Lucian and Luna glanced at one another.

"I overheard some of your conversation." Thorne’s gaze turned toward Luna, soft but firm. "Luna, my dear, please do not frighten your brother before school even starts. You should be supporting one another during times of change, not adding on more stress."

Luna, unfazed, shrugged casually.

‘"I wasn’t trying to scare him, Thorne," she shot back. "I was just… teaching him a life lesson. Tough love, you know?"

“I’m sure you were.”

Thorne gave her a pointed look. Then, turning to Lucian, his smile was steady and reassuring.

"Aside from your sister’s 'tough love,'“ he said. “I can trust, with confidence, that you’ll be fine here, Lucian. The past may have been hard for you, but this is a new beginning for all of us.”

He took a step closer and gently placed a hand on the boy’s shoulder.

“You’re on the path to a new life, young one, both of you. Don’t let the shadows of the past frighten you anymore. This is your chance to be whoever you want to be. So long as you stay true to yourselves and stay mindful, everything, in time, will fall into place."

Lucian exhaled deeply and slowly nodded. It was as though the weight pressing down on his chest had been lifted.

"Thanks, Thorne," Lucian smiled. “I needed that.”

Luna leaned against the counter again, glancing between the two of them.

"How poetic," she said, the words dripping with sarcasm but carrying an affectionate warmth. "The great and caring Thorne, handing out inspirational compassion. You know, if we could bottle that, we’d be millionaires."

Thorne’s lips quirked into a small smile, flicking to Luna with a gentle affection.

"You don’t need to sell compassion, Luna," he said and patted her head with quiet amusement. "I only need you both to believe in it - and to follow it for each other, always."

Luna crossed her arms and pulled away.

"Yeah, yeah, I know." She smirked and turned back to Lucian. "Don’t worry, Thorne. You can count on me to keep an eye on Twin Two over here.” She pointed a thumb at Lucian. “After all, there’s no one here better at pulling him out of hot water."

"Hey, why am I twin two? I’m older!" Lucian protested, feigning offense, but his voice lacked the strength of real indignation.

He couldn’t hold it in and laughed, giving Luna a playful shove, who returned the gesture with her own, laughing alongside him.

Thorne watched the two and smiled.

Before he could interrupt them, his phone buzzed from his pocket. He pulled it out slowly, his brow furrowing at the unrecognized number. After a second ring, he answered.

"Hello?" Thorne greeted, and a smile tugged at his lips upon hearing the voice. “Ah, Miss Cortez!”

Luna and Lucian exchanged a curious glance over.

"Yes, yes, we arrived over an hour ago... oh, we’re settling in well," Thorne said, his tone warm as he spoke to the real estate agent. "The movers did a fine job, and everything arrived perfectly. I can’t thank you enough for all your help. It’s been a smooth transition, truly."

Luna rolled her eyes, and Lucian shook his head.

Thorne, oblivious, bowed at the phone. Then, the conversation took a turn, and his smile vanished.

"Oh... dinner?" Thorne’s voice cracked slightly. He straightened, cheeks flushing a red so deep it could have been the color of a tomato. "As in... with me?"

His words stumbled as his eyes widened. He cleared his throat, running a hand through his hair—an action that only made his embarrassment worse.

"I… I must say, Miss Cortez, you’ve certainly caught me off guard!"

He regained his composure, shoulders back, but his voice still wavered. "I’m afraid, as much as I would love to accept, there’s a... slight matter I must attend to. The children—bless their little hearts—still need to unpack, and I must ensure they’re settled in so they don’t run off causing chaos.”

"Excuse me?" Luna scoffed.

Thorne shot her a look, raising a finger to his lips. "Play along, Luna, please?" he pleaded silently.

Luna rolled her eyes but stayed silent, leaning back against the counter, arms crossed.

Thorne turned back to the phone. "Yes, yes, I’m still here! I’m afraid my schedule will be full for a while. So, alas… perhaps at another time? If the stars align, of course."

Luna couldn’t help herself. She and Lucian exchanged a look and snickered, quickly covering their mouths.

Thorne’s face flushed with embarrassment, though he fought to hide it.

"Yes… yes, thank you so much for understanding. You are truly wonderful. Perhaps another time then," he said quickly, his tone a mix of awkwardness and politeness. He quietly slapped his forehead. "Of course. Have a wonderful evening, Miss Cortez. Farewell."

He hung up, exhaling loudly, his face still red.

"Should the stars align?” Luna teased. “Smooth, Casanova, real smooth."

If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

Thorne sighed, slumping his shoulders. “I know… not my best moment, I will admit. However, you witnessed it. She caught me quite off guard.”

“Yeah, and you handled it like a real champion,” said Luna, smirking. "You know, you’ll never get a girlfriend if you keep using us as your excuse."

"She right, Thorne. You’re blocking your own chances for no reason.” Lucian nodded. “Plus, we’re sixteen now. You don’t have to sacrifice your love life for us anymore."

Thorne, ever the gentleman, chuckled softly. He swept his arms around them in a bear-like hug, squeezing them tightly.

"I appreciate your concern children, truly. But I am not looking for any sort of romance. I’m more than content with the two of you in my life. That’s enough for me."

Luna huffed, pulling at the corners of her lips. "If you keep thinking like that, then you’ll never even give anyone a chance."

Thorne laughed, patting her head. "If I don’t, I’ll accept my fate," he said, his voice teasing. "So long you both grow up healthy and happy, I shall be happy.”

