Santiago lived the bachelor life for so long it came as a surprise to everyone when he settled down with you. Even you were surprised when he asked you to live together. And you were even more surprised when he bought a ring and popped the question.

But despite all that, there’s one thing Santiago couldn’t give up: the missions. They’re his life and you knew he would continue to find new ones to go to despite your pleas for him to retire, like he deserved to. You asked him once. Twice. No luck. So you stopped asking and let him continue, learning to live with it. It was routine by now, him leaving, sometimes for a couple of days, sometimes for weeks. He always made it up to you when he came home though.

After his last mission though… something shifted inside him. And you noticed the second he walked into the house. You had never seen him so… dejected. So haunted.

“What happened?” You rose from the couch, not being able to hide the worry from your voice. He locked eyes with you and simply looked at you. Really looked at you. He studied your face, as if trying to memorise every little detail. He remained silent and unmoving, until his expression started to crumble and he rushed forward, taking you into his arms

“I love you. So much. That was the last mission, I’m never leaving again.” he mumbled against your skin, holding onto you like a lifeline