Kai sat in the middle of his ridiculously expensive apartment, staring blankly at the wall.
His communicator was still clutched in his hand, the screen dark. The massive floor-to-ceiling windows offered a stunning view of the city skyline, glittering under the late afternoon sun. Normally, Kai would appreciate it. He would be practicing a new song, reviewing his performance schedule, or at least enjoying the luxury his idol career afforded him.
Instead, he was having a full-blown existential crisis.
"An angel? Half-naked? Stealing food out of his mouth? A private room? What is happening in that house?!"
Kai ran his hands through his hair, ruining it completely. His Flaw—the one that let him instantly detect lies—had betrayed him. It had confirmed, beyond any shadow of a doubt, that every single word Sunless had said was the objective, literal truth.
She had moved in.
She stole food directly from his mouth.
She walked around half-naked.
She was a literal angel.
And Sunless needed a private booth because people would stare.
Kai stood up, pacing the length of his living room. "This is impossible," he muttered to himself. "Sunny doesn't do relationships. He does survival. Paranoia. Sarcasm. He doesn't do… angels."
He stopped, staring at his reflection in the window. His Flaw didn't lie. Sunny didn't lie. That meant…
Kai's eyes widened in horror. "Sunny is living with a literal angel. And he's feeding her. And she's comfortable around him. Oh gods."
He couldn't process this alone. He needed backup. He needed the one person who understood Sunny's particular brand of chaos better than anyone.
Kai grabbed his communicator and dialed Effie.
The line rang once. Twice. On the third ring, Effie's voice exploded through the speaker, breathless and annoyed. "Kai! This better be good! I'm mid-dinner and you're interrupting me!"
"Effie," Kai said, his voice tight with urgency. "I need your professional opinion. As the resident expert on Sunny's terrible life choices."
There was a pause, then the unmistakable sound of plates clattering on the floor. "Ooooh. Sunny drama? Spill. What did the little gremlin do now? Get caught selling cursed Memories again? Punch a Legacy? Punch a Legacy while selling cursed Memories?"
Kai took a deep breath. "He called me. He needed VIP tickets to the premiere theater. Private booth. And he said—"
"VIP tickets?" Effie interrupted, her voice brightening considerably. "To what? A strip club? A fight? A strip club fight?!"
"No, Effie. A movie. But listen—"
"A movie? Sunless voluntarily going to a movie? That's already suspicious—"
"He said," Kai continued, talking over her, "'I need to get out of the house. This girl practically moved in, she literally steals food directly out of my mouth, she walks around half-naked, and I need a secure, private room where people won't stare at us.'"
Silence.
Absolute, profound silence from the other end of the line.
Kai waited. Five seconds. Ten seconds.
Then, the most unholy, apocalyptic laughter he had ever heard erupted from his communicator. It was the kind of laugh that started in Effie's belly and shook her entire frame. He heard a loud thud—the sound of her falling off whatever chair she had been using.
"An angel?! Half-naked in his house?! Eating from his mouth?! Oh my gods, Sunny is done for!" Effie wheezed, barely able to get the words out. "He's gone full domestic! He's probably knitting her sweaters out of shadow silk as we speak! We need to save him. Or watch. Definitely watch."
"My Flaw confirmed it," Kai said grimly. "Every word. Literal truth."
The laughter cut off instantly.
"Wait," Effie said, her voice suddenly serious. "Your Flaw? You mean she's actually—"
"A girl" Kai confirmed. "In his house. Sunny said it like it was the most normal thing in the world."
Another beat of silence. Then Effie let out a low, dangerous whistle. "Well, shit. That's… that's actually impressive. Even for him. A girl? In his house? The same Sunny who trusts exactly three people in the entire world? Two of them being his shadows?"
"Exactly," Kai said. "We need to do something. An intervention. Make sure he's not being mind-controlled or anything."
Effie snorted. "Mind-controlled? By an angel? Please. If anyone's doing the controlling, it's her. But you're right. We need to see this for ourselves. I need to meet this angel. Right now."
"How?" Kai asked. "He didn't give me his address."
Effie cackled. "Oh, that's the fun part. Sunny thinks he's paranoid, but he's predictable. He bought a house in one of the new secure neighborhoods. Probably the one near the Academy district. I'll call Aiko. She delivers to him all the time."
"You're a genius," Kai said.
"I'm a terror," Effie corrected. "Get your idol butt over here. We're going angel-hunting."
***
Meanwhile, across the city, Sunny and Cielle were walking home from the theater.
The evening air was cool and crisp, the streets of the upscale neighborhood quiet. Streetlights cast golden pools on the sidewalk. Cielle was holding Sunny's sleeve loosely, a habit she had picked up without realizing it. Her steps were light, content.
Sunny was hyper-aware of every point of contact.
The movie had been… fine. The company had been… distracting. In the best and worst way possible.
They turned a corner, heading toward the quieter residential streets. Sunny's steps slowed.
Ahead, on the opposite sidewalk, a familiar figure was walking home.
Rain.
She was with a couple of friends, laughing about something, her school bag slung over one shoulder. Her hair was longer now, tied back in a messy ponytail. She looked happy. Normal.
Sunny stopped walking.
Cielle stopped with him, following his gaze. She didn't say anything. She just watched.
Sunny's entire demeanor shifted. The snarky, paranoid boy who had been feeding her candy an hour ago vanished. In his place was something quieter, fiercer. Almost sorrowful. He watched Rain from the shadows of the streetlight, completely still.
Cielle studied his face. Then she looked at Rain. She memorized everything. The girl's face.
In Cielle's mind, a new rule was written, simple and permanent:
Sunny's. Protect.
She didn't ask who Rain was. She didn't need to.
Sunny watched until Rain and her friends turned the corner, disappearing from view. He let out a quiet breath.
Cielle tugged gently on his sleeve.
"Food now?" she asked softly.
Sunny blinked, pulled back to the present. He looked down at her, the tension easing from his shoulders.
"Yeah," he said, a small smile tugging at his lips. "Food now."
They continued walking, Cielle's hand still loosely holding his sleeve.
Behind them, in the city, Effie and Kai were closing in.