently. “Come here. Lean on us.”
Mira kissed Zoey’s forehead. “You always smell us when you need grounding, right?”
Zoey nodded weakly.
“Then smell us,” Mira said. “All you want. As long as you want.”
Zoey didn’t even hesitate.
She buried her face into Rumi’s shoulder first, inhaling deeply — long, slow, shaking breaths like she was pulling safety into her lungs. Rumi felt her relax in small increments, little tremors melting away.
Then Zoey turned to Mira, tucking her face into her neck, breathing her in too — soft, desperate, instinctive.
Mira held her close. “That’s it, sweetheart. We’ve got you.”
Zoey’s tail slowly uncurled, laying warm across their laps.
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By the time night fell, Zoey hadn’t left their sides once.
They made dinner together — Zoey either hugging one of them from behind or nuzzling into their shoulder.
They washed dishes — Zoey pressing her forehead into Rumi’s back while Mira rinsed plates.
They brushed hair — Zoey smelling Mira’s vanilla shampoo with the softest hum of relief.
And when they climbed into bed, Zoey curled directly between them, refusing to release either girlfriend.
Rumi tucked Zoey’s head under her chin. “You can take all the scent-comfort you need. Every day if you want.”
Mira traced shapes on Zoey’s arm. “You’re safe, Zo. Your parents don’t get a single piece of you anymore.”
Zoey’s lip trembled. “You really… don’t mind?”
“Mind?” Rumi breathed. “Zoey, we love your instincts.”
Mira nodded. “You smelling us is one of the cutest things you do.”
Zoey blinked. “Cute?”
“Adorable,” Mira corrected.
“Endearing,” Rumi added.
Zoey’s cheeks warmed. “I just… didn’t want to be annoying.”
Rumi cupped her face. “You’re not annoying. You’re healing.”
Mira kissed her temple. “And we’ll be here every step of it.”
Zoey’s breath stuttered — then steadied. She leaned in, finally letting herself smell them again, long and soft and content.
Rumi hummed. “There she is…”
Mira nuzzled her cheek. “Our girl.”
Zoey swallowed once, then whispered:
“Thank you… for smelling like home.”
Rumi squeezed her.
Mira wiped her forming tears.
Zoey finally let herself fall asleep — surrounded by warmth, cradled by the scents of the two people who loved her more than anyone ever had.
Safe.
Wanted.
Held.
Home.