Chapter Text
The Huntr/x penthouse had been eerily quiet for far too long, too long for Mira's comfort anyways.
Barely a week after the defeat of Gwi-ma and the return of the Honmoon, what fragile peace they had after had crumbled slowly and painfully.
Zoey was struggling to keep a smile, every day she bounced up and woke everyone up with a joyful greeting and a wavering grin on her face.
She'd knock on Rumi's door to ask if she'd like to watch a movie, but Rumi would pull any and every excuse not to go.
Rumi was back to hiding, large thick hoodies and sweatpants all day regardless of the heat. Her long turtleneck hid what her hood did not, the only hint of pattern was on her face and hands.
Mira almost wanted to be mad, she wanted to yell, scream, throw things and beg Rumi to just stop hiding.
That was unfair.
She can't expect Rumi to bounce back after that.
But, oh, she wanted to see the beautiful pearlescent markings that littered her stomach and arms.
Then again, she did want Rumi to hide.
Selfishly, she wanted Rumi to herself.
The idea of other people seeing those markings made her want to hold Rumi tight and hide her from the world.
She wanted Rumi all to her-
Mira jumped at a sudden crash, ripping her out of her thoughts.
Turning around on the couch to investigate the noise, her face fell into a long frown when she saw the large blue tiger.
"Oh. You."
Zoey affectionately calls him, "Derpy" but you wouldn't catch Mira dead calling him that.
As fluffy as he was, that tiger belonged to Jinu, and Mira did not like Jinu.
The dancer stood to see what the clumsy creature had knocked over this time.
The tiger and it's crossed eyes watched her as she picked up the small pot. It's soil had spilled across the floor and Mira frowned.
The pot had been one that the group had made together, as a team bonding exercise back when they were still being trained, back when they were okay.
Mira turned it over to look at the design, and she smirked in amusement.
Celine glared at the three girls as they giggled, crossing her arms and barking for attention.
Rumi had been the first to sit up straight with a polite smile, to which she then harshly elbowed Zoey, who hissed a sharp, "Hey!"
The older girl gave her a look and then looked at Celine, who crossed her arms with a very unimpressed expression.
The Maknae paled and kicked Mira's shin, who had still been laughing at the awful joke that Zoey had told them.
"Ow!" Mira glared at Zoey, who pointed at their mentor, "oh."
"Sorry Celine" the girls spoke in broken harmony, and Celine sighed.
"It's great that you three get along, but you will not turn the Honmoon golden by laughing at each other's horrible jokes."
Zoey flushes a bright red, knowing full well that the comment had been directed at her, she mumbled an apology.
"Usually, we would train you by putting you through a fighting exercise, but you have that part figured out, now you must work in harmony to create a pot."
Mira furrowed her brows, "What does that have anything to do with turning the Honmoon golden?"
"It doesn't, it's not supposed to, the goal is to create something beautiful, a product of the three of you working perfectly together-"
Zoey brightened at the idea, "we can do that!" She bounced on the balls of her feet, interrupting Celine as she looked between Rumi and Mira.
"If you would let me finish Zoey." Celine glared at her. Zoey smiled sheepishly, pausing her rocking for a moment.
"one of you will be blindfolded, one will have earplugs, and the last can't talk. Everyone must participate." .
Mira smirked, "that seems easy enough, it can't be that hard."
It was really hard.
Rumi had been blindfolded and Zoey had earplugs in, leaving Mira to be their eyes and ears.
Rumi kept elbowing Zoey, who was yelling because 'I can't hear myself!'
This was their third try.
Mira was getting upset, Rumi was trying to sculpt what looked like a poor rendition of the leaning tower of Piza, and Zoey was hopelessly trying to help.
At some point, Mira just sat down nearby and crossed her arms, getting an odd look from Zoey.
Zoey pulled her earplugs out and pushed Rumi's blindfold out of her eyes.
"What's wrong?" The Maknae sat beside her, followed by Rumi.
"This is pointless. How can we turn the honmoon golden if we can't even make a dumb pot?" Mira leaned against her hand and glared daggers into the ground.
