A few weeks passed and they settled almost into routine.
Ren stood in front of the grim sandwich display, frowning like a man forced to choose between bad and worse. Under the buzz of tired fluorescent lights, even the plastic wrap looked defeated.
From behind the counter, Juno watched, squinting suspiciously.
"Okay, I gotta ask," she said, arms crossed. "Why eat here every day? The food's not exactly gourmet."
Ren shrugged, putting the sandwich down on the counter. "It's fine."
Juno snorted. "No way you actually think that. I once saw a stray dog turn its nose up at one of our sandwiches."
He took a bite and swallowed before answering. "It's way better than where I'm from."
Juno laughed. "Damn, how bad was it?"
Ren stalled. How could he even describe it? The scarcity of food, the cold, the way he and his mother lived off barely edible ration packs while the city outside crumbled. The way people scavenged for whatever they could find.
He remembers the taste of cat food.
His voice stayed flat, but something in his eyes flickered — a tiny, unguarded thing — before he looked away.
"Let's just say," he said carefully, "you stop worrying about taste when you're starving."
He felt the weight of his own words the moment they left his mouth—too honest, too raw. To shake it off, he stretched slightly, rolling his shoulders, and added with a lighter tone, "Still wouldn't touch those cheese puffs, though."
Juno caught the shift in his voice—the quiet signal to let it go. So instead of pressing, she just offered him a casual grin.
"Okay, sure," she said. "But still—you have to be eating at least one good meal a day to look that good."
Ren nearly choked. He coughed once, eyes wide, setting his drink down like it had betrayed him. "Sorry—what?" Was she flirting? No, he didn't believe that, she just said what she thought.
Juno smirked, completely unbothered. "Please. Nobody looks like an action figure living off sad ham sandwiches."
A faint heat crept up the back of Ren's neck. He shifted, suddenly unsure of what to do with his hands. Compliments weren't something he was used to—especially not about the way he looked.
Zoe used to call him 'handsome' sometimes, but it always felt hollow. Perfunctory. Like a label she'd slapped on him as if she was obligated to think it. He never liked it.
He cleared his throat, trying to ignore the heat creeping up his neck. "I eat lunch at Omnivale every day."
Juno nodded knowingly. "Okay, that makes way more sense. Figures a campus that size would have a great cafeteria. "
Without even thinking Juno leaned on the counter. "So, what's the deal, then? You work there or something?"
Finally the question had been asked.
Ren hesitated for a fraction of a second.
It wasn't that he couldn't tell her—it just felt strange talking about himself in a normal, everyday way.
"Most days? I get thrown across a room by Vilnius. We call it 'training'." he said finally.
Juno's eyebrows shot up. "Wait—you work with Vilnius, the Lycan King?"
Ren nodded casually.
Juno let out a low whistle. "Okay, that's intense. I've heard stories about that guy."
Ren smirked. "Most of them are probably true."
Juno laughed, shaking her head. "That's crazy, what kind of training do you do? Can you beat him?"
"He's stronger than me, sure—but he's not great with weapons. More of a hand-to-hand guy. I'm training him and his brother in swordwork. I'm training his whole pack, sort of through him."
Juno leaned on the counter, giving him a look that was half impressed, half something else.
She grinned, eyes sparkling. "You're lucky you're hot, because that sounds completely made up."
She hadn't meant to say it—not like that—but the way he looked at her made it feel inevitable. It was easier to flirt than admit she liked the way he made her feel seen.
Ren blinked, clearly thrown. "Hot?"
"Don't make it weird," she said, taking ownership over the moment.
She was just joking. He knew that, but inside he was clinging to the moment like it mattered. "Too late," he muttered.
Juno leaned closer, eyes narrowing playfully. "Hey if anythings weird here it's you pretending to be some regular guy that hangs out with the king of werewolves at the largest biotech company in the world?"
Ren let out a dry laugh. "King of werewolves? Please. He doesn't rule anything but his own ego."
He shook his head, the smirk not quite reaching his eyes. "He's just some stubborn old guy I'm teaching to hold a sword without embarrassing himself."
He didn't mention the blood between them. Didn't say how rejecting the title felt like the only way to reject his own lineage.
She asked casually, allowing him an opportunity to shrug it off if he wanted. "So you train werewolves, but you're not a werewolf?"
"How do you know I'm not?" he says casually, not challenging her. Testing her.
She points to his hair "Unless you're bottle blond, then your hair's the give-way, Lycans all have brown or black hair."
Ren gave a lazy shrug. "Guess I missed the dress code. Sorry to disappoint you but I don't turn into a big wolf."
It wasn't a lie, but it wasn't the whole truth. Maybe if he even knew what he was he would have told her.. Eventually. He didn't fully understand what he was, and if he couldn't explain it to himself, how could he explain it to her?
Juno shook her head, amused. "You're seriously the most mysterious dude I've ever met. So is the sword part of the dress code or is it just for emotional support?"
Ren smirked, sipping his drink. "I guess so. Maybe I don't need it here. You're not much of a threat."
Juno rolled her eyes but smiled. "I think you'll find I can do plenty of damage with my sharp wit."
Ren chuckled, about to retort but his train of thought was broken by the bell above the door jingling aggressively as an Omnivale employee rushed in, he grabbed the largest box of chocolates, a card that simply said "I love you" and a bouquet of flowers from their meagre selection like his life depended on it.
Ren, sitting on the counter stool, watched with a frown like he was trying to solve a math problem.
The guy dumped everything on the counter. "Fast, please." He looked over his shoulder, panicked.
Juno scanned the stuff calmly. "Rough night?" she asked, deadpan.
He just gave a frantic nod. Grabbed the bag. Paid and bolted.
The door chimed again behind him.
Ren tilted his head, genuinely puzzled. "Why would anyone need chocolates, flowers, and a card this late?"
Juno grinned, tossing the receipt in the trash. "Forgot an anniversary, probably. Or cheated and is trying not to get murdered."
Ren blinked. "You can fix that with chocolate?"
"Depends how bad you screwed up," she said, smirking. "Chocolate's damage control, not a miracle cure. Though one time I did see a guy buy up all our discount valentines chocolates and eat them alone in the car park.. That guy cured what ailed him."
He laughed faintly but didn't really get it. He had only heard of valentines in movies, he didn't know the relevancy to chocolate..
Juno glanced sideways at him and in her most sarcastic tone asked, "So cheap store candy isn't your idea of romance?"
Ren thought about it for a second too long. Then shrugged like it was obvious. "I mean, I'm not sure it's something you buy right? It's something you do?."
The words landed heavier than he probably meant them to.
Not heavy like a burden — heavy like a stone dropping into a very still pond.
Juno blinked, caught off guard.
She had been ready for another joke, some easy back-and-forth.
But that... that was real.
For a second, she forgot to say anything.
She just looked at him — really looked — and realized there was so much more underneath his quiet, awkward surface than she had given him credit for.
She fumbled, trying to find her voice again. She didn't even know if he was single, he spent all day with people she didn't know. Loneliness doesn't always mean being alone. She wasn't sure she wanted to know, either.. This suddenly didn't feel like an appropriate conversation to be having.
The words hung there, unspoken but loud.
Ren caught her gaze, and for a second, neither of them moved.
The hum of the fridge, the buzz of the old lights—all of it faded.
Just her.
Just him.
Just this weird, ordinary moment he never thought he'd have.
Juno cleared her throat first, looking away with a half-smile. "Well, maybe we should have told that guy..."
Ren chuckled low under his breath. "Maybe he bought them for himself and he's having a great time in the car park?"
She blurted out a laugh. And just like that, the awkwardness was gone.