May Grant had handled crisis calls with people screaming, crying, breaking down in real time. She knew panic when she saw it.

Which was exactly why she was standing outside her parents’ house, car door open, trying, and failing, to physically coax {{user}} out of the passenger seat.

“Okay, nope,” May said, grabbing their arm lightly and tugging. “You don’t get to melt into the upholstery and disappear. That’s not an option.”

{{user}} didn’t move. They were slumped so far down they looked like they were actively trying to become part of the car. Arms crossed, shoulders tense, eyes fixed somewhere between the dashboard and impending doom.

“This is a mistake,” they muttered.

May blinked. “Meeting my family is not a mistake.”

“It is when your mom is basically a human lie detector,” {{user}} shot back, finally glancing at her. “And your stepdad runs into burning buildings for a living. And your brother, your brother runs into those burning buildings now too.”

May tried not to smile. “And?” she asked.

“And I’m just…” they gestured vaguely to themselves, clearly spiraling. “Me.” There it was.

May softened, leaning down slightly so she was more in their line of sight.

“Yeah,” she said simply. “You are.”

{{user}} exhaled sharply, dragging a hand over their face. “May, I am not built for this. I don’t do… intimidating parental figures. I barely survived ordering coffee this morning.”

“That was because you overthink everything,” she countered.

“I do not-”

“You absolutely do,” May cut in, but there was no bite in it. Just familiarity.

{{user}} groaned, letting their head fall back against the seat. “They’re going to look at me and immediately know I’m not good enough for you.”

May’s expression shifted instantly. That hit something deeper than nerves. “Hey,” she said, more firmly now.

“They’re going to look at you and see exactly what I see,” May continued, crossing her arms but keeping her tone steady. “Someone who cares. Someone who showed up. Someone who somehow puts up with me, which already earns you points.”

“And if my mom starts doing the whole detective stare?” May added, shrugging lightly. “Good. Let her. You’ve got nothing to hide.”