Smoke And Steel

• The End - Part Two •

The moment you've all been waiting for! -Cx
***
Avery

"Sweetie, wake up."

I groaned, turning over. I opened my eyes and saw my sweet Princess standing over me with a heart-shaped chocolate cake and that beautiful smile of hers plastered on her face.

"Happy Valentine's Day, but most importantly, happy 22nd birthday!"

I smiled at the fact that she'd made me a cake, and at that she had chocolate icing smeared on her chin. I would bet that she licked the beaters after making the cake - even if it was only eight o'clock in the morning. "Thank you, love. You didn't have to do this." She set the cake on the bedside table and I took it as a chance to pull her in for a kiss. Years later and I still loved kissing those beautiful lips.

Princess giggled against my lips, "I love it when you call me love."

"I know you do," I said, kissing her again. "And I love it when you bake because you always get food on your face." I said, touching the spot of chocolate on her chin.

"I was saving it for later," she said, not caring to wipe it off. "Speaking of chocolate cake for breakfast, would you like some?"

"I can think of something else I want for breakfast," I said, pulling her into me.

"You're right," she said, planting kisses down my neck. "The cake can wait."

***

"You never told me what you wanted for your birthday," she said as she fed me a forkful of cake. It tasted exquisite.

"Well," I said, slightly nervous. "You've already given me two things this morning, but there's, uh... there's one more thing that I want."

"And that is..?"

"You. Forever."

"You already do have me, now just tell me what you actually want."

"No..." She didn't get what I was trying to say, and I was so nervous I could barely get it out. "I want you to, well I want to know if, uh..."

"You want what? I can't give it to you if you don't spit it out."

"I- I- I'm sorry, can I just clear my thoughts for a second?" I jumped out of bed, leaving her there to wonder why I was acting so strange.

I went to the bathroom where I splashed my face with cold water and gave myself a little pep-talk. I put out fires for a living. I have ran into burning buildings and rescued people countless times, for godsake. I could do something as simple as this.

I reached up and took down the small velvet box that was hidden on top of the medicine cabinet. Today was as good a day as any to do it. It was Valentines day, after all.

When I went back into the bedroom, Princess was sitting cross-legged on our bed with an untouched piece of cake on a plate beside her.

I moved the plate to the bedside table, and sat myself beside her on the bed. I had put some pants on because there were no pockets on my briefs where I could've stuck the box.

I took her hands in mine, "I love you Ebony Rose Smoke."

"I love you too, Ave... Is something wrong?"

She probably thought I was dying of a terminal illness and I was too scared to tell her. I just needed to get it over and done with.

"No, nothing's wrong, Princess." Just breathe. "Ebony, I have loved you for over five years now. For a long time I was too scared to tell you because I thought you wouldn't love me back, but you did. And when we were done with school and we were both deciding what to do with our lives, I didn't think you'd want to move in with me when I asked, but you did. And now, well now what I'm trying to ask you is if you would do me the honor of being with me for as long as our love lasts, which hopefully is forever."