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It made sense in theory, a kind of twisted logic that painted my self-removal as something noble, but now, sitting in this silence, I wasn’t so sure it had been the right call.

Because all it really did was create distance.

And that distance had grown faster than I anticipated.

Adrien had shut himself off almost immediately, pushing everyone away in a way that made it clear he didn’t want to be reached, no matter how often I tried. I told myself I was giving him space, that it was what he needed, but there were times I wondered if that was just an excuse to avoid pushing too hard.

Ethan took the opposite route, throwing himself into anything that required action—anything that kept him moving and occupied, so he wouldn’t have to sit still and feel the weight of everything that had happened. He still checked in when he could, still showed up in little ways to remind me he was there, but even those moments had become less frequent over the past few days.

And that left me here.

Alone in a house that didn’t feel like home anymore, trying to piece together something that made sense out of everything that didn’t.

The sound of a car pulling into the driveway broke my thoughts, drawing my attention to the window as I straightened in my chair. For a moment, I hesitated, unsure if I really wanted to look, but curiosity got the better of me, and I pushed myself to my feet and moved closer.

The headlights pierced through the dimness outside, lighting up the front of the mansion just enough for me to recognize the familiar shape of the car as it came to a stop.

And then the doors opened.

I blinked, convinced for a second that I was misreading what I was seeing.

Because there was no way—

But there they were.

Ethan stepped out first, stretching as he closed the door behind him, his face weary but otherwise normal in a way that felt almost surreal. Adrien followed a moment later, ruffling his hair as he glanced around briefly before making his way to the entrance.

Together.

Not bickering.

Not avoiding each other.

Just... there.

I stayed put for a moment, trying to process it, until I realized if I didn’t move soon, I was going to look ridiculous just standing there, staring out the window like I had forgotten how to use doors.

Wait a minute...I had to be hallucinating or something because there was no way this was real.

By the time I reached the hallway, I could already hear faint footsteps approaching, the soft echo of voices that weren’t raised, weren’t sharp, nothing like what I had expected.

The front door opened, and for a moment, all three of us stood there, caught in a moment that felt oddly uncertain.

"Hey," Ethan said first, his voice softer than usual as his gaze settled on me.

"Hey," I replied, my voice coming out a little slower than I intended as I tried not to focus on the fact he was standing next to Adrien like it was the most normal thing ever.

There was a brief pause before Ethan stepped forward, bridging the gap between us without hesitation and pulling me into a hug that felt warm and familiar, making something inside me loosen just a bit.

"I’m sorry I haven’t been around much," he murmured, his voice close enough that I could feel it more than hear it. "Things have been... a lot."

"It’s fine," I said, meaning it more than I thought I would. "I get it."

He pulled back slightly, just enough to look at me, a small smile creeping onto his lips. "I missed you," he added, the words slipping out in that effortless, charming way of his.

From somewhere behind him, I heard a quiet, exaggerated sound of disgust, followed by Adrien muttering something under his breath that sounded suspiciously like he was about to throw up.

I huffed out a laugh despite myself, glancing past Ethan to see Adrien leaning against the wall, arms crossed and rolling his eyes at us.

"Nice to see you too," I said.

Adrien pushed off the wall and walked closer, shaking his head lightly. "Don’t get used to it," he replied, though there was a faint hint of warmth in his expression that hadn’t been there before.

He stopped just a short distance from me, his gaze lingering a moment longer than necessary before he spoke again.

"How have you been?" he asked, his tone quieter now. "I’ve had a pretty rough couple of weeks. Didn’t really think about the fact that you might need someone to be there for you too."

I felt something shift at that, his honesty catching me off guard in a way that made it hard to respond right away.

"It’s okay," I said after a moment, keeping my voice steady. "You needed space. You still do if that’s what you want."

Adrien studied me for a second before a small smile pulled at his lips, something softer than I was used to from him. "That’s a good hamster," he said, reaching out to ruffle my hair in a way that felt annoyingly familiar.

I swatted his hand away, though there wasn’t much force behind it. "Get your hands off me, Asshole."

For a moment, the three of us just stood there, the tension that had hung between us for days still there but not as sharp as it had been before. It wasn’t gone, and I didn’t think it would vanish that quickly, but it had morphed into something quieter, something that felt... bearable.

Ethan looked between us, as if he was trying to gauge where we stood, before exhaling softly.

"This is weird," he admitted.

"Yeah," I agreed.

"Definitely," Adrien added.

And yet, none of us moved away.

If anything, we stayed right where we were, close enough that the space between us no longer felt impossible to bridge, even if we weren’t quite sure how to do it just yet.

It wasn’t perfect.

It wasn’t resolved.

But for the first time in a while, it felt like things were starting to come back together, slowly and uncertainly, in a way that didn’t require us to force anything into place.