Rumi frowned, "Maybe we're doing it wrong? We're all trying to do something different."
Mira grumbled, bringing her hand to her mouth to chew on her nail.
"Zoey keeps misinterpreting what I'm trying to do and you're making what looks like a rotten cucumber."
Rumi looked over at the clay sculpture folding over itself, "it has personality." She reasoned with a deep flush, her brows pinched together in a mock glare.
"It does" Zoey nodded in confirmation with a completely serious expression.
Mira groaned.
Rumi chewed her lip with an odd look.
"Celine never said we couldn't touch each other?"
Mira and Zoey turned their heads, and let the words sink in.
Mira then nodded, "that's right."
She had to admit, Mira was a little ashamed that they hadn't thought of that before.
Flush against Rumi's back, Mira guided her hands to carve into the pot, it was still poorly made, but it was... better.
When they were done with the carving, they had to wait for the clay to completely dry, so Celine had gotten them lunch and allowed them a break.
"it's so good!" Zoey cheered, food stuffed in her mouth, cheeks puffed like a chipmunk that had found its one true treasure.
"That's an overstatement." Mira deadpanned, "at least it doesn't look like a pickle anymore." She then teased Rumi, poking her exposed stomach with her finger, who flushed a deep red.
"Personality is all that matters!" She reinforced- mostly to herself.
"Right..."
Mira smiled at the pot, it hadn't been perfect, but it was theirs.
Zoey had always said that "it represented us"
That always made Mira laugh, she didn't know how right Zoey had been.
"Be careful." Mira looked at the tiger with a glare and put the pot onto one of the counters- just in case.
Derpy frog-blinked at her and padded away, towards Rumi's room, the creepy ass bird sat on its head and nestled into its fur.
Mira sighed and went to grab the broom to sweep up the soil spill.
Now that she thought about it, neither Rumi or Zoey know how the tiger and bird are alive, or allowed to roam freely.
Zoey just assumes that they had tied to the demon girl- she'll never get used to thinking of Rumi that way- and she's still here so...
Mira groaned as she leaned back up from sweeping the spilled soil, her hair spilled back over her shoulders.
"Hiya." Zoey was infront of her when she pulled her head up. Their Maknae grinned widely at her, her arms behind her back as she rocked on her feet.
"Did I scare you?"
The giddiness in her voice gave her intentions away.
"No." Mira turned to pour the soil into the trash. "What do you want."
Zoey pouted, "I didn't want anything!"
Mira looked at her with a deadpan, "Sure. And I'm apart of a society in a timeloop."
The lyricist looked at her funny.
"That's specific Mimi"
"I'm a very specific person." Mira felt the smile twitch at her lips.
Zoey huffed and crossed her arms.
"Seriously Zo, what do you want?"
"Well I was wondering if we could get Rumi out of the house, she needs to go outside..." Zoey kicked at the ground, "and eat! she only comes out to get water!"
Mira chewed her lip, "I don't know Zoey. What she needs is space."
"Can we at least ask?"
When Mira looked back at Zoey, she groaned, the puppy dog eyes that the younger girl looked at her with were wide, and with her hands clasped together, she pouted.
"Pleeaaaseee?"
The pink-haired woman grumbled to herself as she walked to their leaders door, with Zoey bouncing behind her, it was slightly open, and Mira could see Rumi sitting on her bed.
Their leader was rebraiding her long hair, she was only at the top, allowing the bottom half of her long hair to sit against the comforter.
She also took note of what Rumi was wearing, a tight fitted cropped hoodie and pair of sweatpants that had their group name sprawled in bold letters down her leg.
Patterns shimmered red and a deep cyan, colors that had been quickly associated with frustration and sadness respectively.
Mira felt her chest pang, Rumi really WAS everyone's type.
Rumi jumped when her door was knocked on and then creaked all the way open.
Her head jerked to look before her brain could catch up.
Mira and Zoey stood in her doorway, Zoey was bouncing excitably on her toes and Mira was just... staring.
"Um... hello?" Rumi waved with a brow raised, it caused Mira to shake her head and push Zoey forward into the room.
