The MARS house always sounded alive before it looked alive.

Morning arrived there in fragments — the hum of the refrigerator, Nano’s bare feet slapping against the hallway floor, Pepper’s laughter drifting from a half-open door, the low thud of music someone had forgotten to turn off the night before. Sunlight spilled through the wide windows like it had been invited, warming the white walls, catching dust in the air and turning it golden.

It was one of those days that felt easy. Suspiciously easy.

Jun was in the kitchen, sleeves rolled up, hair still damp from the shower. He stood by the counter slicing apples with careful precision, lining the pieces neatly on a plate as if symmetry could keep the world balanced. Three apples. He didn’t know why he always cut three.

Nano leaned over the counter, chin in his hands. “You cut fruit like you’re afraid it’ll run away.”

Jun smiled. “It’s respect.”

“For apples?”

“For time,” Jun said lightly, and Nano laughed, already distracted by Pepper stumbling into the kitchen with his phone pressed to his ear.

Pepper’s voice dropped the moment he noticed them listening. He turned his back, grinning to himself, nodding as if whoever was on the other end could see him. Jun didn’t need to hear the words to know — her. Pepper always glowed a little when she called. Like love was something simple and allowed.

From the hallway came footsteps — steady, familiar.

Thame appeared first, wearing an oversized hoodie, eyes half-lidded, looking like he’d just woken up inside a good dream. And behind him—

“Wait, wait, don’t move.”

Po’s voice cut in gently.

Jun felt it before he saw him. That quiet shift in the air, the subtle reorientation of gravity. Po stepped into the light with a small camera already raised, one hand steadying the lens, the other waving Thame back into place.

“This is perfect,” Po said, smiling. “Don’t ruin it.”

Thame blinked, then laughed softly. “I just woke up.”

“That’s why,” Po replied. His voice softened without him noticing. “You look real.”

Jun’s hand stilled on the knife.

Po moved around the kitchen like he belonged there — because he did. He always had. He filmed Nano stealing apple slices, Pepper pretending to hide from the camera, Jun pretending not to notice the lens lingering on him a second longer than necessary.

“Documentary day?” Nano asked, mouth full.

Po nodded, eyes still behind the camera. “Yeah. I want to capture the house. Not rehearsals. Not stages. Just… this.”

“This being us being loud and annoying?” Pepper grinned.

“Exactly,” Po said. “Before we get quieter.”

No one asked what he meant.

Thame leaned against the doorframe, watching Po work. He didn’t speak, didn’t interrupt, just stayed where Po could see him. Their eyes met once — brief, charged, then gone. It was subtle enough that Jun almost missed it.

Almost.

Jun carried the apple plate to the living room, setting it down on the low table. The couch was already a mess of blankets and pillows, Nano sprawled upside down, Pepper kicking off his socks. Dylan sat at the far end, arms resting loosely on his knees, posture relaxed in a way that fooled most people.

He looked happy. They all did.

Po lowered the camera and smiled at them. “Okay, say something for the film. Anything.”

Pepper raised his hand dramatically. “I would like it known that I live with legends.”

Nano snorted. “You snore.”

“Lies.”

Po laughed, the sound bright and unguarded. Jun felt it settle in his chest like something warm and permanent. This was how Po laughed when he forgot himself.

When Po turned the camera toward Jun, Jun straightened instinctively. “What?”

“Nothing,” Po said. “Just— say hi.”

Jun hesitated, then looked into the lens. “Hi.”

It felt intimate in a way he didn’t have words for. Like a confession that couldn’t be taken back.

Behind Po, Thame watched him with something dangerously close to tenderness. His gaze followed Po’s movements, the small adjustments of his hands, the way he leaned forward when he got excited. When Po brushed past him, their shoulders touched — accidental, electric. Neither of them moved away right away.

Dylan noticed.

Of course he did.

He leaned back further into the couch, eyes flicking between Jun and Po, then Po and Thame. Something unreadable crossed his face, but it passed quickly, buried under a smile when Pepper tossed a cushion at him.

“Hey,” Dylan laughed, catching it easily. “Watch it.”

The camera caught everything. Not the tension — not yet. Just the light. The laughter. The way the house seemed to hold them gently, like it believed this version of them could last.

Po finally lowered the camera, satisfied. “That’s enough for today.”

“Already?” Nano protested.

Po nodded. “Yeah. I don’t want to overdo it.”

He glanced at Thame without meaning to.

Thame smiled back, small and private.

Jun picked up the plate of apples, offering it around. Three slices left. He handed one to Po without think.

Po took it, fingers brushing Jun’s. “Thanks.”

Jun nodded, heart doing that familiar, stupid thing. Across the room, Dylan watched him carefully.

Outside, the sun climbed higher, generous and unafraid. Inside the MARS house, love sat quietly in all the wrong places — unnamed, untested, still gentle enough to pass for happiness.

For now.

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