Reunited Free. He was free to go. And, as when Selina told him the news, he wasn’t technically due at work for a few more hours, that meant he was going now. The restrictions on his fireplace had been lifted, and it felt so good to step inside, calling out his home address. He stepped out, into the empty living room - Danny, of course, didn’t know, wasn’t expecting him. Most likely, he was upstairs working, but Tarq neither wanted to traipse all over the house looking, nor startle Danny by sneaking up on him, and so he called out, his face breaking into a huge grin as he did so, “Honey, I’m home.”
There was a moment of silence, then the sound of footsteps pounding down the stairs as fast possible.
* Danny was sitting at his desk, one of Tarq’s book recommendations perched nearby. Once he had written this letter, he would reward himself with a cup of coffee and some reading. He tapped his quill, finding that how much he wanted that reward was, in some ways, distracting him from the task in question. Or rather, he wanted the reward but not to do the work. It was also a lot easier to slip into daydreaming, which was immediately satisfying, than it was to put quill to parchment. Maybe today would be the day. He’d be going downstairs to make his coffee, and he’d walk into the living room and-
“Honey, I’m home.”
The sound of a real voice cut across his daydream. He leapt up from his desk, practically throwing himself down the stairs, and into the living room. He wrapped his arms around Tarq’s shoulders, feeling his husband’s arms sliding around his waist, and they each pulled the other one in, as close as they could.
“I missed you,” Tarq was telling him.
“I missed you too,” Danny mumbled, his face nestled into Tarq’s shoulder, holding him tightly. He breathed deeply a few times, letting it sink in and feel real that his husband was really home, and then made to move away. Tarquin though, held on.
“Hey, where are you going?” Tarq asked.
“Nowhere,” Danny reassured him, a hand reaching up to play with Tarq’s hair. “Or, maybe the kitchen. You’re home, and I can make you tea.”
“Will that involve letting go of you?” Tarq asked, his grip on Danny as tight as it had been before, like the world might try to pull them apart again if he risked letting go.
“Temporarily.”
“Seems like a bad idea.”
“But it’s got tea in it,” Danny pointed out.
“I suppose…” he pulled back slightly so he could look at Danny, but kept his arms around him. “If I agree to let you go, does seem like I’m less pleased to see you?”
“No, it just assures me that you’re still you and that the isolation didn’t send you completely mad.” He ran his hands over Tarq’s arms, he gently nuzzled him nose to nose, he kissed him. None of them seemed to work as the release button that ended the hug. “Ever heard of personal space?” he teased.
“Yes,” Tarq replied, loosening his hold slightly, but keeping a hold of Danny’s hand as they went through to the kitchen to put the kettle on, “And by law fifty percent of yours belongs to me.”