Bounding into one another in such a hug that he ended up pulling her off the ground and into a whirl. A whirl in the soft sand that caught his feet, and the pair went tumbling down. She couldn't help her laughing tears, the feeling of him back with her as a bond that had been missing from her for weeks.
Her favorite person and best friend. Her brother that had been there for her through everything.
She hadn't realized seeing him again would ache so much.
He finally pulled back, his hands pressing to her cheeks, and he kissed her forehead hard. “Dammit, you’re a beautiful sight to see!” he declared.
Her nose scrunched with her laugh, and she pressed her hands to his cheeks as well. “As are you,” she laughed. "Except for this thing," she said, fingers tracing the stubble on his jaw. "You need to get rid of this. It's...No. You can't see your adorably horrifying face.And what is this scar?It nearly got your eye. What—“
Dorian laughed, and her entire body sighed at the sound of it. The sight of seeing him in front of her, alive. It may have only been a little more than a cycle since they'd been with one another, but it had felt like a lifetime. So much had happened. She was embarrassed to admit any of it, but one look at his face, and she wanted to know everything.
Nyssa threw her arms around him again.
"I missed you," he whispered in her hair.
"I missed you too."
"Dammit, I—“ He pulled back, eyes swollen with tears, and he held her face. "There were so many times I tried to reach you, and I couldn't. I needed you. I—“ he paused, and a stretch of worry faltered the smile that had been on his face.
"What happened?" he breathed.
"I'm fine," she assured him. "Alive. And I'm fine. You're here. That's all that matters."
He sighed, shaking his head, but he hugged her again nonetheless.
She noted the swell in his shoulders as he held her then, so much so that she poked at his growing muscles and grinned upon moving out of his grasp. "What is this?" she mocked. "Have the Blackhands been working you overtime? Who knew my brother would finally be filling out this form."
He chuckled, head hanging slightly, but he didn't comment about it.
And this made her balk.
"What—no comeback for that?" she asked.
A sheepish smile met her own, and her chest swelled.
"Fucking Architects, who are you, and what have you done with my brother?" she mocked. "Should I need to ask you another question? Are you an Infi?"
He relaxed in the sand beside her and began to toy with the sleeve of her tunic, nervous energy pouring off him.
"I just have so much to tell you," and she noted the pleading tone in his voice.
Something was wrong, and it broke her heart to see him so visibly confused, turmoil battling beneath the surface of his calm facade.
She squeezed his hand. "Okay."
Another tear streaked down his face, and she smiled as she wiped it away.
"Oh, look at that," came Lex's voice behind them. "I wondered when you'd find your way here."
The grin spread on Dorian's face, and he rose to his feet. "Hey, Lex."
His arms threw around her, and she hugged him back. She joked with him about the size of his shoulders then, giving his bicep a squeeze as she pushed his chest.
And then she ruffled his hair.
Nyssa's hand clapped over her mouth, tears in her eyes again, and she watched Dorian's strong shoulders cave. Watched as his smiling face visibly broke.
He fell to his knees, and his head buried in his hands.
