The living room felt infinitely smaller the moment the group stepped inside. Solace watched as his friends, the top-ranked elites, awkwardly navigated the modest entryway of the Wright household. Lex stood rigid, his eyes briefly sweeping over the faded wallpaper, trying a bit too hard to look perfectly polite. Phoebe stood quietly beside him, her aristocratic posture making the low ceiling seem even lower. Nolan, ever the golden retriever, was already offering to take everyone's coats, while Lily and Vivi huddled close together, taking in the warmth of the room. Love lingered near the back.
"Come in, come in!" Solace's mom ushered them forward, her hands fluttering nervously as she directed traffic. "Please, make yourselves comfortable. Don't mind the mess."
"Mom, we did clean up!" Noah protested from the hallway, though a stray jacket hanging over the back of a chair betrayed his lie.
His mom swatted playfully at the air. "Oh, hush. Sit anywhere you like. Our house might be small for all of you, considering where some of you come from, but please... think of it as your own home tonight."
Lily, who had just perched herself on the edge of an armchair, paused. She looked around the cozy room, the framed pictures on the mantle. She glanced at Vivi before turning back to his mom.
A soft, wistful smile touched Lily's lips. "Trust me, Auntie... this is far better than what we have at home." Her voice held a rare thread of vulnerability, stripping away the usual bravado. "You can buy a hundred mansions, fill them with all the artifacts and servants in the world, but you can never actually call it a home if you don't have someone like you brightening up the house."
Before the atmosphere could turn too melancholy, Love leaned against the doorframe, crossing her arms. "Auntie, you don't need to care about these noble brats and their giant, empty houses," she drawled, her voice cutting through the sentimentality like a comfortable knife. "Us small folks are perfectly happy with this. The food smells amazing, and that's enough for me."
The tension broke instantly. Laughter filled the small living room, the awkward barriers melting away under the warmth of the hearth.
Solace's dad, who had been quietly observing the group from his armchair, turned his attention to Love. He possessed the discerning eye of a military recruiter, but right now, his gaze was purely paternal.
His dad said, his deep voice carrying over the chatter. "I don't believe Solace has mentioned you as much. Where are you from? What do your parents do?"
The room quieted down slightly. Love didn't flinch.
"I have no family, sir," Love replied, her tone matter-of-fact, devoid of any plea for pity. "I came from Nuan. From the very edge of the territory, a city called Caujn. I'm here on a full academy scholarship."
A brief silence settled over the room.
Solace's dad's expression softened instantly. The stern military man melted away, replaced by the father who had raised three kids on a tight budget. He leaned forward, his voice radiating a fierce, protective warmth.
"Well, you are in Theon now," his dad said firmly. "And as long as you are here, you treat this place as your own home. The door is always open. And you can think of my stupid child here as your little brother. He's thick-headed, but he means well."
Solace rolled his eyes at the "stupid child" comment, but before he could defend himself, Love spoke up.
"Thank you, sir," Love said, her lips curving into a very deliberate, sweet smile that Solace knew all too well. "But I'd prefer not to think of him as a brother. Let's just say... a very close friend."
She let the words hang in the air for just a fraction of a second too long.
Sitting across the room, Phoebe's posture instantly stiffened. Her platinum eyes snapped toward Love, narrowing with sudden, sharp suspicion. Phoebe didn't say a word, but the drop in temperature around her was palpable. Love merely offered a casual, sidelong glance back.
Solace, meanwhile, felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. He glanced toward the kitchen doorway and nearly jumped. His mom and both siblings were peering around the corner, staring at him. They weren't just looking; they were glaring. It was a synchronized, three-pronged death stare that promised absolute torment. Solace blinked, utterly confused. What did I do now?
Oblivious to the silent war of glares happening across the room, Vivi leaned forward, breaking the tension.
"Wait, you're from Nuan?" Vivi asked, her eyes wide with genuine curiosity. "But how come your Thalorin is so perfect? I couldn't even tell you weren't from Theon. You don't have even a hint of the northern accent."
Love adjusted her collar, a flicker of genuine pride breaking through her usual cynicism. "I used to work at a dusty old bookstore back in Caujn," she explained. "I knew early on that if I wanted to improve my life, I couldn't stay in the ice. I needed to get to Theon. So, I spent every night reading the imported texts, mimicking the merchants, and forcing myself to learn Thalorin until it sounded like it belonged to me."
The room fell into an awed silence. Even Lex, who usually turned his nose up at anything outside of high society, looked genuinely impressed by the sheer willpower it took to self-educate to that degree.
"That's incredible," Nolan said softly, voicing what everyone else was thinking.
