Morning arrived gently in Lunaria's house.
Sunlight filtered through tall glass panes, spilling in pale gold across the polished floor. The house responded as it always did—walls warming, air shifting, faint lines of blue system-light rippling through its structure like veins waking beneath skin. The building was alive in its own quiet way, shaped by Lunaria's presence, tuned to his rhythm.
Footsteps echoed down the hallway.
Ash emerged first, hair disheveled, eyes half-lidded. He paused at the top of the stairs, staring at the wide living room below as if seeing it for the first time. The space was vast—open ceiling, suspended lights, glass walls revealing the city skyline beyond. It didn't feel like a hunter's hideout. It felt like a future.
Kael followed him, yawning. "This place still feels unreal."
Riven appeared next, already dressed, posture composed. Juno came last, dragging a blanket behind him like a ghost.
They had stayed the night.
Not as guests.
As residents.
Lunaria stood in the kitchen, backlit by the morning glow, quietly stirring a pot. He wore a soft oversized shirt that slipped off one shoulder, pale and loose, hair tied in a low ribbon. The sight struck Ash in a way he did not understand.
It wasn't sudden.
It wasn't loud.
It was a quiet fracture in something he hadn't known existed.
Lunaria turned when he sensed them. "You're awake."
His voice was calm, gentle, the way it always was—like water over stone.
"We live here now," Juno said, rubbing his eyes. "You're stuck with us."
Lunaria smiled. It was small, but real. "Then I'll make more breakfast."
Kael dropped into a chair. "Best decision of my life."
Riven studied Lunaria in silence.
Ash couldn't look away.
The house adapted as they did.
Rooms shifted. Storage expanded. Doors slid open where walls had once been solid. The system registered five heartbeats instead of one, recalibrating space and structure to accommodate the new rhythm of life.
They moved in fully by evening.
Ash claimed a room near the balcony. Kael took the one closest to the kitchen. Riven chose a space overlooking the training yard. Juno picked the highest floor, declaring it "strategically superior for dramatic entrances."
Lunaria watched it all quietly.
He never said how much it meant.
But the house brightened.
The following day, Lunaria emerged from his room wearing something new.
A cropped black top, cut clean across the midriff. Loose baggy jeans hung low on his hips, fabric pooling around his ankles. His ribbon—soft pink—rested against his hair, catching light when he moved.
He had worn it because he liked how it felt.
He did not know what it would do.
Ash stood in the hallway when Lunaria stepped out.
Time slowed.
Lunaria tilted his head. "Is something wrong?"
Ash opened his mouth.
Nothing came out.
His chest tightened. Not with fear. Not with pain.
With awareness.
He had fought abyssal beasts, stood before city-ending threats, faced death without flinching.
But this—
This was unfamiliar.
Lunaria's skin caught the light, pale against shadow. His posture was relaxed, unguarded. There was no performance in him. No intent. Just existence.
Ash felt something shift inside him.
"Y-You… uh," he managed. "That's… new."
Lunaria glanced down at himself. "Is it inappropriate?"
"No," Ash said too quickly. "No. It's—fine. It suits you."
Lunaria smiled. "Good."
And walked past him.
Ash stood frozen.
Kael leaned out of his room. "You look like you just got crit-hit."
Riven watched from the end of the hall, expression unreadable.
Juno burst into laughter. "Oh no. It's happening."
"What's happening?" Lunaria asked from the kitchen.
Juno grinned. "Ash is realizing something important."
Ash glared. "Shut up."
But he didn't deny it.
Later, they went out together.
The city bustled—modern, luminous, alive. Hunters passed in groups, gates shimmered in the distance, screens displayed threat levels in real time.
They walked as a unit.
Not S-ranks.
Not legends.
Just people.
They bought food first. Kael filled carts with absurd quantities of snacks. Juno insisted on exotic drinks. Riven handled logistics. Ash walked beside Lunaria, quieter than usual.
Then they reached the clothing district.
"Lunaria needs more outfits," Juno declared. "I refuse to let him become a tragic monochrome protagonist."
Lunaria blinked. "I like monochrome."
"We will evolve you," Juno said.
They wandered through aisles of fabric and light.
Lunaria touched textures like he was learning a new language. Soft cotton. Smooth silk. Structured denim. He chose slowly, thoughtfully.
Big trouser jeans.
White turtlenecks.
Black shoes.
Pink ribbons.
Shorts with caps.
Ash watched him.
Every movement felt deliberate. Every decision felt like self-discovery.
He realized then that Lunaria had never been allowed to choose things that didn't serve survival.
Clothes weren't armor here.
They were identity.
Ash felt protective.
Not in the way hunters felt about civilians.
In a way that scared him.
At checkout, Lunaria hesitated.
"I have enough coins," he said, as if unsure.
"You earned them," Ash replied. "They're yours."
Lunaria nodded.
That night, the house felt different.
Full.
Alive.
They ate together.
Laughed.
Argued over which movie to watch.
Kael fell asleep halfway through.
Juno threw popcorn at Riven.
Ash sat beside Lunaria on the couch, knees almost touching.
Their shoulders brushed.
Neither moved away.
Later, when the lights dimmed and the house settled, Ash stood on the balcony alone.
The city stretched endlessly below.
He had always known who he was.
Or so he thought.
But now—
He thought of Lunaria's smile.
Of his voice.
Of the way he looked when he chose something for himself.
Ash realized he didn't want to protect Lunaria because he was fragile.
He wanted to protect him because he mattered.
Because he was precious.
Because he had become—
Important.
Behind him, a soft step.
"You're awake," Lunaria said.
Ash turned.
The night framed him in silver.
"I couldn't sleep."
Lunaria stepped beside him. "Neither could I. The house feels different."
"Good different?"
"Yes."
They stood in silence.
Ash swallowed.
"Lunaria… if something ever feels wrong—about us living here—about me—tell me."
Lunaria looked at him.
"There is nothing wrong," he said. "I like that you're here."
Ash's chest tightened.
Not with fear.
With something else.
Something warm.
Something terrifying.
The first stirring of a feeling that would change everything.