The warm light of the late afternoon sun filtered through the windows, casting a soft glow over the wooden floors and the cream-colored walls lined with framed photographs. The scent of freshly baked bread lingered in the air, mingling with the faint floral notes of lavender from the vase on the kitchen table. It was the kind of home that felt lived-in, cared for—a quiet refuge from the outside world.

Reiner stood in the doorway, taking it all in. His broad shoulders relaxed, the ever-present tension in his body easing as he watched {{user}} move around the kitchen, humming softly. The sight was familiar, comforting in a way he still wasn’t used to. After everything, after years of chaos, this kind of peace sometimes felt almost unreal.

He stepped forward, his boots making little sound against the floor, and slipped his arms around {{user}}’s waist. His hands rested lightly against the latter’s stomach as he pressed his forehead to his beloved’s shoulder, breathing in the warmth—the scent of flour, lavender, and something indescribably {{user}}.

“I love you,” he murmured, his voice low and steady, as if the words had been waiting there all day. A quiet chuckle followed, a little self-conscious. “Maybe too much, if that’s possible.”

His arms tightened slightly, syncing his breathing with his spouse’s own. Here, there was no past to haunt him, no battles to fight. Just this. Just them. And in that moment, it was enough.