"Red Leader? Can we talk?" Paul asked as he slipped inside his leader's office.
The ruler and founder of the Red Army occupied himself signing paperwork, but glanced up briefly at him with a small grunt of affirmation. Ever since the Red Army had risen and declared war on the world, Tord spent most of his days in meetings, inspecting his troops, and signing paperwork now more than ever before.
Paul grinned, closing the door quietly behind him and drawing closer to sit in the chair opposite of his old friend with an excited skip in his step.
"Okay, so… you know how tomorrow is going to be Pat and I's nine year anniversary, right?" Paul ranted, barely curbing his enthusiasm. Though Tord did not look up once, he knew his friend was listening to every word he had to say. "I know we are at war and everything, but I would like permission for us to be excused from our duties tomorrow. Just for one day. We are going to Oslo to celebrate this very special occasion."
The scratching of the pen on paper stopped.
Tord looked up at him, his eye darkening, and nodded stiffly with a sigh. "Really bad f#cking timing there – I'm not gonna lie. Still, as your friend I understand, so I am gonna let it slide." He resumed his work. "The things I do for my comrades… seriously."
Paul cleared his throat. "That's not all."
A single gray orb peered back up at him, narrowing in suspicion. "Go on?"
On the edge of his seat with giddiness, Paul jumped to his feet, hand rummaging through the inner pocket of his uniform to pull out a small box.
Tord's eye widened, a small gasp leaving his lips. "Are you serious?"
Paul nodded, beaming from ear to ear. "I am going to ask him, sir. I think it's time we take it to the next level."
Abandoning his pen completely, Tord carded his hands through his hair and dragged them slowly down his face in exasperation. "You two seriously have the worst f#cking timing possible. How did I get stuck with the two of you? Oh my God." Despite the obvious groan in his voice, Paul recognized the light joking tone that accompanied and couldn't help but chortle.
"Luck, I guess."
Pushing back his chair, Tord stood up abruptly and walked around the desk towards him; arms wide open. "This is to congratulate you." He said, leaning closer to wrap his arms around his commander briefly before pulling away. "And this is to knock some sense into you." He cuffed the side of his head.
Paul winced, rubbing the injured spot.
"You idiot! I repeat, WE ARE AT WAR right now! And now – f#cking now – you decide to get married?" Tord demanded. "Can't this wait until after we win and the world is ours? Think how perfect and less problematic it will be!"
"Funny, because I'm pretty sure you were the one pushing us to go ahead and get married as soon as possible for the longest time now." Paul pointed out mildly.
Tord frowned. "Alright, you got me there." He conceded. "Still… I can hardly believe it."
"I have the whole thing planned for tomorrow already!" Paul went on ecstatically, practically jumping up and down like a toddler. "Patrick is going to love it, and when we go out for dinner later on I will pop the question. Tomorrow has to be just perfect!"
"Knowing you I am sure it will be." Tord crossed his arms over his chest, leaning back against his desk.
"Are you still mad at us?" Paul dared ask.
Tord scoffed and shook his head. "Nah! Don't mind me, Paul. I am just bitter and old and my boyfriend is currently off living his best life. Speaking of which; I should definitely inform him about this interesting new development with the Red Army's one true pairing." He pulled up his arm and started typing away at the communicator.
Paul's gaze softened and his excitement cooled down considerably. He could see clear as day how much his leader misses the presence of his lover in the base. There was always a glistening glint in his one eye whenever Tom was brought up, and his voice would turn low and fond as he talked about him. Oftentimes, Paul would find his leader staring off into space with that same fond look on his face. It wasn't hard to guess what he was thinking on those occasions. Not a day goes by where they don't talk about him at least once.
"Any news from Tom?" Paul asked.
"Last we talked, he said he was leaving Cape Town by boat and heading to Brazil. That was… two weeks ago." Tord's voice faltered, and his gaze turned somber.
"He loves you, you know." Paul clasped him on the shoulder.
"I know he does." Tord smiled softly. "Only God knows why!" He chuckled.
"I'm sure he is fine, wherever he is now. Tom knows how to care for himself. He will message you back soon; just you wait!" Paul reassured. "I sure can't wait to hear back from him and see his reaction."
Tord began to shove him out the office. "Alright, you got my permission to carry out Operation Lovebirds. You may leave me be now."
