SKYLINE HEARTS

EPILOGUE

FIVE YEARS LATER

"I warned you not to drop by unannounced."

"And I chose to ignore it," Chris shamelessly grinned before pulling the Swedish king in a hug. "What are you going to do about it?"

"For starters, put you in the dungeons." Ace's words held zero heat and were full of affection. His eyes sparkled softly, lips curled into a reluctant smile. I knew he was enjoying his little moment with Chris even though he tried hard not to display it. Huh, it sounded like someone I knew.

"As long as there's free wi-fi, PS5, and an unlimited supply of my favorite food, I'll live there for life."

Ace playfully rolled his eyes before shoving the man away. A look of pure shock and mock disappointment flashed in Chris's eyes as he clutched his heart. He was convincing no one with that act. Ace shifted his attention to the rest of us, hugging and exchanging pleasantries, asking about the trip back to Sweden, whether we had trouble getting here, etc.

"Just Wolfie being grumpy," I chuckled, looking up at my grumpy boyfriend with a noticeable pout. "You know how it is, Ace."

Ace laughed heartily. "Didn't want to come here during his holidays, huh?"

I shook my head, still chuckling. "Nope. I had to drag him. Literally."

Wolf rolled his eyes, his arms still crossed against his chest. "I don't get holidays every day, you know? And the one time I do, Chris has the fantastic idea of visiting you in Sweden."

"Oh, loosen up, Wolf," Ace laughed, patting his shoulder. "The world wouldn't end if you didn't get to be home for one vacation. You can relax at home next time, alright?"

"Yeah, loosen up," Harry piped in. "We're here to enjoy, celebrate, and, most importantly, catch up with everyone. Don't tell me your R&R at home is more important than this."

Wolf sighed, knowing Harry was right. He wouldn't trade this moment for the world. The last time we were together was during Ace's graduation, and since then, we have been FaceTiming and texting in the group chat.

No matter how much we tried, it wasn't the same without him. Eventually, we drifted apart, busy with our respective lives and responsibilities. Occasionally, we sent reels or memes to each other to hold onto that friendship we formed at Skyline Academy.

"Right, you're right," Wolf relented before glancing at Chris. "You could've had this idea some other time, Chris."

"Unfortunately, this was the only time our schedules aligned," Chris said. "It's like a total solar eclipse or leap year."

"At least we'd know the next time we'll meet up if that were the case, Chris," Skylar piped in. "With our current lives, we don't know when we'll hang out next."

"Maybe during Wolf's funeral," Ace suggested, struggling with the tiny tug at the ends of his lips.

Wolf groaned.

"I have an eulogy ready." Chris cleared his throat and pulled up his phone. "Dear all, we are gathered here today for the funeral of one of my dearest friends, Wolf Winchester. I am not going to use his legal name because we don't want him crawling out of the coffin to strangle me---"

"Alright, alright. I'm not dead yet. So, cut it, Chris." Wolf couldn't hold back his chuckle at the ridiculousness of Chris's speech.

"But you will be, so you know, better safe than sorry," Skylar shrugged as if it was the most casual thing in the world.

"I'm. Not. Dying. Yet." Wolf gritted his teeth. "So, cut it. All of you."

Even though I knew they were teasing Wolf like always, the thought of Wolf dying didn't sit well with me. It felt too real and got my guts twisting unpleasantly.