"Zoey has a question."
Said girl gasped in betrayal, "WE have a question." She yanked Mira forward with a tight smile.
"Ugh. okay, fine. We have a question"
Rumi almost let out a giggle at the banter.
"Okay first! Can we help braid your hair?! It's so pretty! But if you don't want to that's okay! I'm just gonna offer it because I want to but I won't push if you don't want to-"
"Zoe-"
"But i love braiding your hair because its so long and so pretty! And your-"
"Zoey-" Rumi tried again, to no avail.
"Shampoo always smells so good and it's always so soft-"
Mira huffed and pushed Zoey again, "Do you mind letting her talk?"
Zoey glared- and then flushed pink when she looked back at Rumi, "sorry... what were you saying?"
Rumi let out a giggle, a sound that the two others basically bathed in after not hearing it for a while.
"You can help, I've redone it like six times already" the purple haired girl shrugged and offered a smile.
Zoey squealed and basically jumped onto the bed, causing Rumi to lurch into the air for a second. The half demon grabbed onto the side of the bed with a gasp.
Zoey hugged Rumi from behind, shrieking out a "Thank you!" And then got to work.
Mira shook her head at Zoey, "we also wanted to know if you'd like to go out today"
Mira leaned against the wall, her hip bracing most of her body and keeping her upright.
"Uhm...." Rumi held back the sound that tried to scratch out of her throat as Zoey undid what had already been done to rake her fingers through the long purple hair, nails scraping deliciously against her scalp.
"I dunno... I don't really..." Rumi shrugged helplessly.
"It'll be fun! We could go to that arcade that just opened and then go to that barbecue place you really liked!"
Zoey hummed as she braided her hair with quick, practiced precision, this was something she'd done often.
"Yeah, but if you really don't want to go, you don't have to Ru." Mira offered a smile.
Rumi's fingers twitched, she sat with it, considering, biting down on her lip, the way that Mira knew that she was waging war with herself.
"I mean if you guys are okay with me tagging along... I wouldn't wanna-"
Mira rose a brow, "why wouldn't we want you to come with us? Zoey literally asked me if we could ask you to go out."
Zoey hummed noncommittally, "I'm pretty sure you asked me..."
Mira scoffed, "She's a liar. Don't believe a word she says. She asked me."
"Did not!"
"Did too."
"Did NOT!!"
"You hate turtles if you didn't ask me."
"WHAT- YOU CANT SAY THAT-"
"i just did."
"Okay I did ask!!"
"Yeah that's what I thought."
Zoey whined loudly, pausing her fingers in Rumi's hair to whip one hand in Mira's direction to flip her off.
"Rumi she's so mean to me. You'll never accuse me of such awful thoughts right?!" Rumi tened up when Zoey hugged her tightly, one hand still intertwined in purple hair and the other curled tightly around her stomach.
"Right?!!"
Rumi felt a knot form deep in her stomach, notably where Zoey's hand rested, the touch of someone that had betrayed her, raised her weapons, saw her as a monster such cold hands made her want to crawl out of her skin.
"I would never."
The half demon tried to keep her voice steady, but was betrayed by the bubbling worry that had formed into a silent cough.
Zoey stuck her tongue out at Mira, "see?! Now Rumi is my favorite!!!"
The dancer groaned, "Okay whatever you say Zo."
Zoey grinned at Rumi, "Anyways! Do you wanna go out?!?!"
Panic bubbled in Rumi's throat, it was hot, which meant that she either had to suffer through sweating to death in hoodies or wear short sleeves.
She could always say no, they'd understand, they were her friends.... were they? Was it some form of obligation that made them stay? Because the Honmoon chose her? Because they didn't have a choice?
She really didn't want to go out.
She did not want to.
Did she have a choice?
No, she decided that she didn't.
"Yeah I don't see why not" Rumi shrugged.
"Yes! You won't regret this Unnie!!!" Zoey squealed as she hugged her tighter.
