Chapter Text
“I wish we could stay in this moment forever.” She mumbled into the taller girl's neck.
“Yeah.” She sighed pensively. “Tina?”
“Mm?” Came the content hum.
She bit her lip trying to find the right words for what she wanted to say.
“Brittany?” She prompted, shifting to lift herself off the bed and lean on her elbow.
“Will you wait for me?” She blurted nervously.
“Always.”
It wasn't the sort of day one receives news to split one's heart clean in two. It was a warm, sunny day. It was the middle of summer. The sky was clear, the birds were singing. It should've been perfect.
Tina was in the living room, in Brittany's favourite chair, reading when the shrill song of the doorbell reverberated throughout the small country house.
She pushed herself out of the chair and walked quickly to the door.
“He-- Colonel Akemi!”
“Hello, Ms. Cohen-Chang.” The man nodded, running a hand through short greying hair. He was a rather imposing gentleman; not a lot taller than Tina, but he had a strong jaw and an air of power. He was in uniform, which Tina thought must've been quite uncomfortable given the heavy humidity, his hat tucked under one arm. The medals gleamed in the summer sun. “May I come in?”
“Please.” She stepped aside, allowing his entrance. She felt a cloud of anxiety beginning to swirl around her like Death.
She followed as he made his way to the kitchen, stopping at the dining table.
“May I?” He asked, gesturing at a chair.
“Of course.” She replied, dropping into her own.
They sat in awkward silence for what felt like an age.
“So, um, w-why are you here..?” Dread settled in the pit of her stomach like a lead weight as she played with her engagement ring nervously and attempted to swallow the lump of fear that had risen in her throat.
“I'm sorry.”
“No.”
“She's dead.”
She'd never seen Brittany so nervous, on her knee before her with an open box in hand. The clear blue eyes sparkling with life as they always did. Had done.
“Will you marry me?”
“Yes. Yes. I'm yours.”
“Always?”
“Always.”