Chapter Text
Sarvente opened the door to a very dark area of the church, purposefully secluded for the resident's sake.
"Ruv? Are you awake?"
"Ugh- fuck... now I am." Ruv grimaced, baring his sharp teeth briefly. He reached for his ushanka and brushed his hair back so it would fit snugly around him.
"Oh-! I didn't know I was so loud-" Sarvente squeaked, recoiling. She didn't mean to upset him, if she had. What if she had?! He's Russian, and he was always the type of Russian to fight bears in the forest for the hell of it.
"Nah, it can't be helped," Ruv said, flicking his wrist. "There's light in my eyes. Might as well get up."
"Uhm... did you sleep well?" There was concern in Sarvente's tone. Ruv had nightmares sometimes, vividly remembering things from his past that had made him the violent vigilante he was now.
"Yes, actually." Ruv yawned and stretched. "You didn't have to get me a proper bed. I'm used to sleeping bags, anyway."
"I felt the need, Ruv. I want you to be comfortable." Sarvente lowered her voice to express empathy for the antisocial Russian, placing a hand over her heart to emphasize it. She cared a lot for him.
"...hm." He didn't know how much he meant to her, but he knew he meant a lot. He got lost in his thoughts for what felt like an eternity, but in truth, was only about fifteen seconds.
She means a lot to me... and I mean a lot to her... but how much? Why is she so damn nice to me? I'm a murderer, though. She knows this. I've committed heinous crimes in the name of this 'justice' bullshit I have going on. At the end of the day, I'm not a good person. I don't know what she sees in me... but I see a lot in her. She's so beautiful. She's so kind... if she were a patron saint, she'd be the saint of loyalty, devotion, protection, and forgiveness... that settles it. If I meet God, I'm gonna give 'em an earful about rejecting her. It's all about perspective, and God must not have considered hers. Disregard the law, morals are all that matter in this era. All that matter to me, and to her.
"Ruv!'
"Eh? Oh. Sorry. My brain goes off on tangents sometimes."
"I noticed." Sarvente rolled her eyes. "Anyway, what would you like for breakfast?" Sarvente's cheerful demeanor returned. Oh, how Ruv treasured that expression on her face. So innocent, so naive, so helpful, so pleasant, so kind... he could go on for a long time.
"...habanero omelette and some rice drizzled in sriracha sauce." Ruv spoke after thinking for a few moments, retaining an unreadable, flat expression and equally flat voice.
"Coming right up!" Cheerful as always, Sarvente strode off, her headdress catching some air as she moved. Ruv shook himself off, as he had been staring at her. He didn't like sweet food, but sweet people were another story. He never got enough of Sarvente's beautiful face, her cheerful laughter whenever he tried to make a joke (and failed miserably), her bright smiles... just... her. She was gorgeous, not just her voice.
When Sarvente came back in, interrupting Ruv's thoughts in the process, she held out a plate of food.
"It's done! Enjoy!"
"Are you gonna eat with me, chase converts, or what?" Ruv deadpanned.
"Oh! Silly me-" Sarvente rushed out of the room and returned with her own food. She sat down at the table and began to eat with Ruv.
Ruv cut up his omelette as if it had offended him for the first few minutes he was eating, which made Sarvente remember clearly that the first time they met, he held his ground against her Lucifer form for a considerable amount of time, even leaving some marks on her. She shook off the memory before it could disturb her too much.
"You know what also can't be helped?" Ruv suddenly asked, resuming the conversation from before.
"What?" Sarvente inquired in return.
"The fact that I will never be a morning person." He chuckled, allowing himself to smile briefly. The expression pained him, Sarvente knew this, but still... it gave her pause. She blushed slightly at the expression then shook it off, drawing a raised eyebrow from Ruv.
"You good, Sarv?"
"Y-yeah, I'm alright!" She shook her hands erratically, trying to offset the nervous bead of sweat she had on the side of her face.
Ruv finished eating after another five minutes, not wasting time on his food.
"Let me do the dishes this time."
"R-Ruv-! You don't have to-! Someone might see you-! You might get hurt-!"
"Easy, Sarv. Who's gonna look for me in a church?" Ruv asked flatly.
"...I worry too much, don't I?" Sarvente fell limp with defeat and exasperation with herself.
"Yes, you do," Ruv replied.
"...I'll go with you just in case. I have to make absolutely sure." She sighed.
"...if it gives you peace of mind, I don't see why you can't." Ruv said, relaxing somewhat.
