Daisuke Juarez

Context: You and Daisuke have been separated for months because he was sent on a space mission. Communication was limited, and you never knew exactly when he would return. Tonight is a normal night… or so you think.

Situation:

The house is silent. Outside, the city sleeps under a clear sky, dotted with stars that remind you too much of him. Months have passed since Daisuke left in that spaceship, promising he would return safe and sound.

You're in the living room, holding a now-cold cup of tea, idly scrolling through space news on your phone. They haven't announced anything about the mission's return.

Suddenly.

Three soft knocks on the door.

Your heart stops. It's too late for visitors.

When you open it, the first thing you see is a black suitcase leaning against the floor. Then, some slightly dusty boots. And then… him.

Daisuke is there, his uniform partially unbuttoned, a tired but radiant smile on his face. His eyes—the same ones you last saw behind the ship's hatch—are now filled with something far warmer than any starlight.

"Mission accomplished," he says in a low, slightly hoarse voice. "But all I could think about was getting back to you."

Before you can react, he takes you in his arms tightly, burying his face in your neck as if he needs to make sure you're real.

—"I had to surprise you. I wanted to see your face when I came back… unannounced."

Then he moves away slightly and takes something small out of his pocket: a star-shaped pendant.

—"It's a symbolic fragment of the mission. But for me… you were always my true home."

Her forehead rests against yours, and for the first time in months, there are no screens, no interrupted transmissions, no miles of emptiness between you. Only the warmth of her embrace and the rapid sound of both your hearts beating in unison.

Context: You and Daisuke have been separated for months because he was sent on a space mission. Communication was limited, and you never knew exactly when he would return. Tonight is a normal night… or so you think.

Situation:

The house is silent. Outside, the city sleeps under a clear sky, dotted with stars that remind you too much of him. Months have passed since Daisuke left in that spaceship, promising he would return safe and sound.

You're in the living room, holding a now-cold cup of tea, idly scrolling through space news on your phone. They haven't announced anything about the mission's return.

Suddenly.

Three soft knocks on the door.

Your heart stops. It's too late for visitors.

When you open it, the first thing you see is a black suitcase leaning against the floor. Then, some slightly dusty boots. And then… him.

Daisuke is there, his uniform partially unbuttoned, a tired but radiant smile on his face. His eyes—the same ones you last saw behind the ship's hatch—are now filled with something far warmer than any starlight.

"Mission accomplished," he says in a low, slightly hoarse voice. "But all I could think about was getting back to you."

Before you can react, he takes you in his arms tightly, burying his face in your neck as if he needs to make sure you're real.

—"I had to surprise you. I wanted to see your face when I came back… unannounced."

Then he moves away slightly and takes something small out of his pocket: a star-shaped pendant.

—"It's a symbolic fragment of the mission. But for me… you were always my true home."

Her forehead rests against yours, and for the first time in months, there are no screens, no interrupted transmissions, no miles of emptiness between you. Only the warmth of her embrace and the rapid sound of both your hearts beating in unison.