A/N: This is a LONG one but also, double update ♡

𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐨𝐫 𝐓𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐒𝐤𝐢𝐩 [~𝟏-𝟐 𝐖𝐞𝐞𝐤𝐬]

𝐌𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐥𝐲𝐧'𝐬 𝐏𝐎𝐕

I knew something was wrong when Y/n stopped texting me back. Not completely—she still answered, still responded when I reached out—but it was different. Shorter. Slower.

At first, I brushed it off. She was busy. Work had been a lot lately and she'd been working more doubles. She had Storm to take care of. Maybe she was just exhausted.

But then a full day passed, then another, and then another. And in that time, she barely spoke to me.

No jokes. No teasing. No dumb back-and-forth over texts.

Just one-word answers. Just distance. And that? That wasn't like her. Not anymore. Not after everything. It hadn't been that long since we sat on her couch, tangled up in each other, pretending we weren't about to cross a line we swore we wouldn't.

We hadn't talked about that night. Not once. And if I was being honest, part of me thought maybe that was why she was acting different.

Maybe she was pulling away again. Maybe she was regretting getting close to me. Maybe she was finally deciding to shut me out completely.

The thought made my stomach twist. I didn't want to think like that. I didn't want to assume the worst.

But as another day passed, as another unanswered text sat on read, as I sat there staring at my phone like a complete idiot, I knew I couldn't just sit back and let it happen.

I had to do something. So I tried. I sent a few more texts, playing it cool.

Madz ♡:
Hey, you alive?

Nothing.

Madz ♡:

Still nothing. Okay. Not playing it cool anymore. I exhaled through my nose, forcing myself not to spiral, and sent one last text.

Madz ♡:
Seriously, Y/n. Just tell me you're okay.

This time, she responded.

Y/n/n 🤭:
I'm fine. Just tired.

Two whole days of radio silence and that was all I got? I frowned, staring at my screen, waiting to see if she'd say anything else. She didn't. I clenched my jaw. Something wasn't right. And I wasn't going to sit here and ignore it.

Not this time. It had been a long day on set. We had started shooting at 4 this morning, it was just the afternoon now, we would've been finished earlier but of course not.

We ran late mostly because Chase had forgotten half his lines and kept making us reshoot the same scene over and over again. By the time we finally got a break, I was done.

JD, Carlacia, and Madison were already making plans to grab food, but my mind was somewhere else. I stood off to the side, chewing my lip, phone in my hand, debating.

Should I just go? Should I just show up at her apartment unannounced? Would that make me look crazy? Maybe. But I didn't care. Not when I knew something was wrong. Not when I hadn't seen or heard from her properly in over a week.

Not when she had spent weeks letting me back into her life, only to start pulling away again without a word. I wasn't going to let that happen. So while JD and the others kept talking about where to eat, I cleared my throat.

"I think I'm gonna pass tonight." JD raised an eyebrow. "Oh? You okay?" I nodded, too quickly. "Yeah, just... exhausted. Long day."

Carlacia frowned slightly, but nodded. "You sure? We were just gonna chill at Madison's place. No pressure."

I forced a small smile. "Yeah, I'm good. Just gonna head home."

I wasn't going home. I was going to her.

Y/n's apartment was quiet when I got there.

Too quiet. I hesitated for a second before knocking. No response. I knocked again, a little harder this time.

Still nothing.

I swallowed, my pulse picking up. Maybe she was asleep. Maybe she wasn't even home. Maybe— The door opened.

And then I saw her. And my stomach dropped. Y/n looked... exhausted. No. She looked wrecked.

Her eyes were dull, rimmed with shadows that told me she hadn't been sleeping properly. Her posture was loose, but not in the usual effortless way—this was different.

This was heavy. Like she'd been carrying something all day, something she didn't know how to put down.

I had never seen her look like this before. Something was definitely wrong. I inhaled quietly, forcing my voice to stay soft. "Y/n..."

She blinked, like she was just now realizing I was actually standing here. Her brows furrowed slightly. "What are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same thing," I said, tilting my head. "Considering you've been ignoring me."

She sighed, rubbing the back of her neck. "I haven't been ignoring you."

I raised an eyebrow. Her lips twitched, but it didn't quite reach her eyes. I exhaled, scanning her face again before speaking, softer this time. "What's wrong?"