"Thank you."
That soft expression she gave him made his eyes widen. He would have killed to have been able to smile normally in that moment. He wished he could show her.
But now wasn't the time, and smiling would hurt like Hell.
He let it slide, forcing down his blush. He got up, carrying the dishes in both of his arms due to the size of the plates. He set them in the sink and took a washcloth to them after rolling his jacket sleeves up. For practicality's sake, he always used some rubber bands to tie them down until he was done. Sarvente kept watch around him, making absolutely sure no one was watching. No one they didn't know, anyway. Sarvente looked a little nervous.
Ruv huffed and sighed.
"You know I'm all muscle, right, Sarv?"
"That's nothing against a firearm, unless you stole a bulletproof vest."
"Which I did," Ruv replied smugly.
Sarvente facepalmed, sighing. "What will I do with you..."
"Hopefully, nothing in particular." Ruv said in his monotone voice. Truthfully, though, he would love to spend more time with just her. Just them. He paused his work on the dishes as brilliant violin music played in his mind while he imagined dancing with her in a masquerade ball. He vowed to take his ushanka off in scenarios like that. He'd always wanted to go to one, one where no one save his partner and his friends would recognize him. One where he could comb his hair down and take his eyepatch off, replacing it with a mask that would cover the eye completely. In his mind, he dipped her down, her arm outstretched, her silky black dress stunning to behold while his black tuxedo hid several old scars from past fights from view. He imagined seeing her in a brilliant butterfly mask... or would it be a cat? Fox, perhaps? Her horns and broken halo would add so much beauty to her already elegant, delicate frame. The mask would sparkle in the spotlight that shone on them, as they would be the stars of the ball. He hoped to be able to smile normally, and if he could, he would smile when he spun her around and she extended her wings while her eyes shone a deep pink. Her sharp teeth would scare everyone but her lover. He found the points on her fangs rather attractive, truth be told. Ruv realized he had been zoning off and resumed working on the dishes, trying not to let his mind wander too much. Despite his best attempts, the ball came back into his mind. Lindsey Stirling's Masquerade (quite fitting) would be playing in the background of the ball while he danced with her. He'd spin her around several times, dip her, but not kiss her. He would throw her out, holding onto her hand, his eyes closed until they fluttered open to stare into those mesmerizing pink eyes. Hers would flutter open in perfect sync, then he'd pull her in front of him, gazing deeply into her own eyes. She'd pull his eyepatch off.
"With or without that eye, you're beautiful, Ruvy," she would say. Ruv would lean into her touch as she caressed the side of his face. He'd stare at her for several long moments before she leaned in closer to him, adjusting her mask so that she could-
"Ruv! Ruv, you zoned off again."
-fuck.
"I know, I know! Can't you leave me to my fantasies for a little while?!" The Russian snapped. He swore in his native language several times, finishing up the dishes quickly after that. He growled, baring his sharp canines irritably. He'd be rocking the church with Zavodila later, just to annoy Sarvente the way she had annoyed him. This was sometimes a little game, but in the end, they would sing together, as her beautiful flute vocals meshed well with his heavy electronic bass drums. Both of them could sing in words, but rarely did so. It just didn't always sound right to them.
Ruv looked around to find Sarvente had disappeared.
He raised a confused eyebrow, then started to search for the priestess. He found her outside, talking to herself.
"He's mortal... he can't stay with me... but... no, it's selfish... is it really...? No. No, I need something to keep to myself forever... someone to keep to myself forever... I haven't felt this for so long... it's been at least a full century... but what I have for him... I can't lose him... I don't want to lose him... but... I may... no. I probably will. He's mortal. If he isn't hunted down, time will claim him... I pray he goes to heaven where I did not... if he falls... I... I hope he falls... so that I can say that I also fell. Because I... Ruvyzvat... that Russian is my world." She chuckled to herself. "He is holy in my eyes. I wish I could keep him... I pray that I will... I want to wrap my wings around him... and if he ever gets his own... I want him to wrap his wings around me. Ruvyzvat..."
Ruv couldn't take it anymore. He left, holding his jaw gently. He swore as it trembled, then fell to his knees as his eyes widened.
Why did it hurt so much?
Because she was hurting. He didn't want to see her so upset, but knew it was inevitable.
After a long moment, he finally came to terms with the fact that he was weeping.
He was weeping... because she loved him.
He was mortal.
She was not.
He would die.
She would not.
A Berlin Wall, separating an eternal life from an inevitable death.