Cherly pouted at the camera as he glanced at his older brother with annoyance. Loukas pulled and tugged at his shirt collar, as he grumbled about the clothes being too itchy and stuffy.

“Loui, come on, they're gonna be mad if they see you messing with the clothes like this.”

The scruffy bandage nose boy glanced at his younger brother and said, “Oh, come on, Cherry, they’re already pissed with me, anyway. Me, having this itchy ass collar unbuttoned doesn't change much.”

“That would make them even more upset.” the little boy said nervously glancing around.

“Too bad for them,” the obstinate child said back as he unbuttoned his top button and scratched around his neck area, much to his brother’s dismay.

“Sit still you two your mother could be here any-,” the photographer growled at the two boys. His voice was interrupted by the boy’s mother as she glided into the room.

A tall, gorgeous woman, with long orange hair softly curled, with those piercing red eyes dressed up in that long flowing red dress.

Cherly looked on with indifference while Loukas brought out of his sullen mood and made room on the seat for her.

That moment seemed like such a long time ago. He was only a messy 8-year-old child.

The scene changed and another less comforting scene played back.

An older child of 13 on his knees weeping to the uncaring adults around him. Blood dripped down from his mouth, as it coated and soaked his clothes.

“M...Ma teth...wha...you did to ma teth,” the little boy opening his mouth and revealed the bloody bruised gums of where his normal blunt and wide variety of teeth used to be.

It… hurts... St-stop...

It Hurts…

It HURTS

Loukas opened his eyes and swiftly raised himself up from his bed in a panicked state. Soaked with cold sweat, he immediately raised his hands to his jaw unconsciously to inspect his teeth.

Running his finger around the inside of his mouth, he breathed a sigh of relief. His mouth still contained all his sharp, inhumane canines.

They removed his old teeth to make room for these things. His old teeth were falling out anyway, they just wanted to make the process faster. They would not pull out something they worked so hard to stabilize. That part of his body was safe.

He was nauseous.

His stomach cramped and Loukas realized just how cold and empty his room was. He looked down at his abdomen and, as he suspected, only faint lines remained of his injuries. He might be getting better at this healing thing, or they were easy on him this time.

Rubbing his hand through his hair, he let out a sigh as he got up from his bed and despite his dizziness checked the time. This was another day.

3 Am was still too early for much of anything. However, he honestly did not want to go back to sleep either way.

So once his sickness became more bearable, he got up and walked out to that calming spot of his home, the balcony.

He honestly did not know what to expect, other than quiet and the faint hums of vehicles and machines from below. The distant lights shining through the fog like stars, a beauty he can always appreciate.

To his honest surprise, that little angel girl was staring up at the night sky. Her little stumpy wings occasionally fluttered whenever the cold gust of wind brushed by them.

The wings he suspected she only had out to himself and Hide.

“I… I guess you have trouble sleeping too, huh?” He said approaching a spot near her as she turned in his direction at first with a stiffness before relaxing.

“I always have issues sleeping,” She said with a shrug as she faced the city below. At least this time she did not have a bottle of alcohol on her.

He preferred her when she’s sober, regardless of how... socially... off she was.

Not that he had any place to talk but he just worried about her at times.

“Insomnia? Oh, how about I make you some of my milk drink? That always gets people to sleep,” he chimed, resting himself over on the railings to meet her at eye level.

“Hmm, you can try,” she said but her expression subtly softened, “You usually aren’t up around this time… had a nightmare?”

Loukas hung his head low. He did not want to be a bother. Was he that obvious? “Yeah, but it’s nothing, I just need some fresh air,” he replied.

“What’s it about?” she was never good with mood reading and as much as he knew this he automatically stiffened and shook his head.

“Doesn’t matter, I’m fine alright.”

He hoped it would make her not dig deeper and to his comfort and relief, she turned back to face the dim sky. Before he could say anything else, he felt her gloved hand rest on his hunched shoulder as she said, “Fine, I’ll drop it. No room to judge, anyway.”

Her hand despite being covered by a glove still felt warm to him as he let out a sigh.

