Kahili's return home is a quiet, tense affair.
The drive home is long, and his time spent prolonging the inevitable runs even longer. He spends a painfully extended time in the car after he parks, every thought weighing him down as much as the dread settling in his chest. His feet eventually drag into a home that suddenly feels colder, and emptier. Valen's usual warmth is missing.
Not missing—"Why were you gone for so long?" Valen asks sharply, his words cutting into Kahili as soon as he steps through the door.
Kahili's steps falter.
His hand lingers on the doorknob longer than necessary. The door clicking closed behind him feels final, sealing him back into this heavy atmosphere thick with tension. Valen is serene through all of it, poised and sitting upright on the couch as jazz musi
