She didn't know where he was going with this. Sina looked up at her husband, her hands still in her pockets. She expected a jibe — something about her fidgeting, maybe — but he had only said her name. "Ozymandias," she returned, her voice lacking the assured tone she usually managed.

---

  

Oz watched her, looking for — something. He didn't know what. He kept his eyes on hers. There were some things in which Thomasina never ceased to surprise him, and there were some things in which he could predict her responses so well he never needed to broach the subject at all. He would have thought a moment like this would fall into the latter category, but he felt a question on his lips all the same. He couldn't see the answer in her eyes.

"Did you —"

The ding of the lift arriving at the Atrium interrupted him. He was almost relieved. He was in the habit of avoiding questions unless he already knew the answer, and he hadn't been sure of how Sina would respond to this one.

---

  

---

MJ is the light of my life <3

Sina frowned. She didn't like when Oz didn't finish his questions; she didn't know what to expect from him. But at least they were finally in the atrium, and almost home. "Floo or apparition?" she asked. She didn't think she could apparate by herself yet, but she expected that Ozymandias would have opinions on their method of travel. It seemed like the sort of thing he'd have opinions on.

She wanted to be home. She wanted to be in Ireland where she could send letters to her family and putter about putting her trinkets in place and talking at her husband. Every part of this Ministry excursion had been — baffling, and she wasn't even sure what day it was.

---

  

The upside of apparition was that they could skip the walk through the Dempsey house and possible interruptions from well-meaning family members or servants. The catch was that he would have to touch her again to apparate her home. Not just her wrist, either. He'd have to properly hold on to her to get them both safely to Galway.

It wasn't touching her that was the problem, of course; it was the idea of letting her go. She was already moving out of the lift and into the atrium, and he could picture her doing the same thing in one of their bedrooms. Brushing his arm away with the same attitude she might remove a cloak in an entryway. All business, ready to berate him over the state of her writing desk.

He felt the desperation like a knotted peach pit in the center of his chest. "Apparition, " he said, pressing ahead of her so that he wouldn't fall into the trap of watching her walk all the way to the apparition closet.

---

  

---

MJ is the light of my life <3

Sina watched her husband's receding form and frowned. She followed her husband with hurried steps. She was not even attracting much attention in the atrium; a returned victim wasn't notable, that was how many people had been effected by the kidnapping. Thomasina could not decide if that made her feel better or worse about her own circumstances.

They made it to the apparition closet and Sina pulled her hand out of her pocket to offer her arm to Oz, an expectant gesture.

---

  

Sina offered her arm. Ozymandias closed the door of the apparition closet behind them. He wasn't sure if this space was sound proof or not — why would it be? — so he hesitated to say anything when he looked at her. He reached out to take her arm, and for a second he considered stopping there, but ultimately he wasn't capable of it. He pulled her in against his chest and wrapped his other arm around her back, tucked her head under his chin. She might brush him off as soon as they arrived home, but he was the one who decided when to apparate them back. He had this moment, even if he had nothing else.

Of course, if he was going to cling to her like this, he owed her an explanation.

"I'll only say this once," he breathed. "But if you didn't miss me while you were gone, I believe I shall die. Because I did nothing else."

---

  

---

MJ is the light of my life <3

Sina tucked her head into Oz's chest, more on instinct than because she understood what Oz was seeking from her. And then he spoke, and Sina's breath caught in her chest. Oh. She could not remember her time as a wildcat. But she knew that she'd missed him, because she could not imagine anything alternative. "Of course I missed you," Sina said into his shirt, "You're the only person I wanted to see when they brought me back."

---

  

---

set by MJ

Oz was so violently relieved that all the air went out of him at once, and he crumpled in around her like a collapsing star.

"Alright," he muttered, hugging her even closer. "Then let's go home."

---

  

---

MJ is the light of my life <3