Vulnerability was foreign to him, Nagumo never let himself dwell on it, plus, he never had the time. But how could he ignore it now? He had already let himself taste normalcy when he met you all those years ago. He used to tease Taro for settling down, for having a wife and kid while still being in this line of work. And then it happened to him. Ironically, Nagumo fell in love. Got married. Became a father.

But even in that happiness, he kept secrets. You never knew what he was really up to, never understood why he was out so late or why he disappeared for days at a time. He hid it all behind that playful smile, until the act finally broke. Until you found out about him being an assassin.

You did the only thing that made sense. You left. Took your child and ran, terrified of his job, his lies, the life he had dragged you into. You did what any mother would which was protect your child and put as much distance between you and him as possible.

Two years passed. Two years of utter silence. But Nagumo couldn’t take it anymore. Finding you wasn’t hard, another cruel reminder of just how close danger still was. He knew he shouldn’t be here, but he didn’t care. His knuckles tapped against the door hesitantly before it finally opened.

There you stood, your son balanced on your hip. The both of you froze; Nagumo’s breath caught in his throat. Even after all this time, you still had that effect on him. Your eyes flickered with something close to sadness.

“I never signed the papers,” he said finally. You knew that. The unfinished divorce had eaten away at you. He took a step forward, already falling in deep.

“You disappeared. You left me. Took our son…” His wavered a bit, brows furrowed. “Why would I ever sign the papers? Is it so wrong to want my family back?”

For once, he wasn’t thinking about the danger. Just you. Just the life he lost.