Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

You know what?

Klaus never had problems like these when he was living apart from his circus act of a family. Sure, the fourth Hargreeves was prone to getting into trouble rather often here and there perfectly fine on his own, but nothing like this.

Since he came back home, Klaus had acquired a slight concussion from a snow globe (okay, maybe that one was by his design), was kidnapped, tortured, forced into sobriety… and now?

He accidentally time traveled.

To.

The.

Fucking.

Vietnam.

War.

Who does that? WHO does that? Anyone who gets too close to the horror show that is the "Umbrella Academy", that's who.

Klaus didn't really have much time to feel sorry for himself when he "touched down" though. He didn't even understand exactly where he was at first.

Instantly, his ears were met with punishing cracks and BOOMS of deadly power that he could feel in his core. People rushed up around him, moving too fast for Klaus to take in faces or details. They were just army-green blurs, shouting words and phrases that made zero-fucking sense to him.

"Delta-Four, Delta-Four! We've got an NVA situation! Firebase Bastogne. That's Firebase Beta, Alpha-"

"MOVE, MOVE, MOVE! Last one moves out in a body bag!"

"Charlies inbound! Charlies on the wire!"

"Where'd this FNG come from?"

What the fuck, what the fuck, what the fuck…

He just wanted some good luck for a change- some extra cash, is all. Something to celebrate his survival from the wonderful Hazel and Cha-Cha like some good speed or even just some purple haze. Klaus didn't care at this point. He just wanted something to numb the end of the world that was transpiring around him right now.

"You got mud in your ears, boy?"

You talkin' to ME?

"No! No, I'm not-"

Klaus blinked, dumbfounded at the dude at the mouth of the tent. Speaking of which- that same exit point looked onto the outside world and man, oh man it wasn't pretty. The sky lit up with streaks of blazing light, smoke dense in the air. Dark shadows of foreign, pointy trees cast up a menacing silhouette of a forest-line that somehow seemed to embody impending evil against the fiery skies behind it.

Hell. That tent opening was the gate to Hell; Klaus was sure of it.

He was too damn sober for this shit.

Someone was yelling something about pants and speaking of which, here were some being shoved at his person right now. Klaus was too stunned to even argue that he'd never be caught dead wearing those cargo atrocities. Instead, he stumbled to pull on some clothes, felt a helmet slapped on his head, and was hurried out of the ratty tent not a moment later.

The next half hour was a blur. Klaus had eventually convinced himself that he had somehow been knocked unconscious and this was all simply a heinous nightmare, just to get himself through the movements while maintaining a small shred of sanity.

One moment he was pressed against a giant man-made mound of what felt like towering sandbags with a gun shoved in his hands, the next he was following a group of men hustling into an underground bunker. He figured it was probably a good idea considering that they were all screaming,

"Brace yourselves! Get underground! B-52s inbound!"

Thank the lawd for that one guy who Klaus first laid eyes on when he arrived in this hell-hole. He had just subconsciously resorted to following him. His face was kind even in the heat of everything, and in a time like this, Klaus appreciated that. He was probably the only person who paid Klaus a second glance anyway.

In fact, once things settled down and everyone was huddled in the bunker preparing for who-the-hell-knows what, Klaus noticed that this guy was paying him much more than just a second glance.

There was a third.

Then a fourth.

Fifth, sixth, seventh… But every time Klaus would feel eyes on him and look over, the curious soldier would look away. His eyebrows would still be knit in an expression of suspicion though like he somehow could sense that out of everything and everyone here, Klaus was severely out of place.

To be honest, if anyone stopped to pay any mind to Klaus, it wasn't all too hard to figure out. Klaus found himself staring back at this dude, finding within him to laugh at himself just a little-

After all of this shit: Dodging invisible but apparently very real bullets, inhaling lung-fulls of smoke and gunpowder, hustling around a large campsite-looking area while trying to keep up with the crowd and not die from whatever the impending "NVA" was… Klaus could still spare a moment to notice he was, in fact, pretty damn attracted to this man.

Still in there, Klaus. He said to himself with reluctant, dark amusement. Thought I lost you there for a second, buddy.

And he did. He was so traumatized this past half-hour that he nearly forgot who he was. But now at this moment while looking at the only guy who may have witnessed Klaus materializing out of thin air, Klaus found himself again.

I'm Klaus Hargreeves. Number Four of Seven in the Umbrella Academy. I was kidnapped and tortured by assholes looking for Number Five, stole their briefcase, and ended up "here". I'm sober. I'm starving. And if it was any other situation right now, I'd totally jump that guy's bones over there.

Klaus actually snickered at himself at that, pulling in the attention of a few men around him. His smiled instantly dropped and he looked down, hiding from their accusatory gazes. It was that moment when the world began to violently shake with each passing BOOM and BAM. He'd never be able to tell exactly how close they were, but Klaus knew they were bombs.

So, in the next half-hour, as they waited out the rain of fire, Klaus started to piece things together. This was some type of war. Out there were some types of palm trees. It was hot, muggy, and hard to breathe. The guys around him looked too damn young to be fighting in these kinds of conditions- a bunch of baby faces in helmets.

It really was those helmets that gave him the ultimate clue. He remembered watching Full Metal Jacket with Diego and Ben when they were teenagers, making fun of Diego and his overzealous need to prove to everyone that he liked violence and therefore, loved the movie.

Full Metal Jacket had been the Vietnam War though, and that couldn't possibly be right. That ended… what? 50 years ago?

"In the clear." A voice crackled over the radio, followed by a bunch of military letters and numbers that didn't mean shit to Klaus. The radio was held by a hardened man on the opposite side of the dugout space who waved them all out. Everyone broke into mumbles and musings, some men pushing and teasing at each other like nothing just happened.

"I want you all set and ready by 0500, understand?" The hardened man ordered. A mix of responses was offered back, most of which calling him "Lieutenant". Klaus took note of it… stay away from that guy. His problems with authority wouldn't prove to work too well in his favor in this situation.

Klaus rushed to the briefcase as soon as he got back to that same tent from before, finally in a stable-enough state of mind to realize that it was probably his only chance out of here… Not before he grabbed his jacket and fished around for a small bag of pills in his inner pocket that was thankfully still present. He popped one just in time for chaos to kick up again.

Christ… No one could relax around here.

Before he knew it, Klaus was being rushed out to a bus.

"Let's go, let's go, let's go! Those Charlies won't stick around and watch you grow beards!"

This gun felt so odd in his hands. It was definitely something he never planned on using. He wasn't even sure if he knew how and after all, this wasn't his fight.

In his other hand, Klaus clutched the handle of his briefcase, trying to hide it from the Lieutenant's sight. He didn't know the rules around here, but no one else was carrying around any personal items and if this one was confiscated from him… game over. Klaus just needed to find a moment to stop, figure out how the hell to work this thing and then zap back home where the air was comfortable and not filled with smoke and fire.

On the bus, Klaus pulled the case from under the seat where he hid it. He examined it more closely like he should've done in the first place.

You know, you wouldn't get yourself into so much trouble if you just slowed down and thought before you acted. It's that simple, dude. Ben had told him on multiple occasions, ever the judgy spirit.

Ben.

Where was Ben? He could really use him right now. There was something… or a lack of something that Klaus felt though. It was like an emptiness or a deep, bottomless pit in his stomach. There was something missing inside of him in a way that he could never explain, but he could say for sure that it had something to do with his brother or his lack-of-brother.

Klaus had a painfully terrifying feeling that Ben wasn't around anymore.

You really did it this time. Klaus told himself as fear gripped his chest and forced his heart to pump at record speeds in order to stay on top of the way his ribs felt like they were caving in. He was in some foreign place, surrounded by strangers, surrounded by imminent danger and was utterly alone. He hadn't had the need to do anything alone for years- Benny was always there, even if it was just to offer up a snide remark or disappointed head shake.

He'd do anything for Ben's sass right now. He'd do anything to be bossed around by him.

Tell me what to do, Ben. Klaus silently pleaded to no one. Please, Ben. I really need you, pal.

He knew his pleas were useless, but the thought of what his brother would say was achingly comforting.

The briefcase… The answer's gotta be somewhere in or on this briefcase. Klaus didn't dare carelessly open it again- being shoved smack-dab in the middle of a war was bad, but with his luck, the next flash would send him to the bottom of the fucking ocean or something.

Almost instantly (and embarrassingly), Klaus found a clue. There were dials and numbers on the side of the case in tiny but intricate typography. The first dial was circled by a range of numbers: 0-20.

The dial was set to 19.

Then there was a keypad of buttons and a tiny monitor above them.

At the moment, the monitor read 68.

After that, another dial. 01-12, set to 4. Finally, another keypad set to 22.

Klaus stared at the tiny details.

19… 68… 04… 22…

1968, 0422…

04/22… 1968.

Well, shit.

Welcome to April 22nd, 1968, dipshit. Klaus told himself, dropping the case to the floor beneath his feet in frustration. His heart pounded in his chest so loudly that he could hear it knocking in his brain.

He time traveled. That's Five's thing! Not his. He was perfectly fine in the second millennium, thank you very much.

Okay, okay… Calm down, Klaus. Just set it back to 2019 and you'll be home. Just find out how to simultaneously get back to America and then-

"Listen up!"

Klaus instinctually shoved the briefcase back underneath his seat. The Lieutenant stood at the front of the creaky bus, his face steely and his eyes even more so.

"We've got solid intel on the whereabouts of the VC shits that just tried to fuck us over at Bastogne. We get them, we take them out, we go back and kick our boots up until the next VC show their ugly faces and then we take them out too. Don't be a dumbass and you might make it through today. Got it?"

Mumbles of agreement. Klaus just stared at the Lieutenant, looking quickly away when he nearly made eye contact. He hated being told what to do, but he especially hated someone yelling at him what to do. He hadn't let anyone order him around since he left the house when he was 17 and finally broke free of dear old Daddy Reggie.

Klaus thought of his family. Maybe they'd realize he was gone for once and Five could come get him. Was there any way to even figure out exactly where... or when he was?

Pfft… That didn't matter anyway: They wouldn't notice. Who was he kidding? The only person who would care to notice was already dead and that'd be no help.

"You just get in country?" Klaus heard a voice from behind him, breaking him from his homesickness and slamming him back into the reality of 1968. He turned to see that soldier that he first laid eyes on upon arriving- the attractive one with kind eyes.

Something about those eyes did funny things to Klaus's chest. Somehow, they soothed some of the anxious tightenings around his heart but at the same time, created a pit in his stomach that grew a whole new nervousness that he couldn't yet understand.

"Oh, uh… Yeah."

Intelligent, Klaus. Real smooth.

The man smiled a bit at this, like he already admired something about Klaus. Number Four couldn't possibly guess what there was to admire about him yet- so far, he was just the out-of-place, confused, slightly horrified guy who materialized out of nowhere.

The guy's smile was one of those ones that was infectious though, and by some miracle, Klaus found himself lightly chuckling too. Maybe it was just the absurdity of it all finally catching up to him.

"Yeah, shit's crazy I know."

It was a simple enough phrase, but it hit some kind of cord within Klaus. It was crazy and Klaus was beginning to think he was the only one here who thought it was crazy… and terrifying, and loud, and chaotic even for someone like Klaus who practically lived for chaos.

"Yeah." Was all he could manage to gratefully choke out.

"You'll adjust."

He wasn't saying much, but it was more than enough. Besides, his eyes did most of the communication anyway. They made it feel like Klaus's insides were melting just a bit… or maybe that was the pill he took earlier.

"I'm Dave."

Dave.

"Klaus."

They shook hands, eyes still locked. Klaus noted that his skin felt softer than he would've expected from someone who must've been soldiering for quite a while.

Klaus, this is a war for fuck's sake. Inappropriate time to be making googly eyes.

His Ben-side of his brain reprimanded. The Klaus-side told him that he had just been through a clusterfuck of shit and he deserved to at least allow himself to enjoy the sight of a hot guy, even if it was 1968 and he wasn't planning on sticking around to let anything happen… as if it even would. For now, he was just hella appreciative of "Dave's" outreach in comfort.

When Dave pulled his hand back, Klaus felt his chest fall a bit. Once again, he was alone in all of this. The moment shared with Dave was nice, but Klaus reminded himself that he didn't even belong here in the first place. Anyone's offer of understanding here could only go so far.

"So what's your schtick, then?" The guy across the aisle from Klaus butted in, eyeing him up. The man wasn't unkind in the slightest- already from his look, Klaus could tell he was a bit goofy… young, too.

"Uh… Late night breakfast foods, molly, live music, nightclubs, walks before dawn…"

"Get a load of this FNG." The guy (more like a boy actually) giggled as if it were hilarious. Klaus was fucking around- he knew that he wasn't asking for his personal hobbies and interests, but the kid laughed harder and more ridiculously than was deserved. It kind of lightened the mood. "Funny guy, huh? What's your war schtick, brother? Standard fire? Close combat? You a sharp shooter?"

Klaus already liked this guy. He could get comfortable easily with someone who didn't take everything so damn seriously. Although, this kid might have been pushing the limits past even Klaus's ability to hide behind jokes and musings. They were being carted off to their possible death and the dude was acting like he was watching stand-up, safe in a dark, sub-par lounge.

"Nah. I'm a lover. Not a fighter." Klaus only half-teased, finding his rhythm and usual fake-confidence again in time to teasingly wink at the placid guy on the other side of "Mr. Giggles". The quiet soldier couldn't help but break into a small smile despite the fact that he looked nervous as hell, rolling his eyes and returning to gloomily stare out the window.

A lot of chuckles erupted from around them and Klaus just then realized that more people were listening in on their conversation than he thought. Suddenly he had the whole bus's attention.

Leave it to you to become the center of attention in 0.2 seconds.

I can't help it, Benjamin. I just have magnetism, is all. Don't hate.

Klaus felt a pang in his chest at that memory of him and Ben.

"So, what? They send us some kind of dove?" A voice came from near the front of the bus. Klaus glanced down to see a scowling man poking out into the aisle, his eyes narrowed cruelly and suspiciously.

Klaus stared right back. He didn't like the vibe that this chump gave out. He didn't even know what that meant exactly, although he could use association clues- Dove? Like as in peace? What- like a hippie?

"Shut up, Eugie." A smooth, calm, but authoritative voice said from behind Klaus. Dave, again.

And this… "Eugie" actually shut up. Klaus saw, and was impressed by the fact, that Dave held some kind of respect amongst everyone there. He wasn't an officer of any sort (not that Klaus would know how to tell that about anyone) but when he spoke, everyone seemed to instantly listen.

"He's not some dove. You're not a dove, right Klaus?"

Klaus didn't look back at Dave. In fact, his eyes never left Eugie's. The man looked murderous already, and Klaus barely just met him.

…And 0.4 seconds to make an enemy. Ben would always say. Even amidst a foreign war in a time in which he didn't belong, Klaus still could never keep his mouth shut once it got going.

"Always been more of a Kakapo, myself." Klaus joked, but it really wasn't a joke. Although those not paying attention chuckled again and broke out into other conversation, Klaus said it more as a challenge. He said it while staring straight into lil' Eugie's eyes with a cocky narrow of his own eyes and suddenly, there was fire in this man's irises. They sat like that in their own moment for a while, Eugie glaring and Klaus who still wore his smart-ass half-smirk.

Enemy made. Too bad for Eugie that Klaus wouldn't be around long enough to hash it out with.

"Nah… He's gonna take out some Charlies today." Giggles said, shaking Klaus's shoulder and jostling him back to their lighter conversation.

"Charlie, who?

Giggles outright barked in laughter at that, slapping his knee and everything. Klaus didn't see what was so funny about that but he nervously laughed to do the only thing he could think to control at this moment- fit in.

"Heh…"

"You're bold for an FNG."

"Heh, heh… Yeah…"

What the fuck's this "FNG" thing?

"Hey! Want to hold my M79? You a grenade man?"

"No, not especially." Klaus cleared his throat, nervously looking down at the huge piece of fireing equipment in Giggles' hand. He flinched away when he offered it to him. If there's one thing Klaus knew about firearms, it was that he was plenty destructive without them as it was.

"You comin' from basic? Right outta boot?"

Boot? What's boot? Basic?

"…Yyyyyyeaaaaaahhh…" Klaus said, more as a question than a confident answer.

"Man… They're getting desperate, sending us all these cherries, man. No wonder we be sending home more bags than bodies lately." A gruff, solemn voice from in front of Klaus sounded. Klaus peaked around the seat to see a man with a dark disposition. He didn't meet Klaus's curious eyes but instead kept his own out his window.

"Don't worry, you've got a good 50-50 chance, Boots." Giggles told him, .

Boots? Is he, Klaus, "Boots" now?

"At what?"

"Surviving."

Everyone laughs at the same capacity as if he just made a knock-knock joke. Klaus turned away towards his window and his eyes widened. He shook his head a little in disbelief.

To say the least, Klaus is a little mortified.

Lush mountains surrounded them like a sea of giant green waves. It was gorgeous… Nothing like Klaus had ever seen before.

"Don't listen to Teddy." Ah... so "Giggles" was actually named "Teddy". "I'll watch your back out there, you watch mine, yeah?" Dave's voice rose above miscellaneous murmurs, pulling Klaus back into the bus. He turned to meet those soft eyes again, noticing how goosebumps erupted on his flesh whenever Dave spoke up.

Must've just been a weird coincidence.

"Yeah, you'll be alright with Dave. Crazy fucker actually signed up to be here. Can you believe that?" Teddy asked, sharing a smile with Dave that told Klaus they had some friendly history together. He imagined fighting for your life side by side would speed up the path to companionship quite a bit around here.

Maybe he and Dave would become better friends.

Klaus, you dumbass. You don't belong here. You're going home as soon as this bus stops and you can sneak away.

"Though, I don't know. Might be dangerous standing 'round a guy like that. Maybe he has some kind of death wish, askin' to be here. Pfft. Crazy fucker." Teddy reiterated, earning a shove to his helmet from Dave who shook his head and smiled. "What about you, Boots? You here on your own? Got some kind of death wish?"

"Well I've died before and it wasn't all that bad." Klaus announced as casually as announcing the weather. He gave a short shrug. He heard someone mutter "Heavy..." near the back of the bus in awe. "But, no. I didn't sign up, really. I'm not supposed to be here."

"Hahaha!" Teddy giggled with that hilarious-in-itself chortle. "None of us are, Boots."

Yeah, but me especially. Klaus thought rather glumly. And he guessed he was "Boots" now.

The bus lurched to a stop.

"Sorry. Hope you weren't too attached to "Klaus"." Dave referred to his new nickname, slapping a hand on Klaus's shoulder before exiting the bus with everyone else. Klaus himself stayed put for a just a bit, his heart rate picking up once again as he formed a half-fleshed-plan in his head.

Get out last, sneak off into the dense forestry, set the briefcase back to his home date and coordinates and get the hell out of here.

As soon as he went to reach down for the briefcase though, a shadow fell over him. Klaus instinctively snapped his gaze upwards to come face to face with the Lieutenant.

Fan-fucking-tastic.

"There a reason you're dawdling, son?"

Son? Klaus swore, he had to be older than this dick. He may have been bigger in muscle and mass, but underneath it all, his face was that of someone that was, if anything, the same age as he was.

"Uh-"

"What's that!?" He so rudely interrupted. Klaus's mouth moved in defense before his brain.

"I said, uh. Sir." He spat sarcastically.

Klaus! Shut up. Shut up. Shut up. Shut up.

The Lieutenant froze, his eyes growing ever so slightly bigger. His muscles bulged and his frame overall tensed. For a split second, Klaus wasn't all too convinced that he wasn't about to yank the barrel of his gun down and unload straight into his face.

"Klaus?" A familiar voice called. His body recognized it before his mind did, his own muscles relaxing at the sound of it. "You coming?" Klaus glanced over the seat in front of him and saw Dave peaking in from the front of the bus. He wasn't looking back at Klaus though. He was staring at the Lieutenant with a tight expression. His eyes were nowhere near the same as they were when they looked at Klaus earlier- they were hard and accusing- like Dave knew the Lieutenant's intentions in harassing the newcomer.

"Excuse moi." Klaus chirped in a theatrical voice as if he didn't recognize the tension of the situation whatsoever. He stood (begrudgingly without the briefcase) and brushed past the muscle-statue of a man and towards Dave.

Speaking of which, he was going to have to keep a list of how many times he owed this guy at this point. First, Dave saved him from the brink of completely cracking up amidst all the hullaballoo, and now he was saving him from his own damn mouth.

"Listen," Dave said as soon as Klaus stepped out into the annoying, blinding sun. He could do without this heat. You spend two seconds outside and you were already drenched in sweat. The bugs were a pain in the ass too. Swarms of little gnat-like insects polluted the air in places you wouldn't notice until you walked right through them.

At least the scenery was nice. The palms… the mountains… the vines… Like something out of a photograph or a movie.

