His legs do go weak then. Shaking under him. He'd been so resigned, hadn't he? Resigned to memories, nothing more. Resigned to having lost something they'd finally put back together again. So much so, the one single act of affection makes his legs want to give out. The wall he'd flung up and shoved himself desperately against start to crack down.

"You... you're really here."

He meant to make it more of a statement than a question. But the weariness in his voice makes him sound like a desperate man, begging for the answer to be yes. Even the chill metal against his face isn't enough. He needs to hear the answer.

The circles under his eyes are even darker, the scar over his nose fresh again, as if something had reopened it a third time now. While Adam... Adam looks like those last moments together in the dream.

"I've been waiting... I thought - "

I thought I left you again