gentlemanlybaker:

[ The moment his son’s voice reached his ears, it was all James could do to keep himself from sobbing with joy. John was home. His house had been empty for so painfully long, and all the cakes and household chores in the world could never fill the void his son had left. For a long time he had battled the idea that his son might be dead, before a vast multiverse filled with different versions of his son opened up to him. 

He only wished he could know if this time, it really was the boy he had raised or just another alternate. 

It was so difficult to tell that James had begun to think of every John who crossed his path as his own son, and cared for them all in the same way. 

James steeled himself, making a valiant effort to keep himself from tears, and turned to face his son. The boy was older than he remembered, and thinner - a worry formed in the back of his mind that his precious son had not been getting enough to eat, but he would not fuss over the boy just yet. Within a second, he had his arms wrapped around his son, hugging him tightly. For all his efforts to not cry, he found his tears dampening his son’s shoulder. ]

‘Oh, John, you have no idea how relieved I am to see you - I missed you so, so very much.’

[ James had barely needed a few moments of preparation for his son’s arrival - he’d spent much of his time over the past few months ensuring that the house would be ready for John to come home - everything was just as it was before… events. 

He could only hope that this time, John would stay. ]

“Dad,” he breathed, arms winding tightly around the man that stood before him, hugging him and resting his head on his shoulder. Dad. His dad. Maybe not his. Someone’s. It hardly mattered. Not with how strongly he was behind held, or with how the familiar scent of shaving cream and baking powder pervaded his senses.

“Cmon dad, don’t cry,” he urged while his own tone cracked, shoulders beginning to shake in silent sobs as he broke his own command, melting into the grip his dad had on him. Knees weakened as his strong façade fell, and for a moment he didn’t care; he cried, clinging to someone whom he hadn’t seen in years, that was clinging back to him with as much desperation and relief in kind.

After a few moments of that he finally leaned back a little, beaming up at his father with puffy red eyes and a shaky, doofy smile. He took a deep breath and with a free hand wiped his eyes, laughing a little nervously to himself. Well. Now that that was over…

“I missed you too, dad. I - …I don’t know what happened. To you, I mean.” The corners of his mouth barely ticked down into a frown. “Where did you go? Where did I go?” Fingers tightened in the back of his dad’s shirt for a moment before finally letting them slip away.

“…I’m glad you’re okay.” Really, that was all he cared about.