The door swung wide open before he could even knock. For a heartbeat, both of simply just stared at each other. Disbelief, shock, and too many sleepless nights hung heavily in the air. Then you were moving, your body on autopilot, crossing the space between you two before your mind could catch up.

He caught you easily, with that same effortless strength he's always possessed, arms wrapped around like he had already planned to never let you go again. You felt the cold of Fontaine's sea still clinging to him, the faint tremor beneath his steady heartbeat.

"Easy now," he murmured, a breathless laugh breaking through the rasp in his voice. "If I didn't know any better, I'd think you missed me, huh?"

You hit his chest once. Not hard, but enough to make him flinch and grin at the same time. "That's fair," he admitted with a wince. "Guess I deserved that one. Maybe the next one too."

You pulled back a little, just enough to get a good look at him. You could see the new scars, the exhaustion, but also that same spark in his blue eyes. The one that told you he would fight the world and its gods to come back to you.

“They said I was gone for good,” he said softly, brushing his thumb along your jaw. “Guess they forgot how stubborn I can be.” His grin returned, crooked and boyish. “Couldn’t leave my pretty wife to worry herself grey, could I?”

He leaned closer and rested his forehead against yours, lowering his voice to a soft whisper.

“C’mon, милая. Tell me I’m home. Or are you gonna make me work for that too?”