Y/n's shoulders tensed just barely. She looked away. I took a slow step forward. "Where's Storm?" That question made her swallow. "She's napping."

I noticed the way her throat bobbed, the way she suddenly seemed smaller in her own doorway. Y/n sighed, voice quieter now. "She's been crying a lot today, finally got her to lay down."

And that was when I knew. That was when I slowly put it all together. The distance. The silence. The exhaustion in her eyes. The way she was barely holding herself together.

I knew. And my chest ached. I hesitated before speaking again. "Can I come in?" Y/n stood there for a second, like she was debating it.

Then, finally, she sighed and stepped aside. "Yeah," she murmured. "Come in."

Then, before I could even stop myself, I took another step forward, concern pressing against my ribs.

"Y/n... what's wrong?"

She didn't answer at first. For a moment, she just stood there, looking at me like she was debating whether to let me in or shut me out completely.

I followed her to the couch, my heart already twisting at the sight of the crumpled blanket, the untouched food on the coffee table, the way everything looked stalled, like time had stopped moving here.

And then she spoke.

"Today's the anniversary."

My breath caught. I blinked, processing.

"...Anniversary of?"

Y/n exhaled through her nose. "My parents."

Oh. My chest clenched. I opened my mouth, but nothing came out at first.

I didn't need to ask why she had been distant. I didn't need to ask why she hadn't answered my texts or why she looked like she had been carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders.

This was why.

She hesitated for half a second, then sank down onto the couch, shoulders slumping.

I swallowed, sitting beside her. "Y/n..."

She let out a short, humorless breath. "I don't really talk about it." Her voice was hoarse, like she had been holding something in all day. "Ever. Not even to Caleb and Lili."

I didn't say anything. I just listened. And for the first time—

She talked.

𝐘/𝐍'𝐬 𝐏𝐎𝐕

I didn't know why I was telling her. Maybe it was the exhaustion. Maybe it was because she showed up when I had given her every reason not to.

Or maybe... maybe I just needed to. Either way, the words spilled out before I could stop them.

"I was seventeen," I said quietly, staring down at my hands. "Storm was five."

Madelyn didn't move. Didn't speak. She just sat there, watching me, waiting. And I kept going.

"It was late. Almost midnight. We were asleep when the smoke alarms went off." My throat tightened. "I barely had time to think. There was just... smoke. Heat. Everywhere."

I took a shaky breath.

"I grabbed Storm first. She didn't understand what was happening. She just kept crying, asking where Mom and Dad were." My voice caught, but I pushed through it. "I tried to get to them. I—"

I swallowed hard.

"I ran back inside."

Madelyn inhaled sharply. I clenched my fists. "I don't know why. I wasn't thinking. I just— I thought I could get them out. I thought—" My voice wavered, cracking under the weight of it.

Madelyn's hand found mine. Warm. Solid. Anchoring. I didn't even realize I was shaking until I felt her squeeze. I exhaled, my eyes burning. "I made it to my mom." My voice was barely a whisper now.

"She was trying to get to my dad. He was in the kitchen. She wouldn't leave without him."

The memory played behind my eyelids, vivid, raw, painful.

"I tried to pull her back," I said, voice breaking. "Tried to tell her we had to go, but she kept fighting me."

Madelyn's grip tightened. I sucked in a breath. Then I whispered, "Something combusted."

Madelyn stiffened beside me. I swallowed the lump in my throat. "I don't even know what it was. All I remember is the heat. The way the walls shook. The way things started falling."

I saw it. I saw it all over again. The burning wood, the collapsing ceiling, the flames licking at everything in sight. I clenched my jaw, trying to breathe through it.

"My mom... she grabbed me."

Tears pricked the corners of my eyes.

"She was crying. She—" I exhaled shakily. "She told me to watch after Storm."

Madelyn inhaled sharply.

"She told me to run." My voice cracked. "She told me she and my dad were right behind me."

And I believed her. I believed her. "So I ran," I whispered. "I went back outside and grabbed Storm, and I—"

My breath hitched. I didn't even realize the tears had started falling until Madelyn reached out, brushing them away with her fingertips. I blinked, my vision blurry, my throat too tight to speak.

