Submission (#2531) Approved

Coming home after a long day was always relieving. Tension subsided and the stress of staying composed and doing things right bled away the moment one stepped inside the door, although the exhaustion of the day was not erased. Yuletide placed his things down on the coffee table close to the door, a deep sigh heaving from him. Today had been one of his most stressful days in a while and it felt rather good to finally be home. Despite it being relatively early, he felt about ready to crawl right into bed and sleep, possibly for several days straight. Hopefully for several days straight.

Despite his dramatic inner monologue, his first move was not to go to the bedroom, but to rather head toward the living room instead. The relief that waited there was much greater than any he would feel from clambering into bed.

Pushing the door open to the living room, his visor angled around before directing itself toward Persephone, who was standing towards the side of the room at her painting easel. Perking up at just the mere sight of her, he headed across the room toward her, his footsteps alerting her to his arrival home.

"Hello, darling," she greeted softly, placing her painting supplies down on the stool as she turned to face him.

Almost immediately, his arms settled around her to pull her into a hug of sorts, resting his visor against her shoulder. Being back home was relieving. His home was in her arms.

"I had the worst day," Yuletide complained, as she gave a sympathetic hum. "It's so nice to see you."

"Well, hopefully, we can turn it around," came the ever-comforting and positive response.

Yuletide chuckled slightly, amused by her hopefulness, and generally feeling more light due to the comforting nature of her response. The constant comfort and soft, genuine advice is exactly why he felt so safe in her arms. Even when she wasn't always positive, she was comforting, and she was on his side. That was enough.

"How has your day been?" Yuletide prompted, feeling rather guilty for not having asked sooner.

"It's been alright," Persephone responded, slowly releasing him to step back. "The house is always so quiet and empty when you're not here, though, you know that."

"What have you been working on?" Yuletide asked, visor angling to the painting before he even finished the question.

Then, he paused, and Persephone gestured to it proudly.

"I've been working on a piece of love."

On the canvas, almost completed, was a picture of the two of them at one of their favorite restaurants. It was the restaurant he had recently brought her to for Valentine's Day. They were seated together on the same bench, nestled in each other's fur, both looking cozy and content. It captured the feeling he had felt in the moment perfectly, and he was almost in awe of her skill, his visor angling between her and the painting several times.

"What do you think?"

"I think my day just got turned around."