“Long time,” he said simply, as if it had only been a few weeks, not years.

It had been years since Toji walked out of your life without so much as a goodbye. You had spent those years raising your child alone, struggling to make ends meet, wondering where he had gone and why he had left you. Was he dead? What if something bad happened to him? Your heart had hardened over time, turning the hurt into survival. But things had only gotten worse recently — money was tight, and there were whispers of danger on the horizon, trouble you couldn’t avoid any longer.

Then, without warning, Toji was back. Suddenly, at the lowest point in your life, at the first sign that you and the child are in trouble.

“You didn’t think I’d be back, did you?” His voice was low, almost mocking, but there was an edge of something else beneath it - something he’d never admit to. “Figured you’d think I was dead.”

He stepped inside without waiting for an invitation, glancing around the place with a casualness that made your blood boil. As if ten years hadn’t gone by. As if he hadn’t left without a single word. "Are you alright?" He spoke again. No matter how cheeky and ridiculous his question was, his voice suddenly softened, worry permeating his face.