"Oh wait, just one more thing!" Paul remembered, pressing his hands anxiously. "I need you to come with us at the restaurant and record our engagement. Don't let Pat see you. I want the whole thing caught on video, after all."
Tord stared at him, hands on his hips. "Oh sure, I, the Red Leader, the most wanted man in the world and leader of an army, is going to put everything on hold to record his comrades' proposal." He said sarcastically. "Paul, I don't leave the base. Ever. You know that."
"You have a meeting with the state minister of Norway tomorrow anyway. Just arrange to meet them at the same restaurant as us, go with the rest of the generals, and it will be okay." Paul explained. "Trust me, it's going to be fine. Plus; I doubt anyone would dare come deep into Red Army territory to try assassinate you. It's going to be great, you're gonna record my proposal, the prime minister will love the change in scenery, and you will be able to leave the golden cage for a short while. Everybody wins!"
Tord rolled his eyes. "Fine, I will see what I can do."
"Thank you, sir!"
With one last wave at his leader Paul exited the office. As he was leaving, he almost crashed into Patrick standing in the hallway outside.
"Hey, hun." Pat greeted, greatly taken aback by this unexpected meeting.
"Hey, luv." Paul swooned.
"Is everything okay?"
"Oh certainly!" Paul nodded. "I merely visited the Red Leader to ask him permission for us to be dismissed from our duties tomorrow. Now we can be free to do whatever we want to celebrate our very special day together!" He wriggled his furry eyebrows.
Pat giggled. "That's great news."
"Is everything okay in your end?" Paul asked.
"Smooth as it can be, I suppose. What with all the war going on." Patrick murmured. "However, there are pressing matters I need to discuss with our leader, so… do you mind?"
Paul started. "Oh yeah, sorry!" He quickly side stepped to let the Polish soldier into the room. "I'll see you at dinner." He ducked his head in embarrassment.
"Sure thing!" Patrick promised, shooting him a smile before gently closing the office doors behind him.
Paul breathed a sigh of relief, his shoulders slumping as the tension left his body. "That was close." He wiped the sweat off his forehead.
Rummaging through the pocket of his uniform, Paul once again pulled out the tiny box, flicking it open to stare at the delicate ring hidden inside. His heart thrummed faster in his ribcage. He was so incredibly fortunate to have someone as kind, beautiful, and amazing as Patrick for a partner. And now he is ready to make it official and spend the rest of their whole lives together.
He prayed Patrick felt the same way and would accept him.
Ever since the war started they haven't had much time to chill together. Often busy with directing armies and planning strategy and whatnot. But tomorrow will be perfect, and they will rekindle their bond and Paul will show Pat just how much he truly means to him.
So long as he doesn't make a fool of himself that is…
Tomorrow can't come soon enough.
For now though, he will have to play it cool and keep his sh#t together until then.
(Time skip)
Bright and early on in the day, after having breakfast and attending the morning gathering as usual, Paul and Patrick grabbed the keys for one of the jeeps and drove out of the base and down the mountain. It was a five hour drive to Oslo, and so they spent most of their time talking leisurely and listening to some classic tunes.
When they finally made it to the capital, it was a beautiful, warm sunny day with lots of people out and about, including Red Army soldiers patrolling the streets.
Since the organization revealed itself to the world four years ago, taking total control of a few countries in the process – Norway being one of them – they no longer had any real reason to hide their activities. This is their country now, and they are free to come and go as they please now that they have total control over it.
However, even so whenever they leave the security of the main base, Paul and Patrick would always be concerned enough to disguise themselves as civilians. Being important targets and all that. And today was no exception. This was important and they weren't here on duty as Commander and General. They were in town today for far more pressing matters.
"Turn right here, hun." Patrick instructed from the passenger's seat. He wore sunglasses, a yellow hoodie, and khaki pants.
"But the diner is the other way." Paul pointed out casually, wearing a pink hoodie and jeans.
"I know, but there's someplace I want to go to first."
Paul waited for him to elaborate, but when Pat failed to do so he merely furrowed his eyebrows and followed his instructions in silence. He ended up parking the jeep outside of a simple white house with a porch and fence.
"Okay, so as we get out of the car I am going to need you to close your eyes for me." Patrick turned to him. "And keep them closed until I say so otherwise."
