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Fox stared at his reflection in the mirror. He picked up the razor and began shaving the stubble along his jaw. With a washcloth, he wiped his face and finished his morning routine. A shadow flitted behind him in the mirror. Fox jumped when cold hands landed on his bare shoulders but leaned into the warm kiss placed on his now smooth cheek. 

“When do you need to go?” Riyo said. 

“My shift starts in thirty.” He pressed her hands against his chest. 

“Will you be able to walk me out of my apartment?” 

He smiled lazily. “I always do.” 

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Riyo white-knuckled the small statute in her hands. He’d come home. Goosebumps trailed down her arms. Her sleep clothes didn't protect well against the night. She stared out the windows in her living room. Speederlight bled past her, flying down the skylanes into darkness below. Bare feet paced on the cool tile. He’d come home. Her lips whispered a soft prayer. The news broadcasting from the holoprojector buzzed unhelpfully in the background. Riyo's nail scratched at the paint on the Moon goddess statue in her hands, the one her mother made for her when she was little. He’d come home.

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Fox traced the marks on his armor. He’d taken a habit of running two fingers over the painted lines, hidden on the inside of his wrist. His damp gloves left a splotchy red trail. Damn. He’d have to clean that off later. 

With a shaking hand, Fox pulled out his comlink.

"Hey, Thorn, the civilians evacuated the area safely, but I'm gonna need a medic sent to my location." Ignoring Thorn's affirmative reply, he fixed his attention back to the double arcs on his vambrace. Arcs he hoped to display proudly if he ever made it off this planet alive.

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Fox put himself on duty to oversee Riyo's meeting concerning pantoran agriculture but started regretting it after three hours. Across the room, Riyo sighed quietly and rubbed her temples. 

Fox cleared his throat. "Ms. Chuchi, there's a personal emergency you need to attend to immediately. I'll escort you to your office."

Riyo's eyebrows shot up. "Uh, yes of course." She excused herself from the table, grabbing her bag and hurrying after Fox. 

He led her down the empty hallway. 

"Is there really an emergency?" she said.

"No," he whispered. "I was just worried about your sanity."

"My hero," she giggled.

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It took nearly a year of subtle suggestions, coercion, and pleading, but Riyo had finally convinced him. While she teased him by proposing she introduce him to her family, which he entertained to some small degree, he didn’t let her think about meeting his family. Not until now. Riyo smiled at Fox sitting next to her. 

Wolffe checked his chrono. “Cody’s late,” he said. “So until he gets back, I can tell you about the time Fox and I––”

“Wolffe, no,” Fox said. Despite his objections, Wolffe began talking over his brother. Riyo hoped Cody would run a little later. 

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The bed shifted under Riyo. When she opened her eyes, she was alone. She grabbed a shawl and stepped out of her bedroom. “Fox?”

His head snapped up from where he sat on the couch. “Did I wake you up?” Dark circles lurked under his eyes. Every night that week he’d slip off once she fell asleep only to haunt the living room. 

“No, are you coming back to bed?”

“Can’t sleep. I’d just keep you up.”

"What's wrong?" Her heart ached to see him like this. 

He shook his head. "Nothing."  

"You can tell me."

"I'm okay," he lied. 

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He had run into firefights and commanded an entire planetary guard, but Fox still fumbled with his collar, grunting when it didn't fit correctly. 

“It was right the first time,” Wolffe said. Fox glared at his brother sitting on a stool across the room. 

“Okay, fashionista, you fix it.” 

Wolffe rolled his eyes but pulled himself off his seat. He stepped over to Fox and straightened out the fabric. "Nervous?"

"I'm not nervous."

"Uh-huh. She loves you, vod." Wolffe clapped him on the back. "Go marry your girl." 

Fox threw him a grateful look and got ready to walk out.