"Hey! Klaus!" Dave waved his hand in front of Number Four's face. Klaus blinked.

"Oh. Sorry, I get distracted."

Dave looked at him with a curious smile, like he had pressing questions about Klaus's odd personality but thought better of asking them right now.

"I was saying that I can only help you out so much, get it? That mouth of yours-"

"-will get me into trouble. I know, I know. I'm constantly fighting a different war against this thing-" Klaus motioned to his mouth for emphasis. "-and it's always winning. Can't help it."

Dave chuckled as they walked side by side, falling into step behind a traveling line of soldiers that made their way through a dense, overgrown field. Klaus wouldn't know until later, but everyone except him would be frozen stiff with buried fear throughout the whole walk. Apparently, you never knew where mines were hidden at any given point at any given place. Every step each of them took could've been their last and everyone knew it- everyone but Klaus who practically skipped along, blissfully ignorant.

"Well don't get mixed up with Mads. He's just a bully who was given too much power for his and everybody else's good. If he gives you any trouble let me know."

"No offense, but if he's the Lieutenant than what are you really able to do about it?"

Klaus kicked himself for how that came out.

"N- not that I doubt your or- or I know anything about this stuff yet, but… I mean, I wouldn't want to drag you down with my-"

"It's okay, Klaus. I get what you mean."

Damn mouth again.

"And I wouldn't just do nothing at least. I've been out here too long to take any shake'n'bake's BS." Dave finished while simultaneously gripping Klaus's cargo vest and yanking him in towards his body just in time to save the newly famed "Boots" from stepping into a deep hole dug into the Earth. Dave nonchalantly let go as if he barely noticed that he just saved his ass again- as if it were just a natural thing by this point already.

Klaus was too distracted by what Dave just said to really pay mind to the maneuver himself… Speaking of which… What the fuck did he just say?

"Do you guys ever speak… You know, English around here?"

Another smile cracked.

"Shake'n'bake: A kid who attended NCO school and earned rank after a very short time in uniform."

"Ah."

Klaus pretended to understand. He was once again distracted though, and this time not by the scenery.

Man, this guy is even more gorgeous when he smirks like that-

NO! Shut up, Klaus. You're leaving soon.

That's what he honestly thought, too. Sure, having to leave the briefcase in the bus after falling under the watchful eye of Lieutenant "Mads" was kind of an annoying set-back, but Klaus promised to have Dave's back on this operation anyway, and he really didn't want to break that promise... as if Klaus could be really any help at all, but still.

After Klaus (hopefully) survived this mission or whatever this was, he'd make it back to the bus where the briefcase would be waiting and he'd return to 2019, marking this off as just one of the weirdest days he's ever had.

He was Klaus Hargreeves though. How stupid of him to assume that anything would be that easy.

"Mmm mmm mmm..."

Klaus looked over at Dave who stared at the back of Teddy's helmet. Teddy turned back as they walked, shaking his head with a giant smile on his face. Dave returned the smile and continued to hum some song that seemed frustratingly familiar to Klaus.

"Don't you start, Katz." Teddy mused.

"Is it stay, is it go?" Dave mutter-sang under his breath, pretending not to hear Teddy. It was obvious that he did though, especially with that mischevious glimmer in his eye. Klaus looked between the two, obviously missing out on some inside joke. "I'm being abused-"

"And I think I should know! Ner, ner, ner, ner..." Teddy picked up the lyrics, singing much more outright and dramatically. He pretended to use his gun like a guitar as he sang the guitar parts. "Dave here is somewhat of an obnoxious musicophile." He then explained to Klaus.

"Melophile!" Someone corrected from the front of the troop.

"Whatever."

Number Four turned to Dave for confirmation. Dave didn't meet his gaze. He was now focusing on their march forward as if he never started this whole thing. It didn't matter though- the rest of the entire group was now carrying on the song, more and more men joining in by the second.

"Come on, baby.

I'm starting to crack.

If you're out to get me..."

"He's got this damn song stuck in our heads since the Bouton Rouge episode in March!" Teddy yelled over the soldiers' out-of-tune melodies. "Always got some song stuck in our heads. This time it's-"

"Yardbirds. It's the Yardbirds, right?" Klaus cut in as soon as his mind connected the dots. Yeah, he knew this song. They were an older band around the time of the Beatles...

Oh, wait. That was now.

He just couldn't remember the song name...

"Mhm." Dave affirmed, smiling kindly at Klaus with a hint of... admiration again? Klaus couldn't tell for sure because he soon turned his eyes forward again, keeping his head down in thought about who-knows-what.

It was Klaus's turn to smile, turning his eyes down as well. Part of him hated himself for being so damn proud for impressing this guy he just met, but the other part of him couldn't focus on one thing for more than a few seconds anyway. All he knew was that he was left with a warm feeling in his chest.

If Klaus had looked up in that moment, he would've caught Teddy looking between the two of them, a suspicious smile of his on spreading across his face.

"Hey! Hey, hey!" The men called out, earning an eye roll from Lieutenant Mads. "I'm dazed and confused..."

Dazed and Confused.

That's what it was- the song. The one that Dave, the apparent music-addict, had forced into the heads of every soldier here.

Dazed and confused... Understatement of the year. Klaus thought.

Chapter Text

Klaus instantly regretted his plan to fulfill his promise to this "Dave Katz" guy. As soon as someone from the front of the troop called out,

"Area's hot! Keep alert!"

, gunfire rained down from the mother flippin' heavens. Everyone was forced down low, crouching behind anything and everything for cover as men positioned their guns at figures hiding in the trees.

Klaus himself was… a little out of his element and a little out of his league here. He wasn't about to shoot anybody for God's sake. When he mused that he was a "lover, not a fighter", that wasn't completely a joke. Klaus was never into violence (at least not in the way that Diego was) unless it was to settle down with a box of popcorn to watch Numbers 1 and 2 fight about something stupid at home. Otherwise, when they went out on missions as kids, he left all the physical force to his siblings. His power was more of the non-violent type anyway. Not to say that he wasn't trained like his siblings were- he knew how to take someone out more than the average person, but he just chose not to use that knowledge.

In this situation, rather than pretending to know how to aim this hunk of metal in his hands and shoot blindly into the forest, Klaus inched away for a half of a moment to shoot a pill down his throat because this shit was just too wild to deal with without a little more "enhancement".

As soon as he inched back into the area deemed "hot", something was being shoved into his hands as his head began to buzz with a blissful blanket of fuzz.

"Here we go, Boots. Take it away." Someone was calling over the ruckus to him. Klaus couldn't really find words to respond, so he just hummed questioningly, looking down at the heavy little object that felt strange in his hands.

What is this little guy…

"GRENADE! INCOMING!" Someone else screamed.

Grenade? Where?

Klaus looked down in his hands again.

OH.

A yelp escaped from his lips as Klaus tossed the grenade as far away from himself as he could, not caring in the moment if it was even remotely in the right direction. He only noticed right afterwards that Dave, Teddy, and a few others were staring at him small, amused, and somewhat-perplexed smiles on their lips.

"Did you activate it?" Teddy asked with a teasing grin on his face while simultaneously taking a few shots with his gun in between as if it was as easy and casual as tying his shoes. "'Cause ya know, Boots, you gotta-"

BOOM.

An impact that could've shaken Hell itself rippled through the mountains. Klaus stumbled but somehow managed to remain standing as a yellow light bathed the area in what was basically a split second of a blinding headache. Others that were nearer to the explosion weren't quite as lucky, but they were only blown back onto their asses, unharmed. Still, they looked back towards where the grenade was thrown from (i.e. Klaus) with dirty looks.

"Whoopsie Daisy." Klaus mumbled to himself, wondering if the fact that he was amused by this was fucked up but not really caring in his happy little buzzy world. He stumbled to make his way closer to his new friends, realizing that there were bullets flying around him in all directions that very well could've each decided his last breath. The pill dissolving into his bloodstream told him that he didn't really care though.

He was aware of Dave watching him with a small, curious smirk like he couldn't believe Klaus was a real human who acted like this in the middle of a war. Klaus was used to that look of disbelief whether it be people watching him argue with an invisible Ben in public or a whole Sunday school class and teacher finding him unconscious and half naked in the church yard after an intense bender the previous night.

It was all the same look- the 'who the fuck is this guy and what planet is he from' look, but at least Dave's wasn't unkind. It was amused and questioning if anything.

"Maybe next time not so close to our own guys, yeah?" Teddy giggled, ducking down to dodge some angry bullets mid-sentence.

"At least he took out the bunker."

Klaus dropped down behind the shrubbery that Teddy and Dave were shooting from, back facing the fighting.

"…he took out the bunker…" So… was it just a bunker full of supplies or did he just blow up, you know… people? Klaus didn't mean to. It was an accident. For a second, the image of burning human bodies flashed across his mind.

"Christ on a fucking cracker." Klaus muttered, squeezing his eyes shut.

Get out of there! He tried to shoo the imagery out of his mind. He didn't know for sure that there were people over there, right? It's fine. He's fine. He's-

"Okay. Let's sweep and wrap it. Saddle up boys."

Only then did Klaus realize that the shooting had stopped and people were starting to stand. A hand was reaching down towards him, that hand being attached to Dave Katz who stared at Klaus.

"You good?"

"Mhm."

"Kinda getting thrown right into the heat of things, yeah?"

"Mm." Klaus mumbled in response, taking his hand and tentatively standing against the churning in his stomach. All of the sudden, Klaus was wishing that he didn't take that extra pill. Everything around him was already starting to spin from slight panic- he didn't need the added dizziness from the drugs.

"Although you took out a whole bunker full of supplies on your first run. Not bad for a cherry." Dave teased, elbowing him gently. Klaus faked a small smile, and hung onto those words…

"So like… Food and ammo and shit, right? Not like…"

"People? Nah, Sarge reported that it was clear of VC as soon as we arrived and they started shooting. But you know, if you're not in the business of killing people, you might be in the wrong place."

"That's all I'm sayin'." Klaus threw up his arms. Teddy came around to Klaus's other side.

"On the bright side, you only got 12 more months until you finish up your tour, rookie." He laughed with that same dark humor that wasn't all that humorous to Klaus at the moment. Truly, he could disassociate from what everyone told him to a degree. He didn't have 12 months left here, he had zero. They were all making their way back to the briefcase at this very instant, and the soonest chance he could take, he'd grab that fucker and flash back from where he came from so to never think of burning bodies and war ever again- at least not from the perspective of actually being in one.

"Shit…" He heard Dave mutter beside him, and it seemed to Klaus that if Dave was taken aback by something, then it probably wasn't good.

And it wasn't. It was the furthest fucking thing from "good" that anything could be.

"What the fuck?" An older man at the head of their small pack voiced as they approached another troop gathered around the buses… or what was left of the buses. Klaus's heart clenched to the size of a pea seeing the awful sight of the barely-remaining metal frame of the old bus he just rode here in… and left his briefcase on.

"Charlies out the South- We weren't expecting anything below our mark, but apparently they've got shit all South of-"

Klaus tuned out the rest, because everyone's conversations just jumbled together in one loud, monotonous hum. It was the comfortable hum of detachment that drugs gave him through- it was an anxious, you're-going-to-die-because-you-followed-a-hot-guy-into-battle kind of hum. An impending doom kind of hum.

Klaus stumbled past Dave, not hearing his protests or feeling his hand on his bicep. He saw the bus and only the bus, making his way through a crowd of 50-some soldiers to get a full view.

There was no way though- no way that the briefcase was still there. The shambles that were left of the large vehicle were burnt to a crisp and eaten away enough to see what was left of the sad interior of the bus.

No briefcase… no briefcase in sight.

"Klaus! Klaus, hey. Klaus? You good?" Is what he would've heard if Klaus was even remotely listening to Dave's calls for him. Too many thoughts were banging against the inside walls of his own head though…

You did it this time. You'll die here. Your family will never know what happened. Ben will go who-knows-where. He'll think you abandoned him. They'll all think you abandoned them. You did abandon them, your life, your TIME-

And then suddenly… a glimmer of hope in the shape of a sickly skinny, Vietnamese boy of about 10 ran across the tree line in Klaus's peripheral field of vision. His head immediately snapped towards the kid who no one else seemed to notice.

It wasn't the kid he was concerned about- it was what the kid was holding.

Holy guaca-fucking-mole…

The briefcase.

Klaus didn't think, he only acted (per usual) in a hasty movement to drop his gun and take off towards the one thing that could get him the hell out of this place. He didn't pay mind to the shouts behind him, telling him to stop or announcing that others now saw the rogue Vietnamese boy on the run. He didn't hear his name called out or the single pair of footsteps that followed close behind him through that dense field that was no doubt full of mines.

Klaus didn't pay attention to any of that, but it was there, fading in the distance as he isolated himself from the troops more and more until he was submerged in the jungle, dodging those looming trees and scraggly brush that seemed to promise that you'd never leave here alive.

The boy maneuvered through the forest much easier than Klaus could, no doubt used to the terrain. Klaus managed to keep up though, his mind racing just as fast as his feet were. He watched out from winding roots the best he could- one trip up could mean the briefcase being lost forever.

The kid suddenly whipped around and Klaus noticed for the first time what was grasped in his other hand- a gun. A large gun.

Why was the CHILD holding a gun?

And now SHOOTING it at him?

Klaus yelped and ducked behind a tree, slamming into the trunk from the momentum of his run. The kid screamed animalistically (and maybe with a little fear too) as he unleashed bullet after bullet, not really aiming but still managing to keep Klaus at a distance.

"WOAH, WOAH, WOAH!" Klaus shrieked in defense, pulling his arms in close to his body to fit behind that tree. "Briefcase! I just want the-"

BAM. BAM. BAM.

"Shit!" Klaus repositioned himself behind the tree as more shots were fired. They faded out and were replaced with dashing footsteps. Klaus sprinted out from his place of cover and resumed the chase, but now he was falling behind.

Little speedy fucker.

"Klaus!"

This time, Klaus did hear his name called from a surprise stowaway that had followed him- Dave.

At the same moment, the little thief turned and tried to take another shot at Klaus. A hand grabbed the back of Klaus's vest and yanked him away from the line of fire, his body ramming into Dave's as he saved his ass for the third-or-so time that day. The gun went off and bark exploded off of a tree behind them- a tree that very well could've been Klaus if he hadn't been ripped out of the way.

"This kid is-"

Another pull of the trigger, but this time, the child was out of ammo. The gun just clicked uselessly from fifteen feet away. The kid yelled something, no doubt in Vietnamese, and then chucked the gun at Klaus and Dave with all of his might before taking off and disappearing into the trees. The gun clacked to the ground only a couple feet from where Klaus stood.

He went to leap over it, set on catching that briefcase even though his rational mind told him that it was too late, but the hand on the collar of his vest was still adamant in holding him back. In fact, Klaus tried to launch forward so fast that his vest choked him hard, cutting off his air and leaving him coughing and grappling for air.

Dave let go to allow Klaus to double over, rubbing his neck.

"I have to-" Klaus choked out, trying again to take a step towards where the boy disappeared into the forestry. The back of his vest was grabbed again, this time in the middle of his back so that the pullback was a lot more comfortable but still just as effective.

"Klaus, stop! It's just a kid now, but he's no doubt running back to his NVA friends and then what? You get shot down on the spot. What the fuck is-"

"You don't understand."

"What?"

"You don't-" Klaus went to harshly repeat but the itch in his throat returned and he coughed against the injury caused by his own clothing collar. He tried again. "I can't- I can't… Oh my fuck…" He whispered, no longer talking to Dave. His voice got high and panicked as his heart slammed in his chest.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck…" He muttered his thoughts out loud, wild with adrenaline and pure fear.

"Klaus, I know you're new and all, but you cannot just book it into VC territory without-"

"It doesn't matter! Nothing fucking matters if- if- if- holy SHIT!" Klaus laughed in disbelief, turning up to the sky as if he was asking it why the world was so intent in torturing him so creatively. "I really did it this time. I really, really did it this time." Klaus was full out laughing now, which turned into a loud groan as he covered his face and bent over, suddenly feeling like he might puke up… air? When was the last time he ate? "Ben would have a field day with the comments."

"Are you bugging out on me?" Dave asked, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Who's Ben?"

"That doesn't matter either!" Klaus called out into the forest, ripping away from Dave into a frenzied pace. He'd admit- he was easily shoving Dave to the side based on the fact that he still felt as if nothing he did here in 1968 mattered because he'd just go back to where he belonged anyway. Now though… Now Klaus might want to start actually behaving like his actions mattered here because it was seeming more and more like he wasn't leaving anytime soon… or at all.

"Klaus, shut-"

"Because I'll never see him again. Civil rights… Star Wars… Chris Hemsworth… Fucking… I don't know, Reese's Pieces… Never see shit again, holy fuck. HOLY-"

"Klaus! Shut up!"

"BEYONCE!"

"Klaus!"

"No… No, Beyonce will always be with me."

"What are you even-"

Klaus was hyperventilating at this point. All he could really coherently form a thought around was how badly he wanted Ben right now. Random other thoughts that yanked his brain left and right escaped his lips faster than he could stop them.

"War. War. I'm the least equipped for war. Me? Pfft. Fight a war. All, yes sir, no sir, bullshit. Vietnam War, no less. A moral clusterfuck is what this all is, just FUCK."

"Alright. Here we go."

Hands enclosed Klaus's wrists. If they weren't so shockingly steady and soft, he probably would've ignored it, but the contact put a small hitch in his panic attack. Klaus took a stuttering breath in, feeling like as hard as he tried, he got no air.

"Hey. Eyes on me."

Eyes on Dave.

"You're not helping anyone with this shit, okay? Especially not yourself."

Klaus didn't really hear what Dave was saying, but he was suddenly entranced by his eyes. There was so much to them- something that made Klaus just freeze up and melt all at the same time. He dropped the panicking and went straight into a daze, his ears just hearing thick mumbling coming from Dave's mouth.

"I know this war thing is a shitstorm, but I got you, Man. You gotta trust the platoon. You gotta trust me. You do that, you'll be fine. Can you do that? Do you trust me?"

Klaus nodded.

"You can bug out later all you want, just give a few minutes to do exactly what I say. Can you do that?"

Klaus blinked.

"Klaus!"

"Yes. Yeah, fine. Sorry."

"There are VC inbound towards us right now. Can you hear them?"

"N- No."

"Well, I can. They're coming, there are only two of us so that means we gotta get moving right now. Take a few breaths…"

Klaus did as he was told, still looking straight into Dave's eyes.

"Right, okay. Follow me. Know how to use an AK-47?"

"Only if you're referring to the kind of dope."

Dave picked up the boy's gun that he had thrown and shoved it into Klaus's hands.

"Just hold it for now. And take this." Dave fished in his pocket for a handful of ammo. Klaus swallowed thickly and took it in his hand, just staring at it. "C'mon."

Klaus stuffed the ammo in his pocket and followed. After all, Dave came for him- some guy he just met. There was no reason he should feel obligated to risk anything for Klaus and yet he did. The least Klaus could do was give himself a mental slap and get in gear.

They traveled at a fast pace through the forest, the sun beating painfully overhead. Klaus stayed as close as he could to Dave's back, not caring if he bumped into him often. The drugs were throwing him off even more than his mind was already doing- every sound paranoid the shit out of him.

"Damn." Dave whispered, stopping fully so that Klaus lightly ran into his shoulder. He didn't care. He stayed there, pressed up against Dave feeling a little vulnerable at the moment.

"What? What?"

Dave looked to the left. Klaus suddenly heard what he was talking about. A low, rhythmic sound… like marching. Like soldiers, trudging along the jungle floor right towards them- and they weren't their guys, Klaus knew.

Dave looked to the right. So did Klaus. Shadows, through the trees… lots of them.

They were fucked… and it was Klaus's fault.

"Shit, shit, shit…" Dave muttered again, putting an arm back to, no doubt, to start pushing Klaus back to where they were walking from. Klaus was already gone though. Dave's arm was met with empty air, his face twisting in frightened confusion as he whipped around.

"Klaus!" He whisper-yelled, frustrated. "Klaus, are you kidding me-"

"Over here." Klaus whispered back from across the clearing. Dave locked eyes with him, noticing the hole in the ground by his feet just a moment later. Klaus had noticed it, recognizing the hatch to be like the one he threw a grenade near earlier: a bunker.

"Any Charlies down there?"

"I don't know! You want me to do everything Katz? Yeesh. Pull some weight." Klaus joked, jumping down into the packed-dirt pit.

"Glad you're feeling better." He heard Dave mutter from above. Soon, he dropped down right behind him. "Lead the way then. This is your show now."

Klaus scoffed with a breathy chuckle.

"You're gonna regret that." He sighed, picking one of many passageways to walk down, listening as hard as he could for any signs that they may run into their own deaths. His death he was fine with… comfortable with even. Especially now that he was stuck here in this time, totally alone.

