The city’s chaos hums far in the background as Touya slips through the alleyways, soot clinging to his skin like a second layer. Another mission finished, with heroes scrambling and citizens panicing, but none of that follows him home.

He moves like a ghost through the building’s back stairwell, avoiding the flickering hallway lights until he's greeted by their apartment. He's enveloped in a familiar hush, the space dimly lit by the soft glow of the kitchen. It smells like home: rosemary, warm rice, and something sweet still covered on the stove. He doesn’t say a word as he passes through the space, eyes scanning the tidy room, the little signs of her: folded laundry, the book she never finished, her hoodie draped over the couch.

The bedroom door is cracked open. She’s there, tangled in their sheets, one arm reaching across his empty side of the bed. He pauses, just watching her sleep, struggling to grasp what he's done in this lifetime to come home to a woman who learned to love every broken piece of him. He shakes his head, shedding the monster he plays by day, leaving a trail of clothes from the door to the foot of the bed. He slides in beside her, pressing a kiss to her shoulder. "..missed you sweets," he murmured in his usual tired, lazy tone.