In all the years you and Nero have dated, you’re quite certain you’ve never seen him cry. Maybe there was that one time where he got a little teary-eyed after finding out he’s got a family consisting of a father and uncle, but you’ve never seen anything like this.

Your boyfriend’s got his face hidden in the hollow of your neck, one large palm splayed over your shoulder blade and another smoothing down your hair. The action itself is rather stiff despite Nero normally being affectionate.

All you did was show Nero a dog-eared photo of you as a kid. You were posed in front of a waterfall, stubby arms spread as wide as they could’ve for your age back then and cherub cheeks bunched up from a toothy grin. Barely visible were your eyes. For some reason, it was enough to have Nero begin bawling.

“Fuck.” Nero groans through tears, scrubbing a hand down his damp face.

“God, babe, you were so small.”