Lucian felt warmth spread through him. Even amidst their new life’s uncertainty, this feeling of family felt real. It was solid.

Luna glanced away, hiding the flush in her cheeks.

"Still, you really don’t have to go that far just for us, Thorne," Lucian said quietly, looking up at him.

"Seriously," Luna added, her voice softening. "You’ve done so much for us. If you find a woman you like, shoot your shot, okay? I’m practically asking for you to have a life outside of us."

Thorne tightened his embrace for a moment before releasing them, a contented smile on his face.

"Alright, alright. Should I find someone, perhaps I’ll let fate decide," he said, his grin wide. "Now then, come along, children. We’ve still got boxes to unpack."

Luna and Lucian nodded, following him.

The three of them fell into a comfortable rhythm, the silence broken only by the soft sounds of movement in and out of the kitchen with boxes.

After a few minutes, the counters and floor were full of them, with Thorne and Luna opening some.

Lucian, in awe of their home, sighed quietly. "I still can’t believe we get to live in New Arcadia." His voice held a trace of wonder. "It’s like something out of a sci-fi novel!"

Luna, balancing a stack of plates in her hands, snorted.

"I still can’t believe Thorne managed to afford this place on a professor’s salary." She tilted her head slyly and placed the plates on the countertop. "Honestly, it’d be more believable if you told people you were in business or moonlighting as a model or something."

Thorne paused mid-unboxing, raising a single eyebrow.

"Need I remind you, little one," he said with a mock sigh of exasperation, "it was my vast experience and expertise that earned me this position." He paused, then added with a sly wink, "Not my looks."

Luna arched an eyebrow right back at him.

"Right. Because what this tech city really needed was a college professor teaching… literature."

Unfazed, Thorne straightened his posture and adjusted his glasses with the air of a man delivering a lecture.

"Literature and writing are timeless pillars of society, my dear Luna," he declared, his voice brimming with conviction. "They are part of the foundations of creativity and culture. Without them, we would have neither progress nor identity."

“Here, here!” Lucian chimed in, his eyes lighting up as he enthusiastically raised a hand for a high-five.

Thorne didn’t miss a beat, meeting Lucian’s hand with a loud, resounding smack that echoed through the kitchen.

Their matching grins were full of shared camaraderie, followed by Thorne’s rich, hearty laughter.

Luna rolled her eyes so hard it looked like they might stick. "You two are such nerds."

Thorne placed a hand on his chest in mock offense. "Nerds? My dear, we in the book world prefer the term literary scholars."

“Yeah!”

Luna shook her head, her lips twitching into an unwilling smile. "Whatever helps you sleep at night, old man."

“O-Old man?” Thorne’s eye twitched as he coughed into his fist, “A-Anyway, I am truly thankful for this opportunity, not only to teach in a brand new university but to continue guiding young minds with words. There was no shortage of luck in being selected."

“No kidding!” Lucian beamed. "There were so many people who applied on the website!"

"Luck, huh?” Luna said to Thorne, leaning against the counter. “Are you sure it wasn’t partly because of Lucian saving your application from total disaster?"

Thorne flinched and let out a sheepish chuckle as he rubbed the back of his neck. "I’ll… admit, I might’ve struggled with... some of the online forms. You both know technology isn’t exactly my forte."

image [https://i.imgur.com/1JXeqzW.jpeg]

Luna smirked. "Oh, we know. You were ready to call it quits when you couldn’t figure out how to even convert the file formats for your résumé."

Lucian joined in, stifling a laugh.

"And let’s not forget how you called me in a panic because you thought your web browser deleted itself."

Thorne groaned, the tips of his ears turning red.

"It’s not my fault things move so fast. When I was young, all you needed was good, reliable paper; then it became email, and the next, they’re asking for QR codes and digital signatures. Honestly, how is anyone supposed to keep up with all these phone apps and your little trends and such?"

Lucian reached over and patted Thorne on the back, his grin warm and reassuring. "Don’t worry, Thorne. You’ve got us to keep you updated on all the latest trends."

Luna’s smirk softened into something gentler. "Yeah, we’ll help keep you relevant, old man. You know, so you don’t embarrass us too much."

Thorne looked between the two of them, still a little embarrassed, as he rubbed the back of his neck again.

"Well… I know I’m at a disadvantage in this city, and there’s no doubt I will be asking a lot from you both, so I am eternally thankful for your patience and support.." His tone was heartfelt. "I couldn’t have done this without you two."

“Damn right, you wouldn’t!” Luna huffed. "But don’t go getting all mushy on us, Thorne. You’re gonna make Lucian cry."

"Hey!" Lucian protested, his face flushing as he waved a hand defensively. "I’m not that emotional!"

Thorne chuckled.

"Well, I’d hate to upset you both. How about we finish unpacking instead? There’s still a mountain of boxes waiting to be conquered."

“Yes, sir!” Lucian nodded eagerly. "And after that, can we go out into the city? I mean, it’s Saturday, and we are living in New Arcadia! There’s so much to see!"

Thorne hummed for a few seconds and smirked.

"Tell you what, should we finish unpacking the kitchen first, I shall drive us downtown for a nice evening dinner of your choice.”

Lucian's eruption of cheer was a sight to behold as he performed a little dance.

“He said only if you finish unpacking first," Luna teased, flicking a dishtowel at her brother.

"Deal!" Lucian declared, opening a box with Luna following suit. Thorne watched them with a smile and his heart full.

Perhaps this was a good idea after all.