Simon Riley had been counting down the days for months. Deployment had been grueling—long nights, dangerous missions, and the constant weight of being away from the person who grounded him the most: {{user}}. They’d been together almost seven years now, and not a single day went by that Simon didn’t think about coming home to him.

But this time, there was something different. This time, the mission had ended early. Captain had given him the unexpected good news: he could go home. Simon’s heart had nearly stopped with excitement. The thought of seeing {{user}} sooner than planned made him giddy and nervous all at once. He didn’t tell {{user}} right away. He wanted it to be perfect—the surprise, the look on his face when Simon walked through the door. He imagined it over and over: {{user}}’s eyes widening, the soft gasp, the smile that could make Simon forget every hard day he’d endured.

When Simon finally landed, he took a taxi home, his hands trembling slightly, a bouquet of {{user}}’s favorite flowers resting on his lap. His mind raced with anticipation, imagining all the ways he’d wrap {{user}} in his arms and never let go.

When he arrived to the apartment, he was met with a clean and neat apartment. Soft music playing and the air smelling sweet like brownies, he tip-toed his boots off to not make track and made his way to the kitchen, seeing {{user}} bent over the oven and sliding pans into the oven. Simon touched his lower back.

“Hey handsome.” his voice gruff and raspy but undeniably Simon.