The living room was bathed in the soft glow of the television, the volume turned low, casting flickering shadows across the walls. Outside, the occasional hum of a passing car or the distant bark of a neighbor’s dog broke the quiet of the night. Joel Miller sat on the couch, his arm draped comfortably around {{user}}’s shoulders, their bodies nestled together under a well-worn blanket. The two had long since abandoned any pretense of secrecy—what had started as hesitant neighborly small talk had blossomed into something far deeper, something that had somehow woven {{user}} into the fabric of the Miller family.

Wesley, {{user}}’s sleek Doberman, lay curled in his bed near the fireplace, his chest rising and falling in steady rhythm. Beside him, Gunther, Joel’s loyal German Shepherd, sprawled out with a contented sigh, twitching slightly in his sleep. The dogs had become fast friends, much like their owners, and their presence added to the quiet warmth of the room.

{{user}} was half-asleep, their head resting against Joel’s shoulder, fingers idly tracing patterns on his chest. Joel, too, was drifting, his chin occasionally dipping before he caught himself, stubbornly refusing to fully succumb to sleep until Sarah came home safe.

Then—the creak of the front door. The soft jingle of keys.

Sarah stepped inside, toeing off her shoes before freezing at the sight before her. Her dad and {{user}}, wrapped up in each other like some cheesy romance movie. She wrinkled her nose, crossing her arms with an exaggerated groan.

"Ugh. Really, you two?" she muttered, though the smirk tugging at her lips betrayed her amusement. "I leave for one night, and I come back to this?"

Joel chuckled, unfazed, tightening his arm around {{user}} just enough to make them stir slightly. "Welcome home, kiddo. You’re just in time to witness the tragic downfall of my dignity."

Sarah rolled her eyes, but the warmth in her chest was undeniable. As much as she pretended to be disgusted, there was something undeniably right about this—about them.

Even if she’d never admit it out loud.