If Dave died trying to save Klaus though… He'd need a whole lotta drugs to attempt to mask that guilt for the rest of his life.

"What's so damn important about that briefcase anyway? It can't possibly be worth risking your life over." Dave began a long stream of whisper-bickering as they carefully made their way through the too-short hallways, keeping low and keeping quiet as footsteps closed in from above.

"That briefcase is my life."

"You're a tad dramatic, you know?"

"I can't explain it. I just know I'm fucked without it."

"Well now we're both fucked."

"Dave- I appreciate that you came after me, but no one said you had to."

"Is that your weird, two-sided way of saying sort-of-thank-you?"

"All I'm saying is you probably don't want to follow me around or… you know, try to save me or anything. In fact, you should probably keep your distance. I have a tendency to… bring about chaos and destruction. And that's putting it tenderly."

"Yeah, I got that. In the few hours I've known you, I don't think anyone has stressed and confused me more."

Klaus chuckled but felt an unwanted pang somewhere deep in his chest. It was so odd… normally he didn't give a flying fadoodle about the opinions people had of him- especially if he just met them.

But something deep within him wanted so badly to be on Dave's good side. Part of him kind of was disgusted with himself.

"But…" Dave continued. "I think I can decide what I want and don't want to do on my own, thanks though."

The annoying pain in Klaus's chest dissipated when he glanced back to see Dave's smirk. He couldn't help as a small smile spread on his own lips. He quickly turned away, hoping he wasn't outwardly showing how repulsively shy he was feeling inside.

"Wait." Dave tugged back on Klaus's arm. He nodded towards a clove at the end of a dark passageway that seemed like it was about to be a hallway to something but never was finished. At the same moment, Klaus heard the sound of people (no doubt, "Charlies") jumping down into the bunker. Before he could even feel fear, Dave was brushing past Klaus and grabbing his wrist, dragging him towards that shadowed nook in the earth. Dave backed into it first, checking his gun for ammo once he was pressed up against the wall. Klaus watched him.

"C'mon." Dave whispered once he realized that Klaus didn't follow him. There was just enough room in the nook for Klaus to stand right in front of him.

"Oooooh, Daviiiiid. We just met!" Klaus teased as if this was all some big scandalous pursuit. Dave rolled his eyes and grabbed Klaus's vest for what felt like the billionth time that day, yanking him against his chest so that Klaus's back was to Dave, just barely hidden by the wall projection to their right.

Klaus had no quips now. All the sudden, the breath escaped his body and his mind seemed to go into temporary, inexplicable shock. It was all just purely from being so close against Dave like this- Klaus didn't want to be affected so much, but wow this guy's chest was firm against his shoulder blades and his breath on the back of Klaus's neck was warm and steady and…

"So why are you helping me exactly?" Klaus whispered, trying to distract himself before he passed the threshold of just simply enjoying the close contact to being turned on in the middle of the fucking Vietnam War. Sometimes his body had just as few limits as his mind.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean… What do you mean, what do I mean? Why?"

"Guess I'm just selfless like that." Dave teased. Klaus smirked and shook his head.

"Fine, don't tell me."

Footsteps came down the hallway but faded as the owner of said steps turned down a different way. Klaus pushed himself further back into Dave, feeling the heat radiating off the surface of his skin.

"I guess you just seem like you could use all the help you can get."

Klaus broke into a full smile and looked up at the ceiling. As he did, his head accidentally rested against Dave's shoulder.

Whoops. Oh well. Klaus decided to be unapologetic about it.

Anyway… For someone who seemed so often deep in thought and calmly put together, Dave could also be a teasing little bitch sometimes from what Klaus could tell. He appreciated that.

"Yeah. I guess you're right." Klaus answered, pulling his head back up but keeping his proximity to Dave.

"I mean I'd bet money that you've never touched an M-16. You certainly haven't shot it since I've met you. You seem to have almost zero regard for your life or safety. You're obvious problems with authority that are clearly deep-rooted in something aren't going to help much-"

In a sudden need to chip in, Klaus forgot that he was supposed to be quiet in order to avoid certain death. His voice rose above whisper before he could stop himself.

"Okay, yeah. Fuck authority. So I may have some Daddy issues. You really wanna open that can of worms-"

"Shh!"

Dave's arm was around Klaus before he knew what was happening, a hand suddenly against his never-ceasing mouth. Klaus shut up immediately.

Whoops.

Footsteps clambered down towards them. Shouts in foreign language rang through bunker.

"Damnit. You better be ready to use that thing." Dave said, most definitely referring to the gun in Klaus's hands. The "AK-47" he called it.

"Mm-mm." Klaus shook his head no, even in Dave's grasp.

"Klaus…" He warned.

"Mm. Mm." He more forcefully denied that request. He was not using this thing today, no sir.

"You're unreal, you know that?"

Klaus couldn't respond because at that point, the shouts and footsteps were nearly on top of them. One more sound and the jig would be up- he may indeed have to use this gun to kill people if he and Dave wanted to live to see tomorrow.

And then they passed. They all just fucking, gloriously passed by where Klaus and Dave were tucked away. Thank God for this little nook they shimmied in.

In fact, it seemed to Klaus that they weren't even all riled up because they had heard him- they were all filing out of the bunker at a frantic speed by the sound of it, off to wreak havoc somewhere else he supposed.

"Shit. Wonder where they're going." Dave muttered from behind him.

"Mm-mm-mm!"

"Oh, sorry."

Dave pulled his hand away from Klaus's mouth, retracting his arm from around his chest. Klaus couldn't help but feel a deep disappointment for the loss.

War is hardly a place to be catchin' feels, buddy. Klaus told himself. Another part of him knew that it was already too late.

"I said, as long as it's not here."

He stepped out into the passageway again, wishing he could just hide in that tiny space with Dave for the remainder of the war.

Dave stepped out too.

"I'm just worried that-"

"You always seem worried. Relaaaax, man." Klaus gave his best stereotypical hippie impression, amused by the fact that this was actually the period of time where the impression wasn't out of place.

"I'm sorry. Was I the one just hyperventilating over a piece of luggage?"

"Fuck you." Klaus joked. "Now c'mon! Jesus, Katz. Get a move on. You wanna sit here and chat all day? Charlie's are about." He said the last part with a snort of laughter, as if the whole thing was a joke. Maybe it still partially was and part of him still held onto the hope that he'd be returning home soon, even if the larger part of him knew it was impossible.

Once they were outside in the fresh, muggy, hot air, Klaus knew something was wrong. The area around them was eerily quiet, punctuated only by distant mumblings and rustling.

"Are they-"

"Headed for the rest of the troops. By the buses." Dave finished, frantically.

"Well, fuck." Klaus exclaimed. "Uh… Here."

He swooped down and disconnected a grenade that was latched onto Dave's pants.

"Wait- I-"

Klaus flipped the little activation switch and dropped it in the hole.

"We should run."

Dave sighed and grabbed Klaus's bicep, pulling him into step with him. They sprinted away from the bunker sight, anxiously awaiting the impact.

"Was that really-"

BOOM.

Dave and Klaus were knocked straight off their feet. Klaus grunted as he hit the hard ground, rolling onto his back as pain flared up in his shoulder.

"Damnit." He muttered, pushing himself up with one arm. Dave did the same beside him, shaking his head in disbelief at Klaus.

"You're something else, man."

"Uh… Blowing a bunker and warning our buddies over there? Brilliant is what I am, thanks much." Klaus chirped, jumping to his feet and pulling Dave with him.

"Oh, so now you're a war hero, huh?"

Klaus snorted and shrugged a shoulder.

"Well, if you insist so." He teased.

A bunch of stuff ensued after that. Lots of shooting, holding the Viet Cong back from their little bus-wreck area, clearing surrounding areas of other VC stations. As the Lieutenant said,

"These commies got this whole damned area fucked to hell."

, which Klaus translated to 'there are a lot more North Vietnamese in this region than we thought".

Their specific area finally calmed down for the evening though… and right then was when Klaus was chewed out.

It started with Lieutenant Mads who screamed until his head looked similar to the color of Alison's favorite red dress. It was quite funny actually. Klaus had to try everything in his power not to just burst out laughing right in his face.

I mean, really… What's the point in yelling at someone if no one can tell what the fuck you're saying? He said in his head, grateful that his comments didn't make it all the way to his mouth this time. It helped that Dave stood behind the Lieutenant the whole time, raising his eyebrows warningly at Klaus every time he was about to open his mouth.

"Hey! What's all this about?" An older soldier that Klaus recognized from before made his way over, his face scrunched in question.

"Got a fucking cherry tryin' to be his own goddamn vigilante over here. He fucking booked it-"

"Yeah. I saw."

"So, what? Is he your guy?"

Klaus looked into the man's eyes. He scanned him as if contemplating whether to save him from further fury or throw him to the dogs. Then… the man looked at Dave. The look said, 'really?'. Dave's said, 'really.'

Was Klaus missing something here?

"Yeah. He's mine. I'll handle it from here, Maddison." The guy finally voiced. Klaus wasn't sure whether to be relieved or terrified.

"You fuckin' better. The minute we have FNGs flying around like they fuckin' own the place is the moment we're all fucked to shit, understand?"

Klaus couldn't help a giggle from escaping. Fuck, fuck, fuck... Everyone's vocabulary was centered around the word here. It was like a ten-year-old boy who just learned that he could say the word without burning up and being sent straight to hell.

Mads looked at Klaus. He instantly quieted. The mystery man pressed his lips into a thin line and nodded, ignoring Klaus's intrusion in the conversation.

"Yeah. I get it."

The Lieutenant shoved the man aside, giving Klaus and Dave one last piercing look before going over to scream at someone else no doubt. Klaus watched him go, finally letting a smirk climb onto his face.

"Dave, did you see the way that vein-"

"Hey!" Mystery man cut him off, pulling his focus away from Dave. Oh great. Now this guy was going to tear him a new one too? "You this Boots I've been hearing about?"

"Uh. Well, actually it's-"

"I don't know where the hell you came from or why no one tells me shit anymore. I mean, fuck. They're just throwing fucking new guys at me like goddamn hot potatoes. But listen to me- this doesn't happen again, okay?"

There was something about this guy that was different from Mads. He was obviously coming from some position of power, but Klaus didn't get the sense that he abused it like the LT did. This guy seemed to have earned it… and by that notion, Klaus had just a tad more respect for him. Maybe it was also the fact that he was talking to him like a real human being.

"You're part of this platoon now, so act like it. I can't have you compromising all of my other guys' lives because you get antsy and feel the need to go solo. Yeah?"

Klaus cleared his throat and nodded.

"You got lucky by takin' out two bunkers today. Don't let it get to your head. We work together. None of this hero shit."

Klaus turned eyes to Dave again. Dave just gave him a slow nod, telling him that he better be listening.

"Get me?"

"Y- yeah. Got it."

"Good. Sergeant Bates. Welcome to the squad. Don't get yourself killed."

He shook Klaus's hand and immediately turned his attention to something else. Oh… So this was the "Sarge" that Dave had mentioned earlier.

He seemed alright.

When Klaus looked for Dave again, he was gone. In fact, he didn't talk to Dave for the rest of the evening that was, thankfully, quite quiet compared to his first few hours in this place. The downer was that they couldn't go back to the base yet. "Too many VC afoot" was the problem according to Sarge. They couldn't let them travel any further South so they'd stake out all night and move Northwest in the morning.

Fantastic.

Could he go home now?

There weren't sleeping bags. There wasn't any shelter. There were only the bus carcasses to use as a marking point to their little makeshift campout area. Helicopters flew them what men referred to as "C-rations" which really just mean shitty, questionable meat, cornbread, and canned tomatoes.

Klaus didn't care at this point. He'd eat anything.

After that, they settled down to sleep, taking shifts to keep watch. Klaus didn't mind that either. He was exhausted but there was no way he was going to be able to sleep easy tonight. That's why he took first shift… Well… that and he was kind of pressured into it by everyone else for causing such a hullabaloo today.

Not Dave though. Dave still didn't talk much the rest of the evening. The "squad" Klaus seemingly just joined hung out while they ate their food. Teddy asked Klaus how he managed to have the most eventful day he's ever seen for an FNG (which Klaus found out just meant "fucking new guy"… real creative).

Klaus answered with, "Drugs and a little bit of insolence" which everyone found pretty funny even if it was, in fact, the whole truth.

The evening ended with everyone listening to Dave quietly hum another song. Klaus recognized it as "Bus Stop" by the Hollies which Klaus found pretty ironically humorous seeing as they were all camped out in the shadow of their exploded buses. He didn't say so though. It seemed everybody just needed some space right now.

Plus, Dave somehow intimidated him- something that he couldn't say for anyone else on planet Earth. It only took traveling back fifty years to find someone who did so.

Back to that night though, for most of his watch, Klaus sat in the darkness alone, staring at the evil shapes made by the geography's silhouettes. At least the stars were more prominent than he'd ever seen in his life. It was hard to enjoy them when all these thoughts were plaguing his mind though.

Thoughts of home. Thoughts of never returning there. Thoughts of his family. Thoughts of never seeing them again. Thoughts of war. Thoughts of survival, or his small chance of it. Thoughts of a team or "squad" of people that now counted on him to do something he certainly was not made to do.

"Hey."

Klaus jumped at least a foot in the air.

"Christ on a- Fuck, Dave."

"Sorry. I was just gonna say I'll take over. Go get some sleep."

Klaus looked back at the mass of bodies sleeping in the grass. It seemed both taunting and unappealing all at the same time. Sleep would be nice right now- something to put rest to his churning mind. He just didn't particularly like the idea of sleeping in the middle of the muggy jungle.

Don't have much of a choice, now do I?

Klaus sighed tiredly.

"Yeah, okay."

Who the hell just doesn't sleep out here when they get the chance?

Maybe Dave was just better off not asking questions about Klaus anymore. Clearly, questioning anything this guy said or did just birthed a whole new batch of questions, none of them with clear or definitive answers. The more Dave tried to figure him out, the less he felt he knew.

Maybe that's why he was so excited by him- why Dave was so… interested. Intrigued, even. Ever since a flash filled the tent and suddenly there was a mostly-naked guy in the middle of the floor, Dave felt like something was off- about Klaus, about the way he got here, about his shrouded origin.

He was a pain in the ass already, sure. But not in the way that Dave really minded. He liked the adventure that Klaus brought with every breath, even if it was already getting him into trouble. There was something so vivacious about him- something so purely wild and unique and unapologetic… you didn't find that out here in Vietnam. You didn't find that in this world, period.

Dave's always been attracted to things that defied the monotonous, horrible confines of this increasingly fucked up society that was brought about ever since the world was sent into turmoil. If you weren't avidly promoting the war, you were avidly protesting it. Everyone was radically split whether it be with civil rights, the hippie movement, LBJ, MLK…

Klaus didn't seem to fit either mold though. He was his own thing- something that defied all the rules.

Dave could dig that. It was like a much need breath of fresh air. He felt like it may get him into trouble often, but his instincts pushed him towards this mysterious, charming idiot every time he tried to turn away.

There was something else there too- something… dark. There was a more raw, wild side to Klaus that Dave couldn't quite explain, but he could sense it clear as day. He had seen the way people avoid shit-tons of pain with impulse and constant distractions like the jokes Klaus so smoothly rattled off.

He wanted to know everything. He wanted to figure out what the fuck it was that made Klaus that way. It wasn't like Dave didn't have a crapload of baggage himself. Discovering Klaus's though… Well, he had a feeling that he'd get more than what he bargained for.

Of course, with Dave, it was reluctantly a little more than just "intrigue". It's been a while since he's let himself think like this, but he wasn't just attracted to Klaus's wildness. In fact, there was a lot to be attracted to when it came to Klaus.

Really? Now? Bad idea, Katz. Dave consistently had to keep telling himself. If the fact that his last relationship ended in flames wasn't enough to push Dave off the idea of thinking these thoughts, then the promise that war would spare no expense to take bodies should've been. You don't go in all doe-eyed in the middle of a war because… well… that person you're pining over very well might not be a person the next time you turn around. No one was safe here and there was constantly the risk of losing the people you built any type of relationship with.

Dave was even hesitant to get close to people like Teddy and Sarge. At the end of the day though, he gave in, just hoping and hoping that he wouldn't be stabbed in the back for being so foolish to hold onto these friendships.

But look… "Irrational-Dave" came to the front of his mind. Dave did look over to see that after a good while of staring up at the sky from his place among the other soldiers, Klaus had finally drifted. And man, was he pretty fucking adorable when he slept.

…and wasn't talking. Dave thought with a small chuckle. That guy had a mouth on him, that's for sure. He hoped that Vietnam wouldn't break his spirit like every other guy around here. He had a feeling that Klaus might be the only person who it couldn't break.

Klaus stirred in his sleep and for a moment, Dave was actually scared that he could somehow sense how much he was thinking about him. He stilled once again though, his chest rising and falling with each calm breath.

Dave was glad to see him in a state other than the constant stress he had been through that day.

Geez… He just met the guy and already he cared about his happiness. That was a problem. This was no place to fall for someone in such a way.

But maybe Dave didn't care.

Chapter Text

"Oh GOD."

Itchy grass, sticky air, bugs buzzing all around, soldiers packed in the clearing like sardines…

"This wasn't some kind of nightmare? Why does the LAWD keep insisting on constantly fucking me up the ass? uuuUAUAAHHHGGHH."

Chuckles erupted around Klaus in response to his horrified commentary upon waking up to find that Vietnam was not, in fact, a nightmare. For a moment, Klaus wished he had just thrown himself into that bunker yesterday, following right after that M-26 he let off.

"C'mon, Boots." Someone poked him in the side with the butt of their gun and Klaus groaned, rolling to further bury his face in the ground. He heard shuffling around him as everyone else got ready to move out again, but he was having a well-deserved moment- they could goddamn wait.

Klaus took this time to fish around in the front of his vest, his fingers closing around a small baggy with a few pills left. Just the ability to roll those tiny beads between his fingers eased some of the tension in his chest.

It could be worse… He tried to tell himself. If I didn't have these little guys-

"Boots. C'mon. Saddle up."

Klaus sighed and sat up, coming face to face with Sargent Bates who rose an expectant eyebrow at him.

"Sir, yes, sir." Klaus saluted enthusiastically, afterwards erupting into giggles. He shook his head as if he was congratulating himself on some hilarious achievement.

"Now." Sarge ignored him, patiently and devoid of interest. Klaus's smile dropped and he cleared his throat.

"Y- yeah. 'Kay. Got it."

The walk sucked. Klaus wasn't even sure where they were going anymore. West? What's that supposed to mean? Were they looking for something specific or just walking for the hell of it because after 3 hours, he was starting to get a little ornery.

"West isn't a location. It's a fucking direction." Klaus muttered, making Teddy laugh beside him.

"Better get used to the bottom of the totem pole, pal. No one tells us shit."

Klaus thought that his walk might be more enjoyable if he was at least able to bother Dave the whole way there. He enjoyed annoying everyone and anyone he met- Klaus took pride in the fact that he didn't discriminate in that area. He especially liked bugging Dave though.

Maybe it was the way that his smile turned up into one side of his face and his eyes narrowed as if he saw something else past Klaus's quips.

Suspicion. Curiosity. And possibly just a little bit of judgment, but Klaus got the sense that it wasn't in the offensive way- it was like Dave didn't understand him whatsoever but he wanted to.

No one ever thought there was more to Klaus than his wild, flighty, erraticism. It was just kind of nice to meet someone who was empathetic and intelligent enough to already see through some of Klaus's BS because God knew he had plenty of that… even if they did just meet, Dave contained that rare quality.

Anyway… His point was that as they started walking, even though "Private Katz" had started gravitating towards Klaus in the long line of squad members that slinked through the forest, the Sergeant called him up to the front early on. Klaus often watched the two of them up there when he wasn't so focused on keeping his footing through the rough, versatile terrain. They were talking often and it sparked something strange in his stomach….

Jealousy.

Not that Klaus thought he had some kind of chance with Dave. One of the things Klaus pondered during his long, waking night was the fact that open gayness was just not a thing at this point and time. Having any form of "rights" was laughable and if you did happen to exercise any type of sexuality other than unwavering straight-ness, it was often hidden.

And it wasn't that Klaus was jealous over the fact that anything whatsoever was happening between Bates and Dave. They just seemed very friendly and that alone was enough to stir something up within him. He wanted to Dave to give him side-looks like that as they walked. He wanted his arm to brush up against his accidentally but be nothing but unapologetic about it.

Attention whore. Ben often called him with all the love in the world. That's what Klaus let it boil down to. He just loved to have everyone's full, undivided attention and that's why he was feeling these unnatural gravitational pulls towards this Dave person. Plus, he was the first person to watch out for Klaus and ease him into this whole nightmare. No wonder.

