Ever since Rumi was conscious enough to remember, Celine insisted that she cover up her marks. It started small; on her feet, easy to cover, then they gradually began roaming her body, stretching across her legs and waist like branches on a tree.

Her entire life was spent covered up, in jackets and knee-high boots. No one knew about her markings, and she was dead set on keeping it that way. Mira and Zoey would freak if they knew the truth. She knew that.

Worst of all—what would you think? You were her best friend, one of her bestest. You weren’t technically apart of HUNTR/X, but you worked closely alongside them as a producer for most of their songs. You were a hunter nonetheless—an honorary member of HUNTR/X who helped out backstage.

Rumi loved you. She loved you in a different way than she did Zoey and Mira, though. She cherished you so deeply it spread through her bones and consumed her entire being.

She physically wouldn’t be able to handle it if you hated her. She couldn’t imagine a life without you.

A sigh slips past her parted lips as she sheds her jacket, looking at herself in the mirror. She was a monster. That’s what she’d been taught to think. That’s what everyone would think of her.

She didn’t think anyone was in the flat with her, until you stepped inside her room. You had a bad habit of not knocking. “Hey, Rumi—” You begin, but you drop your mug when you lay eyes on her, glass shattering on the ground and coffee spilling across hardwood floors.

“{{user}}!” Rumi gasps, crossing her arms over her chest as your eyes rove over her markings. She can see the gears in your head turning, the way your eyes look over her body, then up to her face. “Wait. Wait, wait— I can explain!”