Mira grinned and slightly pushed Zoey back from Rumi, "hurry and braid her hair or I'm gonna do it-"
"NO!" Zoey swatted at Mira and tried pushing her away to get closer to Rumi.
"Uh! Yes!" Mira shoved at Zoey, away from Rumi again, but this time taking the spot behind her, careful of her long hair.
"That's too bad." Mira smirked at the younger girl, taking the half-finished braid into her nimble fingers and picking up where Zoey had left off.
"That's not fair! Rumi! Tell her I was gonna braid your hair!" Zoey whined and pushed at Mira's shoulders, the dancer didn't budge.
"You snoozed and you lost." She bragged, she flaunted, Mira makes sure that Zoey knows that.
Zoey whined hopelessly again, beating at Mira's shoulders, "that's not fair Mira! I hope it burns when you pee!!"
Rumi cringed at the idea, "why don't.... you both do it?"
Unknowingly, the singer prepared to be yelled at, why? She didn't quite know, not really.
"Oooh! Good idea!" Zoey hummed her hip against Mira's as she took one of the sections of hair into her hands. 11th
"You're so smart Ru" Mira's lips were quirked into a smirk, and bumped shoulders with Zoey.
Oh.
Well Rumi guessed that could have gone the other way.
"You look so pretty!" Zoey squealed happily, steering their leader towards the mirror.
"I always look like this Zoey." Rumi pressed her lips together, brows furrowed in thought.
"Well you're always pretty!" Zoey put her chin on Rumi's shoulder, grinning at her.
"She's not wrong" Mira smirked as she came onto the otherside of Rumi, a hand resting on her shoulder.
Rumi let a smile cross her lips as she stared between the reflections of Zoey and Mira.
"We see what you are"
Rumi's face fell for a moment, but she quickly repaired it with a wavering smile.
"You're a DEMON"
"A Mistake."
"You have been since the day you were born."
Rumi felt her chest tighten, uncomfortably so, "a-anyways! What time are we going to leave?"
Zoey pursed her lips in thought, "five thirty? So that way we have plenty of time to play games!"
"Sounds good to me, I'll have Bobby get a car ready for then." Mira hummed and pat Rumi's shoulder.
"Come on Zoey!" The dancer grabbed the back of Zoey's hood and pulled, causing the Maknae to choke briefly as she was dragged away from Rumi.
Rumi listened carefully as her girls, waiting just a minute to see if one of them would return.
When the sound of their respective doors closed, rumi all but ripped her hoodie off, hissing at the peel of blood on her arms.
Okay maybe cutting yourself with claws that you don't fully understand isn't a good idea, but really, it's way easier than maybe razors or knives, very convenient.
Rumi briefly remembered that Mira had cut herself before, faint scarring along her arms and shoulders.
Obviously, Rumi didn't like it, she hated the idea of someone hurting themselves, especially when they didn't deserve it.
But she did. Rumi deserved to bleed, to choke, to die. She wishes that Celine had killed her, she wishes that stupid, ugly, pathetic Jinu didn't take her place.
Rumi groaned as she felt her skin crawl and the cuts bead with new droplets of blood.
Stupid Jinu and his stupid face.
Stupid hands that snuck all over her body.
Stupid claws that sunk in when she begged and pleaded for him to stop.
Stupid whispers in her ear telling her how naughty and disgusting she is.
"You'll never be able to trust them. They'll only see the disgusting whore you are"
Rumi growled and grabbed her head, pressing her palms roughly to her temples, squeezing.
"remember what happened last time? All they saw was a demon."
Stop.
"Why? You know I'm right."
Shut up.
"all you're ever going to be is a dirty-"
You don't know me.
"-disgusting-"
Get out-
"-ugly half breed whore."
"Get OUT OF MY HEAD!"
Rumi moved before she thought, her fist made contact with the mirror and it shattered. She still felt the ripples of the honmoon shuddering under the force of her voice.
Her hand throbbed, glass shards stuck in her knuckles, and her patterns pulsed a deep pinkish red.
Rumi heard Mira drop something, and heard Zoey rush out of her room.
"That's one way to get attention huh?"
"Shut the fuck up Jinu."