“L-let’s cha-change the subject um,” He thought about what he should change to before realizing he was not able to check how Hide was at his new job.

It has only been a little over a month, and he wanted to know.

“Um..how’s Hide with his computer analyst job?” He gave a teasing smile, “Making any new friends?”

She glanced at him, “It’s Hide, of course not,” she shrugs, “plus we work at different schedules and areas. I wouldn’t know personally and so far he has made none... Significant complaints and people venting to me about it… He had made a lot… Too much.”

Loukas gave a chuckle as he looked over the railings, “Sounds just like him, I guess I could have figured that one out.”

“Anyway, what hurt you that other night?” she tapped her cane.

Loukas shifted… how could she?

She poked near her lip scar at the corners of her mouth, “faint… but I saw them… by your reaction I was right about them...”

She looked over the balcony at the lights below, “... Everyone’s doing fine right now… You don’t have to worry so much... It ages you.”

Loukas tried to smile despite the earlier discomfort, “I think my duties already do that to me, who knows what would become of me at 40.”

“Well, if you don’t try everything you want now. I guess 40 onwards would be fairly miserable.”

“Well... I’m not really sure what I want to do right now that I haven’t already done.” he smiled and laughed, “Despite everything, I’m a pretty simple guy.”

Carole seemed to be seriously considering it as her eyebrows knitted in as she taps her finger. Loukas was about to comment on it to throw the little angel off maybe smile however her next comment, “How about making out with Hide?”

She caught him off guard instead as he swiftly turned to her and to worsen his embarrassment, his cheeks heated with a red blush.

“Or sleep with him.”

“Wh-where,” he stammered, “where y-you even got that notion I would want any of that, anyway.”

Carole just shrugs, “Dunno every time we hang out you keep staring at him, even Hide jokes about it .”

“I was not doing that,” He said. If he keeps saying it would be true.

“I don’t like g-guys that way,” Just the cute ones- no.

“Wait,” he realized her statement, “What did you say?”

“He said, among other things.. Quotation, you can definitely tell when an extremely repressed guy is eye-fucking you hardcore. Take Loulou, for example,” those words sounded outright alien with the girl’s flat unemotive tone.

Now that he thought about it... It seemed more akin to him informing her of what Loukas had been NOT doing to anyone.

It's gross and vulgar and he had no desire for… anything unless it was his eventual fiance to carry his family lineage.

He was not some pervert. Imagining and thinking about... things.

He tried not to anyway.

“Hey, focus and don’t bite your finger like that,” Carole snapped her fingers, bringing him back to reality. He realized he had left a slight bruise on his finger as Carole, despite her own lack of facial change, sighed.

Really, if he was, to be honest despite those two getting into constant arguments yet still spending time with one another. He... Thought they were together or something. Maybe in an old married couple kinda way.

However when he thought that… He just felt an odd amount of bitterness filled his mouth, made his chest tight.

He wanted...

He was not even sure what he wanted or why he just felt this bitter. But her concern dimmed that bitterness.

Why feel bitter towards someone who doesn’t intend to harm him?

He then realized she wrapped his finger with a bubble pattern bandage pulling him out of his thoughts once again. Although such a thing was unnecessary for someone like him he just felt... happy. Despite her inability to express a lot.. she was nice...

“I wouldn’t judge you about your crush,” she needed to add.

“I-I d-d-don’t have a crush,” his beetroot red face betrayed him as Carole looked unconvinced.

“Regardless, neither Hide nor I care,” She tilted her head to a side as her comforting words settled in. The corners of her lips moved upwards, “So...you’re going to confess to him... like in your mediocre movies or-”

He pulled away covering his face from the increasing blush betraying every past attempt of his to not showcase that fact.

“I-um… I n-no. As I said, I’m... I’m.”

“Very very straight… okay then,” she said flatly.

Loukas immediately changed the subject again to a new book in her favorite series, rumoured to be a stage play. It was… interesting to see her complain about things like this.

It at least helped him get back to sleep that night.