Chapter Text
Sunday, August 2nd, 2026
The time crept over into 4PM just as Riley was applying the finishing touches to their house in Minecraft. It was nothing more than a basic wooden house with a few details but what they were building didn’t really matter to them. What mattered was the fact that the process was incredibly therapeutic to them. Something about the calm music as they worked away at a build felt just right.
They were sitting on the couch with Jade to their right, quietly observing. About an hour ago, Jade had decided to make Riley their pillow and they remained there since then. It was a surprise they hadn’t drifted off into sleep considering they were wearing sweats and a t-shirt while wrapped up in a warm fuzzy blanket.
A few months ago, that kind of contact would’ve been nothing more than a distant memory. It was nice to see that Jade had warmed up to them considerably in that time. It seemed they were getting a little more comfortable falling into place in their new role and new home.
They weren’t able to find much time to play video games anymore, especially not after taking in the kids, so it was nice to have a moment like that every once in a while. They didn’t mind though. Their free time was a sacrifice they were absolutely willing to make if it meant their kids had a happy and safe home.
On the topic of taking in the kids: given the… “extraordinary circumstances” that Dave mentioned in the past, it made initiating the fostering process for their kids incredibly easy. On the same day they went in for the appointment, just a day after returning, they had signed a ton of paperwork to foster the kids. They were able to all go home together later that same day.
Even a few months after, they still found it incredibly hard to believe it was that easy, especially when it wasn’t so easy for…
Suddenly, Jade gently nudged them in their side. It was only then that they realized they had spaced out. In that time, it seemed their laptop had also slid down their lap a bit, so they grabbed it and gently set it down on the coffee table in front of them before they could end up dropping it.
When they finally took a look to their right, they noticed that Jade was staring at them. It almost felt like they were staring directly into their soul, which only made Riley feel uncomfortable on top of being confused.
“Uh… what’s up, Jade?”
“You doing okay? You spaced out for a minute there,” Jade inquired.
“I’m… fine. Sorry. I think I need some fresh air,” Riley replied.
“That’s probably a good idea. You’ve been hacking away at that since the others left.”
Right. The others.
Jamie, Luna and Evelyn left a few hours to go to the park after the rain had cleared up. Jamie and Luna were starting to get antsy being trapped for the entire morning, so they managed to convince Evelyn to take them out to the park.
Well… that, and a ton of begging for Riley to allow them to go. They had relented for a while, but eventually they caved in.
They were just afraid of something happening to them, especially when they were still in the part of the process where it’d be so easy to lose custody over them. At the same time though, the kids deserved to get out and have some fun too.
Evelyn was a good person though. Sarcastic and witty at times, yes, but still… a good person. Jamie had even accidentally called her “mom” at one point, but they insisted that was a complete accident. She’d never let anything happen to them.
Jade’s weight suddenly pulled away from them, prompting them to get up. As much as they wanted to stay like that, they needed some air.
Once they got up, they noticed their phone was missing. However, they very quickly remembered they left it on their desk in their room, so they had no reason to panic. They’d probably need to call Evelyn sooner than later to bring Jamie and Luna home for dinner, so they decided they’d take a detour to grab it before going outside.
When they entered the hallway, they first reached the door to the bathroom on their left and Jamie and Luna’s room on their right.
They remember the younger children’s room being quite the difficult arrangement to make for several reasons. One, Luna was hellbent on sleeping on the couch for some reason. Two, Jade didn’t like the idea of having their own room. Three, Jamie didn’t like the idea of Jade not having their own room.
It eventually spiraled into almost being an argument, so Riley ended up having to mediate it, which lead to Jamie and Luna sharing a room while Jade got their own. Luna sleeping on the couch was absolutely not an option.
The door was left wide open so they were able to take a look inside. It… probably didn’t hurt to make sure everything looked good anyways, though they should’ve done that before letting them go to the park.
The walls were a reddish-orange with a white ceiling and carpet. Their beds and desks were also white to match the floor and ceiling. All of the furniture seemed to have been dusted off recently and the shared trash can empty. The lamp over on Jamie’s end table had been left on, so Riley went over to turn it off. They made a mental note to bring it up to them later.
Both halves of the room seemed to mirror one another, at least in terms of furniture placement. In the back corner was a bed with an end-table to its side and in the corner closest to the door was a desk and chair. On the middle of the back wall was a large window with reddish-orange curtains covering it.
On Jamie’s side—the left—was an accordion door which lead into their shared closet. On Luna’s side was a large dresser with a small television on top. Like the closet, the dresser was also shared. The television didn’t get used very often, which Riley ended up being happy about. At least some kids actually wanted to peel away from their screens still.
There were a ton of posters and miniature replicas of mountains on Jamie’s side of the room; they had become even more obsessed with climbing after their first ascent of that island. They also framed the climbing outfit they had long since retired along with their old sash. They, along with everyone else, ended up getting promoted so they wanted to keep their outfit and Rabbit Scout sash as memorabilia.
