Severn let Rune rest on him. It was quite late, this must all be a lot for him, too. But there was another person here that he wanted to talk to, and he felt antsy about it. He wondered how he’d react. He’d most likely be emotional, and confused. Would he be angry, like Rune was at first? Surely not if Rune warned him beforehand, right? He shook Rune a little.

Rune opened his eyes. “Hm?”

“Before you fall asleep, can you wake him up?”

“Oh, right.” Rune sat. He stretched, then stood up. “Stay here,” he told Severn before going upstairs.

Severn leaned his arm on the back of the couch and his chin on his arm. How had the past eleven years been for his dad? He doubted it had been easy. Losing his son, having his grandkids kept away from him, too. He had already been through so much, it wasn’t fair.

The only thing Severn knew the details of, was everything with his mother and Thomas’s knee. Other than that, Thomas had mentioned an old friend a few times, and someone he’d been in love with when he was young.

Severn had never heard him mention his parents. He had never asked him about them, but he wasn’t sure if they had died or something else happened. A question for another time.

Rune took forever.

Severn stood and went up the stairs. He searched for an opened door, the door to his own bedroom was opened. Had they been using it as a guest room? He looked into the room and saw Rune trying to shake Thomas awake, but Thomas wasn’t budging.

Severn groaned. “You’re being too gentle.”

Rune flinched and turned around. “Fuck, Dad. I told you to stay downstairs.”

“I’d be waiting all night like this.” Severn grabbed a sweater off the floor. “Throw this at him.”

Rune took it with an arched brow.

“I know how to wake him up, alright? I’ve been doing it all my life. Do it.”

Rune rolled his eyes and tossed the sweater at Thomas.

“No.” Severn groaned again. “Don’t just”—he mockingly flicked his wrist—“toss it. Fold it up into a ball, and throw it!”

“Aren’t you kind to your dad?”

“Kindness won’t wake him up, I’ve tried many times.”

Rune sighed and grabbed the sweater again. “Go downstairs. You being here defeats the whole purpose.”

“Fine.” Severn took a step back. “Throw it,” he repeated. “Or pinch his nose closed, that works too,” he added before walking away.

Rune squinted. He looked to his grandad laying on his back on the bed. Was it really that easy? He dropped the sweater onto the floor.

He leaned on the bed with one knee, loomed over Thomas and pinched his nose. Thomas snorted and gasped for air before he opened his eyes and slapped Rune’s hand away.

“Oh, shit,” Rune chuckled. “It does work.” He leaned back.

Thomas sat up. He rubbed his nose as he demanded, “What the hell?”

“Sorry, but I had to wake you up and nothing else worked. Unless I threw a sweater in your face.”

Thomas narrowed his eyes. “Who told you—” He shook his head. “Why did you have to wake me up?”

“Well…” Rune climbed further on the bed and sat cross-legged in front of Thomas. “Something happened. Something important, and confusing, and shocking—and good, but unexpected—”

“Stop rambling.”

“Sorry. So, you know when I told you how I came back to life and you thought about if it could bring Dad back?”

“Yes?”

Rune stared at him as he took a deep breath, unsure how to phrase it. “It happened,” he said under his breath.

Thomas raised his eyebrow. “What?”

“Somehow, it happened. He’s back. Dad’s alive.”

Thomas leaned forward as he intensely stared at Rune. “What?”

“He’s downstairs,” Rune whispered.

Thomas was frozen as he gave the bedsheets an intense look. He glanced up at Rune. “I swear, if you’re fucking with me—”

“Why would I joke about this?” Rune gestured at the doorway. “Go downstairs, see for yourself. Hyde saw him too, so I know I’m not hallucinating.”

Thomas finally stood up. He pulled some trousers on and went on his way downstairs.

Severn waited on the couch again, leaning on the back, impatiently tapping his fingers as if he was pressing the keys of the piano. He glanced at the hallway when he heard footsteps coming down. He smiled and lifted his head up. “Dad!”

Thomas stood in the doorway, frozen with wide eyes. Severn’s smile faded a little. He stayed on the couch, deciding it would be best for Thomas to come to him and do this reunion at his pace. Thomas took some steps closer. “What,” he breathed out. He walked further. “How—” He arrived at the back of the couch.

A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

Severn gave him another careful smile. “Hey.”

Thomas bent down and grabbed his face. “How is this possible?” He teared up.

“Rune knows that better than I do.”

“Are you—” Thomas choked up. “Are you really here? I’m not dreaming or hallucinating?” Tears fell down his cheeks.

Severn teared up too, still smiling. He sat up on his knees, causing Thomas to stand straight, and hugged him with his face in Thomas’s chest. “I’m here.” He hugged him tighter. “I promise, I’m really here.”

Thomas trembled and hugged him back, pressing his head against Severn’s and gently grabbing his hair.

Thomas let him go for a moment to sit next to him on the couch, then wrapped his arms around Severn’s shoulders and hugged him tight. “I’m never letting you go again,” Thomas whispered through his tears. He sobbed. Severn held him against his side.

Severn looked around to footsteps coming towards them. Rune arrived at the couch and sat on his other side. Severn hooked his arm around Rune’s neck and pulled him closer, Rune yelped. Severn rubbed his face into Rune’s hair with a smile.

Thomas leaned his chin on Severn’s shoulder. “How did this happen?” he asked Rune.

Severn moved his hand to Rune’s shoulder.

“Well, I’m not sure, but it seems like he came back the same way I did. I have no idea how that potion got here or how it found his body, though,” Rune tried to explain.

Thomas glanced at Severn. “Where was your body?”

“In the middle of a forest. It took a while to find my way out of it.”

“Was Mum’s there, too?” Rune wondered.

Severn shook his head. “Not that I could see.”

