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Tsukasa doesn’t understand why it’s so hard this time.
It’s not the first time Leo has been away for months at a time in Florence, working on his career there and helping Knights to expand to an overseas playing field as well. It’s not the first time they’ve gone for weeks without calling each other. No voice calls, much less any video calls. It’s not the first time Tsukasa has found himself pushing back the thoughts of missing Leo too much.
If that’s the case… Then why is it so hard to not miss Leo this much this time around?
Why does it hurt to look at a bed that is much too big for one person, knowing that he’ll be alone in the vast expanse of sheets for another night? Why does his chest tighten so when he reminds himself that his beloved knight isn’t coming back just yet?
Tsukasa sighs, trying even harder to staunch the feeling that claws at his heart, that clamors for his attention, that begs him to let go. He’s not some brat with separation anxiety. If he got through it the last few times, he can do it again this time. It’s not like anything has changed. It’s not like Leo’s moved there forever, never to return to Japan. He sits down on the bed and forces himself to breathe.
He must do it.
He can do it.
He will do it.
To his credit, he manages to even out his thoughts for the most part. The silent acceptance comes to him, finally. That took much too long. He allows himself to stew in the silence for a few more minutes. It’s getting late, and he should be getting ready to sleep. He runs through the schedule in his head for a little while more…
Well, so much for that when he gets jump-scared by his own phone going off.
“Wah-!” He yelps, a very un-knightly noise, and he scrambles to grab his phone.
[ Incoming Call: Leo-san ⚜️ ]
Leo. It’s Leo.
Tsukasa can’t help but wonder if he’s ever picked up a work call just as fast as he picks up this call from Leo.
“Suo~!” Goodness, the way tension escapes from his shoulders has never felt so good. “Didya miss me~?” It’s probably a good thing that Leo can’t see that Tsukasa has started to tremble upon hearing his voice.
“Leo-san. Did you just wake up?”
“Mm~ Sorta! I woke up and Sena was nagging me the who~le time. What’s that he says again? So~o annoying! Wahaha! ☆” He can just about imagine the grin on Leo’s face as the other rambles on. God, what he would give to see Leo right now.
“Ahaha… Well, that’s Sena-senpai for you. I’m sure he’d nag me in the same way he always does to you. Have you been taking care of yourself?”
It’s always easy to fall back into their usual rhythm with each other: Leo rambling, Tsukasa commenting on things, and chiding him. It’s so familiar and for a bit, it almost feels like Leo is home. Almost. Tsukasa can’t pinpoint why his throat threatens to close up the very moment Leo casually mentions how much he misses him. He barely holds back the choked noise that squeezes past, clamping a hand over his mouth as he inhales sharply.
“Suo? You okay?”
Leo’s ears are sharp. Much too sharp for his liking right now. Tsukasa forces another inhale, wincing at how it shudders with the threat of tears.
“Mhm. I’m alright. It’s… Just some dust. It’s nothing to worry about.” He tries to wave off the concern. He can’t be acting like this. ‘It’s okay,’ he tells himself. ‘I’ll get to see Leo-san soon. It’ll be fine.’
The other line is silent for an uncomfortable duration. In the silence, Tsukasa can hear a muffled conversation going on in the background. Izumi talking to Leo, perhaps? He remains quiet, awaiting Leo’s return even as tears burn behind his eyes.
“Hey, Suo? I need to head back home right now, so I’ll call you back, okay?” Home…? Didn’t Leo just wake up? He opens his mouth to say something, but the line clicks, and all of a sudden, he’s left alone again. The resumed silence just makes the tears come on faster. He’s very lucky that he’s alone at the share house right now. Tsukasa drops his phone back onto the bed, buries his face in his hands, and sobs. The noises escape the confines of his weak heart too easily once he’s left alone again, the magnitude of them wracking his body as he’s left trembling even more.
He hates it. He hates it so, so much. He hates being alone like this. He wants to see Leo. He misses Leo. He really, really wants to be held. He wants Leo to come back and hold him like he always does.
Alas, Tsukasa doesn’t get much time to himself to cry it out. His phone rings again. Blinking through the tears, he reaches blindly to pick it up when he sees Leo's contact shining across the screen. “Leo-san…? Didn’t you just-”
“Open the door.”
“… huh?”
“Open the front door, Suo.”
Tsukasa is, quite reasonably, incredibly confused. He blinks, but his feet move faster than his brain registers, and he’s jumping down the stairs two steps at a time, almost slipping on smooth wood flooring to get to the front door.
He flings it open.
Leo is standing there, phone still held up to his ear as he smiles at Tsukasa.
Tsukasa vaguely hears his phone clattering to the floor. “Wh- But- Aren’t you supposed to be in Florence?”
Leo grins back at him. “I said I was coming home, didn’t I~? You’ve always felt like home, Suo. Wait, scratch that, you are my home. I’m home, Suo~!”
He cuts the call and spreads his arms open with that stupid, lovable look on his face. It doesn’t take much for Tsukasa’s tears to return with a vengeance before he lunges forward to wrap Leo in a hug. He wails and sobs into Leo’s shoulder, all while his knight presses kisses to the crown of his head and hums comforting tunes as a warm hand pats his back to soothe him. Leo’s here. Leo’s home. Leo’s got him.
Eventually, Leo leads Tsukasa back into the house, chuckling at him. “You’re such a crybaby, but you’re my crybaby. C’mon, let’s go get you all freshened up. We can take a bath together~” Tsukasa, not trusting himself to speak, nods instead, still holding onto Leo like a lifeline. The bath comes and goes, and before he knows it, they’re already huddled on their shared bed. Leo’s arms are still around him, warm and solid, and he’s surrounded by a familiar lullaby that eases any residual tension in his muscles. This… truly feels like home. Tsukasa allows himself to close his eyes and burrow a little further into that loving warmth. If he is Leo’s home, then Leo is his. It’s the only way to explain why being like this feels so right for them. There’s one more kiss pressed to his hair, and he looks up at Leo.
“Don’t stress over it~ You think too loudly, Suo. Also, it’s written all over your cute little face.” A boop to his nose, Tsukasa meeping in response. “We should do things differently next time. No more going months without a single call, deal?”
Ah. There Leo goes, looking at him sternly. He stares back, blinking for a bit before he nods and shuffles upwards to press a kiss to Leo’s nose. “Mhm, let’s do just that.” Leo chuckles again, ever so soft and ever so gentle when it's just the two of them, squeezing Tsukasa a little more. Drowsiness comes easily to Tsukasa now that he doesn’t have to worry about missing Leo, and a bed being too big for him alone.
There’s just one more thing.
“Welcome home, Leo.”
“I’m back, Tsukasa~”
Perfect.