Luna’s side was… much emptier with only a few space posters and miscellaneous photos with their new family hung up. A telescope, neatly re-packaged, sat beside their side of the window. Riley had passed it down to them a few days after they had moved in, but seemed afraid to touch it for a few days. However, Jamie taking initiative by opening it themselves seemed to change their mood about it and it has been used frequently since.
They ended up copying Jamie with their own frame, retiring their old Turtle Scout outfit and Scout sash. They ended up jumping up two ranks to the Rabbit Scout rank, which was unheard of in scouting history. Given everything they dealt with while only being a Scout though… it was a well-deserved promotion.
In spite of Riley’s best efforts to spruce up Luna’s side, they insisted they were fine with what they had. Riley wasn’t too happy about that arrangement, but they didn’t want to force Luna into anything they didn’t want or need either. They were terrified of pushing too hard and losing them.
The room was tidy… or, well, at tidy as it could be with a fourteen and a twelve year old living in it. It was good enough for Riley not to complain though, so they decided to just move on.
Next, they passed by Jade’s room but since the door was shut, they decided against snooping around. The kid deserved some privacy too and it was usually extremely tidy anyways. Maybe they’d get a chance to check up on it sometime in the future.
They finally reached their own room and took a step inside. Their room’s color palette wasn’t quite as exciting as Jamie and Luna’s, but they were perfectly fine with the black and white theme they had going on.
Across from the door sat a decently sized desk right in front of a window. On that desk was a monitor and computer tower, along with several photos with their family and Evelyn. The chair in front of it was a black leather chair. It had certainly seen better days, but considering it still functioned fine, they had no interest in replacing it.
To the left of the desk was a door that lead to the master bathroom. They were uninterested in wandering into there at the moment.
In the back left corner was a queen sized bed. The pillows, blanket and sheets were white while the bed frame was black. They had no end-table though, which was rather inconvenient when they wanted to get rid of their phone after scrolling at night. At the very least, they did set their bed up near an outlet, so they could at least stay in bed to plug their phone in.
In the back right corner was the door to their closet, which was quite messy. Truthfully, they were scared of even going back in there, given how much of a mess it had become. They kept telling themselves they weren’t a hoarder, and yet… they’ve done nothing to remedy the issue.
Maybe some other time they’d do something about that.
Their room was a bit messy since they often forgot to tidy it up. Jamie had pointed that out in the past when being lectured about their own room, which has forced Riley to be a little more conscious about it. Though, it was still something they forgot about at times since they’ve still not completely adjusted to the fact they don’t live alone anymore.
While it was messy, it wasn’t filthy by any means. They didn’t eat anything in there and their drinks were limited to water and coffee, both of which were disposed of shortly after being finished. That much they could take pride in.
Unlike the others, they decided against framing their old clothing and sash from their previous expedition. Their coat was damaged beyond repair and even after repeated washing, it just didn’t smell good, so they unfortunately threw it away. As for their Wolf Scout sash, they tucked it away in their closet, while their new Scoutmaster sash was tossed over the back of their desk chair.
They wished they could’ve given their new sash to Luna, seeing as how they were fascinated by the design, but they knew it would’ve caused problems with other people if they were wandering around with the wrong sash. As much as the sparkly galaxy sash would’ve complimented their new favorite and similarly sparkly outfit, they still weren’t a Scoutmaster.
About a month after the crash, they ended up becoming the founder and Scoutmaster of Troop 525, which was also the first troop to be founded under the newly founded Peak Scouts. The troop only consisted of them and their kids, though they also extended an invitation to Evelyn in the event that she felt like transferring.
They realized they were spacing out again when the breeze from their ceiling fan brushed them in the eye, so they grabbed their phone and left their room. They weren’t going to get any fresh air if they just stood around inside.
As they were walking to the back door, they noticed something peculiar in the living room. More particularly, Jade was actually playing on the laptop! It was hard to tell what they were doing from where they stood, but they could tell they were at least actively doing something.
They decided against commenting on it or staring any longer, since Jade could be spooked very easily in those scenarios. They weren’t sure why the kid was so averse to indulging in something like a video game but…
Right. Their grandparents. All of those kind of behaviors just… led back to their grandparents.
…
Poor kid.
Riley quickly sneaked out the back door before Jade could notice and closed it gently. Once outside, they picked a random chair to sit in and turned it to face out towards the backyard.
Despite how muggy it felt following the rain, it actually wasn’t a terrible day to be outside. While it was still a bit cloudy, the temperature was just right to be out and about. Not too hot, not too cold. The air smelt nice… or, well, as nice as suburban air could smell. At least the remnants of rain on the ground helped out with that.
They noticed that the poolside basketball hoop they bought for Jamie’s fourteenth birthday had fallen over onto the surface of the water. They assumed it was because of the weather though, so they didn’t feel the need to lecture Jamie about it later. Instead, they approached it themselves and re-adjusted it so it was once again standing upright.
On the topic of Jamie’s fourteenth birthday… they recalled that being a complete pain to sort out.
…
It was just three days after they had returned from the island when Jamie turned fourteen. Riley only remembered because Jade was panicking about it, unsure what to do for the occasion. Of course, that meant that Riley also started to panic, because they also didn’t know what to do.
