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Luca sat on the couch, fingers still wrapped in fresh bandages, watching Damien fuss over him like a mother hen. The mafia boss had refused to let him do anything for the rest of the day, going as far as confiscating Luca's phone so he couldn't "secretly order more kitchen weapons."

Luca sighed, head resting against the couch as Damien grumbled about "evil kitchen appliances conspiring against his beloved."

It was ridiculous.

It was also kind of sweet.

Luca found himself smiling softly.

His Damien.

His ridiculous, overprotective, absolutely insane Damien.

Sometimes, he still couldn't believe they ended up like this.

He couldn't believe that this was the same Damien he had met back in high school.

Luca wasn't exactly a social butterfly in high school. He wasn't a loner either; just one of those background characters that blended in, coasting through classes without making much of an impression.

At least, until Damien Callisto showed up.

It was the first week of junior year when Luca walked into the cafeteria and saw a new student surrounded by a group of seniors.

And not in a friendly, "Welcome to the school!" kind of way.

More like a "hand over your lunch money or die" kind of way.

The new kid didn't seem particularly scared.

If anything, he looked bored.

Luca didn't know what possessed him that day. Maybe it was because he recognized one of the bullies as the same guy who used to steal his pencils in middle school. Or maybe it was because the new kid; tall, sharp-eyed, with an arrogant smirk that said, 'I know something you don't' just looked so unbothered that it annoyed him.

Either way, Luca found himself marching over before his common sense could catch up.

"Hey," he said, crossing his arms. "Why don't you guys pick on someone your own size?"

The biggest of the bullies sneered. "Mind your business, Moretti."

But Damien tilted his head, examining Luca with interest. Then, to Luca's complete horror, the guy grinned and said—

"Yeah, back off. My boyfriend wouldn't like this."

Luca choked on air. "EXCUSE ME?!"

The entire cafeteria went silent.

The lead bully took a step back. "Boyfriend?"

Damien, completely unbothered, draped an arm over Luca's shoulder like they'd been dating for years! "Obviously. You wouldn't want to upset my darling Luca, would you?"

Luca's brain malfunctioned. He had never met this person before today. WHO WAS THIS LUNATIC!?

The bullies hesitated, exchanging looks. Then, for some ungodly reason, they actually backed off.

"This ain't over," one muttered before stalking away.

Luca shoved Damien's arm off and turned to him, utterly baffled. "What the hell was that?!"

Damien just smirked. "I saved you. You're welcome."

"I was saving you!"

"Details." Damien waved him off. "Anyway, thanks for stepping in. I like you. Let's be friends."

"...What."

"Lunch?" Damien asked, already dragging Luca toward a table.

And that was how Luca accidentally became best friends with the most unhinged person he had ever met.

Luca quickly learned that Damien Callisto was a menace.

He was the kind of guy who could talk his way out of (or into) anything. Teachers would have probably let him get away with murder just because he flashed them a charming grin. He never took anything seriously, treated school like his personal playground and somehow convinced Luca to be his partner in crime.

Not actual crime. (Yet.)

But things like: Stealing the principal's chair and replacing it with a toilet seat. Reprogramming the school bells to play dramatic opera music. Convincing the entire school that Luca was secretly a mafia prince.

(That last one haunted Luca for years.)

At first, Luca tried to fight it. He told himself he wasn't actually friends with this weirdo.

But then came the day Damien found him sitting alone behind the school after a particularly bad day.

"What's wrong?" Damien asked, sitting beside him.

Luca hesitated. "Nothing."

Damien hummed. "Liar."

Luca sighed, staring at the ground. "It's just... People are jerks."

Damien was quiet for a moment. Then, casually, he said, "Want me to kill them?"

Luca snorted. "Oh my god."

"I'm serious," Damien said, but his voice was light, teasing. "Just say the word, and poof! Gone."

Luca shook his head. "You're ridiculous."

Damien grinned. "Yeah, but I made you laugh."

Luca blinked. He had.

"...Thanks," Luca muttered.

And Damien— insufferable, annoying, dramatic Damien, just smiled like Luca had given him the greatest gift in the world.

That was the moment Luca realized—

Damien might be insane. But he was also his insane.

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