"Rei-chan!" Nagisa's bellowing voice echoed through the empty halls of the ship, jolting Rei to sitting upright in the small bunk he had decided to use for himself, rubbing at his eyes. He expected a mop of messy blond hair to come around the corner at any second before he remembered he was alone again. He pulled his glasses on with a sigh, walking quietly back out to the control panel of the ship. Earth was only days away, but he couldn't stop think he had heard Nagisa calling him; always happy and exuberant as ever.
The carefully constructed replica sat in the corner, eyes closed with a peaceful smile on its face. The panel of its chest was still open, the inside emptied of the final part the ship had needed to function once again. Rei stared at it for just a moment before his chest constricted painfully, turning his eyes away with a harsh sigh. It wasn't logical, of course. He should have removed the part as soon as he realized that it was what he needed to fix the ship, rather than spending month's living with an android that represented the man he-
Well, the man he missed, at the very least. But each time he considered removing it, seeing Nagisa's face like it was now, smile washed away by serenity- it was painful. It wasn't how Nagisa was meant to look. But the android had made the choice for itself in a way, removing the part before Rei could stop him. Rei sat in the captain's chair with another sigh, pushing his fingers through his hair and looking at the blue orb ahead of him with a tired smile. He would be home soon, but he was still concerned he would return and lose Nagisa a second time. He'd been gone over a year, and he'd only been able to send a single return beacon, not even able to identify himself by name.
It was very likely that Nagisa thought he had died in the crash. It would be a reasonable span of time for him to find acceptance of that fact and begin to move on with his life. Perhaps he had found himself a romantic partner in that time, he and Rei had never reached a final conclusion on what they were to one another. Nagisa's promise to wait as long as it took for Rei to come back to him wasn't something he could count on. But- still he hoped Nagisa would be there when he stepped off the ship, that he would smile and call out to him. Perhaps a hug, knowing how Nagisa was so fond of physical contact.
The landing was blessedly easy, and Rei had to take several breaths to steady himself before stepping out of the hatch. There was nothing to be so nervous about, of course, but there was a gathering of people watching him with expectant gazes. He smiled though it was thin and uneven, not sure what to say to their faces. Instead, he turned to the ground commander of his mission and bowed low, closing his eyes. He was about to apologize for the failure of the mission when a surprising force knocked him sideways, arms wrapped tight around his chest as he hit the floor, air huffing out of his lungs.
"R-Rei-chan!" Nagisa's voice was warbled and uneven, his face pressed into Rei's chest to hide his tears. Rei smiled despite himself, hugging the blond in return and stroking long fingers through his mussed hair. He sniffled against Rei's labcoat, pressing in closer. "I knew you would come back."
"Of course. I'm home now, Nagisa-kun," his voice was soft despite the tears welling up in his own eyes. He pressed a single kiss against Nagisa's forehead, closing his eyes slowly.
