Cale opened his eyes and smiled.

"...thank fuck." Without a moment's hesitation or question, he wrapped his arms around his fiance's neck and kissed him. Alberu let out a squeak of surprise but Cale didn't give a flying rat's ass, crawling into his lap and indulging himself in the warmth he feared he'd never feel again.

It didn't take very long at all before Alberu's arms wrapped around him in turn, holding him close as though scared that he'd disappear if he let go.

It was a strong possibility that he might. Stranger things had happened over the last few weeks.

When he finally had to claim his rights to breath and pulled away from the kiss, Cale's lip trembled terribly.

The relief and happiness had filled him like euphoria and then, like a ton of bricks, the pain came.

Alberu held him close as he cried.

Incoherent sobs that probably could have been translated into I didn't know if I'd ever come home and I missed you so much I felt like I was dying all melted together into miserable and broken words that Alberu listened to with his own swelling emotions.

How many nights had he wondered if that was really the end? Looked at the cold spot beside him and felt as though his heart had been ripped straight out of his chest.

Fear and pain that he'd hardly even allowed himself to feel because he knew how it would have made the other Cale feel. Agony and heartbreak and worry, never knowing whether Cale would return. If he did return, would he even come back alive? The world the other Cale described had sounded dangerous and Cale didn't have the best self-preservation instincts. What would he do if he never saw him again?

If he could never hold him again?

He could hardly even tolerate the way it had torn away at his heart. Bit by bit, little by little.

It was Cale. His Cale. The person he'd promised his heart and his life to. The one he couldn't forget or let go of, even with a perfect double at his side.

And all at once the heartbreak doubled, the broken man who'd confessed to him with the full knowledge that he would be rejected and just loved him all the same–the one who he wouldn't see again.

Alberu choked as the emotions collided with his heart with far more force than he'd anticipated.

Clinging to one another, they both broke. Just for a bit. Just until they could regain the strength to breathe again. The solace of warmth being the only reprieve from the pain endured.

It was too much to cope with in words.

Cale was the first to gather himself, looking up into Alberu's eyes and cupping his face between his hands. "You soppy bastard." He accused, laying a feather light kiss on his lips. "What are you crying for?"

"...I thought I lost you." Alberu placed his hands over Cale's, holding them to his face and closing his eyes with a shuddering breath. "I thought I lost you." He repeated, his heart shaking with the words and tears threatening to sting his eyes again.

"Silly fool." Cale kissed him again, longing and gentle and comforting. "Do you think there's anyone or anything that could stop me coming home? Idiot."

Although he hadn't been the one to make it happen. Cale still didn't know precisely how he'd made it home. He had every intention of finding a way but he'd only just finished cleaning up that stupid mess with the assassins– "Holyshit–" Cale exclaimed, startling Alberu. "You would not believe the shit I've been through."

"...I actually have a fairly educated guess." Alberu replied with a nervous laugh but stopped when he caught the look Cale was fixing him with.

"No. This shit was insane. Assassins, Al, I was dealing with literal fucking assassins, how is that a thing?!"

"What?!" Alberu was suddenly quite a bit more alarmed than before. Thoughts flickering to the person who was no longer here as well as sinking with panicked worry for his fiance. "Are you okay?!" He looked Cale over as best he could from their current position, only stopping when Cale bapped his shoulder.

"I'm fine. I dealt with the bastards. Burned a few of 'em too."

Alberu held a hand to his head. "Okay. Slow down. Start from the beginning."

"No." Cale bapped him again. "First, I need food. Then I need you to fuck me silly. And then I'll tell you about the fucking insane time I had in that shitty fantasy land."

Alberu sighed, quirking a smile in submission. He caressed Cale's cheek gently and kissed his nose. "Sounds like a plan. I should tell you what happened while you were away as well."

With the tranquility of a couple who'd done it a million times before, Alberu picked Cale up and carried him to the kitchen, depositing him on his spot on the counter. Although the separation was easier said than done. Alberu had every intention of then heading to the fridge to retrieve the ingredients but when he realized that would mean letting go of Cale, he couldn't do it.

He stole Cale's lips again, tempted to pin him against the counter and rearrange the order of Cale's demands because he couldn't contain his feelings. The desires and fears and the love, so ardent and undeniable, and there was Cale. His Cale. He pulled away from the kiss, heart in his throat and a broken shard of it lost in everything that happened.

They ought to talk first. He had a lot to say. A lot to express. Everything he'd wanted to say to Cale in the weeks they'd been apart and everything he feared he'd never get to say.

Cale trailed his lips with a finger, smiling up at him languidly. "I love it when you lose your shit."

Alberu growled and nipped his finger. "You really drive me crazy."

"Good." Cale snuck his fingers underneath Alberu's shirt. "Because I'm already fucking nuts."

