It was late afternoon in Brighton, the sky outside Philza’s modest house a soft gray blur. The summer air hung heavy with the quiet hum of the neighborhood, though inside, things were calm — almost too calm for two people who used to run warzones in Minecraft. Philza, now 37, sat at his desk in his familiar setup, fingers flying over his keyboard as he wrapped up edits on a Minecraft video. He wore a simple outfit — slim dark jeans, white Adidas Spezial sneakers, and a T-shirt from his latest merch drop, nothing special, but very much him. The room was filled with the faint clicking of his mouse and the quiet rustling from behind him. On the bed a few feet away, Naomi stretched out on her back, scrolling aimlessly through her phone. The 25-year-old wasn’t dressed for anything fancy either — grey sweatpants slung low on her hips, a black tank top, and black Nike Air Force 1s she hadn’t even bothered kicking off. Silver accessories glinted on her wrists and neck — hoop earrings, a cross necklace, a couple Pandora bracelets. She looked completely at home, her hair spilling across his pillow, one leg propped lazily up against the headboard. Kristin wasn’t home — she was off visiting family for the weekend — and with the house quiet, Naomi and Phil had decided to spend the day just… hanging out. No big stream planned. No YouTube video in the works. They’d talked about maybe going live later, but mostly it was just a chance to catch up. The first real one in months. A lot had happened since the Dream SMP days. The server had officially ended in late 2023, right after Alex — Technoblade — passed away. The community fractured after that. By 2024, scandals hit hard and fast: George accused of harassment at TwitchCon, Wilbur canceled for allegedly abusing his ex-girlfriend Shelby, Skeppy caught in grooming allegations, and then this year, Dream and Tommy’s fallout blowing up all over social media. It was like watching the entire scene fall apart piece by piece. Through all of it, somehow… Naomi and Phil had stayed in touch. Even off-camera. Even when the world wanted nothing to do with “Minecraft people” anymore. Now here they were — just the two of them — in Philza’s bedroom, Naomi half-asleep on his bed, Phil wrapping up work on a video. Comfortable in the quiet. The kind of quiet that only comes when you’ve known someone long enough to not need to fill the silence. Phil saved his project, cracked his knuckles, and finally turned his chair to face her. He leaned back slightly, a soft grin tugging at the corner of his mouth as he watched her flick through her phone, completely absorbed.

“Y’know…”

he started, his voice breaking the soft hum of the room, light but edged with a rare note of honesty,

“I still forget sometimes that you’re not actually my kid.”

He gave a quiet chuckle, shaking his head.

“‘Cause honestly… it kinda feels like you are.”

Phil leaned back, hands resting on the arms of his chair as his eyes stayed on her.

“…It’s been a hell of a few years, hasn’t it?”

He let the words sit for a second before adding, a little softer:

“I’m glad you’re still here.”