Besides, Klaus didn't get "crushes" (ugh, he sounds like a middle school dweeb when he put it that way). He saw someone he thought was hot, they fucked, he moved on. Anything past that was a waste of his time. If he learned anything from growing up in the way he did was that love was just nonsensical. Sure, he loved Ben and he loved his siblings to some degree, but to love and trust a stranger? An outsider?

Pfft. He'd take some good shrooms over love any day.

"Yo! Boots! The hell you doin'?" Klaus looked up to see that he was no longer surrounded by other soldiers. They had all stopped quite a ways back and deep in thought, he had pushed forward.

Klaus froze. If he ever got embarrassed about anything, now would be the time. Luckily, he never did.

"…perimeter sweep. Duh."

He raised an eyebrow at Teddy and a few other guys to see if they'd blindly accept that. They all stared at each other.

"Nah, you ain't." Teddy broke into a knowing smile that said they both knew Klaus was just spouting out bullshit that he thought sounded soldier-y. Klaus broke his composure too, laughing at himself.

"No, I'm not." Klaus agreed, falling back next to his new, boisterous friend. "What's up, buttercup?"

"Checkin' out this village."

Klaus frowned at the tiny-ass-blip-on-the-map kind of living situation laid out in front of him.

"…We think there are NVA here?"

"You'd be surprised, man. Gotta check out everything."

And so they did, but with a force that shocked Klaus. He supposed he should've seen it coming- this was war and he wasn't that blind to how things worked. The men went in so aggressive though… it was terrifying quite frankly. Klaus couldn't even imagine what the unsuspecting Vietnamese villagers were feeling. He wondered if one single other soul here worried about that as well because from where Klaus stood, it seemed like everyone had totally lost their ability for empathy.

That's why Klaus wasn't cut from the camouflage cloth, so to speak. He wasn't soldier material. He recognized that right up front which is why it was easy for him to refuse to be so hostile upon raiding these people's homes and rudely uprooting their lives. He mainly stayed out of the way and tried to calmly help Vietnamese women and children to the side where they could be far from the cruel commotion being caused by his "comrades".

Dave was sent to clear out some underground spaces that were dug near some of the huts and Klaus wasn't invited. He supposed "FNGs" weren't asked to do the heavy lifting all too often, especially if they didn't even know what an M-60 or an M-16 was before yesterday.

Klaus stayed above ground instead, but in the end, one woman in particular would be glad that he did.

"Fuckin' gook. Fuckin'- I SAID MOVE." A voice carried above all the others, grabbing the attention of everyone on site…

Eugie.

The difference between everyone else and Klaus was that they all saw "Eugie" and looked away right after as if they were pretending to have never have glanced at all. Klaus must've not gotten the memo, so he continued to watch the disturbing scene unfold.

The worst part, perhaps, was that the Lieutenant himself was nearby and clearly saw what was going down. He just gave one last cold glance and then walked away. Eugie grew more threatening, yanking the woman around like he was his rag doll.

"GET DOWN. GET. DOWN. Don't look at me, bitch. Dung lai! Dung- FUCK!"

Klaus. Do something. Klaus swore he could hear Ben's voice right there, urging him to be a better human as always. If Ben were here and saying that though, Klaus knew he'd be right. He didn't know Eugie's intentions, but by the look in his eyes, Klaus could tell that no matter what the woman did, this guy had his own self-motivated plans.

In one swift movement, Eugie had the frail, older women bent on the ground with her hands over her head and a gun barrel shoved against her temple.

Oh, hell no.

"Hey. Hey, wait. I'll take care it." Klaus had to jump in, especially once the woman's kids started screaming and crying from where they huddled outside their tiny one-room home. Eugie snapped his gaze up towards Klaus and he actually jumped at the motion- This was not the same person he met on the bus. This creature was wilder like a primal hunter stalking prey.

Holy shit. This guy is fucking nuts.

"What the hell did you say?"

"Well, you just seem a little strung out. Kick up those god-awful-ugly boots. Take a load off. I can watch them."

"Shut the fuck up, you-"

"Eugie, man." Teddy tried to cut in. Eugie moved his gun lightning-quick and Teddy jumped, obviously fearful that it'd be pointed at him next. It wasn't. Eugie simply yanked it away from the woman's head, but that altercation between him and Teddy gave Klaus enough clues to piece together that everyone here knew that this guy was off his rocker.

"What? I'm gonna listen to this square for a second?"

"Calm your titties." Klaus offered up like he was trying to tranquilize a child having a tantrum.

"Fucking cherry."

Klaus was getting irritated now.

"Twatwaffle."

Eugie's face warped in confusion.

"Hey!" A new voice shot through the air.

This time, everybody turned again, but they didn't hurriedly hide away. The atmosphere changed- There was an irritated fear in Eugie's eyes and a glimmer of defiance and confidence in Teddy's. Klaus turned too, watching Dave approach with gun in hand and skin glistening with sweat.

"What the hell?" He demanded an explanation. Klaus was actually a little surprised. He could pick up right away that Dave was the type that everyone instantly respected. He just had that aura about him. He never expected he could command absolute silence like that though.

Kiiiiiiinda sexy, Katz. Klaus thought to himself, having to make doubly-sure that he didn't accidentally voice that out loud.

He didn't. Instead, Klaus's arm shot out and his finger jabbed the air towards Eugie.

"He started it."

"You fuckin' askin' for it?" Eugie turned and demanded of Klaus, taking the woman by the forearm and tossing her to the ground as nonchalantly as one would ball up and discard a candy wrapper.

"Eugene." Dave calmly said from across the village's center. Klaus saw a flash of red in Eugie's eyes as he whipped his head towards Dave again. That obviously struck a chord- Eugene. Klaus couldn't help but snort with a short burst of laughter. For a second he thought Eugene might turn back and clock him in the face, but his muscles only tensed at the sound of Klaus's poorly-timed giggles. He was deadset on Dave now.

The two of them had "a good ol' fashioned stare down" like an old Western movie. Klaus would've made a comment like "three… two… one… draw!", but there was such saturated tension in the air between these two that he thought better of it.

They obviously had some kind of tumultuous history. Klaus made a note to ask about it if everything wasn't laid out for everyone to see here in the next couple seconds.

And seconds did go by. It was like time had frozen. Klaus looked around for signs of movement at some point to actually make sure that it hadn't. Shit… Now he felt kinda bad for starting all this hullabaloo. One look down at the woman shaking on the muddy floor put ease to that guilt though.

"A-hem." Klaus cleared his throat awkwardly, no longer able to take this stillness. He waved his hands flamboyantly through the air. "Soooo… I'm gonna head out. Seems like this is handled…"

He took slow steps backward out of the situation, surprised that even still the two men didn't move an inch from where they sized each other up.

"This is… awkwaaard." Klaus whispered into the stiff air.

"Katz. Willards." Sergeant Bates's weathered but ever-striking voice pierced the air and broke the apparent spell. Dave gave "Eugene Willards" one last look and then guiltily stepped aside for Sarge to enter the circle. "What'd I say about this personal-agenda with each other? Not in the field. Save that shit for a goddamn rainy day, you hear me? On your own time."

"Yes sir." Dave mumbled, but it was heated with contained indignation. Eugie didn't answer. He just stared.

"Willards! Cat got your tongue, son?"

"You're not my Sergeant… Sir." Eugie spat. The tension was so high for a second that Klaus thought he could hear an angry kettle boil over and see steam rising from the three men. It was short-lived though because all of the sudden…

"Dung lai, đụ má! Dung l-"

So much happened at once. Klaus's mind didn't really catch up and process the events until after they occured, but what he understood was this-

The "woman" on the ground made a hasty jump up, reached under her dress, and pulled out what Klaus now recognized as an AK-47. Simultaneously, hair slipped from her head revealing a short-chopped haircut.

This was a dude the whole time?

Again, no time to process but apparently plenty of time to react, Klaus launched forward without a second thought. Thanks to his training with the Academy, he didn't need to really think about it. When there was a threat, he kind of just blindly acted in defense which was happening right now.

Klaus grabbed the barrel of the gun that was swinging wildly in every direction and pointed it at the ground, punching the side of it with his other hand and wrenching it from the previously-disguised Charlie's unsuspecting hands. The gun clattered to the ground.

As he straightened, Klaus made a point to swing his elbow back, catching the VC in the face, meanwhile using his foot to kick out the back of his knee. The clever little fucker dropped down to said knee where Klaus could easily grab him by the head and smash it down into Klaus's own knee that he jerked up to connect with the assailant's head, ultimately knocking him unconscious.

When these two mere seconds were done and over with, the dude was on the ground, disarmed and out cold before anyone knew what the hell happened.

Again- time froze.

And then…

Clap. Clap. Clap.

"Hot DAMN. Can't use a gun for his life but is all the sudden fucking Takashi Shimura." Teddy exclaimed gleefully, a worshipping shine to his eyes as he looked up at Klaus in awe. Klaus didn't know who Takashi Shimura was, but he figured he was a pretty cool guy to get compared to.

"Nice, Boots." Another guy clapped him on the back and swooped to pick up the AK-47. Klaus didn't even know the soldier's name or how he knew who he was.

"Damn." Another guy muttered. Klaus recognized him as the somber soldier who sat in front of him on the bus, complaining about being sent all these "cherries" all the time.

Yeah, that's right. Who's the cherry now?

"Alright. Alright, I see you, cherry." Another man offered up. Okay, so apparently him still. He's still the cherry.

"Enough shamming around all goddamn day. He's gotta have buddies around here. Keep searching the grounds." Sergeant Bates ordered, not letting a second go to waste. Klaus was grateful. He didn't know what to do when he was complimented and it felt strange to be commended on something that he felt was completely sporadic and out of his immediate control. "Willards. Katz. A word."

Uh-oh… Dave was in trouble. Klaus couldn't help but feel partially responsible. He reluctantly looked his way to see If Dave showed any signs of being resentful towards him for the whole debacle, but Klaus was taken aback to see something different.

Dave was indeed watching him, but not with any anger whatsoever. It was that intense curiosity that Klaus had been hit with before, like Dave knew something was up. Like he knew there was something strange about Klaus. His lips wore the faintest ghost of a smile, but more in the way that said "this guy really is goddamn unbelievable".

Klaus bit his lip and scrunched up his face with guilt.

'Sorry' he mouthed to Dave, right before he was manually turned away by Sarge and led to the corner of the village with Eugie on the other side.

Oops.

Klaus really hoped he didn't mess up his chances to get to know Dave better. He so easily got on people's bad sides… he was just hoping that Katz wouldn't be one of those people.

"Base! Base! Base!" A bunch of the guys started chanting once they wrapped up around the village. Klaus felt a bunch of shoulders and hands ram into his back as soldiers flooded out of the ravaged town and started back the way they came. They weren't hits that implied any rudeness. They weren't even unintentional. The men were basically giving Klaus a bunch of aggressive pats on the back, a few still commending him for his take-out of the disguised VC.

A rite of passage, I guess. Klaus thought, trying to tell himself that it didn't matter to him. Deep down though, he felt that swell of pride.

Can't get my own siblings to accept me for shit but I earn status after a day in the Vietnam War? Klaus thought, amused and a little bit sad to think of home. He couldn't help that little tinge of irritation that always came with thinking of his siblings though. Fuck 'em. Just had to travel 50 years and thousands of miles for someone to appreciate me for once.

"I thought we were traveling West?" Klaus caught up to Teddy.

"Turns out they fucking B-52'd everything a mile that way. There's nothing but wasteland now. Better to return to base and figure out what else the magical A Shau has in store for us."

"A Shau?"

"Yeah, man… The valley…"

Klaus blinked dumbly.

"A Shau Valley. Where do you think you are right now? Man, you're really spaced, bro, you know that? That's okay. I don't mind spacey. Probably better to just drift along out here."

Klaus thought about that. He's never heard of A Shau Valley, but there was something to knowing the area's name… Just like every time Klaus discovered a little more information about this time and where he was… it was like it was carving his newly permanent situation deeper and deeper in stone.

"By the way… that was pretty neat, what you did. Eugie's a skuzz bucket. Be careful around him though. Might want to keep your distance." Teddy offered up, rubbing some of the dirt off of his M-79 as he walked and talked. Klaus's mind was off doing something else again though. He couldn't help but keep feeling guilty over pulling Dave into such a heated situation. Him, Eugie, and Sarge still weren't with the pack… "Boots. You 'kay, man?"

Klaus opened his mouth to answer but felt a hand slap on his shoulder from behind instead. The hand gripped his shoulder and gave him a firm but friendly shake. Klaus glanced to see the culprit pass him on the right-

Dave.

He gave Klaus a small, commending smile and pushed ahead with Sarge to the front of the pack. They didn't look like they were at odds or anything. Admittedly, equally important to Klaus, Dave didn't seem angry with him in the slightest. Maybe he didn't quite yet mess this up.

"Yeah. I'm good."

They were flown back to Firebase Baltogne. That was a terrifying enough thing in itself. The helicopters, "choppers" everyone called them, were just like the ones Klaus saw in pictures and movies but ten times more intimidating. The doors on the outsides just stayed open and Klaus sat near the edge, looking down into the lush valley and envisioning what the drop would be like if he shifted just a bit and fell out.

When they touched down, Klaus was flooded with memories of when he first arrived.

Shit… Was that really only like, two days ago?

Exhausted from those past two days, Klaus went into a quiet daze the whole way back to the tent he first started off in. Teddy pushed him towards an empty bed in the corner that still seemed to have some personal belongings scattered around.

"You can get rid of those." The solemn soldier from the bus seat in front of Klaus said as he passed. "He ain't usin' them anymore."

"Why not?"

Everyone looked at Klaus.

"Oh…"

So, he got to sleep in some dead guy's bed. He realized that this was probably the same to say for most of the beds in here, but for Klaus it'd especially be hell. The last thing he wanted was to be kept awake all night by some ghost yapping his ear off about how his death was too soon and he had to tell his family this and that and yada yada yada…

As long as he had his pills, he'd be fine. His stash was finite though. In fact, when Klaus plopped down on the thin, bumpy cot, the first thing he did was fish around in his pocket to find only three pills left.

Well, damn.

That and the realization that death was so prominent and casual in a place like this served as some kind of catalyst for Klaus. He was sure if it was partially because of the stillness in everything after the recent war-chaos. As much as he appreciated this moment of respite inside a tent where he felt at least decently safe, that also meant he had more time to think and more time to think meant bad things for Klaus.

What on Earth am I doing?

The more Klaus thought things through, the more he thought himself a crazy lunatic for thinking he could just "hang around" a war. Yeah, he was stuck in 1968. There was apparently no changing that. But the war? Vietnam? What said he had to keep himself in the middle of a constant firefight. Especially with people as fucked as Eugie was. There was no way he was the only psychopath here either.

War changes you… Isn't that from, like, every war movie ever? Klaus didn't want to be around that. Klaus didn't want to become that. Why was he here again?

"That's why I want to stop by,

On my way home and say…"

Music wafted into the room following the quiet scratch of a needle on the surface of a record. Klaus hardly paid attention.

I'm going to die if I don't leave. I'm going to fucking die here.

If there was even a sliver of a chance that he could get home… whether it be Five coming to the rescue or not… It wouldn't matter if Klaus was dead. And if he died here, he wouldn't have any other ghosties to play with.

Can't die here… Can't die here…

Can't die in a different time than Ben.

Klaus would easily admit that one reason he was so unnaturally comfortable with the idea of his own death was because at least he and Ben could just fuck around into eternity together. Now though… Now, Klaus was scared. He didn't want to die here in 68. He wanted to die in 2019. Preferably, he wanted to live in 2019, but he didn't dare be picky now.

"But don't you fall down,

And bust your lip

Oh no…"

"Oh, yeah. I like the sound of that, Kitty-Katz. You know I do." Teddy voiced over the sound of music. Klaus raised an eyebrow and glanced over to where Dave smiled quietly over a portable record player, carefully laying the needle in place and stepping back.

"Let's go get stoooned."

"LET'S GO GET STOOOOONED!" Teddy and a few other guys screamed over the music, shaking Klaus from his inner, renewed panic. He turned his attention to the couple handfuls of guys that were changing their clothes, putting away equipment, and sometimes, grabbing towels and walking out to go take showers wherever you took showers around here.

Most interestingly, however, were the guys who were pulling out joints like candy. At least Klaus, hoped they were joints.

"Take us away, Ray-Ray." Teddy laughed from his cot where he sat, lighting up.

Oh yeah… Now that Klaus thought about it, he did remember something about drugs being quite prominent in the Vietnam War.

My kind of war.

No, Klaus. You don't say that.

He recalled the exchange between him and Diego when they were only 15 and lazily watching a documentary on the filming of Apocalypse Now. Jesus, did he jinx it all the way back then?

I didn't mean it! I take it back! Klaus shouted out in his head to whatever other-worldly powers that may be listening. His head fell back on the flat pillow behind him and he looked at the dirty canvas of the sheet above him.

For the first time in his life, he was too anxious to ask for a hit. Klaus was sure it was partially because of guilt… guilt that suddenly, he wasn't planning on sticking around this place for all too long. Even if he didn't really know this bunch of goofy idiots who were currently passing around dope like the goddamn cup of communion, he simply felt bad.

Deserter.

Whatever. It wasn't his war. It wasn't his responsibility.

"Hey."

The side of his cot depressed down and Klaus looked left to see a visitor on his bedside.

"Why, Hello, Kitty-Katz."

"So you're not totally zoned out over here." Dave smiled, rolling his eyes. Zoned out- yes. Subconsciously listening to everything having to do with Dave- also yes. Klaus was glad he caught the nickname.

"What? I like it. Or… I dig it." Klaus laughed at himself, feeling the lingo of the era so foreign on his tongue. Dave gave him a funny look, but moved on.

"Everyone's got a stupid nickname around here."

"What's Teddy's?"

"Teddy."

Klaus frowned and sat up to look past Dave and over at Teddy who was stuffing a stash of weed back into a hole cut into the ass of a ratty Teddy Bear.

"His real name is Marion."

"Ooh… I'm going to stick to Teddy, 'kay?"

Dave chuckled.

"Yeah, me too. Do you smoke?"

"HAH." Klaus overdid his outburst, scaring almost everyone in the room and attracting all gazes. He ignored it, shrugging and changing to the opposite, casual composure. "Eh. A little, I guess."

There was that wildly unpredictable behavior again. Klaus nearly caused Dave to drop the joint between his fingers with his sudden loud burst of a response. Immediately, he acted like it never happened, answering Dave's question nonchalantly.

"Here." Dave offered the weed over to Klaus who spotted it and laid a hand dramatically over his chest like a diva-queen.

"For moi? Daaaave… Thank you!" He very genuinely appreciated, taking the small rolled device from Dave. Their fingers brushed in the transfer and Dave instinctively yanked them back a little faster than he would've liked. He hoped Klaus didn't notice.

Dave thought for as much as Klaus was acting all hyperactive again, he needed a few hits. Before he came over, Dave was watching Klaus when they got back. This was mostly because he knew that he himselfwould have been shaken up after trying to step up to Eugene like Klaus did today. Plus, seeing people who were supposed be your comrades… supposed to be the "good guys" act so hostile was just plain scary at first. No way around it.

He wouldn't have been surprised if it didn't affect Klaus as much as the average new guy. It seemed like certain things didn't phase him, and if it did, it didn't phase him in a conventional way. Plus, Dave was starting to get the feeling that when Klaus got to yammering or tampering with trouble, it was just a way to cover up the darker feelings or thoughts that he hid. Dave knew what it was like to keep stuff like that inside. Sometimes, he could see it in Klaus's eyes. Hell, he saw it in his own every time he glanced in a mirror.

They just seemed to use very different coping strategies.

Anyway, that's why Dave was a bit surprised to find that Klaus did seem affected by the day's events. So affected that instead of waltzing around and rambling off any old kind of BS, he just quietly laid in his cot, keeping to himself and staring off. The more Dave watched him, the more Klaus's composure seemed to wear down to the point where his knee was shaking anxiously and he was pulling at the skin around his fingernails.

You're up, Katz. Dave had told himself after getting the rest of the guys set up with some Ray Charles. The "dope" song, Teddy called it. Every time Dave played it, they all knew it was time to lay back with some good weed and a few brews.

What Dave wasn't surprised to find was that when he approached Klaus, all that outward anxiousness and affliction dissipated in a fraction of a second. Klaus replaced it with his usual, bombastic self.

I see you hiding. Dave thought. He'd never say it out loud. Not yet, anyway.

Back to present-time, Klaus held the joint to his lips and Dave came up with a lighter, torching the end until a small wisp of smoke rose from the bud. Dave pulled back, feeling something stir in his stomach from the feeling of Klaus's gentle breath on his hand when he held it near his face.

Dave watched the guys pass their own joints around the room, conversing and joking about stupid things like the newest slasher film and Betty White's ass. Klaus blew out smoke as easily as if he was taking a swig of water. He obviously wasn't new to this. That wasn't abnormal by any stretch, but he was abnormally beautiful when he did it.