Paul lifted one eyebrow. "Okay…"
One hand over his eyes for safekeeping, Paul slammed the car door shut. Patrick walked close beside him, guiding the way as they climbed the porch steps together; his warm breath fanned against his ear and made Paul shudder with anticipation. He had no clue what was going on, where he was, or why they were here to begin with. He couldn't smell or hear anything that might give him any clues to his whereabouts.
"Almost there, hun." Patrick whispered.
"What's happening? Where am I?" Paul laughed. "Can I look yet?"
"Just a few more steps… and you may look now."
Removing his hand, Paul blinked open his eyes and squealed with glee as his gaze landed on a playpen populated by corgi puppies.
"Oh my God! Patrick- you- how?- I can't believe you've done this!" Paul floundered for words as he stepped inside the pen, puppies accumulating at his feet.
"Surprise!" Patrick laughed. "You like it?"
"I love it!" Paul dropped to the ground and allowed himself to be drowned in puppies as they climbed and licked him all over, slowly disappearing under the mass of squirming furry bodies. "I can die in peace now. Good-bye, luv! Tell Tord it was an honor serving him, but I am not leaving this place ever."
A bright smile reached the corner of Pat's lips as he gazed at his partner get overwhelmed on all sides by adorable little puppies. "I know how much you love dogs, and always wanted one of your own, so I pulled a couple strings to get you to play with some puppies here today."
"Aw man, I wish I could adopt all of them!" Paul exclaimed, half joking half whining as he picked up a puppy close to his face and nuzzled it. "But I thought you didn't like dogs all that much?"
Patrick shrugged. "I don't mind a smaller, quieter breed that is well trained. I think I could accommodate a corgi in my life if we were ever to get one."
They played with the corgi puppies in the pen for what felt like hours, but eventually they had to leave. Patrick had to practically drag Paul out of the shelter with him whining and waving at the puppies all the way to the jeep. But neither of them regretted the experience one bit.
Next they went to their favorite diner to have lunch.
Paul had a special order put in place ahead of time just for Patrick that he knew his lover would appreciate.
A gourmet cotton candy milkshake, practically bursting out from the chalice with a slice of red velvet cake dipped inside.
Patrick turned huge eyed at the sight of it.
"All the sugar you could ever want, luv!" Paul said, beaming. "A special sweet for my favorite sweetie."
"We're gonna share this right?" Pat asked.
Paul snorted. "I mean, if you don't really mind? I ordered it just for you because I know how you get when there's a big pile of sugar involved, so I didn't wanna risk standing between the two of you. But of course! If you want to share, we'll share."
Due to his incredibly fast metabolism, Patrick could eat large amounts of sugar without ever getting any fat as a result. Which is a blessing, because the Polish man had an insatiable craving for all things sweet. You never would've guessed given his calm and composed nature, but this is his darkest secret that only Paul, Tord, and his family know about.
Each of them took a straw and dipped inside the sugary marvel that is the gourmet milkshake; leaning forward in their seats to take big sips of it.
"You remember our first date?" Patrick asked, pulling away with lidded eyes.
"How can I not? It was right here!" Paul glanced around fondly, remembering the days of their early relationship. "After we'd been avoiding each other for weeks, I finally managed to muster up the courage to ask you out."
Pat hummed and nodded. "Incidentally, this is also the place where we first started dating."
"We asked each other at the same time." Paul chuckled. "When we came back to the base holding hands and told Tord what had happened, he couldn't believe his ears."
"I mean, it is a pretty amazing coincidence."
"I guess in the end we always knew how we felt towards one another. I mean, the rest of the base already seemed to!"
Patrick giggled. "They were so anxious to see us finally get together already, it was adorable."
"And the celebration they threw after we stopped hiding it from them!" Paul whispered wistfully. "I will never forget the looks on their faces as they put two and two together."
The whole base had been ecstatic at the news. Some cared more than others, sure, but overall people were very pleased to see their Commander finally get together with the cute secretary at the time. It was as if they could read him like a book. Being one of the founding members of the Red Army entails being well known throughout the organization. And everyone who knew him on some level could see plain as day how much of an impact the Polish man he brought back from his mission was having on him.
Their unspoken but obvious feelings for one another led them to be quite popular among their comrades, just for the sheer drama alone!
Briefly, Paul wondered how the rest of the soldiers will react once they announce their engagement upon their return to the base. Given their enthusiasm when they first started dating, chances are they will throw an absolute riot when they find out.
