Rein had once asked him what it is he's always doing on his laptop but Damian had only stared at him in silence till he walked away. So Rein never asked again. 

Monday morning, Rein woke before his brother for the first time in… ever, really. He slipped into the shower, got dressed, then wandered into the kitchen to prepare breakfast. 

He hat just slipped in two more slices of bread into the toaster and was buttering the first when he heard slow footsteps. Damian shuffled in, hair messy, face soft with sleep. His headphones hung around his neck—off. He slumped into a chair and folded his arms on the table, cheek pressed against them.

"Morning," Rein said, giving him a small smile. 

Damian hummed, eyes closed. "You’re awake. Early. You never do that." His words came quiet, clipped, still heavy with sleep.

Rein hesitated, watching him. Damian goes back to work today. Mrs. Hans had called last night, asked him to come in for the morning shift again, and Damian had agreed without hesitation. Rein had wanted to protest, but he hadn’t. 

He set a plate in front of his brother. "Toast’s ready."

Damian cracked one eye open, eyed the food, then sat up slowly. He picked up a slice, bit into it, chewing in silence. Rein found himself holding his breath at every pause, reading too much into every twitch of his brother’s face. He really just wants to know if Damian is really okay. 

"You don’t have to go," Rein blurted suddenly. His chest tightened. "If it’s too much, I mean. You don’t have to."

Damian’s chewing slowed. He looked at Rein then, steady, eyes unreadable. "You think I can’t." Not a question.

"That’s not—" Rein shook his head quickly. "I just… it was bad, the meltdown last week. I don’t want that to happen again. I don’t want you to push yourself. I just want you okay."

Damian set the toast down carefully, his fingers brushing crumbs off his lap. "I'll be fine." His voice was quiet but firm, every word deliberate.

Rein wanted to believe him. Wanted to trust that he knew his limits. But fear sat sharp in his stomach.

Damian seemed to notice. He reached out, hesitated, then tapped the table twice.

"You worry too much," he muttered, eyes dropping back to his plate. 

That actually made him laugh because that's a first, him doing the worrying. Damian was always the one doing all the worrying. 

"I'll be fine." Damian repeated again. 

And Rein sighed. He needed to leave or he'll be late for the bus. He walked to the table and picked up his backpack. "I'll see you after school then."

Damian nodded then made a shooing motion before picking his toast back up. 

                                   ________

 

Rein had just stepped into the building when someone bumped into his side.

He staggered slightly, catching himself before turning—

and then he froze.

“Lucy?”

Except… it wasn’t Lucy.

Or at least, not the Lucy he knew yesterday.

This Lucy looked like they’d walked straight out of a gothic fashion magazine and onto the wrong planet. Their usual oversized rainbow hoodie was gone, replaced with a baggy black shirt with a crocheted skull stitched into the center. Tight black jeans, heavy boots that clinked against the tile, fingerless gloves—

and the hair.

Black.

Jet black.

Stark against their skin in a way that made Rein’s brain stutter.

But what really got him—what made his heart skip an entire beat—was their face.

The eyeliner was thick, winged sharp enough to cut someone. Black lipstick. A faint silver shimmer under each eye.

They looked wild. Unapologetic.

But also… kind of adorable?

Infuriatingly adorable.

“Lucy?” Rein repeated, blinking rapidly. He gestured vaguely at all of them. “You look like you bit Hot Topic and won.”

They grinned—sharp, bright, teeth flashing white against black lipstick.

“Thanks. It’s a Lucian day.”

Rein blinked again, trying not to laugh. “Is… this what a Lucian day looks like?”

Lucian hummed, twirling a ring around their finger, rocking side to side with that same chaotic sunshine energy. 

It was still them.

Different shape, same soul.

“You look good,” Rein said finally. The words came out softer than he meant them to. “Really good.”

Lucian’s grin widened—beaming, delighted, almost bouncing in place. “Thanks.”

They started walking again, since they were definitely causing hallway traffic.

Lucian adjusted their choker and leaned closer, voice dropping. “Did you get Torren’s text this morning?”

Rein stopped in front of his locker. He’d been so wrapped up worrying about Damian that checking his phone hadn’t even crossed his mind.

“What text?”

“Torren’s not coming in today. Something important at home,” Lucian said.

Rein swapped his books for the ones he needed, shut the locker with a soft clang.

“Did he say why? Is it serious?”

Lucian shook their head, fiddling with a strand of black hair. “Nope. Nothing else.”

Rein hummed thoughtfully, then shrugged. “Guess it’s just me and you today.”

Lucian lit up at that—like someone had turned on a switch inside them. They looped their arm through his without hesitation and tugged him along.

“Uh-huh! So, I’m walking you to class. And then we’re spending all day in the greenhouse.”

Rein raised a brow, amused. “You’d love that, wouldn’t you?”

“Absolutely,” Lucian deadpanned. “I didn’t get to introduce you to the flowers last time.”

Rein rolled his eyes, but a laugh escaped anyway.