They didn't speak at first.
The road back felt longer than usual, the streetlights flicking on one by one as the sky dimmed into evening.
Eliot walked a step behind Lunara, his hands tucked into his sleeves, glasses slipping down his nose again and again.
Lunara's coat hugged her frame tightly, the beanie pulled low. Her tail stayed hidden, but the stiffness in her posture said everything.
Each step was sharp, controlled—like she was holding herself together by force alone.
"She's lying," Lunara said suddenly.
Eliot looked up. "You don't think so?"
"I know so," she replied without slowing. "Humans who say they want to 'protect' always come too late."
Eliot frowned, kicking a pebble off the sidewalk. "But she showed us the wolves. She didn't have to do that."
"She showed you what she wanted you to see," Lunara snapped. Then she caught herself, exhaling sharply. "My family wasn't there."
Eliot swallowed. "I noticed."
Her hands clenched inside her sleeves. "If she truly wanted to keep them safe, she would have freed them. Not stored them like broken tools."
They walked in silence again.
"I don't trust her," Lunara continued, quieter now. "And I don't like that she pulled you away like I wasn't there."
Eliot hesitated. "She… she was intense. But she didn't feel like her father."
"That's what scares me," Lunara said. "She knows how to sound different."
Eliot adjusted his glasses, thinking. "I told her I'd think about it. I didn't promise anything."
Lunara finally stopped walking.
He almost ran into her.
She turned to face him, golden eyes sharp even under the fading light.
"You're too kind," she said. "That's why humans like her will use you."
Eliot flinched—but nodded. "Maybe. But if there's even a chance she's telling the truth… if we can stop him…"
Lunara looked away, jaw tight. "Stopping him doesn't mean trusting her."
"I know," Eliot said softly. "That's why I'm glad you came with me."
She glanced back at him, surprised despite herself.
"…You are?" she asked.
He gave a small, tired smile. "I didn't want to be alone."
Lunara scoffed quietly. "Pathetic."
But she didn't walk away.
They resumed walking, closer this time, their shadows stretching long across the pavement.
Behind them, far back in the city, lights flickered on in places they couldn't see—places where cages glowed faintly in the dark.
And somewhere else, Mira was watching a screen go black, already planning her next move.
--
They didn't go home.
Eliot stopped at Theo's gate instead, fingers tightening around his sleeves. Lunara glanced up at the house, then at him, clearly unimpressed but saying nothing.
The lights in Theo's room were on—too bright, like something had been left unfinished.
Inside, the door to Theo's room was already open.
What they walked into was… chaos.
Theo stood in the middle of the room, hair a mess, glasses crooked, pointing aggressively at a half-dismantled device on his desk.
"WHY are you like this?" he snapped—at himself. "You had ONE job. One. And you wired it like a raccoon with a degree."
Rex hovered nearby holding a screwdriver. "I mean, if you angle it like th—"
"NO," Theo barked. "That's exactly how we got into this mess. Congratulations, Rex, you've invented disappointment."
Rex recoiled. "Wow. Okay. Noted."
Leon stood by the wall, arms crossed, expression dark and unreadable. Cassian sat on the bed, legs stretched out, calmly eating chips like this was premium entertainment.
Leon was the first to notice them.
His eyes snapped to Eliot.
The room went colder.
Rex followed his gaze, opening his mouth—then stopping when Leon shot him a sharp look that said don't.
Neither of them spoke.
Theo didn't even turn around. He was too busy glaring at a blinking light. "Of course it's unstable. Of course it is. Why wouldn't it be—"
Cassian crunched loudly. "Uh. We've got company."
Theo froze.
Slowly, he turned.
"So," he said flatly, adjusting his glasses. "What happened."
Eliot opened his mouth.
Nothing came out.
His throat felt tight. Leon's silence pressed down on him. Rex's disappointment didn't help. Theo's eyes—too sharp, too hopeful—made it worse.
He looked down.
