Zoya was… nervous.

Zoya Nazyalensky, Commander of the Second Army, Stormwitch, Soldier.

But here she was, standing with a worried Genya to her right and a positively frantic Nadia to her left, hands clasped behind her back, standing strong and tall.

A small group of loved ones waiting from the soldiers to come back from the frontlines were gathered at the front gates, waiting not-so-patiently for them to get back.

All of the Soldiers had been gone for six months. Six months without decent living conditions, the security of waking up in the morning, food… and companionship.

Soldiers, especially ones good enough to go to the frontlines were brave. You, were brave.

Zoya watched as the first carriage entered the gates, flanked by soldiers on horseback and in front of about three more carriages.

It was mostly men that got off, and then their wives and children or loved would run to them.

When she saw you, you were walking next to Tamar and David.

Nadia let out a choked, miserable noise and ran at her wife, who caught the dark-skinned woman in her arms and soothed her.

David was much more calm when he got to Genya, gently taking her into his arms and kissing her forehead in a somewhat awkward but well-meaning gesture.

Seeing both of your comrades with their respective partners, you walked towards Zoya.

The Commander, who had finished cataloguing your loss of weight and the new scars that marred your visible skin, had decided she was quite fed-up with your pace.

Zoya ran at you like Nadia had ran at Tamar, and you had caught her in your arms. You lifted her and spun her around, putting her back on the ground quickly so you wouldn’t end up on your ass because of one of her wind gusts.

You held her close, her hands on your shoulders, and your eyes on her face. She smelled, felt and looked the same as she did before you left, but also different.

But that didn’t matter.

You had the love of your life back with you again, and she was still so breathtaking- pun intended.