Suggested by Cosplaywithflare

Five years ago

Four children sat in a circle on sleeping bags. "You're crushing on someone, I know it!" Kane exclaimed. 

Terrance frowned at him. "I'm not, shoosh!" he grumbled.

"Come ON, Terry. We all know it."

Terrance glared at the boy before looking away. "I'm not," he whimpered. "Leave me alone."

"Kane, you upset him!" Brad growled, placing a hand on Terrance's shoulder in comfort. "Stop being a butt."

"Sorry Terry..." Kane said.

Terrance looked back over at him. "It's okay," Terrance shook his head. 

Mickey sighed, staring out the window showing the night sky. "Are you okay Mickey?" Brad asked.

"I'm just worried about Emily," Mickey replied. "Dad and Mom fight a lot, and Em normally has me beside her."

"You can always invite her here, my Dad won't mind."

"Okay. Thank you. I'll keep that in mind."

A couple weeks later...

Mickey ran over to her friends in tears. "I-I'm moving!" she cried.

The boys all glanced at each other. "Why?" Kane asked.

"My parents are divorcing, and Mom kicked Dad out. I'm sorry... Dad needs me."

"We understand." Kane wrapped his arms around Mickey. Brad and Terrance joined the hug. 

"We'll miss you, Mickey," Brad said as they all pulled away.

"I have today and tomorrow, Dad has some stuff to do before we leave town. Let's make the most of that time!"

Three years later

Mickey was reading through the letters sent by her friends. They stopped arriving about a month ago. Life just... got busy.

Hi Mickey!

I hope your road trip is fun. 

Do you know what the word is for a boy to like another boy? I think I'm that. I have a crush, do you think I should confess? He's really nice.

Have you met any cute boys? 

Anyway, Terrance and I got in trouble with the principal because we were throwing stuff around class. We were doing science experiments on types of paper planes in science, and we got in trouble! It's silly.

I miss you more than I can explain. Please stay safe.

~ Kane

Dear Mickey,

I miss you. It's hard dealing with Kane and Brad obviously crushing on each other. Did Kane tell you he was gay? He mentioned that he did. I don't know about Brad telling you though.

Are you feeing okay? I have to admit, I don't think I am. Mom said it's something called anxiety? I don't know what it means. I probably should. I should listen more.

I met this kid called Oscar who believes in aliens. What do you think of aliens? I think they're possible, but not here. Oscar's a bit crazy, but that makes him funny.

Do you think I should set Kane and Brad up on a date? I honestly think we're still a bit young but whatever they seem like a cute couple. 

Please stay safe and happy, and I hope we see each other soon!

~ Terrance

Dear Mickey,

Terry left Kane and I in a room together, and now we're dating! Kane confessed to me first, and I'm glad he did.

How's life for you? Are you in a relationship? Actually, knowing your Dad... maybe not. If you aren't, you'll find your true love one day!

You said you were settling down in Washington? You went real far! We're all still in New York. I've never heard of Kollok before, is it nice?

Do you have many new friends? We've mostly just stayed the three of us. Well, until Terry's new friends Burke and Oscar joined. They're even weirder than me, and apparently I'm pretty weird.

I really, really, REALLY want to see you again. I'm going to beg my parents to let me visit you. I'll make sure I do!

Anyway, enjoy life, Mickey!

~ Brad

Those were just three of the many letters.

They all said they wanted to visit.

Yet none of them came.

Five years later (present)

Tibby and Mickey walked hand-in-hand down the streets of Kollok. Mickey was walking Tibby home. They often did this after school; Tibby's house was only a couple minutes closer to school than Mickey's apartment. It gave Mickey a sense of comfort, knowing she no longer roamed Kollok alone. She had friends, friends she never thought she deserved. 

Mickey and Tibby talked about life, and before long, they'd arrived at the Devin household. "I'll see you tomorrow?" Tibby smiled as the two turned to face each other.

"Duh," Mickey answered, returning the smile. 

"You know, the anxiety that you're gonna leave me is a lot more extreme than you think."

"How many times do I have to tell you that when I love someone, I love them for life. I won't leave you Tibby, I promise."

"Okay... I love you, Mickey."

Mickey noticed her boyfriend still looked quite unsure, so she planted a kiss on his cheek. Tibby's face flushed, and Mickey felt her face heat up too. "I love you too, Tibby," Mickey said. Tibby could hear the love in her voice. With a hug, the two parted ways.

Mickey walked through the corridor of her apartment complex, expecting to return to a messy 'home'. She pulled her keys out of her pocket to open her apartment door... to find it was already unlocked. She slipped the keys back into her pocket and opened the door. 

Her duffel bag dropped off her shoulder. And she began to cry.

Brad immediately ran over to her, Kane close behind. Terrance was last to join, and the group of them cried happy tears in a big hug. "You guys... are in Kollok!" Mickey cried.

"Yes!" Brad replied.

"So... are you two still together?" Mickey's glance bounced between Kane and Brad.

"You best believe we are," Kane replied, grabbing his boyfriend's hand.

"I'm still single," Terrance said. "But I'm okay with that."

"Oh! I didn't get to tell you all, since we lost contact... I have a boyfriend too!" Mickey exclaimed.

"Is he nice?"

"Yeah. He's also an absolute dork, but that's what I love most about him. His name's Tibby, you HAVE to meet him. And the rest of my friends!"

They all stood in a bit of awkward silence. "Mickey..?" Brad spoke up eventually.

"Hm?" Mickey looked over at him.

"We've got some more news for you."

"Which is...?"

"We're all moving to Kollok!" the three boys announced together.

"You're kidding!"

"Nope!" Kane grinned. "We managed to convince our families to move up to Kollok!"

"What about your friends in New York?"

"We'll still visit them a lot," Terrance shrugged.

"I've rarely ever been this happy."

"I can't believe we're all together again! This is kinda unbelievable still."

"I know, it's a bit odd. But it's great."

They all did a group high-five. Just like they did when they were eight years old.

there is probably gonna be a part two for this btw