Lunara sighed.
Then she stepped forward.
She pulled off her beanie.
Her ears sprang free immediately, twitching once.
She shrugged off the coat next, letting it slide to the floor. Her tail unfurled behind her, flicking lazily from side to side like it had opinions.
The room froze.
Cassian stopped chewing.
Rex stared. "Oh."
Leon's eyes widened just a fraction—then narrowed.
Theo blinked. Once. Twice.
"…Okay," he said carefully. "That's new."
Lunara crossed her arms. "He went to meet the human girl."
Theo's jaw tightened. "Mira."
"Yes. Her." Lunara's tail flicked harder. "She talked. She showed. She lied."
"I didn't—" Eliot finally managed, voice small. "I didn't agree to anything."
Leon pushed off the wall. "You still went."
"I know."
Theo exhaled slowly, rubbing his face. "You could've told us to come with you. I'm your friend."
Eliot swallowed. "I was scared."
Silence.
Then Cassian spoke, far too casually. "For the record, I called this."
Rex groaned. "Not helping."
Lunara looked around the room, ears angled back, eyes sharp.
"She wants him," she said bluntly, nodding at Eliot. "Not the rest of you. That is why I don't trust her."
Theo stared at the floor for a long moment.
Then, quietly, "I was insulting myself because I thought I'd failed you."
That made Eliot look up.
Theo adjusted his glasses, not meeting his eyes. "Guess we both had rough afternoons."
Lunara snorted. "Humans are exhausting."
Cassian held up his chip bag. "Anyone want one? This feels like a 'sharing trauma' moment."
No one laughed.
But the tension shifted—just enough.
And for the first time since leaving that shed, Eliot felt like he wasn't standing alone anymore.
The silence stretched until Eliot couldn't take it anymore.
He took a step forward, shoulders tense, hands clenched so tightly his fingers hurt.
"I'm… I'm sorry," he said.
Everyone looked at him.
"I shouldn't have gone without telling you. I shouldn't have listened alone. I just—" His voice wobbled.
He swallowed and forced himself to continue. "I won't do anything like that again. Not without you. Any of you."
Lunara had climbed onto the edge of the bed by then, settling beside Cassian. She glanced at him, then at the chips in his hands.
"You threw me into the bathroom," she said flatly.
Cassian blinked. "I panicked."
She reached out, took the chip bag from his hands anyway, and sat back like it was legally hers now.
Cassian stared. "…Okay. Guess that's fair."
Eliot took a shaky breath. "I really meant it. I don't want to do this alone."
Theo stared at him for half a second—then suddenly stepped forward and hugged him. Hard.
Eliot made a small surprised noise as Theo's arms locked around him, face buried against his shoulder.
"You absolute idiot," Theo muttered. "Don't ever scare me like that again."
"I—sorry—" Eliot squeaked, half crushed.
Rex joined in from the side, ruffling Eliot's hair aggressively. "Yeah, man. Next time you walk into a villain situation, at least text first."
Leon didn't say anything. He stepped closer, hesitated, then gave Eliot a firm tap on the shoulder—solid, grounding.
That somehow meant more than words.
Lunara watched the whole thing, chewing a chip thoughtfully.
Then she made a loud gagging noise. "Ugh. So this is how human emotions work?"
Theo pulled back, glaring at her. "It's called caring."
"It looks painful," Lunara replied, unimpressed. She took another chip. "And loud."
Cassian snorted. "She's not wrong."
Eliot laughed quietly—just a breath of sound—but it was real. The tightness in his chest eased a little.
Theo finally let go, pushing his glasses up.
"Okay," he said, voice steadier now. "No more secrets. No more solo hero stuff."
Leon nodded once. "We move together."
Rex raised a finger. "And maybe fewer bathrooms."
Lunara flicked her tail. "Agreed."
The room wasn't calm—but it felt solid again.
And for the first time that day, Eliot believed he hadn't broken everything after all.