Some good news amidst all this war and conquering will do good to the morale of their troops.
If Patrick accepts him, that is.
They continue to take long drawn out sips from the milkshake monstrosity goodness, taking their sweet time and chatting. Paul wasn't in any rush anyway. The reservation he made for them at the restaurant won't be for another five hours. They had plenty of time until then.
"This was delicious." Patrick finished, licking his lips.
"I am glad you enjoyed it, luv." Paul winked.
"We better get going now." Pat suggested, rising to his feet. "We have somewhere to be and I promised to meet them in an hour or so."
Paul's eyes brightened and he perked up. "More puppies?"
Pat leaned forward and gave him a quick peck on the lips. "Even better."
Following his instructions, Paul drove them to the outskirts of the town. The sun was setting and it was starting to get colder as the sky turned from violet-blue with streaks of red in the distance to a darker navy color.
"Wait, so… our next stop to commemorate our anniversary… is a graveyard?" Paul asked as they parked outside of the metal gates as an old lady came out to greet them.
Patrick smiled. "What better place to look for ghosts than a cemetery?" He said, pulling out a bag with ghost hunting equipment.
Paul gasped. "You mean… we're going ghost hunting?"
"We are going ghost hunting, hun."
Squealing with glee, Paul jumped off from the car as soon as he parked it and came out to greet the owner of the cemetery; shaking her hand eagerly.
"Thank you for allowing us the opportunity to explore the grounds this evening, Sharon." Patrick stepped up to greet her with a polite dip of his head. He handed a flashlight to Paul. "We will be quick and you have my word that we'll be respectful."
"Not a problem, sweetie!" The old lady smiled. "Have a wonderful time there."
"We will! Thanks!" Paul bounced off into the cemetery, buzzing with excitement.
Patrick followed after him more slowly, staring at his surroundings wearily. Leafless trees surrounded the path, their bare branches twisting and arching into the sky. A gust of wind swept through and made Patrick shiver. Subconsciously, he leaned closer to his partner for warmth; making Paul blush in response as he wrapped one arm around him.
Paul chuckled. "I feel like we're teenagers sneaking off into the graveyard to have a smoke or something."
"Is that something you did in your past?" Pat hummed questioningly.
"Sometimes. When I wanted to be left alone with my thoughts." Paul ducked his head, hiding his expression. "Nobody ever found me when I did."
Talking about his past was always hard for him, even when he was discussing it with Patrick; who knows the general gist of it. Being alone and unwanted by everyone for so long. Paul clenched his fist. He won't let his future meet the same fate. Glancing at Pat through the corner of his eyes, he smiled. He finally found where he belonged, and he is ready to spend the rest of his life with him.
A repetitive beeping came from Pat's bag, snapping them out of their thoughts.
Pulling out the EMF device, they saw it was spiking all the way to red.
"Ew. I am officially freaked out." Pat clutched onto Paul's arm for reassurance.
Paul grinned. "I thought you didn't believe in this stuff?" He reminded.
"Not believing is one thing, but actively looking for it in a creepy graveyard is another. I have a healthy respect for the dead, is all." Pat murmured, staring at the device in his hands with an incredulous look. "I don't know how there's an entire neighborhood surrounding the area. Can you imagine living right next to a cemetery? It gives me the chills just thinking about it."
"I don't know. I would be more worried if I was living next to a haunted insane asylum, personally. Like with disturbing history and real allegations of hauntings." Paul said, unfazed by their setting. "A graveyard is where dead people are put to rest. You kinda know already going in that it is a morbid place, plus there's the account everyone will end up in one someday. Should we try to EVP now?"
Pat nodded and pulled out the recording device from his bag.
"Hey ghouls! I'm Paul, and this is my boyfriend Patrick. Are there any spirits here that would like to talk to us?" Paul asked. "Do you want to tell us something? Do you want us to leave?"
They paused with several seconds of silence in between questions to give enough time for whatever was wandering the graveyard to respond to them.
"I will listen to this in the car." Paul said, pressing the stop record button on the device. "Let's keep on exploring. Or are you done? I'm fine with leaving now if you want to. The opportunity to come here and get some ghostly evidence was great enough for me, but I know this isn't really your thing."
Pat frowned. "It's okay. I like being with you, Paul. That's good enough for me." He squeezed his partner's hand. "Although I admit that I rather explore more pleasant haunted locations like a nice hotel or resort. I know how much you enjoy this, so for you I am willing to go on if you want to."
