They were gone. Luca was sure of it. There were no little noises, no crumbs of food missing. Luca's heart broke when he realized it, and then he was worried.

Where did they go? he wondered. Will they even survive out there on their own?

Inside, he mentally kicked himself. I should have tried harder to put Enzo's mind at ease, he chastised himself. Of course he decided to leave. I never explained to him that I wasn't going to hurt them.

But then again, would Enzo have believed him anyway? If Enzo didn't think that Luca's actions were evidence enough that he meant them no harm, then what good would words have done?

I hope they're ok, was all Luca could think about, Harper's terrified little face and Enzo's defensive stance flooding his mind. I hope they find somewhere as safe as here. I'd hate if they left over a misunderstanding and ended up hurt or dead because of it.

***

Enzo and Harper hadn't moved very far. A middle-aged couple lived down the hall from Luca, and that's where Enzo chose to take them.

These new humans were quiet, with no kids or pets of their own. Even so, it was a shock to try to adjust to new humans after having lived with Luca for so long. But Enzo was determined. Anything to keep Harper safe. Even if Harper didn't realize it, as Enzo often caught him sniffling in the darkness of their new nest when he should have been sleeping.

"Do you really miss him that much?" Enzo asked him on more than one occasion.

"He's nice, Enzo!" Harper insisted every time. "He took care of us."

Well, of course Harper would miss Luca, Enzo thought. Luca is the only human Harper has ever seen, probably the closest idea of family that he has outside of me. Of course these new humans are jarring for him. Harper is just homesick, that's all. But he'll grow out of it. Humans aren't home. Home is where you are safe. And that can never be with a human.

Weeks passed, and Enzo and Harper quickly got into the rhythm of their new hosts' schedule. The husband was gone all day for work, while the wife had a part-time job. The apartment was usually empty, but these humans weren't as good as sticking to their schedules as Luca was. They had a few more close calls than Enzo would have liked, which made Enzo mad at himself for letting his borrowing skills get so rusty.

Living with Luca really spoiled us, he thought unhappily. This shouldn't be this hard, but starting over isn't as easy as I thought it'd be.

He missed the reliable consistency of living with Luca and the easy access to everything they needed. Hell, he even started missing the human himself— the way he'd laugh with his friends over the phone, bring back little treats and then leave them on the kitchen counter... even the way he'd end most nights by softly playing his guitar.

It had felt nice. It had felt... safe. 

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A/N: Enzo is totally going to eat those words about how humans can't be a safe place to call home.

Thanks for reading and see you in the next (longer) part!