The Armstrongs' residence was nothing short of grand or at least, that's what Emily kept repeating every time someone new visited.
"Welcome to the Armstrong Mansion!" she said dramatically, throwing her arms open as they entered the spacious living room.
"It's a bungalow," Liliana muttered under her breath, slouching on the couch with a scowl that could curdle milk.
Daniel didn't say anything. He was too busy calculating the number of potential exits, in case things went south. Again. The last "new home" had ended with burnt spaghetti, a cat attack, and a runaway incident involving a lawn gnome and a broken trampoline. Long story.
Now this one already felt... different.
"Daniel, your room is right next to mine!" Emily announced with a wide grin. "That means you'll have front-row seats to my midnight karaoke sessions."
"Oh God, no," Liliana groaned, burying her face in a cushion.
"Come on, I only sing the classics! You'll love 'em," Emily insisted. "Also, I talk in my sleep, so if you hear a confession to a crime I didn't commit, ignore it. Probably."
Daniel blinked slowly while thinking of how to get rid of the annoying Emily, thinking of it he prefer the Liliana who shows him disliked, still in thought frustrated by Emily running mouth, Mrs. Armstrong appeared with a tray of juice and cookies, beaming like she was the luckiest woman in the world. "We are so happy to have you here, Daniel. You're family now!"
Daniel nodded politely, took a cookie, and braced himself for the inevitable weirdness of "being family."
Suddenly, a loud clatter rang from the kitchen.
"EMILY!" Mr. Armstrong yelled. "Did you seriously leave a ferret in the microwave again?!"
"It's a toy, Dad! Relax!" Emily called back, completely unfazed.
Daniel turned to her with raised eyebrows.
"What?" she shrugged. "It's named Sir Furry Wiggles. He needed a tan."
"Liliana is definitely better than Emily" Daniel thought again as he escape to his said room.
---
Later that night, after dinner (and one tense incident with Liliana closely watching him, Daniel almost stabbed a meatball with a fork like it owed him money), Emily dragged him outside to the backyard.
The garden was bathed in soft golden lights, and fairy lights blinked lazily across the fence.
"Pretty, right?" Emily said, flopping onto a swing. "Mom says it's magical. Personally, I think it's just mosquito-infested, but hey, romance."
"Romance?" Daniel asked, raising one eye up, "and this definitely is another side of a little girl, seriously who taught her about romance" Daniel thought, looking at Emily like she was an idiot.
"Yup," she said with a sigh. "This is where I imagine I'll meet the love of my life. He'll walk in slow motion across the grass, hair blowing in the wind, probably holding bubble tea."
"You have high standards," Daniel said, voice dry.
"Thanks. I also require humor, height, and an appreciation for anime," she added proudly.
"And that's where she learned from, seriously girl"Daniel snorted. A real laugh almost escaped him, but he swallowed it. Still, Emily noticed.
"Oh my God, did you just laugh? That was a laugh!" she squealed.
"No, I..." Daniel began, but she cut him off.
"That was 100% a laugh. You laughed. Victory!" She punched the air and nearly fell off the swing.
"She definitely don't know am laughing at her stupidity" Daniel shook his head but couldn't help the smile tugging at the corner of his lips.
Then she leaned closer and whispered, "Hey... between you and me, I think you're kinda cute."
Daniel choked on his juice.
"Relax, old man," she teased, elbowing him gently. "You're emotionally 35. Physically 8. That'd be weird. I'm just boosting your ego."
He wiped his mouth with his sleeve, muttering, "You're definitely weird."
"That's the nicest thing anyone's said to me today," she said with a wink.
---
Back in his room, lying on his bed under glow-in-the-dark stars, Daniel stared at the ceiling. He hadn't laughed or been teased like that in years. Something about Emily's chaos, Liliana's sass, and the overall ridiculousness of this house made his guard drop.
Maybe, just maybe, this wasn't going to be like the others.
Still, deep in his chest, that ache remained. His brother. Where was he?
He reached under his pillow and pulled out an old, worn photo. Two boys, side by side. Both smiling. Both whole.
"I'll find you," he whispered. "But until then… I guess I'll survive karaoke nights and ferrets in microwaves."
From the other room, Emily's voice rang out:
🎤 "IIIIII WILL ALWAYS LOOOOVE YOOOOUUUUU...!"
Daniel groaned and buried his face in his pillow.
Yep. This was going to be hell.
But funny, weird, soft-hearted hell.
And for now, that was enough.