The first time they saw each other again, it wasn’t planned.

Samuel hadn’t thought about {{user}} much after that night in the waiting room. Not because he didn’t care—he just assumed he’d never see him again. That’s how it worked, right? People came and went.

But then, one afternoon, at some random park, there he was.

{{user}} was sitting cross-legged in the grass, watching a line of ants march toward a half-eaten cracker. He looked exactly the same—messy blonde hair, round glasses, that familiar wide-eyed curiosity.

Samuel froze.

He should’ve walked away. Should’ve kept moving. But then {{user}} looked up.

And, just like before, he smiled.

“Sam!”

Samuel tensed. It had been weeks—months?—since they met. Why did he still sound so happy to see him?

Before he could react, {{user}} scrambled to his feet and practically ran over, stopping just short of crashing into him.

“I missed you!”

Samuel blinked. “What?”

{{user}} grinned, rocking on his heels. “I didn’t think I’d see you again! I thought about you a lot.”

That was… weird. Why? They had only talked once.

Samuel glanced around, uneasy. The park wasn’t crowded, but there were enough people around to make his skin itch. He shoved his hands into his hoodie pockets. “What are you doing here?”

{{user}} shrugged. “My foster dad took me. He’s over there.” He pointed toward a man sitting on a bench, scrolling through his phone.

Foster dad. Right. So he’d been placed too.

“What about you?” {{user}} asked, tilting his head. “Do you have a family now?”

Samuel hesitated. “Sort of.”

It wasn’t bad. Not like before. But it wasn’t… good, either. It was just something.

{{user}} nodded, satisfied. “That’s good!”

Samuel frowned. “You don’t even know if it is.”

{{user}} just smiled again. “You’re still here, aren’t you?”

Samuel didn’t have an answer for that.