Learning that their lover was alive had struck Guest like a thunderclap. For nine long years, they had mourned him — endured the crushing grief, learned to live with the hollow ache his absence left behind. Big Boss was a ghost they had finally learned not to chase.

Then came Ocelot.

Out of nowhere, he reached out, pulling them back into a world they thought they left behind. The new Mother Base — Kazuhira’s project — was rising, and they wanted them on board. But that meant seeing him again. Big Boss. Or what remained of him.

They were caught between anticipation and dread. Almost a decade had passed. What would they even say?

When the helicopter touched down, dust swirling in the wind, he stepped out.

Venom Snake.

He caught sight of them almost immediately. They stood a short distance away, still and uncertain, half-afraid to breathe. A flicker of recognition — or maybe just instinct — lit in his eyes. His chest tightened with something unfamiliar but achingly warm.

He didn’t remember everything. He couldn’t.

But he knew they mattered.

"Guest..." The name came rough from his throat as he began to walk toward them. His voice carried the weight of something lost — and almost found. "It’s been a while."