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The silence had stretched on for so long that I honestly thought it might just last forever, like a fragile truce none of us wanted to shatter. But the tension hanging in the air that evening felt heavier, more palpable, as if the room itself recognized we had hit a point where we could no longer pretend things were fine.

We were in the sitting room, the same one that had seen too much in recent weeks, yet somehow it looked just as it always did, with that warm glow from the lamp in the corner and the lingering scent of polished wood.

I was on one end of the couch, Ethan had plopped himself in the armchair to my left, leaning back with one ankle resting on his knee. At first glance, he looked relaxed, but if you watched him for more than a second, you could see the way his fingers tapped lightly against the armrest in a steady, restless rhythm, revealing that his mind was clearly racing.

Adrien was on the other end of the couch...close enough for comfort but not too close, his arm draped along the backrest like he owned the place, even if the slight tension in his shoulders hinted otherwise.

The silence had lingered for a while now, but it was different from the comfortable quiet we’d managed to rebuild recently. This felt charged, like the air before a storm that had been brewing just out of sight.

I knew it was coming.

I’d always known this day would arrive because there was no way we could keep avoiding the truth forever without it catching up to us.

Slowly, I lowered the cup of tea a maid had brought in for me, my fingers lingering on it a moment longer than necessary, as if letting go of it meant I was also letting go of the last excuse to avoid what was about to go down.

"I think..." my voice trailed off, and I almost choked on the words as they got stuck somewhere between my chest and my throat. It felt too huge to contain in a single sentence.

Neither of them interrupted, which honestly made it feel worse.

I took a quiet breath and tried again, my voice a bit steadier this time despite the tightness in my chest.

"I think’s time we talk...about us," I said, glancing briefly between them and then looking down at my hands, which had somehow found their way into my lap, fingers intertwined without me even realizing.

Beside me, Adrien shifted slightly in his seat, and I noticed Ethan’s tapping had stopped altogether, his silence made the room feel even more still.

"Yeah," Ethan finally replied, his tone calm but layered with something more intense. "I was wondering when you’d say that."

Adrien let out a soft breath that almost sounded like a laugh, though it held no humor, and when I looked up, I saw a hint of a smirk on his lips that didn’t quite reach his eyes.

"Took you long enough, Hamster," he said, his voice lighter than the mood warranted, but his sharp gaze remained fixed on me, making it impossible to pretend this was all casual.

I swallowed hard, ignoring the way my heart quickened, and nodded slightly.

"Yeah... I know," I admitted, my fingers tightening together for a brief moment before I made myself relax. "I just... I didn’t know how to say it."

That was the truth, even if it sounded like a flimsy excuse. Every time I had tried to wrap my head around this conversation over the last few days, it felt like trying to untie a knot that had been twisted together for far too long.

I shifted on the couch, turning just enough to face both of them directly because avoiding eye contact wasn’t going to help right now.

I sure hope I don’t screw shit up since I definitely didn’t have a way with words.

"We’ve been through a shit ton," I began slowly, choosing my words carefully this time because I could feel how much they mattered. "Not just... recently, but everything that led up to this."

Ethan’s expression softened just a bit, while Adrien’s gaze remained steady, though the tension in his shoulders eased a fraction.

"Our family, the lies, everything that happened with..." I hesitated, the words catching again, but I pushed through. "With our parents, and everything that happened after that."

Neither of them spoke, but the silence felt different now, less suffocating and more like they were actually listening, which somehow made it easier to continue.

"And then there’s you two," I added, my voice quieter yet more certain. "And that’s where it gets even more complicated."

Adrien huffed softly under his breath, not truly annoyed and Ethan leaned forward slightly, elbows resting on his knees, giving me his full attention.

I breathed out, trying to steady myself since this was the part I had been dreading the most.

"You’re not the same to me," I said, glancing between them as I spoke, wanting them to understand this wasn’t vague or careless. "And I don’t mean that in a bad way; it’s just... it’s different."

Ethan raised his eyebrows, and Adrien tilted his head, both of them waiting for me to elaborate.

"With you," I began, looking at Ethan first since it felt easier, "it’s... steady. You’ve always been there in a way that feels safe, like I can breathe around you without worrying too much about who I am, I can just be myself. Even when things get messy, you’re still something I can hold onto."

Ethan’s expression shifted slightly, a softer warmth settling in, though he remained quiet.

"And with you," I continued, turning to Adrien, whose gaze had sharpened a bit, "it’s... intense. It’s not quiet or easy, but it’s real in its own way. You challenge me, you push me, and I feel things even when I don’t fully understand them despite you being so mean at times."

Adrien’s lips curved faintly, but there was something more vulnerable lurking behind that smile than he usually let show.

I let out another breath, my chest tightening again because saying all this out loud made it impossible to take back.

"I love you both," I said, the words tumbling out more steadily than I’d expected, even though my heart raced. "And I don’t know how to choose between you because choosing feels like losing something I don’t want to let go of."

The room fell completely silent after that, not the kind of silence that felt empty but rather full of everything that had just been said and all that still lingered unsaid.

My throat felt suddenly dry, but I forced myself to keep going because stopping now would only make things worse.

"I’m sorry," I added quietly, my gaze dropping back to my hands. "If I made it seem like something could happen between each of you... if I made things confusing or unfair for either of you."

Neither of them responded immediately, and the quiet stretched long enough for my nerves to creep back in, making me feel like I had just jumped off something without knowing where I’d land.

I let out a small breath, awkward and heavy, wanting to break the tension, even if it felt clumsy.

"I mean... unless you both suddenly decide to share me like a KitKat or something," I attempted a weak joke, a nervous smile creeping onto my lips. "We’d probably be better off just staying friends."

For a moment, nothing happened.

Then Adrien let out a rough chuckle as he leaned back slightly, his eyes still on me.

"We could try that," he said, a casual tone that didn’t really match the gravity of what he was saying.

And I...wait what?