Her hand was trembling. I barely noticed when she wiped at her own tears. I sucked in a breath. "I turned around, and I— I couldn't see the path I just walked through."

Madelyn pressed her lips together, trying to keep her expression steady.

"I screamed for them," I whispered. "I kept screaming." My whole body was shaking now.

"The firefighters got them out." My voice was so quiet, so broken, I almost couldn't hear myself. "Barely breathing. Me and Storm had to ride in a different ambulance. By the time we got to the hospital—"

I squeezed my eyes shut.

"My mom was awake. Barely, but she—she got to talk to me."

A sob crawled up my throat, but I forced it down.

"She told me she was proud of me."

Madelyn let out a small, choked sound, like she was barely holding herself together.

I looked up at her. And for the first time, I saw the tears in her eyes.

"I lost them that night," I whispered. The words shattered in my mouth. Madelyn squeezed my hand like she was trying to piece me back together. Neither of us said anything for a long time.

Then— She exhaled, voice trembling.

"Let's go see them."

I looked at her, my vision still blurred with tears. "What?"

Madelyn swallowed, her thumb brushing absently over my knuckles. "No pressure," she said softly. "I just... maybe it would help."

I stared at her. For a long time, I didn't move.

Then— I nodded. Small. Quiet.

"Okay," I whispered. Madelyn squeezed my hand.

"Yeah," I said, my voice hoarse but sure. "Let's do it."

.  .  .

I didn't want to do this.

Even as I stood in my bedroom, pulling on a hoodie, forcing myself to move through the motions, my body felt wrong. Heavy. Like I was walking through water.

I hadn't been to their graves since last year.

And I hated that. I hated that I didn't go visit them more often, that I was so consumed by the pain that I only went to see them on the day of their passing, or their birthdays if I could handle it.

I hated that time kept passing, that every year felt both too long and too short. That I could still hear my mom's voice in my head, still see the way my dad used to laugh. That I could remember everything—but they weren't here.

I ran a hand down my face, exhaling shakily.

A soft knock at my door made me turn.

Madelyn.

She was standing there, hands tucked into the pockets of her hoodie, her expression careful but full of something I didn't know how to name.

"I texted Caleb," she said quietly. "They're meeting us there." I nodded, swallowing against the tightness in my throat. Madelyn hesitated. "Are you sure about this?"

No. Not even a little. But I nodded anyway. She watched me for a second, then stepped forward, reaching for my hand. I let her take it. Her fingers curled around mine, grounding me.

"Okay," she murmured.

We woke Storm up gently, letting her take her time getting ready. She was quiet as she pulled on her sneakers, her little hands slow, almost reluctant. When she finally stood, rubbing at her tired eyes, she just looked at me. And that's when I saw it.

The hesitation. The fear. She didn't want to go either. I crouched in front of her, squeezing her hands. "You don't have to come if you don't want to, Storm."

Her lip wobbled. "I do."

I exhaled softly, brushing a piece of hair behind her ear. "Okay."

She swallowed, then reached for me, wrapping her arms around my neck.

I pulled her in, closing my eyes for a moment, holding onto her as tightly as I could. Madelyn waited patiently, her presence warm, steady. And then, we left.

.  .  .

The cemetery was quiet. It always was.

The air was cool, the kind of crispness that made the trees rustle softly, the grass damp beneath our shoes. The clouds overhead were stretched thin, the last bits of the day slipping behind them, casting the sky in soft shades of gray and blue.

Caleb and Lili were already waiting when we arrived. Lili was holding a bouquet of white lilies. Caleb had a smaller set in his hand, his jaw tight, his usually lighthearted expression subdued.

When we stepped out of the car, Caleb immediately strode over to me. He didn't say anything. He just wrapped me in a hug.

I let out a slow breath against his shoulder, clenching my jaw, squeezing my eyes shut for a second. "Hey," he murmured. "We got you."

I swallowed. Nodded. When he pulled back, Lili was there next. Her arms were softer, but just as strong. She whispered something in my ear—I'm proud of you—before pressing a kiss to the side of my head. I swallowed again.

Then, finally, we walked. The path was familiar. Too familiar. I knew the steps by heart. Storm held onto my hand tightly, her grip like a lifeline. Madelyn walked beside me, close but not overbearing. Just... there.

