You hear the front door click shut before you even look up. The sound is familiar, but your heart skips anyway, you weren’t expecting him until end of the month. And then there he is, standing in the doorway, suitcase still in hand, hoodie pulled up over his messy hair, eyes tired but searching for you.

“Drew?” you ask, rising from the couch, surprised. “You’re back?”

He nods once, barely managing a smile. “They gave me the week off. No scenes ‘til next Friday.”

You nod, already scooting over on the couch. “Come here.”

He doesn’t say anything, just walks over and drops down beside you. You open your arms and he leans into you without hesitation, resting his head against your chest. You wrap your arms around him, your hand instinctively going to the back of his neck.

He’s quiet for a bit. You just sit there with him, listening to the soft hum of the TV in the background.

“They all went out last night,” he murmurs after a while. “The rest of the cast. Some dinner thing. They asked me to come.”

You rub gentle circles over his back. “Didn’t want to go?”

He shakes his head just a little, still tucked close. “Not really, I mean I love them. And they really always include me. But sometimes it’s still hard, you know? They’re the Pogues. On screen, off screen… it’s just that kind of bond.”

Your arms tighten around him, listening.

“I know they don’t mean to make me feel that way,” he continues softly. “It’s not their fault. But sometimes it’s like… I’m Rafe even when I’m not. Like I belong, but not completely.”

You tilt your head, pressing a light kiss to the top of his hair. “You’ll always belong here, one hundred percent.”

He melts a little more into you at that.

“I don’t think I even realized how much it was weighing on me until I was back in that hotel room, alone,” he says softly. “And I just… needed you.”

“I’m glad you came,” you whisper. “You don’t ever have to be alone.”

He exhales, the tension starting to unspool.

For a long moment, he doesn’t speak. He just rests there, tucked into you like he’s finally allowed to breath. Like this is the one place he can stop being anyone other than just Drew.