Friday — 3:12 PM
The dorm room was quiet.
Luca sat on the edge of his bed, arms crossed, eyes fixed on the floor as Alexei recounted what he had seen.
Kai leaned against the wall near the window, tension lingering in his usually loose posture.
"She was losing it," Alexei said, voice low, curls still damp from the shower he hadn't taken yet. "Yelling. Pulling at her hair. Screaming about Ashley and Giulia. About you."
Luca finally looked up. "Me?"
Alexei nodded. "Said the next girl that got near you would pay with her life."
Kai let out a sharp breath. "Man, I knew she was intense, but that's..."
"Beyond intense," Luca finished.
A silence fell.
Kai scratched his cheek. "So... do we tell someone? I mean, that sounds like full-blown security-level behavior."
"We can't just go to the staff without proof," Luca replied. "She didn't hurt anyone. Yet."
Alexei stood by the mini fridge, fishing out a soda can. "But she could."
Luca nodded slowly. "That's why we watch her."
---
4:03 PM — The Room, Later
The tension had faded. Kind of. Luca sat behind Alexei, gently working cream into his hair with calculated, smooth motions.
Kai watched them from the couch, sipping water.
"Still think it should've been me doing that," Kai muttered.
Alexei, relaxed and chewing on a gummy bear, replied flatly, "You'd mess it up."
"I would not mess it up."
"You once confused face cream with toothpaste."
Kai raised a finger. "That was one time."
Alexei looked at him in the mirror. "That's enough."
Kai fell dramatically back onto the couch.
"Unbelievable. I'm the funny one. The good-looking one. The athletic one. And yet, you trust Mr. Emotionless to handle your hair."
Luca wiped his hands with a towel. "Because I don't spill."
Kai squinted. "Did you just make a joke?"
Alexei snorted.
Actually snorted.
He covered his mouth, giggling for the first time.
Kai blinked. "You laughed."
Alexei nodded, wiping a tear from his eye. "You're an idiot."
"I take that as a win," Kai beamed.
Alexei pulled a gummy bear from his pack, turned around, and offered it to Luca.
Luca accepted it without a word.
"Thank you," Alexei said simply.
---
4:27 PM — Shower Time
Alexei headed into the bathroom, still smiling faintly.
Kai watched the door close behind him, gaze lingering a second too long.
Luca tilted his head slightly.
"Are you gay?"
Kai flinched. "Huh?!"
"You're red."
"I'm not red!"
"Your ears are glowing."
"I DON'T KNOW WHAT'S HAPPENING, OKAY?!"
Luca smirked.
"Shut up!"
"Gay."
"NO! I LIKE... BOO!"
Luca raised an eyebrow. "...boo?"
"Boobs."
"Still weird."
Kai groaned, rolling onto his stomach.
"It's just—he's—he looks like a girl, okay? Like... more girl than any girl here! That doesn't count!"
Luca glanced toward the bathroom. The sound of water running had just started.
"Honestly," he said, voice almost amused, "I kind of agree."
From inside the shower:
"I can hear you, idiots!"
Luca and Kai both paused.
Then burst out laughing.
---
4:50 PM — Post-Shower Vibes
Alexei walked out with a towel around his shoulders, hair damp and clinging to his forehead. He wore a simple oversized hoodie, sleeves almost covering his hands.
He sat down cross-legged on the floor. Grabbed his gummy bears. Put on an anime. Silent.
Luca plugged in the hairdryer.
"Come here."
Alexei scooted over.
Kai watched from the couch. Again.
"You really are the personal stylist in this trio."
"Would you rather I let him catch a cold?"
"I'd take the risk," Kai muttered.
"You'd drop the dryer into the bathtub."
Alexei giggled again. "True."
Luca dried his hair gently. Then reached for the cream again.
"You're lucky I don't charge for this."
"You're lucky I don't share these," Alexei replied, offering another gummy.
He chewed slowly, smiling at the screen. His favorite anime was playing—some old slice-of-life thing.
Kai watched both of them.
Then spoke softly.
"You know... he's kind of cute sometimes."
Luca didn't respond immediately. He set the dryer down.