“Could she have been buried around there?”

“I was barely buried, so I doubt it.”

“Do you know who killed you?” Thomas asked. “And why?”

Severn tensed with a frown and nodded.

“Who?”

Severn glanced at Rune before looking back at Thomas. “You know those… people?”

“The gang?” Rune asked in disbelief.

Severn flinched. “Wh-”

“He knows about your job,” Thomas told him. “He had the same one, except worse.”

Severn got his arms off both of them. “Wait, what? Why—” He shook his head. “We’ll come back to that.”

“The gang killed you?” There was a hint of anger in Rune’s voice. Severn nodded. Rune stared down with an angry frown. “I worked for the people that killed my parents? I mean, they killed me too, but—”

“Why?” Thomas interrupted before he could start rambling.

Severn sighed. “We wanted to get out of it, wanted to be good role models for our kids. We were tired of living under their thumb. But, of course, they won’t let you leave so easily. So, we wanted to report them to the police, hoping we could get immunity, since we gave them the info and cooperated. But they killed us before we could get to the station.”

A silence fell over the room.

“Eleven years,” Thomas broke it. “I’ve been waiting to hear that.”

“Does it feel good?”

“Somewhat. It feels a lot better that you’re alive, though.”

Severn chuckled.

“What if they find out you’re back?” Rune worried.

“I don’t know. Do they know you’re alive?”

Rune nodded. “They killed my best friend over it.”

Severn’s eyes widened. “What?”

“They might not know how I came back, maybe they think I somehow managed to survive a stake in the heart. But you’ve been dead for years, seeing you alive would be a lot more unbelievable.”

Severn squinted and glanced down with a hum. He was right, seeing him would be a lot more jarring. Horrifying, even. “Perhaps.”

Night followed Moon inside. She was exhausted. Moon had dragged her all over the place, kept talking to a shit load of people. Her social battery will be empty for the next week.

She hung her coat on the rack and pulled her shoes off. She looked into the living room for a moment before she wanted to go upstairs to her warm, comfy bed. She stopped and turned back as she registered what she saw on the couch. Someone with white hair, leaning on someone with brown hair—her grandad. Who was that? The only person with white hair here was herself.

“What the heck?” Moon whispered next to her. “Who is that?”

Night shrugged. She approached the couch. She walked around it to see them from the front. A man with white hair and her grandad leaned on each other, and her brother leaned on the man, all seemingly asleep.

She squinted at the bottom of his face. The white stubble. He was the man Moon walked into. Why was he here?

Moon poked his head from behind the couch, making Night tense up and glare at her. “Moon!” she whisper-yelled.

“What?”

The man pinched his eyes before opening them. He looked around, then locked his gaze on Night. He jumped up. “Oh!” He turned to Moon. “Girls.” He looked at Thomas and Rune. He carefully stood up, letting Rune lean on Thomas instead. “There you go, lean on each other,” he mumbled. He turned back to Night. “Hi,” he said with a smile.

Night stared at him, her eyes narrow.

Moon came to stand next to her. “Are you the man I walked into?” Moon asked.

“Oh,” he glanced away. “Yeah, I’m sorry. I didn’t think you’d be this old already.” He chuckled a little.

Night raised her eyebrow. “Why are you here?”

“Huh?” He frowned. “Ah, you don’t recognise me. I guess I can’t blame you, you were really young.”

“Should we know you?”

He looked back around to Rune and Thomas. “You can’t guess from context clues by now?” He shrugged. “Alright, big reveal it is. Night, Moon”—he opened his arms and smiled—“I’m your dad.”

They both quietly stared at him. What? Was this possible? Night guessed Rune was also resurrected, but not after eleven years. “Huh?” she let out.

“I know it’s a lot to process, but it’s true.”

“Really?” Night challenged. “Prove it.”

He squinted. “Other than the fact that you look like a mini, female version of me? Fine, I’ll play. Do you know your dad’s name?”

Night nodded.

“It’s Severn.”

“You could’ve looked that up.”

“You have a birthmark below your belly button.”

Night’s eyes widened as she put her hand on her belly.

“What about me?” Moon wanted to join in.

Severn smiled at her. “You have an outward belly button.”

Moon stared at him in disbelief.

“It was an easy way to keep you apart as babies, one has an innie, the other an outie. Other than your eye colour. But crimson and raspberry are pretty hard to keep apart if a baby is screaming.”

Night and Moon glanced at each other, not sure what to make of this. Severn sighed. He turned around to Rune and Thomas, he shook Rune’s shoulder. Rune let out an annoyed grunt and opened his eyes slightly.

“Rune?”

“Hm?” Rune groaned.

“Am I your father?”

Rune squinted. “What?”

“Am I your father?” Severn repeated.

“Yes?”

Severn looked back at Night and Moon. “See?”

“Oh.” Rune sat up after he noticed them.

“Is he really?” Moon asked Rune.

Rune nodded.

“How?” Night asked this time.

Rune shrugged and rubbed his eye. “Probably the same way I came back. I don’t know the details.”

Moon teared up. She hugged Severn, making him yelp. He smiled and hugged her back. Tears stung in Night’s eyes, too. Severn grabbed her arm and pulled her into the hug, an arm around both of them. He kissed the top of Night’s head.

“Guess I’m not the only one with white hair anymore,” Night tried to joke through the overwhelming mix of emotions.

“You thought you were the only one with white hair in this family? Well,” Severn ended in a chuckle. “Let me tell you about your grandmother.”

Night snickered a little. “Right.”

Severn looked down at Rune, Night followed his gaze. Rune rested his cheek in his hand and his elbow on his knee, dozing off again. Severn rubbed his head, Rune smiled and leaned against Severn’s hip.

Night smiled too and nuzzled her face into her dad’s chest.