Changbin knows something us up the moment Felix walks through his front door with a broad smile on his face. The younger man has his communicator pressed to his ear, no doubt talking to Hyunjin on the other end, gushing about the latest Larian drama. But unlike normal, their conversation is cut short with Felix making some kind of keening sound at the back of his throat, the proper way to say goodbye to someone from Sorey. He hears the same keening sound from the communicator and Felix shuts his, looking much like those early twentieth and twenty-first-century girls. His eyes glow blue as the passing emotion of missing Hyunjin takes over before they're the same human brown he's always had.  

“Yes?” Changbin asks raising a brow and clicks his tongue when Felix doesn't say anything, opting to sit on Changbin's couch to flip through the holo-tv and passing through a multitude of languages they both barely know.

Changbin sighs, fully knowing he's not going to get a response from Felix. He turns back to the paper on the table, tapping the pencil against the wood, waiting for the idea to reappear but it doesn’t. Instead, his mind is blank, the words swirling in his head like they have been for the past couple of years. He frowns.

“Did you hear?” Felix questions, cutting through the silence Changbin would have liked to have.

He sighs again and places his pencil down before turning around and glaring at his younger friend. “What? Have I heard what?”

Felix points to the holo-tv.

Changbin glances at the tv, and he hears a loud rushing sound as he stands up. His eyes scan the landscape which the anchorwoman is in, deep green hills, a drakon, a strange dragon horse creature, and the floating isles of Adder. In large red letters are the words “MASSIVE CIVIL WAR IN ADDER ENDS AFTER TWO YEARS. EARTH TO LIFT TRAVEL BAN.”

Changbin just stares at the screen, every part of him reeling in shock at the words. He continues to listen.

“Last night,” the reporter continues, “a treaty was signed by King Jongin of the River Folk and Prince Kyungsoo of the Floating Isles. The terms of the treaty are unknown as of now, but we’ll have some updates for you as soon as we have them.”

Changbin shifts his gaze to Felix who smiles softly. He can’t stop the tears welling in his eyes nor can he stop the shaking of his hands at the thought. He opens his mouth, and a loud screech leaves his lips as he flings himself to Felix who welcomes him with a tight embrace.

“He’s coming home, Lix!” Changbin shouts into Felix’s ear. “Minho’s coming home!”

Two years is a long time not to see someone you love regardless if they are some alien badass who has been fighting in a war many light years away from home.

Two years is the amount of time Seo Changbin has been without his husband.

Felix’s pats his head, and Changbin can’t help but feel the overwhelming emotion of he’s coming home. It’s the only thing he thinks of for the rest of the day, failing to remember his test in his Galactic History class or even the fact Chan had asked him to go with him to pick up Seungmin from one of the spaceports. (He emails his teacher when he does remember to let him know that he’s been overwhelmed with news and thank gods, the professor understood.)

But it’s also when he’s hugging his husband’s pillow for the first time that night he remembers the look on Felix’s face when he walked into the house earlier that day. Or even the lack of reaction he had when the news was announced. He looked like he had already known what was happening, but Changbin too caught up in his excitement never got to question him.

Changbin rolls over with Minho's pillow and sighs, pushing the soft fabric to his nose. It stopped smelling like the Adderian a little more than a year ago, but he didn't have the heart to push it away or even place it in the closet. Instead, he keeps it on the bed, hugging the object to his chest.

His mind keeps him awake, the nightly thought of is he alive , racing through with the nasty voice saying no, Minho died . He hates there's no communication with Adder, the only time being when one of the galactic networks gives names of those killed in the front lines every Saturday morning.

He swallows.

He hates Saturday. He never knows if he's to see Minho's name among those who lost their lives, thanking the gods above when he doesn't. He cries those days and dresses in Minho's clothes, drying his eyes and smiling the brightest he can when Felix and Hyunjin stop by. They cheer him up the best they can but don't laugh obnoxiously at his corny jokes or do they press soft kisses to his head when everything becomes too much.

He jumps when his communicator sounds, a soft yelp leaving his lips as he throws a glance at the ringing device. He debates for a moment of getting up to which he doesn't when it stops ringing. He lets out a sigh of relief but scrunches his nose when he rings again.

“Answer,” he commands, rolling over to face the device with his husband's pillow against his lips.

“It took you long enough,” Felix's voice filters through. “I was beginning to believe you had actually fallen asleep.”

Changbin snorts. “As if.”

“Well I mean, you haven’t called me tonight, and you have been since Minho left.”

Changbin looks over the clock and sees that it is passed the usual time he would typically call Felix at. He only sighs and hugs the pillow closer.

“I’m scared Lix,” he whispers. “I’m scared he’s coming home in a box and that I have to bury him. Felix. I don’t want that.” His voice cracks at the end and closes his eyes, flinching at the feeling of the nightmares coming back.

