𝐊𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐩𝐬𝐢𝐚 ➸ 𝐅.𝐇

𝟎𝟖. 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐛𝐚𝐝'𝐬 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐞.

"didn't know what, didn't feel it coming."

(Edited)

[KALOSPIA]

— "IM STARTING TO believe your existence is just some elaborate test of my patience."

"You'd be bored without me."

"I'd be thriving."

"Sure, because you've always been such a
beacon of joy."

"I'd smile more if you spontaneously combusted."

"CAN YOU two just not for like five minutes?"

— IT WAS ONLY a half-hour drive—thirty minutes of palpable silence that stretched like a taut string. During that time, Five's mind buzzed with questions, primarily why Diego hadn't yet complained about the boy in the back seat or voiced that Julien didn't belong there.

Sure, even if Diego had voiced his objections, Five would have disregarded him and brought Julien along anyway. It wasn't the possibility the boy was involved which caught him off guard; it was the inexplicable weight that settled on Five every time their paths crossed. Whether they walked the same path or shared a space for too long, he felt a pang of guilt and sometimes anger, though he had no idea why.

As the vehicle hummed softly, Five's gaze flicked to the rearview mirror, where Julien leaned against the seat, his chin cradled in his palm. The boy was fixated on the passing scenery, his blue-green eyes glinting with a mix of curiosity and something deeper—an unnameable familiarity that set off alarm bells in Five's head. It unnerved him.

With each glance, Five noted the mannerisms of Julien, the way his foot tapped rhythmically against the floor when he grew restless, or how he occasionally ruffled his messy hair when left unattended with his thoughts for too long without the distraction of Five speaking out to give directions. There was a disarming ease about him, a charm that made it hard to see him as a mere anomaly. It was almost... disconcerting.