"You okay?" Dave tried to offer up a conversation to veer away from the fact that he could watch Klaus smoke like that forever, even if there was a haunting quality to his eyes as he did it. Klaus didn't turn to acknowledge him, but rather kept staring forward at nothing as he took another puff.

"Mhm…" He said unconvincingly through his next exhale. "Peaches and cream, David. Peaches and fucking cream."

Dave's never heard his voice dip so low, both in octave and in volume. Something was seriously wrong and it was scaring him. He hasn't reached out to someone in a while though. Not at a personal level. But for some reason, he felt like he needed to help Klaus. He needed to do everything in his power to ease whatever was churning in his mind.

Without Klaus's quips and giggles, it was like a light went out.

"I know how fucked some of this stuff is. I mean, most of us get desensitized to some degree and forget just how twisted it is."

Klaus raised an eyebrow as if he was confused, but the expression melted in seconds as he understood. He took a deep breath and stretched.

"Oh. That. Today. Nah… Well, I mean, yeah... Yeah. It's really janky, but I've had my fair share of shitstorms. I guess I'm not surprised at least. I've seen Platoon."

What does he mean he's seen "Platoon"?

He handed the blunt back to Dave who inhaled some dope just as Klaus raised his arms above his head. Dave was confused at first but then saw that he was hoisting his undershirt over himself and leaving his torso bare.

Eyes forward, Dude. Dave told himself. As the weed started going to his head, he found that harder and harder to do. Everything else became easier though; sitting back more comfortably in Klaus's cot, allowing himself to recognize how attractive he found the guy, and on top of everything, Dave felt like he could say or question things that he wouldn't have dared to dig into before. It was made simpler when Klaus was so comfortable with physical intimacy and proximity.

Speaking of which, Klaus dropped back onto the mattress so that he looked at the tent's ceiling, his arms raising over to cover his eyes.

"Ugh, yeah. That's nice, right there." He mumbled, reaching out for the blunt again. Dave gladly forked it over and watched Klaus take a hit from where he relaxed on his back. It was amazing how he could flip the switch so fast from nearly-traumatized to that same front of flamboyantly giddy about everything.

"Klaus. You sure you're good?"

"Nice and dandy like cotton candy." Klaus said as he breathed in, breathing out smoke and a light, empty giggle. Dave usually would've found it charming, but right now as his head spun and he so badly wanted for Klaus to answer the question honestly.

"Do you always hide behind humor?"

"Do you always get so judgy?"

Klaus's answer was so instantaneous that Dave knew it could've only been an instinctual reflex to put up defensive walls. He didn't let it bother him, but he could tell that it bothered Klaus.

"Shit. Sorry, sorry." Klaus was fast to remove his forearms from his face and sit up. His eyes met Dave's. They were already red. Dave suspected his were too. "You can ask. I don't mind."

They looked at each other for what felt like an eternity, but if he was sober, Dave was sure it must've only been a few seconds.

"Boots!" Shouts rang through the air, vibrating through Dave's ribcage. He tried not to laugh stupidly at the ridiculous sensation. "Boots, boots… Hey…" Klaus was summoned by Teddy and a few other guys. "You ever smoke outta an M-16?"

"Oh… No, guys…" Dave warned, knowing exactly where this was going. They laced the shit out of the stuff they loaded the M-16 with. Their favorite initiation ritual with the new guys lately was seeing if they'd feel peer pressured enough to smoke through the thing, unsuspecting of the opium tinged weed.

"Shhhhh. Katz. Let him do what he wants." Teddy said with a big ol' high-as-hell grin.

"Yeah. David. Let me do what I want." Klaus gave him a similar grin. Dave couldn't help but chuckle at that mischievous, challenging gleam in his eye. Maybe because the weed was making him giggly, but truthfully, it was mostly just because Dave found that look so damn cute.

"Fine. Suit yourself, soldier."

Dave realized that with the way Klaus operated, maybe it was better to just let him learn the hard way in some cases. He'd have a coughing fit for a good few minutes, get warm-and-gooey out of his mind, but overall be okay.

The gun was passed down the line of guys towards Klaus. The high bunch of idiots watched with expectant grins and open mouths on their faces, waiting for Klaus to be knocked on his ass.

"Cheers, boys." Klaus finally took the gun in his hands and raised it to his mouth in the way he watched the other guys do. Dave sighed. He'd be taking care of his baked-ass tonight for sure.

Well, okay. Maybe that wouldn't be the worst thing in the world.

But as it turns out, there'd be no need for that. Because Klaus smoked that shit like a champ. Everyone watched in absolute awe.

"Ahhh, fuck." Klaus's eyes rolled back as he created art in the air with his smoke. He slid to the ground next to his bed and laid his back up against it. His head fell onto the blankets, right next to Dave's leg so close that he could feel the tickle of Klaus's locks against his skin. "That is not just weed. Tell you what."

"Damn, Booties." Teddy breathed. "Where the hell they pull you from, huh?"

Klaus shrugged a shoulder and pushed the gun towards Dave who just passed it to the next sucker.

"Some people can knit a killer scarf… I can blow a fuck ton of smack."

The room laughed. Klaus didn't even seem to notice.

"That is what it is, right? The Big H? Hell dust? Some china white?"

"Yeah, yeah. We get it. You're a goddamn pro." Chuckled a guy across the room. Klaus laughed too, leaning back further and closing his eyes with a big-ass smile on his face.

Dave suddenly had an even bigger sense of how little he really knew of this guy.

Klaus felt damn good. He felt amazing. Yeah, being shoved into a war zone 50 years prior to his time sucked, but at least he could get twisted out of his mind here. That was something he wasn't expecting to do but he was incredibly grateful for that heroin laced weed. Well, technically opium, but if it made him feel this good, who cared what the fuck it was.

"We'll get you some Thai Sticks." Teddy told him. "Best weed you can get out here, if you can even call it that with all the Chinese Molasses they shove in there."

And thank God for that because tonight Klaus was starting to feel like everything was getting just a bit too unbearable.

"Hey. Have you met the other guys yet?"

Klaus was introduced to the whole tent of soldiers, but that meant about 25 people all with weird-ass nicknames and aliases. The only three that stuck were Big Al (Klaus thought that was funny because the man was quite small), Don Juan (the "solemn soldier" dude… a preacher in training from Massachusetts), and Pico (a guy with a pretty noticeable twitch that was born in the Dominican Republic but recently moved to Chicago).

In this time where Klaus was introduced to new people…

Or more people you're betraying by running.

…the only person who didn't share the late-night jubilance was Dave. It wasn't that he looked unhappy- he looked content enough, but what did that even look like for Dave? Klaus felt like the guy always seemed to be caught in his own mind just observing the fun- keeping a safe distance.

He did watch like a hawk though. Every time Klaus glanced over to his own cot where Dave still sat back, it seemed he was only just looking away. Sometimes he would catch his eyes though, and Dave would unapologetically hold him there. Then someone would pull Klaus away by telling him some jazzed up war story from before he got there.

Something hurt deep within Klaus's chest- both when he looked at Dave and when he was distracted by something else. It was weird… he just… missed him. How did that even make sense? He was right there, wasn't he? Admittedly, he did feel emotionally far. Klaus wanted so badly to pull himself back onto his bed and just talk with Dave for hours, but he was swarmed with the equivalent of excitable middle schoolers on one planet and Dave was off on a whole other one.

"Yo. What you did today with Eugie? That was boss, man. Took some balls." Pico offered up as he simultaneously offered Klaus a beer. He gratefully took it, looking at the label curiously and then taking a swig of what was called Ba Mu'o'i Ba. He didn't deal with compliments well.

"Yeah, if you're looking to get pounded into your own goddamn grave." Don Juan added through a puff of his giant cigar across the room.

"Nah. Klaus will just go all kung-fu on Eugie's ass." Teddy said, punching Klaus playfully in the shoulder and spilling some of his beer. Klaus was too high to even notice. "Don't worry about Eugie, man. He's all show and no go, right? A kiss up to the big LT."

"He's probably just all twisted all the time because he got a name like Eugene Willards." Klaus added, not even giving the fact that Eugie could've walked in at any moment a second thought. He wasn't scared of that prick.

"Where is he anyway?" Big Al asked.

"Sucking the Lieutenants cock, where else?" Pico swiftly cut in.

"You know, legend has it that in that box right over there is Eugie's personal collection of Gook ears."

Klaus scrunched up his face in disgust.

"BS. Legend has it… Get outta here, Teds." Don Juan shut him down.

"No, man. Really! Happens more often than you think."

"I know it happens, but I think I woulda noticed if Eugie was rippin' off the poor fuckers' ears at the end of every goddamn day and savin' them as trophies."

"Then why won't nobody open the box, Don? You gonna do it?"

"Hell, no."

Throughout this whole heated exchange in which more and more guys were getting involved with their own opinions on "the ear box", Klaus had stumbled into a dizzy stance and waltzed over to the said box with a similar stride as Jack Sparrow.

He touched the cool metal curiously.

"Woah, woah, woah! Boots, what the hell are you doing?" Big Al noticed first. Klaus was already opening the damn thing though, not understanding what all this ridiculousness was about.

"Nooooo!"

"Bro…"

"He just got in right in there."

"Fuck, man."

"Eugie'll have a fit."

Klaus ignored the buzz of comments until they quieted down. With a smile that was concealed by being turned away, Klaus waited for the quiet that came rather soon. Finally, Teddy broke that anticipation.

"So… What's in it?"

Klaus slowly reached forward to where there was a cardboard piece laying over the boxes content that read "Fuck Off" in magic marker. Dramatically he peeled the cardboard off.

Klaus screamed.

Everyone else screamed.

He held up something terribly mangled in a plastic bag and they freaked out more.

Then Klaus burst into giggles, looking back at the large group of G.I. soldiers that he just scared the shit out of.

"Nah. It's just junk." Klaus chuckled, shaking the baggie of vague contents. "Cookie. See? Fuck, yes."

The cookie was smashed, probably fairly-old, and could hardly be called a cookie anymore. That's why Klaus was pretty certain Eugie wouldn't notice or mind if he took it. Klaus closed the box and sat back down.

"You're unreal, man." Teddy shook his head. "I wouldn't-"

But Klaus was already opening the bag and taking the largest standing piece of oatmeal cookie and taking a big bite…

Just to spit it out right after, sending himself into a coughing fit.

"Bleh. Don't recommend."

Teddy was laughing hysterically from his cot which got everyone else laughing a good deal. The Ray Charles record ran out right after that and Dave silently got up and replaced it with some Jimi Hendrix. Klaus was in the middle of a heated debate about Psycho versus The Birds, but he looked up as much as he could to admire Dave's concentration in picking the next record from his pile and replacing it with such calculated care.

The next time Klaus looked up though, Dave wasn't at his record player. He wasn't on his cot either- nor Klaus's.

Teddy stopped mid-sentence as he was talking to Klaus, probably realizing that he wasn't listening anymore. Klaus finally spotted Dave just as he ducked out of the tent and into darkness. The canvas flaps fell back into each other, and he was gone.

Klaus's chest hurt again.

"Ah, don't worry about him. He gets like this sometimes… All pensive and… sultry and stuff."

"Why?" Klaus immediately asked.

"I think that guy thinks too much for his own good." Teddy sighed, leaning back against his cot and pulling a knee up to rest his arm over. Everyone else was distracted with their own conversations or jamming out to the Hendrix Experience. Klaus stared at the entrance as if it'd bring Dave back… or maybe he was just dazed as hell. "He likes you, ya know?"

"Huh?"

"Dave. He doesn't usually associate with new guys."

"Why not?" Klaus felt rather repetitive and silly for constantly asking the same one-word questions, but he was itching to find out more about this David Katz and he felt like he was finally getting a chance at some answers.

"Well, he's kind of guarded in general. I'm pretty sure he lives by the notion of 'less people you get close to, the less people you can lose'."

"Well that's…" Klaus trailed off. Okay. Yeah, maybe he understood that.

"Sad? Fucked up but kind of understandable? Yeah… Katz has been through a lot. I don't know the specifics, but Dude's got some trust issues. Not so much with others, but with the planet, man. You wouldn't tell right away- he's good at hiding that shit, but damn. I don't know, man."

Klaus thought Teddy was sounding higher and higher by the second. He desperately wanted real explanations though, so he kept digging before Teddy was too far gone.

"What about you? And Sarge?"

"We're friends, yeah, but he closes me out a lot. He's tight with Sarge because they soldiered together during his first tour last year. Dave saved his life or some shit like that. They offered Katz an officer position, but he turned it down and yada, yada…"

"Wait- This is his second tour? Like he wanted to do this shit a second time?"

"I'm telling you, Boots. The guy is wild. Can't figure him out."

Klaus was starting to think that maybe he currently knew absolutely nothing about Dave. The thought made him both nervous and excited.

"Don't get me wrong. He gets all quiet and haunted sometimes, but he's not an empty shell of a human being or nothin'. He's got mad passion in there. I've seen it. With music and with other stuff. It's just hard to dig it out under all the shit he's buried it under."

All this information Teddy was giving out seemed to be just a casual rambling to him as he sucked in more smoke to pass the time, but Klaus was hanging onto every word. More and more Klaus was feeling like he was being challenged. Like it was his mission to undig Dave like Teds was talking about. He wanted to. He wanted to so bad. For the first time in a long time though, Klaus was feeling self-conscious about the fact that maybe he couldn't. What if he was just another person that Dave didn't want to get close to? Sometimes, he was confident that he could get closer to him, but others, he wondered if he was just mistaking Dave's kindness for some other kind of interest.

Klaus hated how unsure of himself it made him feel.

"I'll tell you what though- Something about ever since you got here, that man has been more alive. Small ways, you know? Like there are little sparks of him coming back. Kinda off the wall, don't you think?"

Klaus wasn't listening anymore though. That first part was all he needed to give him the push to stop being a baby and go pursue something… whatever that something was, he didn't know. All Klaus knew was that he wanted to be with Dave right now. He wanted to talk to him. He wanted to learn about him.

And goddamn it- If Klaus Hargreeves wanted something, he fucking went and got it.

"Boots. Boots- ah, hell." Teddy waved off, giving up on calling Klaus back after he got up and headed out the tent after Dave. Klaus tried to ignore the unnatural nervousness in his stomach as he pushed into the hot, dark air in search of something he didn't even quite yet understand.

Chapter Text

It was so damn humid that it was hard to breathe. The drugs didn't help either. Whenever Klaus got especially high, he forgot how to take deep breaths. He didn't mind though. It kind of helped relax him.

It was dark too. That helped heighten his buzz. This was a darkness that swallowed everything whole- different from home. Different from the city. Different from having some kind of streetlight or highway or building somewhat nearby to give a glimmer of illumination.

This was blackness and only blackness. Shapes were hardly defined and when they were, they were abstract and anonymous.

"Dave?" Klaus whispered into the nothingness, giggling lightly afterwards at the way his voice dissipated into nothing against the hum of insects far off in the forest. "Daaaaavid?"

No answer. Where was this guy?

Elvis was playing softly from the tent.

Drifting through a summer breeze
It's a groovy night and I can show you how to use it

He walked… or stumbled… a bit until he saw him. Klaus saw his lighter first, flicking on and sending up a tiny flame on the background of the lonely night. Klaus watched in wonder as he held the flame towards his lips where he held a joint, torching the bud and breathing in. Klaus thought he looked gorgeous like that- barely lit by a single dancing flame with shadows that sunk into his features.

Come along with me and put your mind at ease
A little less conversation, a little more action, please

Man, I'm fucking blazed. Klaus thought to himself, simultaneously feeling disappointment hit when Dave's light went out. That's okay. His eyes were adjusting to the darkness.

All this aggravation ain't satisfactioning me.

In his "brilliantly" currently fucked-to-the-high-heavens brain, Klaus thought it'd be a great idea to try to sneak up on him, 110% forgetting that maybe it wasn't the brightest thing in the middle of a war zone. As soon as his fingertips reached forward and just so much as grazed Dave's shoulder, a hand locked around his wrist at lightning speed and twisted.

Klaus didn't even have time to scream or call out. His own instincts swept in, a little delayed due to the weed floating atop his skull. He was yanked forward, nearly falling on his face if he didn't have the last-minute insight to roll on his shoulder and ultimately onto his back. Dave's body was already lunging over Klaus though, his hands reaching to pin Number Four down. Klaus caught his wrists before he could though, deflecting Dave to the side and pulling his own weight up and over.

All of this transpired in merely a second, Klaus not even realizing what he was doing until he was left breathing heavily over Dave, holding him down by the shoulders. Dave's face looked up in confusion from the ground until they locked eyes.

"Shit." Klaus breathed heavily, his heart thumping at a million miles per second. He probably ended up scaring himself more than he scared Dave. "That was scary." Klaus hesitantly broke into giggles, relaxing his hands against Dave and sitting back on his heels. Dave seemed to let go of his defensive tension as well, bringing his hands up to run over his face in relief.

"Klaus, Jesus." He chuckled. "What if I thought you were a gook and killed you or something?"

"That'd suck."

"Yeah." Dave laughed, sitting himself up next to Klaus who settled crisscross applesauce onto the ground. He reached out for his boots that Klaus was no just realizing were off and abandoned on the ground. He narrowed his eyes through the darkness to see that the laces were all pulled out."That'd be a real bummer."

"Don't worry. You wouldn't be able to kill me."

"Ohhhhh… Is that so?" Dave challenged, starting to carefully re-lace his boots which Klaus assumed he was trying to do before he was attacked. Klaus couldn't help but be slightly mesmerized by watching his fingers delicately work at the laces.

"What- You wanna test it?"

"Are you threatening me, cherry?" Dave smiled mockingly.

"Actually, I think I'm threatening myself for you is more like it." Klaus nonchalantly reached for the joint that had fallen to the ground when he had practically accidentally tackled Dave… or vice versa?

Klaus held the end to his mouth and paused. Nothing happened. He side glanced at Dave who was staring off ahead of them while lacing, unaware of Klaus waiting for him.

"A-hem." Klaus very obviously cleared his throat. Dave looked and immediately broke into a smile that lit up against the inky void of the night. Even in that darkness, Klaus could see him roll his eyes.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Princess. I forgot I'm at your beckoned call."

"I'll forgive it this one time. Chop. Chop." Klaus muttered jokingly through the joint clasped gently between his lips. Dave reached over and flicked on his lighter. Klaus leaned until he was sure he was lit up. He sucked in, felt the burn at the back of his throat, and breathed out a swirling cloud in front of his face. "Thanks, deary."

He tried to pass it back.

"I'm fucking gone." Dave mumbled, nudging the joint back towards Klaus. He held it for now.

It was quiet. Klaus just zoned out, his mind light and his eyes heavy. For a moment, he almost forgot where he was or who he was. That is until Dave spoke up.

"You're pretty weird, you know that?"

Klaus looked over at Dave, taking a minute to actually process what he said. They stared at each other for a second.

Then Klaus burst out laughing. Dave did too.

"I'm serious, dude. You're… wild. A little insane."

The way Dave said this… it was almost like a compliment- like Dave was in awe of Klaus's said wildness. Klaus received it like that, anyway. The words coming from Katz's mouth sent warm, excited flare-ups in his chest.

"You really are gone." Klaus teased, trying to ignore the way his stomach twisted in a curiously good way.

Dave chuckled and shook his head, rubbing his eyes tiredly.

"And I prefer the word psychopathic." Klaus continued, trying not to reveal how his insides were turning out in his voice.

"Well, however you phrase it… Where the hell did you even come from?"

The Future! Klaus thought in his mind, hilariously amused at the thought of actually saying it out loud and hearing with his own ears how ridiculous it would sound. Instead, he didn't say anything. He wasn't really sure what to say. Shit… He should've come up with some BS backstory. He had to think of something that would explain how he was so out of the times and ignorant of everything war-related…

"I mean- They send you here with seemingly no insight or knowledge on anything 'Nam related. You're waltzing around the war zones like it's a game-"

"Canada." Klaus suddenly spouted out. Klaus always forgot Canada existed if he was being honest. He was hoping that it was vague and distant enough to explain his constant confusion but wasn't so foreign that it was unbelievable. Dave froze, his eyebrows pressed in confusion.

"…and you're fighting in the USA Army?"

Klaus. You FUCKING idiot.

"Uh… Uh-huh."

Dave stared off for too long. Klaus's mind ran rampant trying to think of some stupid, long-winded explanation as to-

"Oh yeah. I guess I did hear we were getting some back up from you guys."

Klaus relaxed.

"Yeah. Yeah. Things are a bit different in… you know… Canada."

"Mm."

"We have… lots of Mooses. Or in Canada we call them… Meese."

Dave thought about this, his expression unreadable. They then simultaneously broke out in giggles again. Klaus nearly had a happy heart attack every time Dave's shoulder brushed his own as they lazily rocked back and forth in their dazed self-amusement.