When we reached their graves, I stopped breathing for a second. The headstones were exactly the same. The same names. The same dates.

Michael & Eleanor Calloway.

I exhaled shakily, my fingers twitching at my sides. Storm squeezed my hand harder. Caleb stepped forward first, setting his bouquet down carefully. Lili followed, laying hers beside it.

Then, finally, I moved. I knelt down slowly, the damp grass cool beneath my fingers. For a second, I couldn't speak.

I could feel everyone behind me—Caleb, Lili, Madelyn—but the only thing I could focus on was the ache sitting heavy in my chest.

I swallowed, then let out a quiet, choked-up whisper. "I miss you."

The wind rustled through the trees. I closed my eyes.

Storm knelt beside me, her little hand gripping my sleeve. "Me too," she whispered.

I pulled her in gently, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. For a long time, none of us spoke.

The wind whispered through the trees, rustling the leaves above us. The air smelled like damp earth and fresh-cut grass, but beneath it was something heavier—grief, memory, absence.

I exhaled slowly, feeling the weight of the moment pressing down on my chest. My feet felt rooted to the ground, my fingers twitching at my sides.

The headstone in front of me was familiar, yet it always looked wrong. Like it shouldn't be here. Like their names shouldn't be carved into stone.

But they were.

I swallowed past the lump in my throat. I knelt down. My jaw tightened as my hand lifted on its own, fingertips grazing the smooth, cool stone. I traced over the letters, as if I could somehow reach them through the marble.

"Hey, Mom. Hey, Dad," I murmured, barely loud enough for anyone else to hear. The words felt foreign. I barely said them anymore.

Storm shifted beside me, leaning down, pressing into my side. She didn't say anything, but I felt her small fingers clutch at the hem of my hoodie. A quiet way of saying I'm here.

I let out a slow, uneven breath. "I'm taking care of her." My voice wavered, but I pushed through. "I promised you I would, and I am."

Storm's grip on my hoodie tightened. I clenched my jaw, blinking rapidly as my vision blurred. A warm tear slid down my cheek, then another. I didn't bother wiping them away.

The weight of the past seven years crashed into me all at once. Every moment I'd spent trying to hold it together, to be strong, to make sure Storm never saw me fall apart.

But right now, standing in front of their graves, I let myself break—just a little. Another tear slipped down, splashing onto the headstone. My fingers curled against the stone, as if holding onto it could somehow hold onto them. I stood up again.

Then—soft and steady—a warm hand pressed against my back.

Madelyn.

She didn't say anything. She didn't try to pull me away, didn't try to make it better. She just let me be. A second later, her head gently rested against my shoulder.

Something inside me unknotted just slightly. I closed my eyes, inhaling deeply, grounding myself in the warmth of her, the quiet comfort of her presence.

The silence stretched between us, but it wasn't empty. It was full. Full of everything I couldn't say. Full of I miss you. Full of I don't know how to do this without you. Full of I'm trying.

Madelyn's hand stayed firm on my back, grounding, steady. I didn't realize how much I needed it until now.

A long moment passed before I finally exhaled, stepping back, forcing myself to stand straighter. Storm's little hand was still curled around the fabric of my hoodie.

I turned to look at her. She gazed up at me, her hazel eyes glassy but calm, as if she was reading everything on my face. Then, without hesitation, she leaned into me, resting her head against my arm.

I lifted my hand from my side and rested it lightly on her back, rubbing small circles between her shoulders.

A heavy silence settled over the group again.

Then—Caleb shifted, clearing his throat. "I've been thinking..."

I glanced at him. His hands were shoved into his jacket pockets, his gaze fixed on the headstone. His usual smirk was gone, replaced with something softer, more thoughtful.

"What?" I asked.

He rocked back on his heels slightly. "You know your parents better than anyone."

I nodded slowly.

"So tell me," he continued. "If they were here right now, what do you think they'd say?"

I hesitated, glancing back at the headstone.

"I don't know," I admitted.

Caleb hummed. "I think they'd tell you they're proud of you."

I swallowed hard, my throat tightening again. Lili nodded, her voice soft. "So proud, Y/n."

Storm sniffled beside me, and I squeezed her shoulder gently.

Caleb exhaled, shaking