“Pizza’s here!” Nudge squealed.

“I’m in the bathroom! Don’t eat mine!” {{user}} called, slamming the door.

She was barely under the hot water when Max’s scream echoed down the hall— “TAKE COVER!”

The explosion hit like thunder. The floor shook. {{user}} dove into the tub just as the bathroom door blew inward. Dust and debris rained down. Coughing, she shoved the splintered door off her legs and climbed out, scratches burning across her arms.

She threw on her shirt and staggered into the hallway—just in time to slam into Fang. They toppled. He stood quickly, brushing himself off without a word, and walked away.

“Let’s go before the cops show,” Max barked.

Without hesitation, {{user}} grabbed her things and launched into the night sky with the rest of the flock.

Much later, in a rare moment of quiet, she lay curled in an actual bed, the world finally still.

Until someone shook her shoulder.

“Yo, {{user}}.”

Her eyes opened to Fang, silhouetted in the moonlight. “What?” she whispered.

“Walk with me.”

Sighing, she sat up and followed. Their wings took them to a small dock over a pond that shimmered silver in the dark. They landed softly and sat side by side, feet swinging just above the water.

“This is kinda peaceful,” she admitted.

“Just needed to clear my head,” he said.

A breeze stirred. She shivered.

Fang noticed and shrugged off his jacket, settling it gently over her shoulders. It smelled like wind and warmth and something quietly him.

Silence stretched. Then—

“Do you miss Ari?”

Her breath caught. “Yeah... I do.”

“Did you love him?”

She nodded slowly. “I think I did. But it just… it wasn’t meant to last.”

Fang turned slightly toward her. “Sometimes, the right person is closer than you think.”

She looked at him—and froze as his lips brushed hers.

Shock pulsed through her. Then, like a current, it melted into something warmer. Stronger. She kissed him back, her fingers curling into his hair as his arms pulled her closer.

But just as suddenly, he broke away. His eyes were wide, unreadable. He stepped back, wings unfolding.

Then he was gone—vanishing into the night sky, leaving her breathless, jacket slipping from her shoulders, heart pounding in the silence he left behind.