Oh no, oh no, Klausy. Klaus thought to himself. You really do like this attractive specimen, don't you?

"Meese." Dave repeated, finally composing himself and nodding in acceptance. "Boss."

Klaus raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, listen. Since I'm all Canadian and stuff, you gotta help me out with some of this lingo."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean half of the time I don't have a fucking clue what y'all are saying."

Dave gave a short breathy laugh.

"What? Boss? It just means cool."

"Well, I can deduct that, yes."

"Alright, then. What else, Meese-Boy?"

"Um…" Klaus frowned, thinking back but finding that his memory was quite readily available to him at the moment. "Dropout. Don Juan called me a rogue dropout."

"That's like… someone who refuses to conform with society."

Klaus thought about that.

"Oh. Okay… I can… dig… that." Klaus knew he'd never be able to take the late 60s lingo seriously. It'd always feel funny on his lips. "Big Boys?"

"Tanks."

"CO?"

"Commanding Officer."

"Fu- Fuper?"

Dave's face twisted in confusion.

"Excuse me?"

"You know… Fuper."

"FUBAR?"

"That's the one."

Dave laughed at Klaus, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Don't laugh at me, sir!"

That just sent Dave off further, burying his head in his knees that he pulled up to his chest.

"Stop that. Dave! David." Klaus tried to stop him, also chuckling at this point. Even though his mouth said one thing, his thoughts said otherwise; Klaus thought that he's never heard any other sound that he liked more than David Katz's laugh. He couldn't say that though. "Pleeeeease."

"FUBAR." Dave repeated when he was finally able to regain some composure. "Fucked up beyond all recognition."

"Oh. You know, you guys could use a little creativity around here."

"Well. If you need anything else, consider me your personal dictionary."

Klaus ceased all chuckles. The way Dave said it… It made him feel all tingly inside. Maybe if he was sober, he'd push it down- push it away.

Now though… he welcomed it with open arms.

"Boss." Klaus shot Dave a lopsided grin that was quickly returned.

"Nice one."

"Yeah."

"So, do you have parents or a family in Canada?"

The atmosphere shifted. No one had brought up Klaus's family since he got here. He thought of them constantly, sure, but something about having to talk about them out loud sent spikes into his chest.

"Uh, yeah. Well, sorta. Kinda. I've got a… strange situation at home."

Klaus instinctively rose the joint beneath his fingers to his lips. Dave equally-instinctively moved to light it. The burn helped ease some of the uncomfortable feelings in his stomach when it came to thoughts of home.

"Strange how?"

Klaus appreciated how Dave was unafraid to search for answers.

"I was adopted along with six other kids, all the same age. My dad was an asshole. My mom was... checked out."

"Damn. Six other siblings?"

"Yuh-huh."

"You guys close?"

"Mm. We used to be. Not so much anymore. Ben and I are though."

The sudden urge to completely shut down at the utterance of Ben's name attacked Klaus from the shadows. His stopped in his tracks at the end of his sentence, his voice catching just a bit. His throat closed and his eyes stung.

Please, don't have noticed that.

Klaus swallowed the lump painfully building in his throat.

"Yeah… I miss that little parasite." Klaus breathed, looking anywhere but Dave's face as he said it. He was starting to lose some of his carefree confidence with more and more mention of his family. Something about it just made him self-conscious in front of Dave. He nervously fidgeted with his hands.

"You'll see him again."

"I'm not so sure about that."

"Klaus. That's no way to talk."

Klaus realized that Dave probably thought he was referring to the fact that they may very well die during this damned war, but how would he know that Klaus was really referring to losing his magical, time-traveling briefcase?

So, Klaus just shrugged a shoulder to brush it off.

"Well… sorry to hear that the rest of you aren't close anymore. And that your Dad was an asshole."

"Pshyeah." Klaus laughed into his response, looking up to the stars and trying not to recall too much of the unpleasant bastard. "He literally numbered us. We didn't have names until later."

"What… like he… he just called you-"

"Numbers 1 through 7. Yessiree."

"And you're-"

"Number Four. Nice to meetchya."

Klaus looked into Dave's eyes now, seeing astonishment and wild curiosity in his irises. The corner of his lips just barely turned up. Klaus's eyes flickered over the features of his face, trying to save a snapshot of that expression right there.

You adorable human. He thought, helping ease some of his anxious discomfort.

"Number Four…" Dave tried it out. "So, you're smack dab in the middle, yeah?"

"Makes sense, doesn't it? Classic middle child. Constant, pestering need for attention. Right here." He raised his hand, repeating and accepting something that his siblings often would accuse Klaus of when they were angry with him.

"I don't think that."

"Well… I think you may be too nice for your own good."

"How'd you get that impression?"

"Well, let's see… You followed me into enemy territory to save my panicky dumbass, you're always there if I'm freaked out or confused out of my mind, you seem to keep the spirits lifted of all the other guys, and you don't stand for some of the fucked-up bullshit around here like everyone else does."

"Maybe I'm just trying to make up for the fact that I'm actually a bad person."

Klaus froze. He slowly looked over to Dave who seemed to be trying everything in his power not to return the gaze.

"David… Don't be stupid."

"Don't worry about it. Only kidding." He said it without a single hint of light-heartedness. It physically pained Klaus to sit in this heavy air that hung around them now. It was worse since Klaus could sense a feeling in Dave that he himself could understand- a hint of buried self-doubt… borderline self-hate that seeped in when the sun went down and the world went quiet.

The only thing he didn't understand was what on Earth would ever make Dave feel that way. Normally, Klaus would just flat-out ask. At the moment though, he was still feeling jittery and nervous.

"What about you? With the family thing."

Dave instantly slipped back into his kind, calm composure. It reminded Klaus an awful lot of himself and his tendency to snap right back into his wild, high-flying alter ego. Maybe they weren't all that different, he and Dave.

"My Mom's still around but… She's, uh… She gets sad. Most of the time. My Dad died when I was six but I didn't really care. He was an asshole too. My step-dad was awesome though. More of a Father-figure to me, I guess. He died when I was 19. Three older siblings. Don't care much for them. Aaaaaand one younger half-sister who I love more than anyone else on this Earth."

"Yeah?" Klaus said, feeling his chest warm with comfort again at the sight of Dave's face lighting up upon mentioning his sister.

"Yeah. Lizzie. She's a firecracker alright. Just turned 16. Can't fucking believe it. I think you two would get along, actually. Although, it might be dangerous. Can't imagine what kind of trouble the two of you could concoct if you ever met."

Klaus smiled and bit his nails shyly.

"Well God help everyone if we do."

"Maybe. You never know."

Is that a promise? Klaus would normally spare no expense to flirt to his heart's desire. He couldn't bring himself to do it with Dave though.

"Hey. Speaking of trouble… I hope I didn't get you into some with Bates today. You know, with the stupid Eugie thing."

"Oh… No, it really wasn't- Eugene and I have had a thing since I started my second tour. There was this incident and I… I don't know. Doesn't matter. There's just always going to be bad blood between us. Probably best for you to stay away from it."

Klaus tried to deny himself the fact that the way Dave had phrased that, his chest hurt in response. He was sure he didn't mean it in a way intended to push Klaus away… right? Maybe Klaus was just being touchy and feeling a little vulnerable.

Dave must've noticed Klaus's offbeat. He instantly jumped in again.

"I just don't want you to get… to…"

Klaus smirked at Dave, enjoying watching him stumble over his words. He cocked an eyebrow at the suddenly shy soldier, challenging him to say what he was trying to say.

"I don't know, I worry, okay?" Dave shook his head and rolled his eyes at Klaus's cocky, mocking expression. "Get outta here. You know what I mean."

Actually, Klaus really didn't know exactly what he meant. He wished he did. He wished it was as he suspected- that "worry" meant a little more than just a normal, casual kindness.

The silence that followed was a pretty good clue. He shouldn't make such judgments when his mind was so clouded though. This one time, Klaus could at least have that self-control. His usual style included making decisions and drawing conclusions on drugs all the time… Sure, his judgments wouldn't turn out as bright nor insightful in such a state of mind, but what did Klaus care?

This was something he couldn't just carelessly throw himself headfirst into- Whatever this was…

Okay. Fine. Crush. I have a crush like a fucking pre-teen.

There was an awkward but surprisingly comfortable air between them for a while. Klaus resumed watching Dave's fingers dance gently between his laces, over his boots. He could watch him work like that for hours, high or sober… it didn't matter.

Suddenly, he felt suspiciously revealed. Klaus discovered it was just the feeling of Dave side-looking at him. As soon as he matched his gaze, Dave froze.

And they just stared. Klaus's stomach twisted in nervous knots to the point where he wondered if it was even possible for him to feel this much physical effect for something that was purely rooted in his emotions.

"Um…" Klaus finally breathed, astounded that he… Klaus Hargreeves… wasn't sure what to say. "You missed a loop."

Dave looked down to see that Klaus was telling the truth- he mis-laced and forgot one lonely hole in the leather in his boot.

"Ah. Shit."

He started unlacing all over again, his eyes concentrated downwards. The air changed and went back to that lackadaisical playfulness as if the heaviness of what they both were just obviously feeling was forgotten.

"That was insane what you did today. Not calling Eugie out- I mean… that was insane like brave and really selfless insane… where was I going with this again?"

"You were calling me crazy again." Klaus teased, pretty amused at how loopy Dave was.

"Oh." Dave laughed. "Crazy like crazy badass. The way you took out that VC… How'd you learn how to do that?"

Klaus sighed and stretched, starting to feel a little tired. He didn't want to sleep though. He wanted to stay up all night. Ask Dave all kinds of questions.

"My siblings and I trained in hand to hand a lot when I was younger. It's kinda embedded in me. Instinctual. It wasn't that cool if I didn't even realize I was doing it."

"I think that's somehow cooler."

Klaus hummed in acknowledgment mostly because he didn't know how else to react. He couldn't remember being complimented by someone as much as he was by Dave, even if it was in a subtle way. He certainly hadn't been so genuinely affected by someone's compliments like he was Dave's at least.

"No guns though?"

"Nah. I highly doubt guns and I would mix well."

"Well, here you may not have a choice."

"Beg to differ. I've been getting along fine without it so far."

"You've been here for two days, Klaus."

"Feels like fucking years."

"I just mean it couldn't hurt to at least know how."

"Are you offering to teach me?"

"I guess I am."

"Now?"

"Mmmmm. Yeah. Now"

Klaus blinked slowly, looking around him at the environment for the first time since he sat down with Dave. He had a tendency to tune out his surroundings when he talked to him.

A few moments went by. Klaus raised the nearly burned-to-nothing joint to his lips. Dave lit it. Klaus smoked it.

The air swirled in front of his face, dissipated into nothing.

"Yeah. Sure. Okay."

"5.56 Caliber. 30 round magazines. Both auto and semi-auto features… Here." Dave rattled off facts that Klaus quite frankly didn't care about, handing him an M-16. They stood in the firing fields where people could practice but didn't dare even think about actually firing at this hour. The whole camp would lose their shit thinking there were Charlies on the lose.

Man… Klaus thought to himself, hearing his own words in his head. I'm starting to sound more and more like I belong at this shitshow.

"Alright. This is the magazine release button here, see?" Dave got close to him, holding the gun between their bodies. Klaus had to remind himself to look down at the gun and not up at the very attractive man right in front of him.

"Kay."

Klaus depressed the button and the magazine slipped out of the gun. He held it as Dave showed him how to load bullets.

He wanted to listen. He really did. It was just so hard when his hands kept brushing against Dave's and he was close enough to hear his breathing and…

"Klaus. This part's important. If there's anything you take away from today…" Dave took Klaus's hand in his, placing against a tiny lever on the side of the gun. The simple gesture sent shockwaves through Klaus. "…it's that this is the safety. If you're not going to use the 16 like you're so insistent on, keep the switch flipped."

"Switch flipped." Klaus repeated, trying not to laugh at the way it felt on his tongue. Maybe he shouldn't be high while playing with weaponry.

"Alright. So you've got it all loaded now, yeah? So put one hand here." Dave stepped behind Klaus and guided his right hand to the lower handle of the gun nearest Klaus. His grip on him was firm but once again, his skin was surprisingly soft and…

"Klaus! Dude-"

"I'm listening! I'm listening."

"Alright. Left hand…" Dave reached down to Klaus's side and gently took his left hand, his fingertips sliding over his skin. He raised both of their hands forward and outwards so that his arm was cradling Klaus's own. He pressed Klaus's palm to the large barrel. "Here."

Klaus felt the weight of the gun in his hands, testing it out.

"Comfortable?"

"Super comfy."

Dave chuckled.

"Good. See these two viewfinders? You have to look through this first one…" Dave helped guide the gun up so that the little looky-hole was lined up in his eyesight. "And line it up with that second."

In the process, they got a whole lot closer. Dave's arms were practically circled around him from behind, helping hold the gun in place. His chest just barely grazed Klaus's back, reminding him of when they were holed up in that bunker together after initially meeting.

This was even more intense. He was high, he was happy, and he was willing to admit that he quite liked this Dave Katz. He especially liked feeling his warm breath against his ear and neck as Dave talked right beside him, his voice low and smooth. It sent shivers down his spine that spread through his entire body like wildfire.

How on Earth was he so composed when Klaus felt like he was about to implode with nervous excitement?

"You looking?"

"…Mm-hm. Yeah." Klaus replied, flustered and completely out of quips and one-liners. He knew goosebumps were making their way across his neck and shoulder where Dave steadily breathed. He could feel it in his chest against his back too- a steady rhythm that nearly damned hypnotized him.

"Alright. Remember that switch?"

"Hmm?"

"The switch. The one I- Here, remember?" Dave pulled back on Klaus's hand and placed his fingers between Klaus's to lead them to the little lever.

"Oh yeah. That little guy."

"This-" Dave helped him flip it downwards. "Is semi-automatic. Gotta keep pulling the trigger. One bullet release. And this-"

He switched it over further.

"- is automatic."

"Say hello to my little friend." Klaus announced in his best Scarface voice. He felt Dave's chest contract with a chortle behind him.

"What?"

"It's a movie. Never mind."

After your time. Klaus amused himself by twisting something his Dad used to say a lot to them kids when he'd reference something out of their understanding.

"Before your time." He'd wave them off like young people were the scum of the Earth. Klaus doubted anyone hardly ever got to say "After your time" though.

"Okay, so you're loaded, switched off safety, all lined up… All that's left to do is pull the trigger."

Klaus still stayed still though, both of them unwavering in their stance. He hadn't realized how in need of physical human contact he was since coming here. Klaus seemed to always be in need of physical contact, but after being dumped in the middle of a big, scary war, that reached a whole new level.

This wasn't so much as the intentional hug that he had in mind or craved, but it'd certainly do.

It wasn't until this moment that Klaus made what he knew would be one hell of a life-altering decision.

I guess I'll stay. He thought, abandoning all previous thoughts of abandonment itself. After tonight with the other soldiers… his friends he felt agreeable enough to call them… and now this newfound recognition that Dave was someone worth at least getting to know better… Klaus couldn't currently think of another place he'd rather be in 1968.

Quite literally, actually. Klaus didn't know of anything else than what he's experienced here in "'Nam".

Speaking of here, he was a whole lot warmer in Dave's arms like this which wasn't particularly as romantically pleasant as it'd be if it wasn't already so hot and humid out, but the heat was from Dave and Klaus would very willingly accept it.

Until it was oh-so-cruelly ripped away.

"So… that's it." Dave dropped his arms and stepped away, the comfortable fortress around Klaus falling. His heart sank and so did his arms that were holding the M-16. Klaus turned to see Dave already walking away but taking his time so that Klaus could catch up.

"That's it." Klaus breathed to himself in disappointment, not really knowing what else he expected.

Get your stupid, high, thirsty ass to bed. Klaus told himself. He made sure to do what Dave said first, not wanting to disappoint him. He switched on the safety.

Don't get your hopes up. Don't get attached. Don't trust. Don't invest. Klaus's mind sent all kinds of warnings that he was quite accustomed to. They were warnings that popped up every time he had the chance to be even just a little vulnerable. He felt them dampening the excited fluttering in his chest that he had felt the moment Dave's fingertips grazed him.

Things were safer this way.

Once more, he dejectedly muttered to himself like an eternally unsatisfied mantra… As if Klaus was trying to convince himself to not jump so readily to excited and presumptuous conclusions…

"That's it."

Chapter Text

If Klaus didn't fully believe he was stuck in this Vietnam War situation at first, then two weeks to process and accept it did the trick. He couldn't believe when Pico had announced the date the other day that they were creeping up on 14 full days since he zapped into this lunacy. It went by surprisingly fast, but he guessed hours and days blended together when you were constantly on the move, constantly under fire.

They didn't sit comfortably at Firebase Baltogne for long. Their platoon was called out West, moving towards something called "Dong Ap Bia"… or as the locals called it, The Mountain of the Crouching Beast.

"Sound demonic."

"It just means tigers."

"I'd love to see a tiger!"

"No, Klaus." Dave had smirked at him. "No, you wouldn't."

"Cats love me."

"I'm not prying you from the jaws of a goddamn tiger. Setting that straight right now." He teased.

"If we all live through this, we should get a tattoo of the big ol' 'crouching beast'." Pico jumped into their conversation. A chorus of "No's" and "Absolutely not's" rose from all around them, Klaus's clear "Yes!" ringing out in contrast.

"Oh, c'mon. You guys are lame. What better reason to get inked than to celebrate not dying?" Klaus tried to back him up.

"Yeah, and imagine how badass it'd be to hike your shirt off and have a story to tell the ladies about the big fucking tigre on your back?" Pico continued.

To say the least, no one else was swayed.

"Don't want a 'tigre'?" Klaus asked Dave, returning to their more private talk.

"Tell you what. If you get eaten by a tiger, I'll get one in remembrance of you."

"Deal. Hope you know I will get eaten by a large cat just to have a good laugh from Hell, watching you get tatted."

"Oh, don't worry. I'm not doubting that."

They talked a lot since that one night, he and Dave. Even amongst the stretches of days when they hardly had time to take a breath between operations, they at least instinctively stayed side by side. Wherever Dave went, Klaus was always a step behind and vice versa. It wasn't something that needed to be acknowledged. It wasn't something that drew attention. It was just natural. They fell into the same strides as if they had been used to doing so for their entire lives.

Whatever the reason they fit so comfortably together, Klaus was just glad to have a friend. Even if whatever mysterious tie between them ended there, at "friendship", he couldn't imagine facing this shit without Dave.

Fighting "crime" with his siblings when he was younger was one thing. Hell, it was fun sometimes, until he got bored of the lifestyle and Dad sucked all the life out of everything. This type of fighting though? There was nothing rewarding or sane about this. Especially seeing as the other soldiers lived in this world and grew up knowing what they were fighting for. They felt the need to fight.

Klaus was just unwillingly dropped here. To him, he was simply experiencing pointless violence day after day after day: A comrade being shot down right beside him faster than the mind can comprehend. Vietnamese civilians burned alive with napalm or gushing blood out of a wound that you could never set apart from the rest of their mangled body. Children screaming. Children fighting.

Some days it started to get to him. He tried to push it down with that lovely opium-laced shit that the guys were always so generous to offer, but as Klaus knew all too well, sometimes drugs weren't enough.

Somehow, Dave always knew. The second Klaus started to feel sick to his stomach about the sight of brains splatted against a tree or the smell of burning flesh, a hand would be on his shoulder, gently shaking him back to reality.

"Hey. You okay?" Dave would ask. If they were in the middle of a fire zone, he'd shout it, ignoring the rest of what was transpiring around them and making Klaus feel like he was the only person in the middle of a hellbound firefight. Klaus would just nod and together they'd carry on, watching each other's backs as they promised from the start. If it was afterward in the stillness of camp or a slow trek onwards, Dave would pull him aside and ask him quietly. Sometimes Klaus would answer the same, nodding and not knowing what to say about it. Sometimes he'd admit that things were getting to be a little bit much.

"No one here has their shit together. No matter how they look or appear, you're not alone. This stuff is-"

"Fubar." Klaus announced suddenly, cutting Dave off and giving him a sad smile as he tried to lighten the mood. Dave broke into his own smile and that alone eased some of the pain and tension in Klaus's chest.

"Yeah. Fubar."

Speaking of the terminology, Dave was true to what he said that night they smoked and talked outside- He truly was Klaus's personal dictionary.

"I hear it's just as fucked at home as it is here." Don Juan was in conversation with Big Al as they all trudged along the thick-mud flooring of the hot and humid jungle one day. "Between the hippies and Freedom Fighters-"

Klaus had turned big pleading eyes to Dave as they eavesdropped on their talk, a look Dave was used to and knew how to respond to like second nature.

"Freedom Fighter." Dave repeated like a kid about to give the spelling at a spelling bee. "A civil rights protester."

