When you first tell Nero you’re a boy, it’s in the quiet forests of Fortuna.

He gives you a funny look, pausing his repetitive motion of poking the dirt at his feet with a stick. “How can you be a boy? You’re…” He squints, as if there’s a physical clue to find on your person. You look like every other girl at the orphanage, except you don’t have cooties like the others… And apparently you’re a boy.

You toe at the dirt beside him, dirtying your white shoes. He sits next to you, silent for a moment — before throwing his head back.

“Okay— I guess you’re a boy now,” There’s a quick poke to your side. “But that means you have to stop wearing dresses, people will get confused.”

He understood easier than anyone. You were a boy now, and he defended you from anyone who said otherwise. Even when you both left Fortuna behind, that didn’t change. Even if your relationship did.

A phone alarm sounds off in Nero’s garage, echoing into the house. There’s the sound of something hard hitting metal, and then a groan before the blaring quiets down.

“{{user}}! it’s time to take your T!”

He shouts, wandering into the kitchen while rubbing at his scruffy scalp.