They say people change from time to time, and the things they leave behind are only fragments of circumstances that defined them, all fading away through the seasons.
He has changed somehow -his past life is only a remembrance of what kind of awful man he was before he met her- but there are some glimpses of his unique nature that have remained, unchanged.
And then, there's their love.
He told her the first time she decided to make a move on him, they weren't meant to be together, that he was not an ideal man for her and horrible things he'd done on his past followed him like creeping shadows. Also, she was so young.
But oh, how much she loved him.
And he learned to love her too.
They loved each other with an intangible devotion, in different ways but their trust and loyalty to each other was the key to battle their inner demons together.
It's been decades since they decided to take the same path, he's drinking slowly a cup of black tea one morning and she seems to be lost in thought.
"Something wrong, Petra?" He notices his voice is now raspy, his low tone echoing in the dining room. He barely forgets if it's a sunny morning, or a foggy one.
"Everything is fine dear." His wife answers, laughter lines drawing across her old but still bright face.
The old man stands up, coming closer to the woman he's ever loved, his steps are slower but still has a touch of the strength he's ever been characterized.
"Hell no, I know you so well." He holds her hands in a old fashioned way, staring right into her eyes, looking for traces of secrets she may be hiding.
Her hair still has some strands of copper, and he thinks she looks lovely.
She does.
"I'm afraid of leaving you." In another life, things ended in a twisted manner. They barely remember what exactly happened, a haunting reminder of what could've been. But he knows now is different.
"Listen Petra. If one of us leaves first, you must promise me you'll make it alive. No matter what may happen, we'll find each other again. I don't bloody know how or when, but I'm sure we will."
His words always have been brutally honest, but she loves him anyways, has loved him for so long and a little tear falls from one of her eyes.
"Levi..."
They kiss instead. It's a sloppy one, their rusty lips matching each other like a puzzle, they've kissed uncountable times but this one is special. It's an affirmation of the unbreakable bond they've shared through the years, for her, Levi is the same awkward but lovable man, and for him, Petra is sunshine and all the things he never thought he could have.
This kiss is not even like the first one they shared, that rainy morning at his office when they both were trying to save humanity.
It's different.
It tastes like forever.
