Our Home

Our Home
Evander

The gates are open when we arrive. Iron pulled wide and held there, the way a door is when someone is expecting company. The gravel drive is already marked with fresh, overlapping footprints, and the front doors stand open beyond the courtyard, light spilling out across the stone. Allison slows beside me enough that her stride shifts, and I feel it before I see it. Christopher adjusts to her without thinking. Cassian doesn’t break pace. Kael hums under his breath like he’s clocking exits out of habit. Rhaziel walks straight ahead, unbothered, as if Thornhill has always known who he is. The teachers are waiting there, but they don’t block the path. They line it. Principal Scorched stands closest to the gates, arms folded, chin lifted, his coat hanging open instead of buttoned. Professor Talwyn is beside him, hands clasped loosely at her waist, eyes bright and sharp as they track Allison’s approach. Coach leans against one of the stone pillars, arms crossed, posture relaxed, attention locked. Professor Fenwick stands a little further in, robes neat, expression careful in the way it always is when he’s thinking five steps ahead. Professor Vey gives Allison a small nod as we pass. Professor Cade is there too, hands in his pockets, mouth curved like he’s trying not to smile too much. The others stand behind them all in neat rows, while Nyra waits at the top of the steps. She stands there with the doors open behind her and the school breathing around her like it’s part of the structure. Vale holds out her hand when Allison approaches. There’s a small pause, just long enough to feel the moment land. Allison takes it, a little awkward, fingers sliding into Vale’s grip like she’s not sure what shape the gesture is meant to take. Vale squeezes once as her eyes cloud over.
“I knew you could do it,” she says. Her voice carries easily in the open air. “I knew you would.”
Allison’s shoulders lift on a breath. “I didn't doubt that for a second.”
Vale’s mouth curves. “No one ever does.”
She lets go without ceremony, steps aside, and the path opens again.

The school smells the same. Stone and old paper and magic that’s been worked smooth by time. The halls are brighter now, though, and people move through them without stopping to stare or without shrinking back. Allison keeps walking, and we walk with her. Her hand brushes Christopher’s as we pass the first corridor, and he takes it without looking down. Cassian moves ahead instinctively, already tracking the building the way he always does, even here. Kael drifts closer to Allison’s other side, close enough that she could lean if she needed to. Rhaziel’s presence folds inward as we climb. No one questions where we’re going; we already know. The attic greets us the way it always has, with a wide-open ceiling, warm light, and familiar clutter that hasn’t been rearranged to make room for anything bigger than it needs to be. Christopher doesn’t hesitate today. He steps in with her, and so do we. I take Allison’s coat off her shoulders before she can think, take its weight in my hands, and hang it where it belongs. She rolls her shoulders, and I guide her to sit before her knees remember they’re tired. I crouch in front of her, work the laces loose, slide the boots free and set them aside. Her hands are cold, so I take them in mine, press my mouth to each knuckle once, slowly, the way I’ve always done when I want her to feel grounded in her body again. She laughs softly, the sound catches and then settles.
“What do you want for dinner, pet?” I ask.
She leans back on her palms and tilts her head toward me, eyes bright and exhausted and real. “Is it okay if I just eat a ridiculous amount of chocolate and sit in front of the TV?”
Kael snorts. “Bold request.”
Cassian huffs quietly from near the window. “You’ll eat something with protein first.”
Rhaziel says nothing, but his mouth curves faintly, like he’s already accounting for the logistics.
I shake my head at her, smiling despite myself. “Chocolate for dessert.”
She grins. “Deal.”
The room fills in around us.

Cassian leans against the desk, arms folded, eyes scanning Allison the way he does when he’s checking for fractures that don’t show up on the surface. Kael drops onto a couch and stretches out. Rhaziel takes a seat at the dining table, like he’s making room for whatever comes next. Christopher sits beside Allison on the edge of the bed, their shoulders touching, his presence steady and quiet. I move to the kitchenette and start the kettle out of habit, the small, ordinary sound of it grounding in a way nothing else is right now. Allison watches me for a moment. Then she looks around the room, slow and careful, like she’s counting things that didn’t disappear while she was gone.
“I missed this place,” she says.
Christopher nods. “I bet.”
Kael shifts on the couch, stretches his legs out fully, then tilts his head back to look at the ceiling.
“We’re going to need a bigger couch,” he says.
Cassian doesn’t even look up from his phone. “Already ordering one.”
Kael lifts his head. “You are?”
“Yes,” Cassian says. “Wider frame. Reinforced base. Delivery tomorrow.”
Kael grins, satisfied, and drops back against the cushions. “Good. I refuse to be the one dangling off the edge.”
I glance toward the small dining table and the chairs tucked beneath it. “Add another chair,” I say. “Two, actually.”
Cassian’s thumb pauses once, then moves again. “Done.”
Rhaziel pipes in, adding on more, "Add more pillows too."
Allison watches us from the bed, chin tipped slightly down, mouth curved in a way that looks surprised and soft all at once. Her gaze moves between us as if she’s not entirely sure what she’s seeing.
“You’re… organising,” she says.
Kael shrugs. “We live here now.”
She blinks. “You do?”
Christopher shifts closer to her, knee brushing hers, like the question never needed words.
Allison’s eyes lift to mine. “Are all of you moving in?”
I cross the room before she finishes the sentence. I slide my hands around her waist and lift her easily, settling her back against me as I sit on the edge of the bed. She fits there like she always has. Like she always will. I kiss her once, slow and careful, letting the room stay quiet around us.
“Our home is wherever you are, pet,” I say against her mouth. “You’re the sun. We’re just here to orbit you.”
Her breath stutters. She laughs softly and leans back into my chest, hands curling into my shirt. Around us, the kettle clicks off. Cassian sets his phone aside. Kael stretches again. Rhaziel shadows crawl along the floor to rest at Allison's feet. Christopher stays close, steady and sure. We might not agree on everything, but we do agree on one thing. She is our home. Wherever she is, we will be there with her.