When Ruby reached the quiet hallway outside Milo's VIP room, the first thing she saw was Julian leaning against the wall near the door. He looked tired, but the moment he spotted them — Ruby, Karl, and Adrian together, his eyes widened with a flash of soft surprise that made his shoulders relax just a little.
Karl didn't waste a second. He hurried forward and threw his arms around Julian, nearly knocking him back into the wall. "Brother Jules!" he sniffled, voice muffled against Julian's chest. "We're here — see? We're all here!"
Julian let out a low laugh, tired but warm. He wrapped one arm around Karl, then reached his other out to pull Adrian in too. Adrian stiffened for half a second but let Julian hug him, just resting his chin lightly on Julian's shoulder. It was clumsy but felt right like they were all trying to breathe out the fear they'd been holding in since last night.
