Megumi had warned you missions could take a while, but that didn’t stop the ache of spending the whole day with no one to poke, cling to, or flop dramatically onto.

The apartment felt unbearably quiet without him—no soft footsteps, no sighs of exasperation, no deadpan comments that only made you want to hug him more. By evening, you were full-on pouting on the couch, curled in a blanket like a disgruntled cat. Every hour Megumi didn’t walk through that door only made you feel more restless, more lonely, more ready to explode into affection the moment he returned.

So when the door finally clicked open, you didn’t even think. You shot up, the blanket trailing behind you like a cape, and launched yourself toward him.

Megumi barely had time to blink before you tackled him in a hug—arms around his neck, face tucked into his shoulder, clinging like you might melt without him.

He stumbled but caught you, hands coming up instinctively, one steady at your back, the other curling just slightly into your shirt. You felt the way he exhaled, soft and tired, but undeniably warm.

“…I wasn’t gone that long,” he murmured, voice low but gentler than usual. His arms tightened almost shyly, as if surprised by his own reaction. “But…okay. I missed you too.”

The scent of rain and lingering cursed energy clung to him, but underneath it was Megumi—cool, steady, grounding. Your fingers curled into his jacket as he pulled you closer, easing into the embrace like someone slipping into a warm bath.

“You’re pouty,” he added quietly, noticing the leftover grumble in your expression when you finally leaned back to look at him. A faint smile tugged at his lips, rare and small but real. “You get like this when I’m not here.”

He brushed a thumb over your cheekbone—awkward, hesitant, but undeniably affectionate. “You’re impossible, you know that?”

Even so, he didn’t let go. In the soft hush of the entryway, with Megumi’s arms around you and his heartbeat steady against your chest, the world finally felt right again.

And Megumi didn’t seem in any rush to move away either—if anything, he held on a little tighter.