Jamie had insisted they didn’t want anything for their birthday. When Riley attempted to argue, Jamie brought up the fact that they’ve provided them with a roof over their head and a whole new room and a bunch of “cool stuff” already.
That didn’t stop Riley or Jade from feeling like they were inadequate for not doing anything though. So, one day, they convinced Evelyn to babysit Jamie and Luna while the two of them went to a random store in town. They weren’t really looking for anything in particular, but they were hoping that they’d come across something Jamie might’ve liked.
They eventually came across a poolside basketball hoop which Jade pointed out instantly. Riley grabbed it without even taking a look at the price tag. Just before they were going to check out though, Jade pointed out the rather annoying fact that it didn’t come with a basketball, so they had to backtrack to grab one of those too. They then bought both items and took them home.
They then presented the gifts to Jamie, who seemed a bit annoyed at the gesture, but still thankful nonetheless. They dragged Luna inside shortly after and Jade followed, curious about what that was about.
In the meantime, Riley and Evelyn constructed the hoop and stood proudly at the finished product. Truthfully though, it really only needed one person to construct. They were just glad they got to spend a little time with her.
Before either of them could react, Jamie nosedived into the pool with the ball and tossed it in the hoop. Luna and Jade were far more careful with their entry thankfully. They were all in their swimwear and ready to have some fun.
“That kid’s gonna hurt themselves one day…” Evelyn sighed.
“I keep telling them that and they keep not caring,” Riley replied.
“Maybe they’ll learn when they actually get hurt.”
“I hate to say it, but yeah. Might be what they need to realize how reckless they can be.”
…
Though that bout of Jamie’s recklessness still irked them months later, they couldn’t help but still feel happy about the moment overall.
In spite of Jamie’s initial protests of not wanting anything, they still seemed to enjoy the basketball hoop. Even months after, any time they’re swimming, they made sure to shoot a couple shots. Luna had taken a couple shots at it too, but at first it seemed like they were still a bit too weak to get the ball in the hoop.
Though… Riley did steal some glances at times and often noticed that Jamie lowered it just for Luna. Eventually, they just kept it lowered and said nothing about it. Luna seemed pleased by that arrangement.
They returned to their seat and felt relaxed as a gentle breeze blew and the sounds of birds chirping filled the air. Aside from being overcast, it actually wasn’t terrible for a random Sunday in August. Given the heat they endured in the previous summer months… it was a nice change of pace.
Suddenly, the back door slowly creaked open then clicked shut just as Jade appeared in their line of sight. It seemed they had abandoned both the blanket and the laptop inside. They grabbed their own chair and positioned it beside Riley’s then sat down.
“I figured I should get some fresh air too, considering I’ve just been sitting with you all day,” Jade said.
“Yeah,” Riley paused for a moment. “It’s not so bad out here.”
“Mm. Maybe if it was a bit less humid…”
Riley shrugged. “To each their own.”
Then curiosity hit them. They couldn’t see what Jade was doing on the laptop earlier, so they wanted to ask about it. No harm in asking about it, right?
“So, Jade… what’d you end up doing on the laptop?”
Jade suddenly tensed up after hearing the question. “Uh… y-you saw me on it…?”
“Yeah. I didn’t say anything though because I didn’t want to bother you.” Riley smiled. “It’s nice to see you doing something for yourself for once.”
Jade seemed to ease up a little at the reassurance. “I… didn’t really have a plan. Just found an open spot and let my hands do the thinking.”
“That’s how it usually goes for me. Just… let it happen first, come back around to pretty it up later.”
“Sorry… by the way.”
So much for bonding on that front.
“For?”
“…Nevermind.”
They had a feeling they knew exactly why Jade was apologizing.
“You don’t have to be scared of openly enjoying things, Jade.”
“Old habits die hard, I suppose.”
Old trauma, you mean…
Jade suddenly changed the topic. “Tacos for dinner, right?”
Riley seemed confused but decided to go along with it. “Yeah. Nothing too crazy. I… kinda forgot to plan something better for tonight.”
“It doesn’t always have to be some grand meal. Food’s food.”
“Yeah. I guess so.” Riley suddenly remembered they were carrying their phone when it vibrated. Just another email. “I’ll call Evelyn in a bit to bring Jamie and Luna back. I think a couple hours is enough for them to be tuckered out. We need to eat soon too.”
Jade laughed. “For Jamie? I find that hard to believe.”
“Kid’s still gonna get tired and hungry eventually.”
“True.”
The two of them sat in a comfortable silence for a while. Moments like those didn’t happen very often so they were happy to be able to enjoy it. Despite the occasional child being obnoxious somewhere in the neighborhood or someone working on some random project, it was relaxing to just… be outside.
That moment didn’t last for much longer though because their phone started to vibrate again in their pocket. This time, it lasted longer, meaning they were receiving a call.
They sighed and allowed it to vibrate for a few more seconds, but decided that whoever was calling would likely be upset if they were ignored. As annoying as it was to deal with phone calls on a Sunday, it would be even more annoying to be lectured about missing them.
They finally pulled it out of their pocket and when they took a look at the screen…
The name that showed up was one they really didn’t want to see.