Or another example, on a different occasion, a soldier from their squad accidentally bumped into Klaus on the way to pick up rations and muttered "Xin loi, Boots." Klaus looked to his right where he knew Dave would be.

"Xin loi. Sorry 'bout that."

…and so on. Klaus loved this arrangement for a number of reasons. First, he lived for the smile it brought to Dave's face every time Klaus would turn his puppy dog eyes up in question. Even more so, he loved hearing Dave chuckle when Klaus would try to use his newly-learned terms later, sometimes in ways that were obviously unnatural to him or in ill-timed situations.

Most of all, his constant need for interpretation always gave Klaus a reason to talk to Dave. Not that he thought he needed a reason. After these couple of weeks, he was pretty sure that by some miracle, Dave actually liked being around him. Still, sometimes Klaus found he was unusually nervous and cautious, especially when it could be unclear whether or not Dave was spacing out and distancing himself from the world like he occasionally did. Sometimes, Klaus knew he should just allow him to have that space.

…And sometimes he didn't.

They all had sat down at camp in the middle of the forest one evening, exhausted and a little traumatized from the daily dose of 'Nam. Sometimes Dave and Klaus would just naturally end up on opposite sides of the area. This particular evening had been one of those times.

Klaus didn't like that. Klaus wouldn't have that.

Even if he didn't truly have a question or a term he needed identified, Klaus would use the same excuse.

"T&T." Klaus announced cheerily from behind Dave after pushing his way around everyone, dropping down next to him without hesitation. He may feel the nerves inside, but he'd never show it. He would notice a ghost of a smile on Dave's face as soon as he saw that it was Klaus butting into his space, but it was gone as soon as he started answering. Dave would greet Klaus with the same "confident" causality in a way that Klaus would start to suspect that maybe he was trying to hide that he felt something else underneath just like he did.

Or maybe not.

"T&T. Through and through wound… Didn't you already ask that?"

"Nope." Klaus would immediately answer, knowing full-well that he had, in fact, already asked about that one. He needed some reason to come over though.

That's alright. He didn't think Dave knew the game he was playing at.

Dave totally knew the game Klaus was playing at.

He could probably recite every single word or phrase that he's defined for Klaus so he knew when he was repeating them. He'd never tell him that though. When it came to Klaus's relentless methods and means of wiggling his way back next to Dave, he was the furthest thing from "minding" that a person could be.

He just wished he had more opportunity for moments like that night that they talked outside the tent and later when Dave taught Klaus how to use his gun. Ever since then though, it had been go-go-go.

That's what made nights so special for Dave. They were serene, still gifts compared to the nightmare of the days. Not that all the nights were so graciously calm. Often, they fought through them, barely getting a wink of sleep which allowed the passing days to kind of meld together into one big clusterfuck. The only reason Dave knew what day came and went was that he couldn't help but count the days since Klaus arrived.

Subconsciously, he found himself numbering them. He didn't know why. Maybe it was because the day he dropped so mysteriously into the firebase was the day Dave's life started to look up ever so slightly. It sounded cheesy as hell- he very much realized that. It was true though, and he was realizing it more and more each day.

There were small differences at first that Dave could just pass off as coincidences. He didn't feel so shrouded all the time- separated from the rest. It wasn't that Dave avoided people or drew within himself- he still played them music and joked around and huddled up with a brew at night to tell stories of home. He never felt truly immersed with everyone though. He hadn't felt like he had let anyone in his shadow ever since-

Well, he refused to think about it.

The point was that after feeling so set adrift from his squad for the entirety of both of his tours, he was starting to feel present again- less in his head and more in the "now". That all started with Klaus.

He gave him something to be curious about again- something to care about past the usual necessities of survival. He was like a drug, this weirdo… Dave couldn't stop studying him… talking to him… finding out about him. He loved the wild lack of predictability that he brought to life. He never could've guessed what Klaus was going to do next and at a time where Dave was starting to feel like the world was too unbearably calculable, it was a breath of fresh air.

He couldn't sit still. He found a way to laugh even in the midst of so much death and evil. He was too good-hearted to let the pressure of everyone else get him to succumb to the hostility against their so-called enemies. He refused to raid with a harsh hand but would only offer kindness and a comforting hand to women and children who were scared out of their minds and caught up in something they never asked for. And Dave didn't think he had ever even said the word "Gook" in his life.

"Here Kitty-Katz. Kitty, kitty…" Klaus clicked at him like he was trying to catch the attention of a pet. From across the fire, his face was illuminated with a cocky smirk. He called Dave out of his daze, using that damned nickname…

And that's why, on top of everything else… everything else that Klaus was and did… That guy drove Dave crazy.

"Hop off, Klaus." He rolled his eyes and threw his boot over the flames at the giggling idiot. Dave couldn't help but smile as always, something that he found he wasn't able to hide around him anymore. Just the sight of Klaus's mischievous, challenging eyes and his stupid smirk made the corners of his own lips turn up whether he wanted to or not. "You've got my full attention. What do you want?"

"Requests."

Dave only realized then that Klaus cradled an acoustic guitar on his lap, the dull gloss flickering against the firelight and his long fingers impatiently tapping on the neck.

"Where the hell did you find that in the middle of the jungle?"

"One of the Gooks had traded for it when the last troop blew through town." Teddy explained. "And Boots so brilliantly traded his last rations for it back."

"For your entertainment, I might add. You're welcome." Klaus shot in return, eyes down and studying the length of the strings. He lazily plucked a few, the sound too soft and delicate to fully hear over the crackle of the fire.

"You can't even travel with that, dude. You chose to starve for something you're gonna have to leave here, you know?" Pico added.

"I know."

"Dumbass." Dave muttered just loud enough for Klaus to hear. His head snapped up and they connected gazes. Everyone else was suddenly gone. Hell, the whole world was gone. Dave shot him a smile. Klaus returned it, breaking their gaze and pulling his focus back down to the instrument.

The Earth faded back in.

"Know any of the Fab Four?"

"Dictionary check." Klaus called immediately. Dave happily obliged as always.

"Fab Four… The Beatles."

"Oh, lovely! Yeah, sure."

They chatted over the sound of Klaus quietly plucking away to Day Tripper. Sometimes when he'd get to the chorus, a few guys would hum or sing along. It kept Klaus surprisingly quiet, all of his focus on playing away at the instrument in his lap. It kept Dave silent as well- he was captivated just by watching how he so delicately and fluidly moved along the neck with one hand, the fingers on his other hand dancing amongst the strings without interruption.

This was such a different side of Klaus than Dave was used to- a calm side, that is. There always seemed to be an inexplicably unending supply of energy that coursed through the guy, his body constantly moving or fidgeting or shaking with the inability to just stay still for a moment. Here though, Dave saw his muscles relax in a way that made him look just plain different.

He liked it. He liked seeing him relaxed for once.

This sparked interest also could've been attributed to the fact that finding out Klaus could play around with a guitar really caught Dave's attention. The other guys weren't kidding when they called him a Melophile. He's been purely obsessed with music since he was four, using it as a way to escape how unhappy he was in his early years with his biological father. Instead of dying when his father died though, it only got stronger. Music was something that Dave didn't have to share with anyone else and in a small house where everything was shared, he adored the thought of having a passion that was purely his own.

Now, every time Klaus would talk about music or recognize a song Dave hummed or even now with surprising everyone with the guitar… it was like two things that sparked life within Dave in separate ways came together and met on the same plain…

Dave would certainly be requesting Klaus to play for him more often.

"What's this one?"

"…Blackbird?" Klaus turned his eyes up to Dave for the first time since he started playing. His expression made Dave feel like he was the crazy one for not knowing.

"Who's it by?"

"…The Beatles. The 'Fab Four"." Klaus chuckled at the band's nickname but Dave hardly noticed in his confusion.

"There's no way."

"What do you mean, there's no way?"

"I mean there's not a song I don't know by The Beatles."

Dave watched Klaus completely freeze, crudely interrupting the steady flow of notes that had been melting into the air without ceasing. It had been a beautiful melody… it just couldn't possibly be the Beatles. Dave would spend days just switching in between their records until he'd even dream in Beatles songs.

"Ohh…" Klaus mumbled in a way that Dave understood wasn't directed towards him. Suddenly Klaus was having an inner conversation with himself- like there was something entirely out of the realm of their current conversation that Dave wasn't in on. He did that a lot actually. "Well… If you don't know it now, I'm sure you will eventually."

Dave wasn't quite sure what he meant by that. Klaus was already onto the next song though. It was really gorgeous and Dave was once again surprised that he didn't know such a melody. He tried to listen to Klaus mumble the words here and there, but he haphazardly muttered the lyrics quickly under his breath as if he was just checking his memory to see if they were still there.

"…words of wisdom…" Klaus tried out a few chords, his brow creased in concentration. "Let it be… and all that crap." He strummed a chord that was clearly not meant to be pleasing to the ears, sitting back up straight and stretching. "Been a while since I've played. Can't remember as much as I'd like to."

"What was that one?"

"Let it be? You don't know that one either?"

Dave shook his head.

"You got different bands in Canada?" Dave meant it as a joke, but when he thought about it, he couldn't find any other explanation for Klaus's evasiveness.

"No, no… Just wait."

"What do you mean, wait?"

But Klaus was standing up and setting his newly traded guitar against a tree nearby, obviously done with the conversation. He came back stretching out his fingers and sitting down closer to Dave than before. He tried to ignore the upgrade in proximity, not wanting to come off as eager as he felt.

"Here." Dave told him, handing over his wrapped cornbread from his rations that he was planning on eating later. Klaus frowned and shook his head.

"Nah-"

"Klaus, you have to eat."

"Ugh. Okay, Mother." He took the bread which Dave knew he'd do without too much coaxing- he was sure that trading his rations for the guitar seemed like a good idea in the moment, but Dave found that Klaus wasn't all too great at thinking about how his actions would affect him in the future. He guessed that went along with that curious, reckless abandon that Dave found so interesting about him. It was a nice contrast to his own personality…

Klaus would act rashly and then Dave would overthink for the both of them.

"Mm-Mm…" Klaus hummed his thanks as he ate the cornbread gratefully, stretching back and draping his forearm across his face, his chest starting to slow in the rhythm at which it rose and fell.

This was the start of Dave's favorite part of every night. Ever since that first day that Dave took over watch so that Klaus could retire, he had been intrigued by watching the dude sleep… And yes, he realized that sounded creepy.

Klaus was just as interesting and unpredictable unconscious as conscious though. Dave never knew what he was going to get-

Sometimes he was peaceful and still save for the small, rhythmic movement caused by the expansion and contraction of his lungs. Dave felt so at ease on nights like this. It was almost a relief to see Klaus slow down for once, his features lax and his eyelashes barely even fluttering. His breath would be steady and quiet to the point where Dave was lucky if he could hear it over the hum of insects in the forest surrounding them.

Sometimes he was just as fidgety at night as he was during the day. He'd toss and turn and sleep in the oddest positions that Dave couldn't possibly imagine to be comfortable. His favorite part about those nights was actually the next morning when Klaus would wake up with his hair in complete disarray. He'd be especially groggy those mornings, slowly blinking and not saying a word until he regained a spurt of energy somewhere towards noon.

And then sometimes… specifically, after days that weren't busy enough to knock him out into deep sleep but would be equally slow in the realm of partying and drugs… Klaus's nights were worse than the day. There were multiple occasions where Dave would be shaking him awake, terrified by the fact that he just wasn't coming back to reality- trapped in some ongoing nightmare. Sometimes he'd thrash, other times he'd moan or talk unintelligible words, but on every occasion, he'd shake with a fear that Dave wished so dearly to understand.

"Hey. You good? Klaus- Klaus…" Dave would carefully pull him back to reality, not caring about waking the other guys who never appreciated it when he did. Klaus would jerk awake and have a split second of terror show clear in his features before he noticed Dave and instantly put his mask on.

"Yeah. Swell."

Neither of them addressed how his voice shook.

The bottom line was… Maybe Dave knew quite a bit about Klaus's sleeping habits. And while a good part of that was because of Dave's own lack of sleep that left him with nothing else to do in the dark following the drop of the sun, he couldn't say he didn't gain his own peace from it. Plus, when you soldier together in a war you do everything together. It wasn't long before you pick up on all kind of habits from the guys you operate with.

"Night." Klaus sleepily murmured from his place beside Dave who wondered what kind of night it'd be tonight- Peaceful, reckless, or concealed terror.

Thankfully, it was peace.

There were no other fun nights that Klaus could set apart from the others except when he traded for that guitar. He forgot how easily he could fall back into it. It always made his mind go blank to try to recall his muscle memory and strum out a few songs. When he was younger and picked up his first guitar… Well, okay… Stole his first guitar, he actually found that he was doing fewer drugs.

Everyone knows how that story goes though. Drugs always win.

Anyway, when Klaus brought this up to Dave, he was amused.

"Fun?"

"Yeah… Like a… Fun night. We haven't had one in a while."

"Klaus. You're the only one who could possibly be thinking about "fun" nights in the middle of a war."

"It's the forever burden of the life of the party. I didn't ask for this responsibility, I just merely carry it upon my shoulders. What I'm trying to say is, if I can get ahold of alcohol, can we have a fun night?"

"And what does a fun night entail exactly?"

"Fun things."

"You're infuriating sometimes, you know?"

"I know."

Sometimes when Dave took jabs at him, they felt even more like compliments than compliments did. It was probably the way he said these things without a single hint of hostility. "You're absolutely nuts", "You're the worst", "You're driving me up the wall" … He always said it with a small smile and a shake of his head that made Klaus feel all-too-noticeably warm inside.

Klaus did get what he wanted, by the way. He got the beers to everyone else's amazement. He wouldn't tell them how. He liked to keep them guessing.

To his delight, Pico also managed to get them hooked up with some tunes in a mighty creative way- He asked Sarge to borrow his transition radio and hooked up with a buddy that was stationed at a base not far from them. Immediately, sounds of men laughing and yelling and music wafted through the crappy radio speaker.

"Eddie… Man, can you hook us up out here?"

"Where you at, P?"

"In the middle of the fucking jungle, I don't know. Give me somethin' good."

The guys at the other end of the line complied and for the remainder of the night, they were granted the pleasure of music sounding something of a mix between Latino and psychedelic rock… it was unclear through the sketchy frequencies. It was enough for Pico to get everyone up to learn the Merengue after a few beers though. That was the type of fun Klaus was talking about.

"Take my hand, Teodoré." Klaus swooned over Teddy, pulling him to stand and learn the dance with him. He'd ask Dave, but…

Well, no he wouldn't. He was much too afraid that in his drunken state, he'd too-clearly show how much more a dance with Dave meant that just plainly "a dance with Dave". Besides, the guy was in his quiet mood tonight- not in a bad, closed-off way. He was just relaxing, sipping his beer and once again, often watching Klaus when he thought that he wasn't watching right back.

"Well ain't I the luckiest skirt around?" Teddy responded in a high, frilly voice. Klaus flickered his eyes over to Dave who smiled and mouthed,

Skirt: A girl.

Oh. Klaus mouthed back.

"Alright. Manos arriba. Arriba. Up, UP!" Pico instructed, trying to get a very stumbly Klaus and Teddy to keep their entwined hands raised. They just giggled wildly, forgetting and dropping them a second later. "You guys are idiots. Okay, you have to keep shifting your weight back and forth from left to right, bending your knees like this, see?"

By some miracle, Klaus was even able to take Don Juan's hand and pull him up against his mumbling protests. The guy was so large and stiff that you could barely tell he was moving at all, but at least he seemed to be reluctantly enjoying himself as he danced with Big Al (which everyone found pretty hilarious considering their size difference). By the end of the night, more and more guys wanted to learn too until Sarge had to keep coming over from where he was trying to meet with the Lieutenant and other Sergeant.

"I swear to the good Mother Mary and Joseph, if I have to tell you boys to shut up one more time-"

"Sorry, Sarge." They'd all mumble like scolded school children… right before they went back fucking around and horrifically botching the Merengue.

Klaus found himself in an odd position that night- quite literally. He was right between two people who seemed keen to watch him- each in very different ways.

There was Dave. That much was expected. When Dave got buzzed or high, Klaus discovered that he didn't seem to take heed in hiding the fact that he glanced at him often. That's okay. Klaus did the same. Obviously, Klaus welcomed Dave's eyes, but what he didn't like was being stared at from the opposite direction-

Fucking Eugie. The guy shot him dirty looks all the time, but tonight, it was especially bad. Maybe it was because Eugene himself had knocked down a few beers, but he wouldn't stop narrowing his beady, dagger-stabbing eyes at Klaus like he thought that he could bleed him dry just from his look.

"You don't want some of this, Eugie?" Klaus rashly poked the bear as if he'd ever do anything that required joy such as dancing.

"Fuck off, freak."

"You know I love it when you talk dirty to me."

That really set him off. He sprung up from the ground like a goddamn frog, luckily only to be met with Don Juan's firm and demanding hands on his chest that prevented him from pounding Klaus into a pulp.

Klaus thought this to be rather funny until he turned to Dave who shook his head at him disapprovingly. Klaus rolled his eyes at him and Dave mouthed Cut it out right back at him.

You're not my Mom, Katz. Klaus thought to himself defiantly, but instead, he just frowned theatrically at Dave who mirrored his ridiculous frown back.

"Yo. Am I allowed in on this telepathic conversation?" Teddy asked from right in front of Klaus, still bouncing back and forth to the music. Klaus smirked and twirled Teddy to which he gleefully "Wooooo-ed" to like a child. Speaking of which…

"How old are you?" He asked Teddy, always meaning to question it before but also always forgetting.

"Me? 19, mah dude. 20 in September."

Klaus stopped dancing.

"Nineteen?"

"Yeah. What about it?"

This child was fighting a war before he could legally drink. Christ.

"Nothing…" Klaus muttered, suddenly not hyped on happy juice anymore. Suddenly, he started to really let certain realities set in.

This kid could die here. He may never go home to his Mother. His stupid giggle-fits might be wiped clean off the face of the planet before he can even experience his second decade.

"Boots? What the hell? C'mon, partner. Twirl me." He coaxed, followed by that same outlandish giggle that Klaus was thinking about. Klaus put on a brave face, slipping back into his regular persona. He spun him again.

"Just thinking about what gives you the right to call someone a decade older than you "Boots"."

"Ahhh… You don't mind." Teddy smirked as if he was stating a fact rather than assuming Klaus's thoughts. He was right though. He didn't.

Later on… Klaus wasn't sure how long after "later" entailed, but he did know that it was only after he exhausted himself… Klaus peeled off his sweaty shirt, laid his vest in the grass and collapsed right down on top of it, his bare, heavy-breathing chest facing up towards the sky. He plopped down so close to Dave that he brushed his bicep when he raised his own arms to bend underneath his head.

"Tired yourself out?"

"Yeah. You should've stolen a dance with me."

"I was tired before the dancing. And maybe one too many brews."

"Or not enough."

Klaus heard Dave smirk.

"Anyways… You owe me a dance." Klaus closed his eyes, feeling his whole body smile from the sound of Dave's voice. It paired so well with night sounds… so calming.

"Mm… Okay. Fine. I can agree to that."

"Well that's lovely but I wasn't asking."

"You're an ass."

"Mm."

Klaus knew that if they were alone, he wouldn't be saving these few inches in between them. With liquid courage coursing through his body, he knew he wouldn't spare any expense to act on the stupid knots that have been torturing his stomach and chest- knots that kept winding themselves tighter and tighter with each passing day that he spent near the beautiful David Katz.

He just wished he wasn't so hard to pierce through his fortified walls. Sometimes he had no clue what the guy was thinking.

"Katz?"

"Yeah?" Dave responded to someone's call across the ways. It sounded like Teddy.

"You got anything new for us tonight?"

Klaus knew he was talking about songs. His absolute favorite part of the days where actually nights… right before they all drifted into either dreamless or nightmare-ridden sleep, Dave would often find a few tunes to quietly hum to. Sometimes guys would quietly mutter lyrics from where they had set themselves up for bed for the night. Most times, they'd just all lay there in silent appreciation of the familiar songs most of them recognized, probably reminding them a good deal of home.

"I've been out here in this fucking jungle just like you, Teds. I have no idea what's new lately."

"Alright, well then give us somethin' old."

Dave obliged as usual. Klaus didn't know this one specifically, but from the melody, he could guess it was Frank Sinatra. If Klaus would've understood what the song was saying, he would've wished he didn't miss out on the lyrics. Undenounced to Klaus, it was like Dave's own secret message meant for him but in a way that Dave slyly never expected him to actually recognize.

The way your smile just beams

The way you sing off-key

The way you haunt my dreams

No, no… They can't take that away from me.

The way you hold your knife

The way we danced until three

The way you changed my life

No, no they can't take that away from me

But Klaus didn't know the lyrics. For now, everyone just enjoyed the melody.

As Dave started humming, Klaus's mouth started moving before his mind caught up. Surprisingly, that hardly mattered with Dave though. He always welcomed Klaus's comments.

