Ethan easily won the friendly tussle with his giant counterpart. He shifted his weight, locking Mark into a chokehold with practised ease like a python.

Mark struggled, trying to fight his grip.

Then he tapped.

"Alright, alright... I give up!"

Ethan let him go, grinning.

"That’s the first time I’ve won one of these."

Mark sat up, rubbing his neck.

"It’s only because I haven’t been training recently."

"Yeah, yeah."

For a moment, it felt like nothing had changed; like the years hadn’t passed and everything was still the same.

It was a brief illusion, but a comforting one.

After they settled down, Ethan stood and walked back over to Clarissa, his expression more serious now.

He held the bag out again.

"You should take it," he said firmly. "It’s the least I can do for you raising me."

Her smile faded, and her eyes softened as tears slowly welled up.

"You’re like my son, Ethan," she said quietly. "And I would have been broken either way, but what you did..." 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

She trailed off, unable to finish.

Ethan visibly froze.

’She knows what happened...’

He glanced at Mark, who looked away, unable to face him, then back at her.

"You’re family," she continued after a moment, her voice steadier now. "And there’s no calculation of who has done what."

She exhaled softly.

"But I’m sure the others, who should be back any time now, would gladly take your money."

Almost as if summoned by her words, there was a knock at the door.

Feeling the tension in the room, Mark quickly scurried off to open the door, leaving Ethan remaining still and reliving that moment again.

That was until four figures walked in, snapping him out of it.

These were people he once knew better than anyone and lived alongside, but after not seeing them in years, they had all changed completely.

Ethan’s breath caught.

His heart softened in a way he hadn’t felt in years, even more so than upon seeing Mark’s mother, Clarrisa.

’Tasha’s a year older, so should be 26 now.’

She was the first one he recognised.

Of course, she was.

Tasha had always been the one who stood firm, the one who held everything together when things got messy, which had often been the case. Even now, she carried herself with that same sharp, grounded presence, her posture straight, her gaze observant and unwavering.

Overall, she hadn’t changed much.

Her features were a little more defined, her expression a little more tired, but she was still Tasha. The stern, protective older sister who would scold them without hesitation, whether they deserved it or not.

Then, his eyes shifted to Lila and softened.

’She’s a year or two younger.’

She had grown a lot.

Her once childish features had matured into something gentle and striking, her brilliant curls falling neatly around her shoulders, framing a face that seemed to carry warmth naturally. Her eyes were gentle, just as he remembered, always filled with quiet concern for others.

She looked like someone who would apologise even when things weren’t her fault, and as much as her appearance had changed, that remained.

And then there was Maren.

Ethan froze because the girl standing there wasn’t a child anymore.

’Last time I saw her, she was ten.’

That was the last image he had of her was when she was small, bright, and clinging to him like he was the centre of her world.

Now she stood there in a high school uniform, her posture slightly awkward, her expression caught between curiosity and disbelief. Her hair was braided, her features sharper, her presence entirely different.

She was older, much older, and it hit him harder than anything else.

’She grew up... without me.’

Ethan didn’t move or speak.

He just stood there taking them in, as if trying to make up for seven years in a single moment.

"Ethan!!!"

Lila moved first.

She rushed forward without hesitation, closing the distance between them in seconds before throwing her arms around him.

Ethan barely had time to react before she collided with him.

"Lila..." he murmured, his voice softer than before.

She held him tightly

Too tight, as if letting go meant losing him again. Her fingers clenched into the fabric of his shirt, her face pressed against his chest as her shoulders trembled slightly.

She didn’t want to let go.

Ethan hugged her back, but then he felt pain as there was a sharp tug at his scalp.

"Where have you been, asshole?"

He winced slightly as Tasha grabbed his hair, yanking it just enough to sting.

"Why is everyone in this family so violent?" he murmured under his breath before turning toward her with a half-smile.

"Nice to see you, too."

