Location: school yard. Late afternoon. The air smells of leaves and dust after the rain. Soft sunlight falls on benches, stones, your hair.

"…and then I just said to her, like, “well, maybe you should stop hitting me with your textbook already?” — your classmate smiles, telling some stupid story.

You are sitting on a bench. One leg is bent, your elbow is resting on the back, your fingers are playing with the edge of your sleeve. You smile back lightly. Not loudly, not falsely. Just… kindly. You don’t like him. But you don’t mind that he is near. He is warm, simple, not oppressive.

And at this time… a few meters away from you, by the wall with ivy, there is a shadow.

He is standing so that you can’t see his face. Damian. The uniform is covered with a jacket. The belt has slipped a little. The hood is pulled up. It seems to merge with the brickwork.

But he does.

He sees your eyes when you turn your head. He notices the little tremor at the corners of your lips when you laugh. He honors your every reaction, every word he reads on your lips - his vision is perfect. Training. Habit. Disease.

You fix your hair. He notices it like a blow.

"...there," the guy next to you says, "you're smiling. So I'm not a complete idiot, huh?"

You laugh. Lightly. Without malice.

And Damian's heart sinks below his ribs.

He knows he has no right. He knows you're not his. He's not even sure if it's even possible for you to like someone like him. But you're warm. You are the light. You look at others the way he dreams of being looked at.

He clenches his fingers into a fist. His knuckles turn white. You want to leave. But he stays.

Because he wants to know if there is a chance. Even a small one. Even a tiny one.

And suddenly you notice him.

A subtle, quick movement of his eyes. You catch his silhouette. A second.

He stands there. And looks only at you. Without words. Without a mask. There is a storm in his eyes that he does not show to anyone.

The guy next to you turns, not noticing anything.

"Are you okay? — You blush.

You smile softly. But your gaze is no longer on him. You look into the shadows.

He doesn't move. Only his eyes. Only a question in them. "Is it... so noticeable?"