The sun was beginning to set when they pulled in front of her building. Her heart was already aching with longing as she stared at the door.
"Now you know how it feels," Hayato smirked, seeing her expression.
"What?"
He nodded towards the building. "To have someone to come home to."
The brunette froze for a moment, before her expression softened and a small smile graced her lips. "Yeah, I get it now."
"Good work M. Rest up. We'll probably need you soon," he told her.
"You too. Now go back to your family," she said stepping out of the car and closing the door.
Hayato waved goodbye one more time and sped off.
She practically sprinted through the lobby. The elevator just couldn't go fast enough, and it felt like an eternity until she put her keys in the lock.
Keigo had been worried sick the entire week. He was barely able to function enough to do his hero duties and take care of basic needs. Putting on a fake smile and acting like everything was alright was more draining than ever before. Most of his spare time was spent in her bedroom, wondering if she was okay and wishing for her to return safely.
He nearly jumped out of his skin when he heard the front door open. At first, he'd thought it was a hallucination. There had been a night where he dreamed she'd come home and woke up thinking it was real. Maybe he was just starting to lose it now.
When the lights in the main room flickered on though, he ran out of the room.
Mariko stood in front of the door, a duffle bag in one hand and keys in the other.
"Mari?" he asked, as if he wasn't sure she was real.
"Hey," she said softly.
"You're back," he said, trying to come to terms with the fact that she was here.
"I'm back," she repeated.
Keigo ran towards her, nothing on his mind except for the fact that he wanted to touch her, to feel that she was physically here. He slammed into her so hard that she stumbled back a few steps, her bag and keys falling to the floor. He buried his face between her neck and shoulder and nearly crushed her against his chest. At that moment, he couldn't bring her close enough.
"I missed you," she said quietly, returning the embrace.
Tears pricked at his eyes and he was thankful she couldn't see his face. A flood of relief washed over him, calming the storm of fear and anxiety that had been plaguing him since she'd left. "Goddammit you really scared me this time," he said, his voice hoarse as he held back tears.
Much to his disapproval, she pulled away from him. Her expression was nothing but apologetic as she spoke: "I know. I'm sorry. It was so last minute, and no one even told me we had a mission or what it was a bit. I tried calling before I left but it got sent to voicemail and-"
"I thought you weren't going to come back," his voice cracked.
Mariko stared into the honey-colored eyes she loved so much, and the softest smile he'd ever seen graced her features. "You don't have to worry about that. I'll always come back if I know you're gonna be waiting for me."
The world around them seemed to disappear as she said those words. In that moment, she was the only thing that existed. There was no hesitation when he kissed her. His lips crashed into hers, desperately trying to convey everything he felt towards her. Gratitude, worry, appreciation, amazement, adoration, attraction, love. His head buzzed and his heart pounded against his chest so hard he briefly wondered if he was suffering from a heart attack the moment she tilted her head up. Her lips molded around his and her hands slid up his chest and wrapped themselves around his neck, delicately threading themselves through his hair.
She sighed into the kiss and subconsciously pulled him down closer to her. Her knees went weak when he bit her lip and sucked on it slightly. She took a few steps back, propping herself against the wall and kissing him harder. Keigo groaned when he felt her press herself against him. Her breasts pushed against his chest and her thigh was placed just between his legs causing heat to pool in his stomach. He knew he had to pull away before things went too far.
They broke apart, dizzy and breathless.
"God I missed you," he whispered, leaning his forehead against hers.
"I missed you too," she whispered.
"Don't leave me again," he told her.
"I won't."
"Promise," he said, lacing her fingers with his.
"I promise."
"And kiss me again," he demanded.
Mariko giggled slightly and kissed him. It was softer this time, slower. It did not hold the feverish desperation it had moments ago but it made his mind go blank and his stomachs do flips all the same.
"I don't think I'll ever get tired of that," he said kissing her again.
"I think that's something we can agree on," she said. Rather than kiss him again though, she wrapped her arms around his waist and hugged him. It had only been a week, but if felt like a hundred years had passed since she'd last seen him. It didn't feel like she could get enough of him now. She'd missed him.