Rein adjusted the strap of his backpack and blinked down at the floor as he passed by groups of students clustered near lockers. His earbuds were in, music low and mostly forgotten background noise to the noise in his head. He wasn’t sad, exactly. He just had things to think about. Like whether Damian had remembered to take his meds, or if the groceries would last until Thursday. The music wasn't loud enough to block out the gossip as he passed the ball though. 

"Did you hear?"

"There's a new kid."

"Transferred this morning."

"He's kind of... hot." The group of girls squealed. 

Rein barely registered the gossip. He was more focused on staying awake. Damian had a nightmare again. Woke up at 3 a.m., shaking like a leaf and whispering, "You disappeared. I couldn’t find you. You were gone, Rein."

Rein didn’t know what to say to that, except, "I’m here," over and over until Damian calmed down. He’d barely slept after that because Damain had barely slept. Just clung onto him with wide open eyes. 

Still, he made it to school, drifting half-awake through the halls, barely hearing the music playing in his earbuds.

He slid into his usual seat in homeroom, opened his sketchbook, and started doodling spirals in the margins of an old worksheet.

He was halfway through sketching a rough spiral when he noticed it.

A shift in the air.

A hush swept through the room. The kind that made the hairs on the back of his neck rise. He looked up, just as the door opened. The whispers grew louder. 

The new kid stepped inside.

Rein blinked. The classroom noise dulled as a boy stepped into the room. He was tall, with sharp cheekbones and hair the color of stormclouds, a soft black that shimmered almost blue when it caught the light. His clothes fit a little too well, pressed and clean like he’d stepped out of a catalog. But that wasn’t what made Rein’s heart lurch.

It was the boy’s eyes.

Piercing, silver-gray, inhumanly still.

They scanned the room once. Passed over people like a weightless fog — and then landed on Rein.

And stayed there.

Rein felt his lungs freeze. 

The boy tilted his head slightly, something unreadable flickering across his face. It wasn’t recognitfog, not exactly. It was more like… discovery. As if he’d found something that had been missing and he wasn’t sure whether to smile or fall to his knees.

Rein’s head buzzed. His vision tilted.

No. This wasn’t... 

He tried to breathe.

The boy took a single step forward.

Rein’s body gave out.

His vision blackened. The last thing he saw was that silver gaze narrowing with alarm as his body tilted sideways and the floor rushed up to meet him.

                                           _________

He came to on something too soft to be a school chair. His limbs felt like wet spaghetti, and there was a cold cloth on his forehead.

"Oh, thank goodness," a voice murmured. "Rein? Can you hear me?"

He blinked blearily at the school nurse. She smiled, relieved.

"You fainted in homeroom. The new student caught you before you hit the floor."

"What?"

"You’re in the nurse’s office now. Just take a moment-"

"Wait." Rein sat up fast. "Did you-did you call anyone?"

The nurse hesitated. "We had to. School policy. We called your brother, since he's your guardian."

His stomach plummeted.

"Damian?"

She nodded gently. "He’s in the principal’s office right now. Wanted to see you, but we thought it might be better if-"

Rein didn’t wait for her to finish. He was already off the cot, wobbling as his legs tried to remember how to work. The nurse called after him, but he was halfway down the hallway before she could stop him.

No no no no no-

Damian hated going into the school. Hated people looking at him like he was too young, too strange, too unfit to be Rein’s guardian. And if the principal had said the wrong thing-if they had implied anything-

Rein turned a corner and pushed open the door to the main office without knocking.

What he saw made his heart stop.

Damian was standing near the principal’s desk, fists clenched, his whole body trembling. His hair was disheveled like he’d yanked at it, and his mouth was tight with unshed tears.

"You don’t get to say that!" Damian shouted. "I’m trying! I’m doing everything I can! You think I don’t know what he needs? You think I don’t love him enough?!"

The principal stood awkwardly to the side, her hands raised like Damian was a bomb about to go off. "Mr. Alder, I only meant-"

"No!" Damian’s voice cracked. "You said Rein needs a real guardian. Like I’m not enough!"

Rein couldn't keep quiet then. "Damian!"

Both their heads snapped toward the door.

Rein stood frozen in the doorway, eyes wide.

"Rein," Damian breathed. "You’re okay."

Rein rushed forward and threw his arms around his brother’s waist, hugging him tightly. "I’m sorry," he said. "I didn’t mean to scare you. I’m fine. I’m okay."

Damian’s hands hovered for a second, then clutched Rein like he was afraid he might disappear again.

"I thought-" he whispered. "I thought they were going to take you away from me."

"I’m not going anywhere," Rein said. "I don’t want anyone else. You’re my family."

Damian’s shoulders sagged, the fight draining from his body all at once.

Rein turned to the principal, his voice sharp for the first time. "Don’t talk to my brother like that again."

The principal opened her mouth, but whatever excuse she was going to give died on her lips. Rein didn’t wait for a reply.

He took Damian’s hand and led him out of the office like they had every right to be there and they did.

They sat on a bench just outside, both catching their breath.

Damian was still pale, still shaking, but a little calmer. "You fainted," he said softly.

"I’m okay now," Rein murmured. "I think I just… got overwhelmed."

Damian nodded slowly. "The nurse said a student helped you?"

Rein blinked. "Yeah. The new kid."

And just like that, the memory of that gaze hit him again, those silver eyes, sharp and still and locked on his like they knew him.

But before the thought could settle, Damian tugged his sleeve.

"Let’s just go home."

Rein nodded. “Yeah. Let’s go home.”

He had to return inside to retrieve his things but once he did, they headed home. School could wait till tomorrow.