For such a long time, he dreamt Minho coming home in a box with pale blue lips and a still body. His dark hair splayed out like a halo with his hands folded against his chest. He dreamt of lifeless violet eyes and-

“He’s going to come home, Binnie. I promise,” Felix says. “He’s not going to be in a box, and you’re going to be able to wrap your arms around him, and you’re going to love him. You’re going to cry when you see him again and not just any cry, that ugly cry you do. Then you’re going to hug him, and you’re not going to let go for hours, and it’s going to be ridiculous.”

Changbin feels the heat rise to his cheeks. “I’m not going to cry.”

“You will. Now enough of this nonsense and let me tell you about Jinnie’s journey home…”

Changbin falls asleep like that, listening to the sound of his best friend’s voice as he drones on about the latest expedition his own husband went on.

If you told Changbin last night that his morning is going to be filled with Felix and Chan smiling brightly at him like he decided to finally get rid of the horrid yellow couch, he would have laughed in your face because Chan isn’t a morning person. And yet, he stands in front of Changbin, eyes crinkled and dimples out. He has his arms wrapped around both of them as he drags them to a family diner to celebrate the news of the conclusion of the war.

The place is one they’ve been to before with its cream-colored walls and decor from the American 2010s. Music plays softly from a group long disbanded and passed on with lyrics talking about mazes, being okay, and someone named Bear Grylls. It’s familiar to him, and the beat is catchy, but his mind is trying to figure out how to tackle the stack of pancakes in front of him.

Felix and Chan talk about something Changbin doesn’t understand as his mind almost empties, his only thought being if Minho is eating well enough.

“-bin,” he hears someone say. Changbin snaps out of his daze.

“What?” he asks sliding his gaze towards a smiling Chan and a trying not to smile Felix.

“We asked if there was anything else you want,” Felix says with a laugh, eyes crinkling. “But with the way you’re looking at that stack of pancakes, I don’t think so.”

Changbin smiles sheepishly causing Chan to snort.

“I think we’re fine,” Felix says to the waiter that Changbin didn’t know was there. He barely throws a glance towards the man, the royal purple on his uniform bringing a small smile to his face. It reminds him of Minho’s uniform, that purple.

Chan and Felix continue to snicker when Changbin’s cheeks turn pink.

Someone clears their throat causing the giggling pair to close their mouths. Changbin finally looks up to look at the waiter, and the first thing he sees is a kitten smile he hasn’t seen in years followed by violet eyes that speak to Changbin. He drops his utensils and screams, the idle chatter of the restaurant turning silent but Changbin doesn’t care.

He flings himself at Minho, not stopping to tears that force themselves out of his eyes. His mouth is moving, but he doesn’t know what he’s saying thanks to the loud rushing in his ears. He breathes in, taking in the scent that’s purely Minho, ugly sobs racking his body. The weight of Minho’s arms is familiar as the Adderian buries his face into Changbin’s neck, holding Changbin’s body close to him.

The rush in his ears begins to lessen, and suddenly Changbin can hear himself chanting over and over again.

“You’re home, you’re home, you’re home.”

Minho only breathes, his breath fanning against Changbin’s neck.

He’s the first to pull away to take a long hard look into his husband’s eyes, noting the familiar swirls of blues and purples before they close and lips are on his. Even though he doesn’t want it, a sob passes through Changbin’s lips as he tastes salt and chocolate.

“I missed you,” Minho mumbles against his lips. “I missed you very much.”

Changbin doesn’t say anything as he presses harder against Minho’s lips, wanting to feel his husband in front of him. And feel him he does. His emotions are running high, and he’s in public, but he doesn’t care. He doesn’t care about the news of the Adder civil war ending, yesterday nor does he care about the soft clapping and gentle cooing coming from the other patrons in the building. All he cares about is the man he’s wrapped around, pressing kisses to his head and whispering sweet nothings in his ears.

(Felix ends up being right, and he’s horrendous about it, cackling when Changbin and Minho finally part. There’s that stupid smug look in his eyes that causes Changbin to roll his own.

“I told you that you were going to ugly cry,” Felix laughs, leaning back against the seat and crossing his arms. “I told you, and you said no.”

“Shut up Felix,” Changbin hisses before burying his face in Minho’s chest.

The Adderian soldier laughs, his chuckle rumbling his chest as Changbin relishes in the feeling of it. His fingers card themselves through the smaller’s hair as he presses gentle kisses to Changbin’s scalp.

“I didn’t come alone, Fe,” Minho says just as a shout of ‘JINNIE’ passes through Felix’s lips, but Changbin doesn’t dare look. He’s too busy counting his breath and feeling the person he’s missed for too long.)