"He is."
Kai blinked. "You agree?"
Luca nodded. "He's strange. But... attached."
Kai leaned forward.
"You're worried."
"He underestimates this place," Luca said quietly. "Genesis doesn't forgive softness. Not really. There's something behind his eyes... something that looks like it's asking for help."
Kai nodded slowly. "You think he's pretending."
"I think he's survived pretending."
Another silence. Then Kai clapped his hands.
"Okay, too deep. I need dumb energy again."
Luca smirked faintly.
"Mood swings," he said.
"Shut up."
---
5:14 PM
Alexei lay back against the wall, eating one gummy at a time, offering one to Luca every few minutes.
"For the Lyn thing," Luca said finally. "I have a plan."
Kai sat up. "Already?"
Luca nodded. "I'll tell you tomorrow. For now... we protect him."
Alexei didn't look away from the screen.
But he heard everything.
And he smiled.
1:13 AM
The dorm was pitch dark. The only sound was the low hum of the AC.
Luca's eyes opened.
Faint whispers.
He sat up.
The bathroom light was on, door half closed. He heard a voice.
Alexei's.
He got out of bed quietly and stepped closer.
"Yes... I'm fine, mother."
His tone was flat. Strained. Quiet.
"...No, I didn't dye it. I just trimmed it. It's still long. Yes, below the shoulders. I—"
A sharp cut. Silence.
Then a voice, distant but piercing through the phone.
"Don't lie to me. You chopped it off like some boy. You've been acting out. I see it. You think I raised you to become this... thing?"
Luca froze.
"I just... I just want to feel like me," Alexei said. A whisper. "Like I can breathe."
"You're still my daughter," the voice snapped. "You always will be. And tomorrow, you're coming home. I already contacted the school. Our jet is ready. People are waiting."
"Mother, please. I—"
"No. You listen. I saw the pictures. You've stopped wearing what we send. You hide behind hoodies like a delinquent. And now the hair? What's next, cutting your name out of the family too?"
"That's not what this is about."
"Then tell me, what is it about, huh? You think you can be some boy? You think I'll allow that?"
Alexei's voice broke. "I don't want to be anything else. I am—"
"Shut your mouth. Right now. You don't get to speak like that to me. Not with that voice. That disgraceful tone."
A pause.
Then her voice softened—fake, deliberate. "You've always been beautiful. I don't know what's gotten into you. Hormones, maybe. Stress. But don't worry, we'll fix it. Once you're home."
Alexei's hand trembled.
"You don't see me," he said.
"Oh, I do. I see a confused child destroying everything her parents built."
Alexei wiped at his face quickly.
"I'm not confused. I'm just tired of lying. Of performing for everyone. For you."
"You owe us that performance. We gave you everything. And you repay us with shame."
"Shame? For being me?"
Her silence was worse than the yelling.
Then:
"Pack your things. You're leaving tomorrow.
Click.
The line went dead.
Alexei stared at the phone.
And it hit.
He sank to the tiled floor.
And cried.
Not the soft, quiet kind. But the messy, painful sobs he'd buried so deep for so long they came out like they were tearing holes in his lungs.
The bathroom door creaked open.
Kai stood there, half-awake, disheveled, confused at first.
Then he saw Alexei on the floor.
He didn't ask.
He stepped forward, kneeled down, and wrapped his arms around him.
Alexei clung back, fists grabbing the back of Kai's shirt.
"I didn't want to be a doll," he whispered. "I didn't want to be perfect anymore. I just wanted to live without... without hiding."
Kai's voice was soft. "You should get to live that. Exactly like you are."
Alexei buried his face in Kai's shoulder. "I'm scared."
"You don't have to be. Not alone."
They stayed like that for a long time.
Eventually, Kai helped him up. Guided him to the sink. Gave him water. Wiped his face.
"I'll go let Luca know," Kai said quietly.
Alexei nodded. "...Thank you."
Kai left the room.
---
Luca was waiting.
Kai walked up to him slowly.
He didn't explain everything. He didn't need to.
He just said:
"Tomorrow... we're going too."
Luca nodded. No hesitation.