She held him there for a second longer, her eyes scanning his face as if confirming he was real. Then she also embraced him tightly, joining Lila.

"You idiot," she muttered under her breath.

That left Maren standing there, staring, confused, and processing.

Trying to piece everything together, her gaze flickered between her sisters and the man they were clinging to.

And then, it suddenly clicked.

Her eyes widened.

"No way!"

Her voice rose in disbelief.

"That’s-"

She didn’t finish, nor did she need to.

She ran forward, joining the mess of limbs and emotions, practically jumping onto them.

"Ethan!"

Her arms wrapped around whatever part of him she could reach.

"They told me you went abroad!" she blurted out rapidly. "They said you’d come back and, and then you didn’t, and I cried and cried and then-"

Her voice broke.

"...I eventually forgot about you."

As she admitted that last part, she burst out into tears.

Ethan stood there, surrounded, being held and pulled in from every direction.

’I really am a fucking idiot.’

There was no other way to put it.

He had avoided this, avoided them, for what?

Shame, fear, needing space - those were all excuses he had come up with to close himself off.

All of it felt meaningless now, because they were still here, still the same. Mark was his brother, these were his sisters, and they were all his family.

He was blind not to have seen this.

Eventually, they pulled back slightly, letting him breathe, but also remaining oddly close to him as if to make sure he didn’t suddenly disappear.

Tasha wiped her eyes quickly, her expression returning to its usual sternness.

"So," she said, crossing her arms, "where the hell have you been?"

Lila, on the other hand, just smiled softly.

"I’m just glad you’re back..."

Maren, meanwhile, was full of energy.

"Yeah! Where did you go? What was it like? Did you see anything cool? Did you bring anything back?"

The questions were relentless and came one after another.

Ethan blinked.

"Um..."

He scratched the back of his head.

’What am I supposed to say? That I spent seven years fighting for my life in one of the worst prisons in the world. That I’m broken and now spend most of my time training and fighting beasts.’

Seeing them waiting for an answer, he began, "I was..."

"Studying abroad," Mark cut in smoothly from the side. "Didn’t you, mate?"

Ethan paused, then nodded.

"Yeah. That."

It was a blatant lie, but before anyone could say anything else, Ethan noticed something. There was a small figure standing slightly behind Tasha, who had come in with them.

He frowned and pointed.

"Who’s that?"

The kid looked familiar, like a smaller version of someone very close to him.

Tasha followed his gaze, then smirked slightly.

"That’s my son. Adonis."

She paused.

"I had him not long after you, you know."

Ethan blinked, nodding slowly.

"Right..."

He walked over, crouching slightly to meet the kid at eye level.

"Adonis," he said, offering a small smile, "I’m your uncle."

The boy stared at him.

"I have a cracker as an uncle?" he blurted out.

There was silence for half a second, then the entire room burst out into laughter.

Ethan laughed too, not offended in the slightest.

If anything, it felt normal, and he was used to being one of the few white people in the neighbourhood, at least how it had been previously.

Clarissa smacked the back of the boy’s head lightly.

"Watch your mouth."

Ethan just waved it off, but the boy wasn’t done yet.

"What did you study and where?" Adonis asked, curiosity matching Maren’s.

Ethan opened his mouth, then closed it.

Again, he didn’t have an answer that would make sense or come across as truthful.

Who disappears for seven years to study abroad without so much as a phone call?

Mark jumped in again.

"It was engineering, right?"

Ethan nodded hesitantly, which wasn’t very convincing, but luckily something else suddenly caught their attention.

Adonis pointed toward the window, his expression shifting as he hid behind his mother.

"Who’s that weirdo outside?"

Everyone turned to find Elara pressing her face against the glass. Her red eyes were wide, her breath faintly fogging the window as she observed everything inside like it was the most fascinating thing in the world.

Ethan and Mark just looked at each other and laughed, while everyone else was disturbed and confused.

’Now that’s something else we need to explain...’