A Soldier’s Return
Soshiro hoshina x reader
The headquarters of the Defense Force rarely slept. Even in the quiet hours of the night, alarms could sound and soldiers could be called into battle at a moment’s notice. For soshiro hoshina that reality had become the rhythm of his life.
Tokyo had become his world.
Cold steel corridors, mission reports, endless strategy meetings, the distant echo of explosions in the training fields. Days blurred into nights until weeks passed without him realizing how much time had slipped through his fingers.
And far away from that world—miles of countryside and mountains separating them—was you.
His wife.
His home.
[[MORE]]
The Hoshina estate had been quiet for most of the week, but today it buzzed with life.
Maids hurried through the hallways carrying ingredients, fresh flowers, linens. The kitchen smelled heavenly—sweet cream, roasted vegetables, simmering broth, and the delicate scent of pastries cooling on racks.
You stood at the large kitchen counter with a soft hum escaping your lips as you carefully arranged strawberries on top of a layered cake.
Your hands were lightly dusted with flour, your hair tied loosely behind you with a ribbon that had long since begun slipping out.
“He should be here in a few hours…” you murmured softly to yourself.
The thought alone made your chest flutter.
It had been almost a year since you’d last seen him.
Almost a year since you’d held your husband.
You placed the cake aside and wiped your hands on your apron before glancing around the kitchen.
Roasted duck glazed perfectly.
Fresh rice.
Soup.
Several side dishes.
Three different desserts.
And still… you weren’t satisfied.
“Lady Hoshina, this is already more than enough,” one of the maids said gently.
You laughed softly, a little embarrassed.
“I know… I just want everything to be perfect.”
They understood.
Everyone in the estate did.
They had watched you grow up here after all.
You and Soshiro had been inseparable children running through these halls, playing in the gardens, getting scolded for climbing trees that weren’t meant to be climbed.
And then years later your families had made the decision official.
Once Soshiro established himself in the Defense Force… you two would marry.
Neither of you had protested.
Because the truth was—you’d already loved each other long before that.
Still, loving a man like him came with a quiet loneliness.
You rarely spoke about it.
Soshiro’s job was dangerous.
Every day he put his life on the line fighting creatures that threatened entire cities.
You could lose him.
That thought crept in sometimes during the long nights when the house felt too big and too quiet.
But you always pushed it away.
Instead, you filled your days tending to the estate, waiting for the rare phone calls that made your heart soar.
And today…
Today he was finally coming home.
Even if it was only for a weekend.
Late afternoon sunlight stretched across the gravel path leading to the estate gates.
You were in the garden trimming flowers when a distant engine sound reached your ears.
Your heart stopped.
Then immediately started racing.
A car.
“Soshiro…!”
You dropped the shears without thinking and ran.
“Lady Hoshina—!” one of the maids called behind you.
But you didn’t hear them.
You didn’t care.
You ran across the stone path, the grass brushing your bare feet as you rushed toward the front gate.
Your shoes had been forgotten somewhere behind you.
“Lady Hoshina, please—!” another voice called, scandalized.
The car had just pulled to a stop.
And the moment the door opened…
There he was.
Soshiro stepped out, tall and familiar, his dark hair slightly messy from the long drive, his relaxed smile appearing the moment he saw you racing toward him.
He barely had time to set his bag down before—
You crashed into him.
Your arms wrapped tightly around him, clinging to his jacket as if letting go might make him disappear again.
“Soshiro!”
He laughed softly, steadying himself as he caught you.
“Whoa there—”
Before he could say anything else, you pulled back just enough to look at him.
Really look at him.
Your eyes moved across his face—his eyes, the faint scar near his cheek, the warmth of his smile.
Making sure.
Making absolutely sure he was real.
Not some dream your lonely heart had conjured.
“Soshiro…” you whispered again, breath shaky.
His expression softened instantly.
Without another word he lifted you effortlessly into his arms.
You gasped softly but didn’t protest, your arms instinctively wrapping around his neck.
“Missed me that much?” he teased gently.
“Of course I did…”
Your voice was small, honest.
And before either of you could say more—
You kissed him.
It wasn’t shy.
It wasn’t polite.
It was desperate and warm and full of months of longing.
Soshiro froze for only half a second before responding, one hand sliding to the back of your head as he kissed you deeply.
It felt like breathing again after being underwater.
Like reclaiming something that had been missing from your chest for too long.
When you finally pulled away, both of you were slightly breathless.
He rested his forehead against yours.
The rest of the afternoon passed like a dream.
You showed him the gardens you’d been tending.
He told you little bits about Tokyo—carefully avoiding the more dangerous details.
You sat together on the porch drinking tea while the sun slowly dipped below the hills.
And for the first time in months…
The house didn’t feel empty.
Dinner that night was exactly as grand as you had promised.
The long dining table was covered with dish after dish.
Soshiro stared at it in disbelief.
“…You made all this?”
You smiled shyly.
“I might have gotten a little carried away.”
“A little?”
He laughed, but his eyes were warm.
“You spoil me.”
“You deserve it.”
And you meant it.
Because every day he risked his life.
The least you could do was make sure that when he came home, he felt loved.
The two of you ate slowly, talking about small things, laughing easily.
He tried every dessert.
Every single one.
By the time the meal was over, Soshiro leaned back in his chair with a dramatic sigh.
“I’m never leaving this house again.”
You giggled.
“That’s not true.”
“…Unfortunately.”
Later that night, the estate had grown quiet again.
Your bedroom was dimly lit by soft lantern light.
The two of you lay beneath the blankets, the world outside finally fading away.
You curled against him without hesitation, your arms wrapping around him tightly.
One of your hands gripped the fabric of his shirt.
Not hard.
Just enough.
As if you needed that small reassurance that he was still there.
Soshiro noticed immediately.
Of course he did.
He always noticed.
“You okay?” he murmured softly.
You nodded against his chest.
“I’m just… happy you’re home.”
Your voice was already growing sleepy.
But the truth sat quietly beneath those words.
You were afraid of the moment he would have to leave again.
Afraid of the empty bed.
The quiet house.
The long weeks of waiting.
Soshiro didn’t say anything about it.
Instead, he simply wrapped his arms around you a little tighter.
Your breathing slowly softened as sleep began to pull you under listening to his heart beat.
Within minutes, you were asleep.
Still clutching his shirt.
Still curled close to him like you were afraid he might vanish in the night.
Soshiro looked down at you.
For a long moment he simply watched your peaceful face.
This woman…
His wife.
The girl who had grown up running beside him through these gardens.
The one person who had never once complained about the distance between them.
Never demanded more of his time.
Never asked him to choose between her and the duty he carried.
Even though he knew it must be lonely.
His hand gently moved through your hair, slowly brushing the soft strands away from your face.
“You’re too good to me,” he whispered quietly.
You stirred slightly but didn’t wake.
He leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to the top of your head.
Breathing in the familiar scent of home.
Of you.
For once, the weight of being a soldier felt far away.
For once, he wasn’t the vice-captain of the Defense Force.
He was just Soshiro.
A husband.
A man lying beside the woman he loved most in the world.
And as sleep finally began to take him too, his arm tightened protectively around you.
Tomorrow would come soon enough.
Tomorrow he would think about duty again.
But tonight—
He would simply stay here.
Holding you close.