Paul leaned his head closer to nuzzle him, filled with gratitude.
They continued on exploring the graveyard for more ghostly activity for a few minutes before they decided to call it a night and go for dinner next.
"You brought a fancy change of clothes?" Paul asked as he took his place in the driver's seat.
"Affirmative."
"Then let's get this show on the road."
Driving them towards their next destination Paul found his nerves mounting. One could argue that they've been escalating the moment he left the base – h#ll, even way back when he first bought the ring and made up his decision. But so far it's been manageable, and he could put it off with his duties, getting the opportunity to play with some puppies, share a milkshake, and get a surprise ghost hunting opportunity.
However, now that the time to make his intentions clear to his partner is drawing ever so closer, Paul couldn't help but tug uncomfortably at the collar of his tux. Anxious thoughts resurfaced in his head.
What if he's moving too fast? What if he asks only for Pat to refuse him in front of everyone at the restaurant? It will be so humiliating! He can't imagine how his heart will react if Patrick gets uncomfortable; his honeyed green eyes showing nothing but repulsion for him as he cringes away at his proposal… Paul might as well be considered a dead man, both socially and literally.
As though sensing his anxiety, Patrick gave his hand a firm and gentle squeeze.
Paul forced himself to keep his eyes on the road, and swallowed nervously. Patrick was so good with reading people. Reading him. Could he have already guessed his intentions for the climax of their anniversary? Paul wouldn't be surprised. His deduction skills and empathy are among many of the traits he absolutely loves about him.
They arrived at the restaurant and got out of the car. Paul handed the car keys to the valet at the front desk before linking arms with Patrick and walking inside the expensive establishment together.
They had both changed into their tuxedos prior their arrival for the occasion, as this was a very expensive and fancy restaurant. The waiter at the front greeted them and showed them to their table, leading them to the second floor.
Paul remembered the very first time they'd come here several years ago. He'd never been to such a high class establishment before in all of his life, and he'd been absolutely mesmerized by the pristine white diamond chandelier hanging high above the middle of the white quartz room, the waiters and waitresses dressed up in fine posh clothes, tiny fountains cascaded in each corner of the room, all the other patrons in the restaurant looking equally as fancy as everything else in this place; adorning rich jewels of all sorts and the most expensive clothing he's ever laid eyes on if he had to guess, banners in swaths of black and blue fabric decorating the walls, and even the presence of musicians playing live on stage as they ate.
Back then, while already appointed Commander of the Red Army, he felt out of place. Mostly due to his own poor background and upbringing, so he always wore his best attire to compensate. But now, with the Red Army ruling over Norway, it seems people were finally taking him seriously as they recognized his rank and dipped their heads politely toward them in salute.
As they were seated on a table closest to one of the grand windows overlooking the city, Paul caught a glimpse of a long table adjacent to theirs from across the room, clearly occupied by high ranking members of the Red Army and quickly identified the Red Leader sitting at the head of said table, conversing with General Erica as they discussed business with the prime minister of Norway.
Feeling Paul's gaze on him, Red Leader turned his head to where his most trusted soldiers were seated and gave them a thumbs up.
Paul dipped his head toward his leader and breathed out a sigh. Hopefully this night will go without a hitch for both parties.
After placing their order, the waiter came back with a bottle of champagne and served them both in thin crystal glasses.
Paul and Patrick gently clinked their glasses together.
"To my dear beloved Paul," Said Patrick, eyes warm as he gazed fondly at his partner. "and our wonderful nine years spent together. May there be many more to come!"
Paul swallowed, the hand holding the glass visibly shaking. "Y-yes! To our wonderful relationship." He forced himself to take a sip of the expensive champagne, trying to soothe his nerves.
Pat cleared his throat. "You've been… tense, if not a little too quiet this evening." He noted, leaning forward to gently place his hand over Paul's. "Is there something troubling you? You can tell me you know."
In his pocket Paul had the final gift he would bestow upon his significant other for the night, and he prayed to every God in existence that he won't make a fool of himself here tonight. His heart was pumping madly in his chest, but he steeled himself and took a deep breath.
He drummed his fingers on the table anxiously. "W-well, actually…" He hesitated, wondering the best way to go about this. Was it time? Should he wait until after dinner? Lord knows he won't rest easy or even eat properly with this burning question nagging on his mind, and he decided it was best to get it over and done with. "I was wondering-"
"Yes, hun?"
