The house was quiet now.

You missed them.

You tried to move on, to live your life without them, because what else could you do? Everyone had their own stories now, their own roads to walk. And you? You stayed. You settled into the silence, learned to fill it with work and routine.

But the loneliness still crept in during the quiet moments—the walk home, the long showers, the late nights staring at the ceiling. But you were surviving. That was enough.

Then one evening, something shifted.

You came home, exhausted, rain still clinging to your coat as you stepped through the front door. The house was dark, just as you left it. You let out a sigh, dropped your keys into the dish, and reached for the light switch.

Click.

“SURPRISE!!!”

The sudden explosion of voices nearly knocked you off your feet.

You blinked as the house—your home—lit up in color and sound and life. Balloons, banners, lights strung across the ceiling. Every corner was packed with movement and energy. And the people—your people—were all there.

Curt and Rod were the first to reach you, barreling into your arms with enough force to squeeze the breath out of you.

Timmy purred and rubbed up against your leg.

Airyn and Farya stood together with warm, knowing smiles.

Wyndolyn and Tyrell wrapped you in another hug,

Then came the others—Skylar, Phoenicia, Wallace, Florence, Celia, Stella, Shelley, Abel, Chairemi, and River—each hug stronger then the last

In the kitchen, Dolly, Dante, Telly, Connie, Keyes, and Gaia were deep in conversation, voices overlapping in a hum of familiarity.

Across the room, Captain Jacques Pierrot, Parker, Mateo, Tina, Beverly, Mitchell Linn, Cabrizzio, Sinclaire, Freddy Yeti, and Stefan were huddled over a board game, their expressions deadly serious for something so trivial. Cards were flying. Pieces were getting stolen. Someone was definitely cheating.

Dishy and Daisuke stood in the corner arguing passionately about dishware, gesturing wildly with forks and spatulas.

Mac wheeled over to you on their wheelchair with a soft grin, holding out a sleek laptop, a little bow tied around it. Mac: “For you,” they said. You didn’t even know what to say.

The living room was buzzing with voices—Kopi, Cam, I, Ronaldini, Amir, Bathsheba, Rebel, Barry Styles, Dasha, Jerry, Penelope, Willi, and Lyric all chattering away. Jean Loo and Johnny having a singing contest

Rongomaiwhenua, Chance, Maggie, Winnifred, Rainey, Scandalabra, Arma, Betty, Diana, Daemon, Teddy, Hero Hime Ben-Hwa, all five Hanks, Washford, Drysdale, Harper, Dirk, Tydus Andromache, Henry Hoove, Bobby Pinn, Kristof, Dunk Shuttlecock, Fantina, Stepford, Tony, Beau, Keith, Bodhi Windbreaker, Vaughn Trapp, Sophia, Monique, Lady Memoria, Holly, Textbox-Chan, The Sassy Chap, Zoey Bennett, xxXShadowl0rd420Xxx, Doug, Nightmare, and Reggie were all locked in what looked like the most intense Uno game known to man.

Cards were flying. Insults were shouted. Someone was throwing glitter. You just stood there in stunned silence, watching it all, and for the first time in what felt like forever—

They came back.

They came back for you.

For the first time in forever you felt completed*