Alberu missed this. Missed everything about this. It hardly felt real and he was scared that at any moment, it'd be torn from him again. He nuzzled his face into the crook of Cale's neck. Breathing in Cale's scent relishing in everything that Cale meant. A past, a future, a love, trust built over years, everything that was just them, perfect and wonderful in all of their imperfections. He would love just to forget the world and bury himself in Cale.

There were a few things he ought to say.

"I met another you." He said. He felt Cale tense at his words but he nodded when he'd digested the words, as though it made sense when it clearly didn't. "He was really hurt."

"Yeah, I'll bet he was." Cale sighed. He bit down on the disparaging remarks he wanted to make about his other self. Alberu was never a huge fan of Cale's self-depreciation and he would probably be in even less of a mood for it now. "So? Did you guys fuck?"

Alberu let out a laugh, nipping Cale's neck in admonishment. "What about you and the 'crown prince'." Alberu's arms tightened around his waist possessively.

Under the circumstances, he was willing to forgive just about anything. Cale could have fucked every man and woman in that entire stupid fantasy world and Alberu would let it go. But that didn't mean he liked it.

"That virgin?" Cale scoffed. "Please. That bitch was blond. Blond, can you believe that shit? By the way, if you dye your hair blond I'm filing for a divorce. Oh and do not get me started on the bizarre fantasy racism–I don't even have the words to explain it yet. Oh–I did kiss him once though. When I mixed him up with you. But don't avoid the question, asshole. Did you or did you not?"

Alberu chuckled, relaxing his grip and kissing a line up Cale's neck. "I wouldn't and I didn't. Besides, I think his exact words when he thought it might be a possibility were I'm not anyone's mistress, go fuck yourself so I think I wouldn't have been able to even if I planned to."

Cale barked out a laugh, for once feeling a strange kinship with his other self. He could respect a bastard who had the same values as him. Cale kissed the side of Alberu's head and rubbed up and down his back. "You're worried about him though." He observed.

Alberu nodded. "How could I not be? He is you. And..."

"Yeah, he's definitely not the most well-adjusted motherfucker out there." Cale scrunched up his nose. "Did you know I woke up in an alleyway? There was piss everywhere, I think that after he got beat up someone actually pissed on him. And the stooges that showed up after that–fuck, it was just one thing after another." Cale clung to Alberu, as though to assure himself that the nightmare was over.

He was home.

His home. His fiance. His life. His family.

Cale had never appreciated those things more than he did now. He'd never realized how fragile those things could be. He never felt more possessive of them.

They were his. He'd earned them. He'd earned the people in his life.

He had worth as a person.

For all the therapy and all the years spent getting his head in order, some horrible voice in the back of his heart always proclaimed that he didn't deserve any of this. That one day it would be torn away and he would deserve to lose it. That he was worthless and he would never deserve love like this. A voice that haunted him at his weakest and happiest, ready to drag him down into despair at any minute.

He never felt more confident that the stupid voice was wrong.

He clung to Alberu possessively, confident and angry that any bastard would try to take this from him. Whatever prank the gods had played to make this happen, he wouldn't soon forget this and he would never forgive it.

Cale would never let his life be stolen again.

Alberu winced at the description. "Yes, I thought it might be something like that... he wasn't in good condition when he arrived."

Cale snorted. "Wasn't in good condition, you're making him sound like a fucking product in your attempt to beat around the bush. Stop fucking around and say what you wanna say."

Alberu's lip twitched. Despite the gravity of the conversation and the unsettled emotions stirring inside of him, there was just something comforting about Cale's brand of blunt shamelessness. Tension slid away from his shoulders. "He was fucked up and I'm worried sick because he wasn't doing too good when he left either."

Cale found his lips, kissing him gently. "That fucker will be fine. I guarantee you."

"...I've been meaning to ask, what are you wearing?"

Cale smiled devilishly. "If I'm going to endure living several weeks in a shitty fantasy world with a boring ass blond version of you and literal assassins fucking around and finding out, I've got to have some fun."

"...what situation exactly did he switch into?" Alberu wasn't sure he wanted an answer, especially with the mischief dancing in Cale's eyes.

It eased his heart though. Cale would have told him if it was a bad or dangerous situation. Although judging by what Cale was wearing, it was sure to be... strange.

"Before that, you owe me food and a fuck." Cale pointed out, wrapping his legs around Alberu's waist. "In no particular order."

Alberu sank into another kiss, blissfully giving into temptation.

They'd talk about everything later. About the other Cale. About the bizarre blond. About assassins and fantasy racism and the cover story of amnesia and all the people the other Cale met with. They'd talk about everything until the whole bizarre situation lost any entertainment value and became merely mundane.

But now wasn't the time to spare even a single thought for any of those people or things.

Now was just the time for one another and the vow to spend the rest of their lives loving and being loved in return.

About feeling the rings on interlaced fingers.