Paul shifted his eyes to the right, and noticed Tord filming them with his phone. The Red Leader nodded for him to go on.
Well, sheesh! Can he be any more obvious?
Apparently he'd been staring for a moment too long, as Patrick followed his gaze and found Tord filming them. Paul stiffened, hoping with bated breath his clever partner wouldn't question why their leader was filming them.
"Oh, don't mind him, Paul." Pat turned around to face him again. "As you were saying?"
Paul gathered his bearings and recomposed. "Patrick." He carded one hand through his hair. God, why can't he say what he wants to say without sounding like a complete idiot? "Luv, you mean... a whole lot to me. I can only hope I was able to show you how precious you are to me in these past nine years we've been together." He scratched the back of his head.
"You have, hun." Patrick's eyes glistened. "Not a single moment was wasted. Every day that I woke up beside you, I knew I am where I am meant to be. I love you. And I want nothing more than to spend the rest of my life with you."
Paul's heart skipped a beat. "I-I I am not good with words, much less skilled in poetry, or flowery language, but… I feel at home beside you." He sighed, looking longingly at his partner. "I spent a good portion of my life searching for a place to call home. A family of my own. And for the longest time I had given up on that notion… until I met you. Now thanks to you I have someplace I belong - a place where I know I am loved."
Patrick opened his mouth to say something, but Paul didn't give him the chance to. He fished in his jacket pocket and pulled out a small box about the size of his palm. On trembling legs, Paul stood up from his seat only to kneel down on one leg before him. By now most of the other patrons had caught wind that something important was going on and turned to stare at them. He offered the tiny box to his boyfriend and opened it.
Inside, on a bed of velvet, was a rose gold ring with a single diamond.
Patrick started tearing up, his hands flew to his mouth. "Oh my gosh!"
"I really wish I was better with words. I even tried writing down a whole speech for you. Something deep and meaningful that can convey just how much you mean to me. But then I realized that I couldn't find any words that come remotely close to what I am trying to say." Paul continued, his voice shaky.
"Stop. You don't have to say anything." Patrick giggled, one hand rummaging through the pocket of his own jacket.
Paul floundered. "I feel I kinda have to, don't I? I mean, I never thought in my wildest dreams this could ever happen, and I really want to make this whole thing official and I want to be able to provide for you, to be fully yours and whatnot and- and- and- what are you searching for, luv?"
Reaching into his pocket, Pat produced forward a tiny box of his own.
Paul gasped and jumped to his feet. "No way!" He squealed.
"Yes!" Patrick chuckled, hand still to his mouth. "Hun… there is no one I would rather spend my time with. And… I want nothing more than to be with you."
Paul's heart exploded with joy and he felt all the tension on his shoulders deflate and release him. His chest wasn't as tight anymore. He could breathe again. A wide giddy grin stretched across his face as he took Pat's hands in his.
"Really? You mean that?"
"Of course! Stop worrying so much. I am in love with you, you goofball." Patrick leaned forward to kiss his cheek.
A round of applause and cheers rippled throughout the restaurant as all the other patrons witnessed the proposal.
"Are you sure about this?" Paul wrapped his arms around him.
Patrick laughed. "What are the chances we ask each other's hand in marriage at the exact same time? If this isn't a sign we are meant to be, then I don't know what is!" He said. "I'm glad Tord caught this whole thing on video. The soldiers back at the base will hardly believe it."
Paul's eyes widened. "Wait, you… you confided in Tord on your decision to marry me?"
"Yeah?"
"So did I!"
A loud whistle resonated throughout the room. The pair turned their heads to see the Red Leader still filming them with his phone. A big smirk on his face. "Just kiss already, you simps!" He teased, plucking a shrimp off the tray in front of him and into his mouth.
"He knew it the whole time." Paul said under his breath. "I was so nervous about making a fool of myself in front of everyone, and he knew you wanted to marry me as much as I did."
"What did you expect?" Pat asked.
"I don't know! But some comfort would have been nice going in."
Pat grinned. "And ruin the surprise? Where's the fun in that?"
They both leaned forward and pressed their lips together with a kiss. Once again, the whole establishment cheered for them and clapped, celebrating their engagement. Even in times of war, good things can still happen.