They stayed like that for a long time.
Neither speaking. Neither needing to.
The steam curled lazily into the evening air, wrapping them in a soft haze. Somewhere in the background, the springs hissed and bubbled quietly.
Sunny had stopped thinking entirely. He was just… sitting there, leaning back into her without a hint of tension in his shoulders. Her chest pressed against him — warm, steady — almost like it was meant to be his pillow.
Juliet hadn't moved either, her arms loose around him, her head resting just lightly near his shoulder. His warmth bled into her, and for once, she wasn't thinking about battles or killing or anything beyond this moment.
It was… comfortable. Too comfortable.
From the corner of his eye, Sunny thought he saw movement. Avi, shifting slightly on her towel in the shade.
…Had they really been sitting like this long enough for someone to start waking up?
"Juliet," he murmured, tilting his head just enough to glance back. "We should get up. Let me go."
"Mm." She didn't move.
"Juliet."
"Don't wanna," she said flatly.
He blinked. "What do you mean, don't wanna?"
"You're… like a doll. Small, compact, short and cute." she said after a moment, her voice quieter. "I just want to hug and cuddle you, all day long if possible."
Sunny could feel the heat starting to creep up his neck. "You—"
"Are you not enjoying it?" she asked, her tone deceptively casual.
His Flaw answered before he could even think about lying. "Yes."
Her lips curled faintly. "Would you like to hug me every day? Or like me to hug you everyday, like this."
The warmth on his face went from noticeable to blazing in seconds. He knew exactly what she was doing — milking his Flaw for all it was worth — and yet…
"…Yes," he said anyway, almost under his breath.
"Such a perv, enjoying the body of whom he calls an elder sister." Juliet muttered against him, too flushed herself.
After all, this is definitely not the relationship that your everyday average and normal brothers and sisters have.
Then again, they are not average in any sense.
Neither normal from any angle you look at.
Juliet's smile softened, and her voice dropped to something almost… earnest. "If you definitely make it back from the Dream Realm, I'll wake you up with a hug every day. If you want."
"I don't need that," Sunny muttered quickly, before glancing sideways at her. "…Are you assuming I'll live with you or something?"
This time, it was her turn to flush, though she masked it well. "Won't you?" she asked, hesitant but with a small, hopeful edge. "Aren't we family now?"
There was a beat of silence. Then Sunny nodded.
"Yeah. Me, Avi, you… and maybe Nephis, and Cassie too. Together."
Though Cassie does have a family even now, unlike the four of us.
He hadn't even realized until he said it that he'd never put it into words before — he'd just assumed they'd be living together when he came back.
Juliet let out a slow breath, almost like she'd been holding it. "…Then promise me."
"What?"
"Promise me you'll come back. Definitely."
Sunny's gaze stayed on the water for a moment before he nodded once. "Yes. I promise."
"Good."
They stayed like that for a heartbeat longer before finally pulling apart. Juliet rose to her feet, brushing a bit of sand from her thigh, while Sunny straightened and rolled his shoulders.
By then, Avi was sitting up, rubbing her eyes, and Cassie was shifting into a more comfortable position. Nephis stirred soon after, blinking toward them with that same unreadable calm.
The peace of the hot spring still lingered in the air… but Sunny had the distinct feeling it wouldn't stay quiet for long.
They stayed in the warmth of the springs until the last hints of sunlight began to fade from the treetops.
Avi was the first to stir fully, stretching her arms with a small groan before blinking toward them. Cassie shifted soon after, sitting up and brushing a few stray leaves from her lap, while Nephis finally opened her eyes with her usual calm composure.
The peaceful haze broke.
Juliet had slowly eased herself away from Sunny, going to get her things, her warmth peeling from his back, and he tried not to notice how the cool air immediately felt sharper without it. He stood there preparing his clothes, stretching stiff shoulders, while the others began gathering their things.
Cassie tilted her head toward them. "We should probably get going before it gets too dark."
They dressed without hurry — the soft rustle of fabric, the faint clink of buckles, the sound of boots pressing into the sand. It was that comfortable kind of silence that follows a shared moment, none of them quite ready to shatter it yet.
Sunny pulled on his coat, glancing up just as Juliet tightened the straps on her jacket. "So," Juliet said casually, "we could stop by a nice place I know. Restaurant near the road back to the city. Good food, good view."
Cassie paused mid-motion, then gave a faint smile. "Or… we could go somewhere else."
Juliet raised an eyebrow. "Somewhere else?"
"My parents," Cassie said simply. She spoke without hesitation, though there was a softness to her tone. "They live nearby now. Well… nearby as in an hour from here. Since we're already out this far, I could invite everyone to our home for dinner."
Sunny blinked, a little taken aback. Cassie didn't often talk about her parents — not because she avoided the topic, but because her life at the Academy seemed so separate from them.
"I haven't seen them in a month," she continued. "Work keeps them busy — government officials, both of them. They can't leave often. But…" she trailed off briefly, her expression gentling, "…it'd be nice to see them tonight."
Juliet's lips quirked, but her eyes softened in recognition. "Work like that eats your time. I get it." She didn't say more, but Sunny caught the faint shadow behind her words.
"It's not like they neglect me," Cassie added, almost as if reading the unspoken thoughts in the air. "They call me regularly. But voice isn't the same as… being there."
She reached for her phone, thumb sliding over the screen before she lifted it slightly. Instead of typing, she pressed and held a button, her voice warm but steady. "Mom, Dad. It's me. Are you home tonight?"
The faint tone of a sent voice message chimed.
A few seconds later, another tone — the reply. Both her parents' voices came through faintly in the open air, overlapping in their excitement to hear from her. Sunny caught bits and pieces — 'Cassie, love, of course… when?… Yes, come, bring your friends…'
Juliet stood beside her, listening with an almost unreadable expression. Avi, on the other hand, lit up like a festival lantern. "I can finally see Auntie Elena and Uncle Ivan again!"
Sunny turned his head toward her. "…You've met them?"
"Mm-hmm," Avi said brightly. "Cute Cass introduced me. Adoring Nephis too. You're the only one who hasn't."
What's with the nice nicknames? and why do I don't have one??
Avi seemed to have read his mind, huffing at him.
"You are Annoying Sunny, that's for you."
I...figured.
Sunny sighed.
He doesn't even care anymore.
Nephis gave a short nod at that, calm as ever. "They're kind," she said simply, but something about the way she said it made Sunny feel like she meant genuinely kind.
He wasn't sure why his stomach tightened a little at the thought of meeting them. Curiosity? Maybe. But it was also something else — a strange, quiet uncertainty he didn't have a name for.
Cassie's phone chimed again. She listened briefly, then turned to them with a small smile. "They'll be ready for us by the time we get there. About an hour's drive. We'll make it just in time for dinner."
That sealed it.
They started down the path from the springs, boots crunching lightly over the cooling ground. The air smelled faintly of pine and damp stone, the sky above them deepening from gold to violet.
Avi walked ahead with Cassie, chatting in low, eager tones. Nephis followed quietly behind them. Juliet fell into a quiet and still state of focus, beside Sunny, her gaze flicking toward him and others behind now and then, but she didn't speak.
Somewhere between the rustle of leaves and the distant hum of the night settling in, Sunny thought about her promise earlier. Thought about the fact that she now knew his Flaw — and the fact that she'd chosen to keep it to herself.
The road ahead curved into shadow, and the last sliver of sun dipped beneath the horizon.
Whatever was waiting at Cassie's home… he'd find out soon enough.