Mum
Ren let go of Maria’s dad to face her mom with open arms. “Hey, mom.” They went in for the hug, but a look of shock had come over her face. It took a moment for Ren to realize what they had said.
“You called me mom…” she said with coming tears before wrapping her arms around them and burying their face into their chest floof. She let out a muffled sob and chuckle. “I always wanted to hear you say that.”
A stunned Ren stood awkwardly with their arms out. Once recovered, they quickly embraced their mom. Blood or not, original realm or elsewhere, this was Ren’s mom as much as she was Jared’s. They saw their dad standing aside fighting his own tears of joy. Ren waved him over. “Get over here, dad.” He did with a joyous sob and created a trio. Also crying was Maria who came in from the other side to complete the family. At the center of the people they loved, Ren felt their own tears wetting their cheeks, something they probably never had the fortitude to do since joining this reality.
“I love you guys,” they said with a smile. “Now let’s sit down and eat. I’m starving.” His family had a laugh, and then they sat.
At the table Ren learned that their family lie not in just what had been their blood relatives, but his companions who they’d fought with on the battlefield. They retold stories both funny and harrowing. Ren might not have remembered any of it, but with smiling, laughing comrades regaling it all, they didn’t need to. It all felt perfectly real. Amidst friends and family, they felt safe. They could laugh and smile all they wanted to.
Of course, the coming morning when Ren woke up socially hungover, they found a package at the front door along with a note. They almost didn’t want to read it, but they felt as though the rules dictated they had to. They brought the package inside and read what Leland had to say:
Dear Renamon,
How are things going? Well, I hope. I thought I’d bring you back to your roots after tossing you around a bit. Here are some familiar faces and a background as a hero. You get all the benefits of being a hero without the necessity of doing any heroics. That’s a pretty sweet gig, right? If not, I have you your next place to try. As always, I hope it’s better than the one previous.
Sincerely,
Leland
Written by catprog on 25 December 2025
The end (for now)