"Solace!"
His mom's voice rang out from the kitchen, sharp and commanding. "Come help me carry the platters. Now."
Solace flinched. "Coming, Mom."
He excused himself from the group, ignoring the amused look Love shot his way, and hurried into the kitchen. The moment his foot crossed the threshold, the swinging door shut behind him. He didn't even have time to ask which platter to grab before he was physically backed against the refrigerator by a very coordinated family assault.
His mom stood with her arms crossed, holding a spoon like a weapon. Noah and Luna flanked her, looking like disappointed judges at a tribunal.
"We never thought you would do something like this," the twins whispered in dramatic unison, shaking their heads.
"Hmm," his mom hummed, a sound that struck pure terror into Solace's heart. "I truly thought I raised you better, Solace Wright."
Solace pressed his back flat against the cool metal of the fridge, genuinely panicked. His mind raced through the events of the day. Did they find out about the gang? Did they know he was plotting against the Church?
"What?" Solace stammered, holding his good hand up in surrender. "What are you talking about? What did I do?"
Luna peeked around the doorframe, pointing a perfectly manicured finger back toward the living room before turning her glare back to her older brother. "We never thought you would be such a playboy! Playing two girls at once!"
"And one of them is a daughter of the Frostbane family!" Noah added, his voice an aggressive, hushed whisper. "Are you insane? Do you have a death wish, brother?"
Solace stared at them, his brain stalling for a solid three seconds before the sheer absurdity of the accusation caught up to him. "A Playboy? What? No! Wait, hold on. There is absolutely nothing going on between any of them and me!"
"Oh, don't lie," his mom scolded, tapping the spoon against her palm. "I saw the way that dark-haired girl Love corrected your dad. 'Not a brother, a close friend.' She practically marked her territory on my living room rug! Not that I mind, but still!"
"She was just messing around! That's how she talks!" Solace hissed desperately, trying to keep his voice down so the demigods in the next room wouldn't hear. "We are just friends! Nothing more!"
His mom sighed, her fierce glare softening into a look of maternal disappointment. "I really thought that you and Frostbane girl had a thing," she confessed, sounding genuinely heartbroken. "I was so happy. Honestly, I know she looks intimidating, but she seemed like such a softie."
Solace blinked. "Phoebe? A softie?"
"She is a softie on the inside," his mom insisted stubbornly. She stepped closer, lowering her voice. "Solace, while you were in a coma, she visited you every single day. The hospital staff told me. She'd just sit there, making sure nobody bothered you. She's tough on the outside, but she cares about you."
Solace felt a sudden, heavy lump form in his throat. He hadn't known that. The image of the usually haughty Phoebe keeping vigil by his bedside was hard to reconcile, but it warmed a part of his chest he tried to keep walled off.
Still, he had to shut this down before his family planned a wedding. "Mom, listen to me. She is nothing more than a friend. We fought together, we survived together. We have a nice bond. That's it."
"Then why was Love suddenly so defensive out there?" Luna pressed, her eyes narrowing suspiciously. "The moment Dad tried to family-zone you two, she jumped in. Why?"
"I don't know!" Solace ran his good hand through his hair in frustration. "She likes keeping people off balance. It's her thing!"
Noah crossed his arms, leaning in. "Alright, Mr. Innocent. Then explain the phone call."
Solace froze. "What phone call?"
"The one from two nights ago," Luna said, her voice dripping with triumphant accusation. "Why did Phoebe call us so late at night? She told us you were mysteriously dying! We nearly had a heart attack before she hung up!"
Solace groaned internally.
"And more importantly," Noah added, leaning closer until they were nose-to-nose. "What were both of you doing alone in the medical room that late at night?"
His mom gasped, her hands flying to her mouth. The spoon clattered against the counter. "You were alone in a dark room with her at midnight?! Solace!"
"It's a hospital room!" Solace whisper-shouted, his face burning hotter than the stove behind him. "There were monitors! And nurses outside! We were just talking—"
"Talking?" Luna mocked. "Or..."
Before his sister could finish that terrifying sentence, a booming, steady voice rang out from the living room, cutting through the kitchen walls.
"Celeste! Is everything ready in there? Do you need any help with the food?" his dad saved him at the last moment.
Solace had never loved his dad more than in that exact moment.
"Nothing!" Solace yelled back toward the living room, his voice cracking slightly in his desperation to escape. "Everything's fine!"
He grabbed a massive platter of roasted meats with his good hand, shoved past his highly suspicious siblings, and practically bolted for the swinging door. He sent a silent, fervent prayer of thanks to his dad.