Rey was drifting in and out of sleep on the couch, wrapped in a thin grey blanket, Beans curled against his chest like a little heater. Outside, rain tapped gently at the windows, lulling him deeper under.
Until the front door shook under a thunderous pounding.
Before he could sit up, it swung open with a crash. Silvio strode in like a storm in an expensive charcoal suit, his tie askew and hair wet from rain. His eyes locked onto Rey immediately.
"There you are."
Rey blinked blearily. "What—Silvio? It's seven in the morning."
Behind him, Luca entered casually, shutting the door with a polite click. Unlike Silvio, he looked immaculate: tailored navy suit, hair slicked back, expression bored.
Silvio stalked forward, boots echoing on the wooden floors. "We need to talk."
Rey rubbed his eyes. Beans meowed indignantly at being jostled. "About what?"
"About her," Silvio snapped. He began pacing, unbuttoning his damp jacket. "Luna Vale. Why is she suddenly interested in you?"
Rey blinked, still half-asleep. "I… don't know. We spoke at the gallery."
"That's it?" Silvio turned sharply. "You spoke, and now she's sniffing around you like a wolf hunting for blood."
Luca chuckled softly. "He has that effect on people."
Silvio shot him a glare. "This isn't a joke, Luca. The Vales don't move without reason. And she—she's dangerous."
Rey shifted Beans off his chest and sat up, his hair tousled, dark brows knitted. "You're overreacting. She's just a woman."
Silvio barked a humorless laugh, raking a hand through his rain-damp hair. "Just a woman. Rey, she's the only daughter of Samuel Vale. She runs half their docks and oversees their import networks. She has more blood on her hands than I do."
"That's… impressive," Rey muttered under his breath.
Luca smirked. "He's not wrong."
Silvio whirled on his younger brother, eyes flashing. "You think this is funny? You think this is a game? She's dangerous, Rey. If she's approaching you, it's not for love or art or whatever bullshit romance you think exists in your head."
Rey shrugged, eyes turning distant. "Maybe she's only interested in the painting. Just that."
Silvio fell silent. For a brief moment, the eldest Mysterio brother looked almost vulnerable, jaw tense, hands curled into fists at his sides.
Luca's voice cut through the quiet, smooth and low. "We're just… worried about you, Rey. That's all."
Beans meowed loudly, leaping onto the coffee table and sitting right on top of Luca's leather folder, her tail flicking across his papers like a tiny scepter of judgment.
Silvio exhaled, running a hand down his face. His shoulders slumped slightly as he looked at his youngest brother – the only one among them who still had softness left in him.
"I don't want to see you get hurt," Silvio said quietly, voice rough with honesty. "Especially not by them."
Rey looked away, his gaze fixed on the rain-streaked window. Outside, the world blurred in grey and silver. Inside, the three brothers sat in silence, the only sound Beans' soft purring as she curled into Rey's lap, a little queen guarding her wounded knight.