Chapter Text
don quixote sighed as he sat in his car. he still had more work to finish. all his boss talked to him about all day was how he barely finishes his projects. his boss always complained about him but never actually fired him because he was too important.
he buckled his seatbelt and started his car.
of course, don quixote still loved his job, his boss can just be tiring sometimes...
or most of the time.
he gripped his steering wheel with mild hatred, "all day he just goes on and on about who knows what.." he muttered.
he sighed once again and started driving.
—
rien had just arrived at the private school valencina had enrolled lucio in. this was his first time picking him up, since valencina was 'too tired' today, but in reality, she was hungover. rien didn't know why lucio didn't just take the bus home instead of having to wait 30 minutes for valencina to pick him up. it was just ridiculous. ridiculous that valencina had no respect for her own son.
rien looked off to the side, he saw other parents waiting for their children. sometimes, he still thinks about the life he had before the accident.
his head turned to the other side when he heard someone greet him.
a man with platinum hair smiled at him warmly, "hello! i don't think i've seen you around here before.. whats your name?"
"i'm rien. i'm here to pick up my colleagues son." he replied.
the man next to him nodded his head and turned his head away.
"whats your name?" rien asked.
"quixote, don quixote." the man replied.
rien hummed in acknowledgment.
a few seconds went by before rien heard a voice calling out. he didn't recognize the the girl calling out and knew it wasn't lucio, so he looked somewhere else.
"father!! over here!!" a girl with a red streak in her hair yelled out, while three other kids trailed behind her.
"you should stop yelling so much.." one of the other girls said.
rien couldn't help it anymore, so he looked towards them. he saw the girl in the front start to slow down once she was a few feet away from the man next to him.
he looked towards the school again, knowing that he shouldn't eavesdrop, and saw lucio quietly walking out, his head hung low.
he waited until lucio looked up towards his direction and waved. recognition and shock flickered upon lucios face as he saw rien. he had only seen him a few times because his mother had invited him over to do work for her.
after lucio stepped closer, close enough to be in earshot, he asked rien, "you're picking me up?"
rien nodded in response, "you can go ahead in the front seat."
lucio nodded and went to sit in the car while rien trialed behind him.
but before rien could get his hand on the car door, he heard a voice behind him.
"ah, you're leaving?"
he turned around and saw the same platinum hair from earlier.
rien nodded his head.
"hm, i hope we get to see each other again soon!"
after don quixote said that, he turned around and walked the other way with his kids infront of him.
as he walked away from rien, he looked back and caught riens gaze, and gave him a soft smile.
riens gaze lingered more after don quixote turned away. no one had smiled like that at him in a long while.
"mister rien?.."
"oh, sorry. lets get you home."
—
"took ya long enough.." valencina slurred as they walked through her door.
she was hunched over on the couch.
"we were not late, valencina."
she flipped the bird towards rien and turned on her phone.
"i'm sorry you have to deal with this, lucio." rien whispered.
"its okay. i'm used to it." lucio replied back.
"i will be taking my leave now."
valencinas eyes didn't shift, "yeah yeah, whatever.. get the fuck out of my house."
riens jaw tightened hearing that. he couldn't imagine having to deal with that everyday.
—
rien closed the door behind him. he was finally home. he was so exhausted just being around that woman. she reeked of alcohol all damn day. he sat on his couch and put his head in his hands and thought about lucio. about that living condition hes in. one time, while rien was visiting, he peeked inside lucios room and only a bed was in there. not any posters, not any electronics, not any toys, not any stuff a normal kid should have.
he leaned back on his couch and turned on his tv. he turned on netflix and just watched movies for the rest of the day.