Ethan had barely parked when Amy threw her door open.

"What the hell do you mean it's been 5 years?!" Amy yelled, attempting to go into the house.

"Amy, I need you to calm down," Ethan said- his own heart rate spiking. The keys jingled in his hands as he approached the door. Amy paced on the porch, muttering to herself.

"Amy, Mark will be here soon. I need you to calm down, please," Ethan begged, opening the door. 

Amy stopped pacing, took a deep breath, and sighed. Ethan wordlessly wrapped an arm around her, leading her into the house. Ethan could hear a yipping from further in the house, as well as a couple of barks. There were multiple dogs?

Chica!

Ethan's jaw dropped as he closed the door. He took off running, sliding into Mark's bedroom. There on the bed sat Chica and Henry, both barking happily. Ethan ran forward, laughing slightly. Chica jumped into his arms, licking his face.

"Hey Chica, Mark'll be home soon. Promise," Ethan explained. He stepped out of the bedroom, watching as Amy looked around curiously.

"We've remodeled a bit," Ethan said, rubbing Chica's head. 

Amy nodded, "I can see. Where are you sleeping?"

"The old office. Mark and I both use the living room to record," Ethan explained, pointing.

"What about acoustics?" Amy asked.

"Carpet," Ethan smiled.

Amy looked down, "I hadn't even noticed."

The door burst open, revealing Mark and Stephanie. Ethan watched as Mark's face lit up. The couple met in the middle, arms wrapped around each other.

"Oh my god, I thought I'd never see you again," Mark gushed, holding Amy's hair. 

"I was so worried," Amy mumbled into the man's chest.

The couple pulled away and laughed a little. Ethan smiled, watching as the two kissed for the first time in half a decade.

"Stephanie, do you want anything to eat?" Ethan asked, looking at the woman.

Stephanie looked at him and nodded, "Yeah, let's give them a little bit of private time."

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Thomas tried not to speed, but he couldn't help it. Cops wouldn't pull him over right now anyway. There were countless crashes he was trying to navigate, but many drivers had been told to stay off the roads unless it was an emergency.

This was an emergency.

Thomas weaved between a car that was skidding and a rail. His heart rammed against his ribs, and his vision pulsated to the rhythm of it. The radio played the sounds of the DJs freaking out, giving the news as quickly as they could.

Thomas' tires screamed as he turned into the apartment complex Joan and Talyn lived in. They had just moved in together. Thomas only hoped that no one else had moved in since the Blip.

He was just about to arrive when he saw a familiar couple walking down the sidewalk. Thomas slammed on the breaks, parking the car right there and getting out.

"Joan? Talyn?" Thomas called.

The couple turned, and Thomas could feel his mouth stretch into a grin. He noticed their looks were ones of confusion, and it hit him- he was still in Remus' makeup!

Thomas reached up and ripped the mustache off, "Don't worry, it's fake."

Joan's face melted into one of relief and they ran forward. Thomas met them in the middle, hugging them hard. Thomas felt tears stinging his eyes as Talyn joined in. 

"Oh my god I missed you guys so much," Thomas said.

"What happened?" Joan asked, "There were people in our apartment!"

Thomas sighed, "It's been 5 years. Half of the population died, and now you're back."

"Oh my gosh I bet the economy has been amazing," Joan said sarcastically.

Thomas laughed, "Actually yeah. C'mon, I'll bring you back to my apartment. I've got your stuff there."

Thomas led the couple to the car, letting them get in wherever. Talyn got in the back, and Joan sat in the front with him. Thomas took off, warning them about the destruction he had to get through to get to them.

"Shouldn't we help?" Talyn asked.

"If there has been an accident and you cannot help, police are encouraging you to move on right now. They are sending everyone they can out. If you are first aid or CPR certified, please stop and help!" The radio DJ announced.

"Well, that answered that," Joan mumbled.

Thomas smiled. They're both really back. They're back. Thomas still couldn't believe it, even as Joan pointed out the sign they always passed that said balls on it. Thomas laughed. 

It was silent for a few minutes as Thomas drove. When he finally couldn't take it anymore, he spoke up, "Do you remember anything after you blipped? Or was it just black?"

"Blipped?" Talyn asked.

"That's what we call what happened to everyone. It looked like dust apparently," Thomas explained.

Joan sighed, "We were thrown into this expanse. It was a bright orange, and there were a ton of people. Talyn was right next to me. We were only there for a few hours, maybe." 

"I can promise you, it has not been a few hours," Thomas said, looking over at Joan.

"I know," They said. "What's happened since we left?"

"I got a sugar glider, and Sanders Sides collided with Markiplier's Egos," Thomas said. "Those are the big ones. Uhm... Steven Universe ended."

"Nooooo!" Talyn groaned.

"Yup. Saddest shit ever," Thomas said.

"Oh my god don't spoil it," Joan said.

"Percy Jackson finally got a Disney series, which was on Disney+. That launched while you guys were gone too," Thomas said. "Just a few months after, actually."

Joan grinned, propping their feet on the dashboard. Thomas didn't bother correcting them.

They were back a few minutes later. Thomas practically dragged them out of the car, pulling them into the house.

The couple got swarmed with hugs from everyone there. There may have been a few tears shed.

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Peter watched as Tony absorbed the stones into his suit. He was going to die.

He couldn't hear what was going on. His back ached so badly, and so did his head.

He pushed on anyway and watched as his mentor brought his own fingers together.

Snap.