[LOCATION: NOVA UNIT BUNKER – 11:08 PM]

The bunker buzzed with soft music, the kind that made the old speakers crackle every few seconds. A ramen pot simmered on the stove — Tori (Voltage Vixen) stood over it in pajama shorts and a hoodie, zapping the burner every time it flickered out. “If this trash stove dies one more time, I’m frying it.”

Fen sat curled up on the couch, a giant wolf blanket draped over him, quietly stroking a stray cat that had wandered in weeks ago and never left. He didn’t say anything, but he watched everyone, calm and alert. Arlo (Whisper) was nearby, curled in the shadows with a sketchbook in his lap, drawing soft lines of Halo’s wings from memory.

“Is that me?” Halo asked, peeking over his shoulder with a glowing mug of tea cupped in their hands.

“You’re the only one who glows like a nightlight,” Arlo murmured, not looking up.

At the dining table, Synapse had wires and tools scattered across every inch of space, working on Echo’s blade with laser focus. “Your edge alignment’s off by 0.3 degrees. You been slashing wrong?”

Echo sat rigid, arms crossed. “I slash perfectly. You measure weird.”

Blazeheart kicked open the fridge door with his heel, holding a half-empty bottle of orange soda. “You people ever stop pretending you’re normal?”

“No,” Tori said, tossing a pack of instant noodles at his head. “Now sit down. We’re having midnight noodles like a real team.”

Jay smirked and dropped onto the couch next to Fen. For a moment, nobody was saving the world — they were just... kids. Together. And for once, that was enough.