It had finally happened, after months of battle, it was over. He searched frantically for her in the city, running to the place he had always said he would meet her. He searched the bombed out buildings but the significant destruction didn't provide him the assurance that she would come. The final bombing and artillery barrages hadn't left much of the city standing. Each falling building had brought a crashing feeling to his heart as more people perished under the final gasps of a dying Russian empire.
In the early days of the invasion he had bought, bartered and stowed away to get into the small Baltic nation. Even if the world leaders had failed to come to their aid, he wouldn't be left on the sidelines. When he had initially found her he professed his love for her again, telling her he needed to take her away. She refused. She couldn't go with him. Over the next few months he constantly came to her aid in her moment of need, a quiet sentry ensuring she was safe, fighting off wave after wave of invaders. Just before the final assault he told her to find him at their spot when it was over.
When he arrived, the buildings gave a gloomy outlook, but hope was all he had had. So he waited and waited until through the lingering dust of destroyed century old buildings he saw her. He ran to her and grabbed her in his arms as she fell into his.
"My love..." he greeted her so tenderly. She was not terribly hurt but clearly injured, she sobbed as she cuddled into his body, "...you came." "I had no where else to go," she cried. The emotions from the entire relationship had come up in this one moment and she pulled slightly away. "My love?" his voice now questioning. "Do you...do you really love me?" she asked, eyes averted down, tears slowly dropping from her face.
He knew what she was asking and why, he dropped to his knee in front of her, not forcing her to look up. He looked up into her eyes, "I have loved you from the moment I laid eyes on you and have never loved anyone since. I came here willing to die, even without your love in return just so I can ensure I protect the greatest gift that God gave the world. That's you. For me, there is nothing more amazing or wonderful than who you are and I have always and will always love you."
"Forever...?" She looked up pleadingly. "Longer than forever. I couldn't imagine a life without you in it, which is why I came here; to protect you or give my life trying..." his voice trailed off as he closed his sentence, this time his voice asking for a response "...mu abikaasa?"
The last words, the translation for spouse begged for her response for her to recommit to their love permanently.
She looked him in the eyes and paused as her eyes welled up. How could she ever question him again, the blood stained uniform, the mental images of him throwing himself repeatedly into life or death situation, even recounting the secret journey and immense cost at which he made his way to her. There would never be someone more committed, she could finally see that for all his faults and every mistake, he was more just looking through great pain how to love her. This had proven once and for all that he did and she would never doubt that again. She nodded, "mu abikaasa" she replied through a small but growing smile.
He wrapped his arms around her and lifted her as he kissed her deeply and passionately. The normally sweet taste of his lips tainted by the slightly iron taste of blood and the taste of building dust and gunpowder. She clung to his face kissing him more and more, trying to kiss away the last few months. He let her down, pressed her back to the wall of the remains of a building. He pressed his head to the wall next to her and breathed short, deep breathes. His injuries were starting to catch up to him.
She slowly opened the top of his uniform, she could see the impromptu bandages barely keeping his wounds bound. She touched him tenderly realizing with every growing second what he had pushed himself through for her. She kissed him again, pulling his face to hers. She cried gently understanding and feeling for his pain as she kissed him more and more. This poor man had nearly died for her and she was eternally grateful. As she kissed more, he kissed back more. Grabbing his face she pulled him in, he leaned into her bracing himself against the wall.
The sweet feeling of her lips on his was medicine to him. After so long apart and with so little chance they would make it he wasn't sure if this was real or if this was his heaven. He collapsed against her, constantly kissing her more deeply, slowly letting his tongue move into her mouth and taste her tongue again. His breathing calmed in slow deliberate inhales as each kiss breathed more life into his war torn body.
She pulled him in to her supporting him as she kissed more and more. She licked the blood from his lips, remembering all of the dirty, kinky sex that came before the war. She thought of licking his blood and consuming his pain and sacrifice. She began to breath more heavily as she touched him, her hands grasping at him, pulling away his uniform to touch his chest through his shirt. He gripped her back, his hands starting to explore and remember her body.