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“Used to be?”

“Yeah.” He turns the cup in his hands. “When we were small, he was my favorite person on earth. Like, above everyone, even above my dad, who was always second, but he knew that. I wasn’t exactly subtle about it.” He smiles without looking at me. “I used to follow him around the house. I wouldn’t walk anywhere unless I was holding his hand. If he was going somewhere, I was going somewhere. That was just the rule.”

I feel the back of my neck go cold for no reason I can name. “What changed?” I ask.

He shrugs. “I don’t know. He just started being absent. Sometimes he’d be gone for months, and my mom would say he was at an art institution in America, but then he’d come back for a while and go again, and I could never understand how that actually worked. Half the time here, half there.” He flexes his fingers against the cup. “And even when he came back, he mostly ignored me. I used to cry, asking him to give me attention, but he always had an excuse and sort of stopped talking to me.” He bites the inside of his lip. “I was a kid. I didn’t have language for it. All I knew was that at some point I felt like he didn’t want me anymore.”

The sadness in his eyes is completely unmanaged. And under it, in my own head, a door opens that I don’t want open.

Half the time gone, half the time back.

It would explain if Kenji took him. But why only half? Unless—and I hate this thought so much my stomach turns—they were building him around the other half of his life, over years, in pieces.

“And you’re close again now?”

“Yeah.” He nods. “I think he feels bad about what happened to me. I don’t know if it will last.”

I bump my shoulder into his. “Of course it will. And if it doesn’t, I’ll kill him for you. Happily. No charge. I’ll even pick the outfit for the funeral.”

He hits my arm.

It stings a little. Not much. He’s made of feathers, after all. “Stop threatening to murder my brother. Seriously. Why do you hate him so much?”

I shrug.

And I don’t answer.

Because, yeah. Why do I hate him?

Dimitri shows up at the exact same moment. He’s got a bouquet in one hand, wrapped in paper, and more flowers than any occasion warrants, because Dimitri does everything at max volume.

Rei lights up the second he sees him. He takes the flowers, rises on his toes, then kisses him softly, right there on the sidewalk, and I watch it happen. “Bleh.” I physically recoil.

Dimitri glares at me over Rei’s shoulder. “Still jealous nobody brings you flowers?”

I bark out a laugh. “What the fuck would I even do with flowers?” I look at the bouquet. “They die in a week. Give me money instead.”

Rei is fully laughing now, one hand over his face, still holding the bouquet with the other. That’s my cue.

“Anyway, I’m leaving before you two start making me sick. Have fun.” I wave with two fingers. “Try not to traumatize the public.” I throw my cup in the bin by the corner, dead center, then turn on my heel and walk.

And then I feel the unmistakable sensation of someone watching me. My skin prickles, and I turn around, expecting to catch someone staring. Nothing. No one. I keep walking, but the feeling doesn’t go away. If anything, it gets worse. I slow my steps and glance over my shoulder again. Still nobody.

A few hours later, I’m home.

I pull out my phone and stare at Kento’s name for a solid ten seconds before finally opening our messages.

my prince: were you stalking me today

my parasite: my my, prince. look at the progress we’re making. you’re texting me first. did you miss me?

my prince: answer the question

my parasite: hm. which question

my prince: Did you stalk me today?

my parasite: maybe.