ringo starr imagines

our last dance (3/3)

He pushed his way through the crowd. It made him anxious that he couldn't see over everybody. Ringo stood on his toes as he scanned the crowd. Had she decided not to come to welcome him home? He shook his head as he convinced himself that the possibility was impossible.

He was ready to give up when his eyes locked with the familiar big eyes. Ringo grinned and pushed past everyone else.

He dropped his bag when he approached her and hugged her tightly. His tears traveled down his cheeks and onto her shoulder. He hid his face in her hair and held onto her for dear life. He knew he was never going to leave her again; there was too much pain to reside with when he wasn't with her. He gripped the material of her dress as he pressed a gentle yet firm kiss on her lips.

Ringo couldn't believe he had gone thirty-one months without her. He didn't know how he survived only on her sweet letters and his loving fantasies about her. It seemed surreal for him to be holding her in his arms again. The tears stopped sliding down his cheeks as he realized she had stood still as he hugged her.

He panicked. Was he hugging the wrong woman? Ringo pulled away. He was relieved to notice that he had not mistaken her.

"What's wrong?" he whispered.

She could barely hear his raspy voice. It made her burst into tears. She fell into his chest and wrapped her arms around his skinny body. Her shoulders slumped as she sobbed into his uniform.

He stood frozen for a moment before hugging her yet again. He was never going to get over the thrill of holding her again.

"I missed you so much," she cried. He couldn't help but smile.

"I missed ye too," he murmured.

She held on to him for dear life. She wasn't going to let him slip through her fingers again. She just wouldn't allow it.

"Please don't ever go off to fight ever again. Promise me you won't leave me again, Ritchie," she pleaded.

Butterflies crowded his stomach as she called him by his name. He felt as if it had been decades since he had heard her name fall from her red lips.

"Never again, Y/N," he assured her.

He combed her soft hair as she settled down. She was glad she had only decided on lipstick because all her crying would have left her face runny and messy. She hesitantly pulled away and wiped away any stray tears. Her eyes met his. She grinned and giggled; she still couldn't fully grasp that he was finally home. Only because of his injury of course.

When they had sent her a letter informing her about his injury, she couldn't control herself. The lady was a sobbing mess as she feared the worst. She was only comforted with the fact that he would go home because of it. His letter arrived shortly after telling her it wasn't anything too serious as he knew her anxiety would consume her. According to the people in power, he wasn't as fit to fight anymore and needed to be looked after by his fiance.

Her eyes wandered around his face the way she would study a painting. She was immersed by all the small details of his handsome face. He looked exactly as he looked when he left all the months ago. But his eyes were different. They were still the rich blue they have always been, but their shine was missing. The youth he held was gone. He may have not matured in looks but his eyes told the whole story. He had seen unspeakable things; it only made sense. She understood that everything that he had seen and experienced would affect him one way or another.

Ringo couldn't help but awe over her beauty. She only seems to ripen into a young, beautiful woman. He was overwhelmed that he had her waiting at home for him. He couldn't get over the fact that she waited every single day for him and stayed true to him. He believed he didn't deserve such an extraordinary woman. Ringo wanted nothing but to cover her porcelain skin with soft kisses as he whispered over and over again how much he loves her. His eyes widened as he remembered she wasn't the only one waiting for him to come back. His eyes fell to their feet as he searched for him. He glanced back up at her when he didn't see any baby bouncing around her legs.