“Hey, mom,” Sanghyuk smiled, welcoming his mother’s hug with open arms. He hadn’t realized just how much he had missed her hugs and how they made him feel better.

“Oh, sweetie,” she smiled, “I’m so happy you’re here. You don’t visit as much as I’d like.”

“I know mom,” Sanghyuk laughed, “but I like traveling. It’s fun.”

“I just don’t like the idea of you living alone,” she frowned, “if you had H-…..if you had someone, then it would be different. But you’re alone and the world is a dangerous place.”

“I know,” Sanghyuk nodded, smile a little tight.

If his mother noticed, then she probably passed it off as the fault of her little slip. She didn’t know that Hakyeon was alive. It wasn’t safe for her to know the truth. Sanghyuk found himself thinking, rather bitterly, that he might as well be living alone. Hakyeon never seemed to be around, was never there when Sanghyuk needed him.

No, instead he was off playing hero and chasing down lead after lead about who had destroyed their family. Yet those leads never lead anywhere. Hakyeon was no closer to finding those who’d ruined Overwatch then when he started. Yet he still chased down those leads, still left Sanghyuk alone at night because he just couldn’t take a night off.

Thus the trip home.

He just needed some time away from it all. He needed to clear his head. He needed a few nights free of worry that he’d wake up alone because Hakyeon had been killed. No one could blame him for wanting that. No one could blame him if he ended this trip wanting to end his marriage.

If this time away made him realize that their love was gone like Overwatch and he needed to move on with his life, would anyone really, truly blame him?

Thoughts like that……Sanghyuk didn’t know what to feel about them. Thinking about his marriage being over, about leaving Hakyeon……..it made him feel weird. But the thing was that he didn’t know what kind of weird. Sad to leave the one he loved? Happy to start again? Relieved that he wouldn’t have to have his nights filled with worry? Fearful that leaving would be the biggest mistake of his life?

Sanghyuk didn’t know, but that’s what this trip was for; finding out what he wanted to do.

After catching up with his mother and telling her whatever he could, he headed out to check out the town. Somehow he ended up talking to a really handsome barista at a nearby coffee shop. If Sanghyuk was being honest, this was probably the best day he’d had in a while. Not only did he get to see and talk to his mother, but a cute guy was flirting with him.

Not that Hakyeon didn’t still hug him or kiss him or show him affection or anything like that. It was just that all of that didn’t happen as often as it used to and there was this…..this barrier between them. At least it felt that way to Sanghyuk. If felt like Hakyeon was keeping him at a distance and Sanghyuk hated it. It honestly felt like Hakyeon was pushing him away, keeping his life and Sanghyuk’s separate as much as possible. It left Sanghyuk feeling empty and alone.

If that lead to him returning the barista’s flirty advances, could you really blame him?

If that lead to Sanghyuk accepting the barista’s offer to meet up later that week, could you really blame him?

The meet up ended up being more of a group outing because the barista’s friends decided to crash the date, but that was fine with Sanghyuk. The group was fun to hang out with; they made Sanghyuk laugh harder than he had in several years. He even got a rather pleasant surprise when the group passed an old Overwatch recruitment poster and the group remarked about how much they missed Overwatch. The conversation turned into one big fan session from the young men about how cool Overwatch was and who their favorite members were.

Sanghyuk did his best not to blush when the group started talking about how badass Flashback was. When they started talking about how amazing N was, Sanghyuk couldn’t help but feel sad. This was quickly followed by more sadness that Hakyeon couldn’t be there to hear people praising him as a wonderful leader. It had been a very long time since people outside of their family had done that.

One of the young men said that he wished he could be like them and Sanghyuk couldn’t help but ask why only wish it, why not make it happen. The young men looked at him, surprised, before answering that they didn’t have any of what Overwatch had; money to fund their exploits, powers, weapons, and people. Sanghyuk had laughed before telling them that you didn’t need all that stuff to be a hero, you just needed the drive to make the world better, to protect people.

That was something all the Overwatch members had in common; the drive to make the world better.

Sanghyuk spent the rest of his time with the young men, hanging out and enjoying himself.

After two months of this, Sanghyuk realized that even though he was having fun, he missed Hakyeon horribly. He needed his husband in his life. Yes, he could live without Hakyeon – this trip had proven that much – but his life would never be as full and happy as it would be with him. And Sanghyuk wanted his life to be one hundred percent full and happy.

He ended up packing his bags, bidding his mother and new friends farewell along with promising to write often, and headed home to reunite with Hakyeon.

A/N: ah, poor Hyukkie. But at least he ended up realizing what he wanted: Hakyeon! Wonder who those guys Sanghyuk met are. *grins* yeah, I know I just spoiled something. But you aren’t gonna know what until that chapter comes up.