"There he is, ladies and gents. A wonder, I tell ya. A wonder. The human dictionary AND jukebox. Step right up." Klaus announced in his best 1950s infomercial-guy voice. Dave staggered in the middle of his song, a breathy laugh replacing his consistent humming for a moment before he regained his composure and carried on.

Usually, everyone would fall asleep rather quickly from that point on. They all must've still been hopped up on Ba Mu'o'I Ba though because suddenly started the melancholy talk of home.

Klaus, as usual, stayed uncharacteristically quiet when this happened. Dave did too which made it okay. He liked hearing stories from the other guys though.

Don Juan about Massachusetts and the "best damn clams" a man can find.

Big Al about the stunning mountains and rock forms in Moab.

And finally, Pico taking their minds to the Dominican Republic with him… O la República Dominicana.

It was beautiful even to simply listen to Pico speak. The whole camp went absolutely silent, Dave's humming slowing to a stop as he too was enthralled.

"…Shores washed by the Caribbean so clear that you might as well be swimming in diamond. Stretching mountains with the highest highs and lowest lows that you've seen in your life, just covered with fauna- like God himself threw up on the land."

Teddy laughed at that.

"You can't walk down the street without someone calling out your name… askin' how your family's doing. Shoving gifts in your hand. Food. So much food: Habichuelas guisadas, plantains, arroz, Mama Juana… Man, that's the first place I'm going after this shit is over. I'm goin' home."

It sounded great…

…Except for the fact that the next time Pico spoke of those reaching mountain peaks and warm welcomes on the street, he was spurting blood out of his chest.

That day was tomorrow.

"…ce- ce- celebrate everything, m- m- man. We- AH! …We n- n- know how to p-party in the D… Dominica- ca- can…" Pico sputtered through a mouthful of crimson, his chest heaving with effort and his eyes wide as planets.

"Keep talkin' to me, Pico." The medic mumbled, pressurizing the ugly wound uselessly with a rag. He tore Pico's shirt open with the other hand to take a better look but there wasn't much to look at. Only a pool of blood. Constant fire flew about the air around them, exploding bark off of trees and making dents in the Earth. Barely anyone paid attention.

"Tell me about the mountains and the beaches and shit. What did you say yesterday?" Don Juan tried to assist from the other side, grasping on of Pico's trembling hands in his own. The dying man who couldn't be more than in his early 20s fought to display the saddest smile you've ever seen.

"L- Like God h-himself p- puked all over th- that shit."

"La República Dominicana. Home of the lawd's regurgitation." Don Juan offered a friendly and surprisingly calm smile. It was the first time anyone had seen Don genuinely do so.

"Y- yeah…"

And that's how Pico left the world- a ghost of a distant smile on his lips and his eyes far off in thoughts of his true home, his promise to return crushed to dust in a matter of seconds. Suddenly something that held so much vitality and light turn stone-cold stiff- a corpse. Just as good as a stick on the ground or a rock in your shoe… Lifeless, motionless, dead.

Dave and Klaus saw it all from less than a couple yards away. Klaus heard the wheezy inhale of his friend's last breath and watched the gleam leave his eyes. He smelled blood- an awful, coppery torture to the nose that reminded you that this was real. Anyone could die. Someone did die.

There were no thoughts of "fun" after that.

They were flown back to base after that rendezvous. In the past two weeks alone, their platoon had interrupted a large section of a steady arm of the Ho Chi Min trail… a road that the NVA used to transport goods and weapons to service any soldiers they had traveling South. They took out a few bunkers, blew up a few trucks, took out a good chunk of their troops.

It was all relatively smooth until that last mission where they arrived at Base 611- a large NVA hub. Probably the largest in all of A Shau Valley.

Base 611 is what took Pico's life.

Now that they were back at their own Firebase though, a good many miles away from where disaster hit and a friend was put to rest, everyone was quiet. The whole base seemed quiet. The goddamn world was quiet.

And Klaus couldn't take it.

The first thing he did when he hopped out of the chopper was swiftly make his way to his tent, rifling through his limited belongings until his hand closed around the very last tie to home that he possessed-

A beautiful little, perfectly rounded pill. A tiny light in a lot of darkness. His last one.

Klaus took no time to tear the baggie open with shaking fingers, rolling the pill into his palm and popping it into the back of his throat. No one else who filed in paid him a second glance but Klaus knew they wouldn't care either way. No one would judge anyone for anything after what they had been through today.

Just the feeling of the pill sliding down his throat was enough to allow Klaus a few steady deep breaths. One measly pill wasn't going to do much though… not with his tolerance. There was a heaviness in Klaus's chest that he simply couldn't shake and as much as he tried, the smell of blood and words of the Dominican Republic just wouldn't leave his mind alone.

Dave. He had to talk to Dave.

But where was he?

Surely Dave couldn't be doing too well either. He had seen exactly what Klaus had, and even though he was more distracted by holding off the advancing Charlies with his M-16, such a death happening only a few feet away from you was hard to miss.

Klaus's best bet was that disappeared somewhere to be alone. That was more his style, he realized.

Klaus would give him some space.

But then dinner happened and Dave was nowhere to be seen in the mess hall. Klaus checked the showers, the storage units, the next-platoon-over's tent, Sarge's quarters…

Klaus saw him step off a chopper, so where the hell could he have possibly gone from there? It was unreasonable to expect that anything too horrible had happened since they arrived at the base. He would've heard about it… right?

Out here though, after today… Klaus didn't know what to expect. He was starting to get a little freaked out.

"Have you seen Dave?"

"You already asked me that, brother." Teddy answered. No giggles from him tonight.

"Yeah, but I haven't found him."

"Calm down, dude. The guy can take care of himself. He just likes space."

"Yeah. Okay."

Klaus went to bed without seeing him for the entirety of the evening. "Bed" but not "sleep" that is… He stared at the tent canvas above him, unable to get a wink. He couldn't even turn over on his side or stomach where he was more comfortable because all he saw in the darkness was the outline of Pico's empty bed still littered with his belongings that no longer belonged to anyone.

At some point, after everyone else seemed to finally succumb to slumber, the sound of someone shuffling into the tent sounded. Klaus instantly perked up, propping himself up on his elbow.

Dave.

"Dave,"

No answer, but it was clearly him. Klaus could tell by the shape of his shadow and his personalized mannerisms as he got his cot ready to sleep. There was no way he didn't hear him.

"Dave." He whispered again, this time a little louder.

"I'm just tired, Klaus."

Oh. Okay.

Klaus felt an annoying pang in his chest.

Stop being a baby. Let him have his space. He cruelly yelled at himself. There was something in Dave's voice that stabbed him though- it was a tone that Klaus recognized too well. It was the sound of someone who just couldn't take Klaus's needy bullshit right now, the tone usually belonging to his siblings. It was a quality that wrapped up disappointment, irritation, and a longing for peace away from… well… Klaus.

Just give him a while. He'll come around.

But he didn't.

The next day, Klaus found that Dave was gone before he got up. He was gone before anyone in the whole tent got up, in fact. Klaus got to breakfast first though, sitting down and making sure he saved room for Dave if he was to show up.

He did. He sat at the opposite side of the room.

The squad was recruited to help move heavy-ass crates from a re-supply plane to their ammo storage unit. Dave didn't even look at Klaus.

He wouldn't have been so offended if it wasn't just him, but it was. Dave talked to everyone else- Teddy, Big Al, Don Juan, Sarge… Klaus even saw Dave put a comforting hand on Big Al's shoulder following a small, sad exchange about Pico and how every time he'd lift a heavy crate, he'd grunt, "Dios" under his breath until he had the whole squad imitating and mocking him when they'd lift as well.

When they finished up, Klaus quickly trotted forward to catch up with Dave, falling in step beside him. Maybe he was imagining that Dave was avoiding him. What reason did he have to? He didn't do anything wrong… did he? Sometimes Klaus did stupid shit without even realizing it.

"Your mission… should you choose to accept it… Spider hole. I heard Sarge talking about it last night."

Dave kept walking. He didn't even look at Klaus.

"D-"

"I heard you."

"Oh, just buffering?" Klaus realized that Dave wouldn't know what the hell that meant in this age, but he thought it to be amusing enough. Dave didn't react.

"Spider hole- Disguised enemy foxhole."

"Oh. Okay, thanks." More awkward silence. The tent was in vision now. Klaus thought that it may be a good time to ask if Dave was okay after the whole Pico thing. He didn't know how to go about it, so he just went for it. "Dave, are y-"

"You know Teddy or any of the other guys can help you with these too."

Klaus stopped walking.

Ouch. Big ouch.

Dave carried on like he didn't even notice Klaus had halted dead in his tracks. Klaus watched him, very unsure of how to respond to that when it currently felt like he was swallowing knives. He had a painful feeling inside that told him that this was not only the end of "Dave the Dictionary" but the end of "Dave and Klaus" overall.

"Okay." He managed to stupidly force out, trying to muster all the casualness he could manage. Dave didn't even acknowledge him. He walked away and out of sight until Klaus was left standing in the openness of the middle of the base, feeling naked and vulnerable.

Any bit of sanity that he was holding onto since Pico died came crashing down.

Before he realized what was happening, Klaus was speed walking diagonally across camp, shoving through hordes of soldiers, getting shouldered by a passing-Eugie, nearly getting slammed by a sack of potatoes someone was tossing to another someone…

Klaus barely recognized any of this as real. All he knew about was the pounding in his chest, the twist of his stomach, and the sickening buzz in his head.

The next thing he knew, he was behind the mess hall building, his back pressed up against the cold brick. His knees were pulled to his chest and his hands rubbed over his knees like he was trying to clean his palms of something that just wouldn't clean.

His breaths were quick and labored, overpowering all other sounds around him.

Don't freak out. You're okay. You're okay. Klaus tried to keep telling himself, but that did absolutely no good. He was freaking out. How could he not?

Things got very real yesterday. Klaus was slammed with a bat that read "This is not a game" and that bat had hurt.

What the fuck are you doing? Playing war like a fucking child? You won't survive out here. You can't survive out here. How dare you pretend like there's a place for you. How dare you actually believe that there's anything for you here. How dare you accept this as your new life. How dare you think you had friends… that you were accepted.

If you can't be accepted at home, were you that fucking dumb to think you'd fit in here? You're messing with people's lives. You're fucking with something you don't understand. They don't know you. You don't know them. They don't get you. You don't get them. You were put here in Hell for a reason. Maybe you got what was coming to you.

Klaus had all kinds of things that ran rampant in his mind. It wasn't until then that he realized that the only reason this worked… that any of this 1968 bullshit had worked… was because he had one thing to foolishly look forward to like a child hoping for a unicorn for Christmas…

Dave. That's it. That's why he was able to make it this far… Because Klaus was actually dumb enough to think that he found something special with someone. This wasn't fucking high school though (not that Klaus would know what that felt like). This was a goddamn war and Dave didn't have time for Klaus's bullshit.

Whatever fantasy he built up in his head to survive these past couple weeks was dissipated in an instant, leaving him dry. He had nothing here now. His whole livelihood in his current situation was based on some guy he thought was cute.

You're unbelievable. He heard Ben's voice in the same tone as when he'd shake his head disapprovingly at something stupid Klaus would pursue or say.

He missed Ben. He missed Allie. He missed Diego and Luther and Vanya and even the mysteriously returned Number Five who had only come back for a couple of days before being the reason for Klaus's kidnapping. God, that seemed so long ago.

He was homesick. So homesick. He hadn't realized it until now- until the only thing he was hanging onto snapped, probably due to Klaus putting too much pressure on it like always.

He actually thought he had some "magical" connection with some guy who was born 50 years before him that he just met? Stupid. Fucking stupid.

The last time he longed for his former home this intensely was in a place he did not want to revisit right now, but the similarities of feeling so stuck were connecting sensory memories all too vividly…

The Mausoleum. The last time he felt this trapped and hopeless and alone was the last time Dad locked him in that Mausoleum… Surrounded by death, tortured souls, and no sense of comfort from any of the place's cold, dark corners…

How was this any different?

Klaus couldn't do this anymore.

He just wanted to go home.

Chapter Text

Pico dying was the icing on an already-dangerously decorated cake- a cake baked with constant doubt, paranoia, and self-reproach all based on the notion that investing yourself in a person that could so easily be dancing like an idiot one day and sputtering blood the next…

Well, it wasn't a smart idea for either party.

…And Dave wasn't referring to Pico.

He had been so back and forth ever since April 22nd. Some days, he'd say fuck reason. Fuck caution. Fuck anything that said that he couldn't admire the way Klaus's eyelashes slowly fluttered when he gracefully inhaled a breath of smoke or the way he mumbled nonsense in his sleep, only sometimes uttering intelligible words like "Fuck off" or "Waffles" or "Diego" or "Ben".

Other days, Dave would hate himself for his own carelessness. He was going to end up hurting both himself and Klaus with his stupid, childish games. He couldn't be fawning over someone he went into battle with! Flirting with someone with whom he soldiered, side by side. It was a recipe for disaster to say the least. Pico really snapped him out of his boyish-crush haze.

Of course, Dave was torn up about losing a friend. He had only known Pico for a little over a month, but war tended to speed up the friendship process when you had to rely on these men to have your back.

And just seeing anyone die like that was awful in itself.

However, it may sound terrible, but this wasn't Dave's first rodeo. He knew he was going to lose people all around him. While you can't fully desensitize, you can at least prepare and Dave had certainly prepared himself before coming out for his second tour.

So, yeah… It was really rough to lose Pico like that. But it was rough on a whole different level to imagine seeing Klaus in that position. Ultimately, that's what bugged Dave out so much. It could've just as easily been him. "Number Four". Gone in an instant.

The last person Dave "went with" died and he certainly wasn't planning on keeping up on that trend.

But God almighty, it hurt so bad to push Klaus away. The only reason he was able to keep a straight face and a stone-cold disposition was because he truly felt it was the best thing for the both of them. It took every ounce of strength from Dave, especially looking into Klaus's pained eyes that begged 'What'd I do?' when Dave left him cold.

Sometimes Dave wished he wouldn't have been as harsh and abrupt with it, but he was afraid that if he wasn't, Klaus would find a way to break through his wall and tear down his shaky resolve. The guy had a way of doing that, you know.

Dave missed that idiot though. He missed him a whole fucking lot.

His inappropriately timed comments that most people had learned to just tune out. The way he giggled at himself if no one else was listening, even though Dave always secretly was. When he'd appear at Dave's side seemingly out of nowhere, proudly announcing a new word he needed defining. Excitedly recognizing and naming the songs Dave hummed, jumping up and grabbing at Dave's arm yelling "I GOT IT. I GOT IT. Dream lover, Bobby Darin. Right? Am I right?".

Dave missed watching him relax at the end of a long day when they were able to enjoy some dew in the rare peace and quiet intervals. He loved watching him as Klaus became entranced with the smoke that rose from between his own lips in a psychedelic dance of wisps and swirls.

He missed talking when they couldn't fall asleep, eyes turned up to the stars and bodies laid out as close as they could be without touching as if both of them were afraid that if they did, they'd just implode upon impact.

Yeah… After Dave started avoiding Klaus two days ago, he's missed quite a lot. Klaus wasn't making it easy either.

Klaus got over it because, well, he had to. What else was he gonna do? Will Dave to be friends with him again? He wasn't Allison. He couldn't rumor other people into liking him (no offense, Allie).

"Got over it" is a term he'd use loosely though. He at least wasn't trying to fight his way back to Dave's side. Klaus didn't do that- he didn't waste that much energy on one person. People are gonna do what people are gonna do and Klaus just rolled with the punches. This punch hurt though. This punch stung.

Only a couple days had gone by since Pico died and Dave closed himself off but those days dragged like hell. There wasn't too much pleasure that Klaus was able to pull from the normal routine anymore. At this point, he was just going through the motions to survive. He didn't really know what he was living for on the day-to-day, but he was sure he'd find something eventually. Right now, he was just coasting by, waiting for this stupid, painful fixation with Dave to subside.

Obviously, it might take a hot second. For as much as Klaus really tried to pretend like he couldn't care less about the guy, he was watching him every time his back was turned. Suddenly, every movement Dave made, even the simple raise of his arm to adjust his helmet or roll of his eyes over some stupid joke that Teddy made, drove Klaus simply, agonizingly insane.

Klaus missed him. He missed him a whole fucking lot.

He did take the time to get closer to Teddy though. He really enjoyed the kid's company- kind of a mini version of himself minus the drugs, trauma, and Daddy issues. Teddy really seemed to like Klaus too, often bouncing along in his footsteps, his bright giggle never far behind.

He taught him some hand to hand after constant begging from Teddy's end.

"You gotta show me how to do that kung-fu shit you did to that Charlie fuck. That shit was unreal."

So, Klaus did his best, frequently reminding Teddy that a lot of it was just second nature to him and he didn't really think about it anymore. By the end of the hour though, he was able to show Teds how to get an enemy on the ground coming at you from a few different angles. To be fair, they practiced with Big Al who Teddy could probably toss a couple yards with one hand tied behind his back. It wasn't until Don Juan stepped up that the real challenge began.

"Errr…"

"C'mon, Teds. Show me what you got." Don challenged, a deviously doubtful smile on his face that said 'you ain't got nothing on me, kid'.

"Yeah. Yeah, okay Donnie-boy. Bring it on." Teddy hesitantly accepted. Klaus watched with one eyebrow cocked, really curious to see how this was going to go down with Teddy trying to disarm a guy that most likely part-mountain.

Don lunged and Teddy instantly shrieked and balled up. The whole platoon burst into a good laugh at that. Don stopped before he tackled the 19-year-old, a knowing smile on his lips.

"Good try, man. If you can call it that."

"Fuck off, Don. I'm gonna train with Boots more and then kick your ass, you hear me?"

"I hear you, bro. I just don't believe you."

"You'll see. Right, Boots?"

"You're a goddamned Daniel LaRusso." Klaus agreed.

"Who's that?"

"The Karate Kid? It's- Oh yeah, right... Nevermind."

"You're strange sometimes, Boots."

"I know."

This whole debacle with Teddy caving the second Don Juan moved in on him had grabbed the entire camp's attention so naturally, that included Dave. Teddy and Don Juan resumed playfully trash-talking each other about a fight that Teddy insisted would happen. The word "panty-waist" among others was thrown out and Klaus's mind instinctively went to one place:

Gotta ask Dave. Dictionary Dave.

And then:

…Oh. Oh, yeah.

Klaus had time to glance over towards Sarge and right next to him, Dave.

Was Klaus crazy or had Dave's eyes flickered away from him as soon as he looked over there? Maybe he was only imagining what he wanted to see- Dave still interested… Curious about him.

Don't waste your breath, Klaus...

There was one night where Klaus and Teddy set up in the grass together, Klaus pulling a joint from his vest pocket and striking a match.

"Yo, it amazes me that you always seem to have this endless supply of drugs, Man." Teddy took the joint gratefully as Klaus passed it, taking a puff for himself first. He shrugged.

"I gotta."

"Gotta what?"

"Always be stocked."

"Why's that?"

"Well you see, son… When a man puts as much substance into his body as I do, he needs in just to survive from day to day. That's called addiction. Don't do drugs kids… Now take another puff."

Teddy laughed and did just that, passing it back.

"Huh, I didn't know. Guess I don't really notice that you're always high then."

"Nah, only thing you'd notice is if I wasn't high. Let me tell ya- That's no party."

The rest of the night was spent snickering like dumb school children. The weed helped with that, of course. By the time the rest of the guys were falling asleep though (no hummed songs from Dave since Pico died) Teddy started dreamily talking with his eyes in some distant galaxy, telling Klaus all about his "Three Little Pigs".

"Tyra, Phoebe, and Inez… I started calling them the 'Three Little Pigs' after the first time they had spaghetti. I don't know how you manage to get pasta in your pants, Boots, but these gals did it. Of course, they were three then. Now they're all grown up and reaching seven like fucking miniature adults already or somethin'."

"They're triplets?"

"Ohhhh, yessir. You heard of double trouble? Well twins ain't got nothin' on these three tornados."

"I bet you're a good big brother, huh?"

"I try my best. I hated them at first. So I'm 11, right… Going about my business and bein' used to being the only child and shit and then my Ma goes 'Marion… How about a little brother or a little sister?'. And I go… 'Nah.' And then she goes 'Well, you don't really got a choice, baby.'"

Teddy was smiling up at the sky as he talked about his family. Klaus felt a strange contradictory sensation in his chest- like a stabbing pain that spread out into an ultimate pool of comfortable warmth. It was bittersweet to hear him talk like this… Talk about his family without an ounce of asperity- just pure, whole, unconditional love. It was a pure form of family that Klaus knew to be rare. It was lovely to hear Teddy had it but he couldn't help but feel a tinge of sadness like he often did when listening about others' childhood upbringings… Not often, but sometimes, Klaus wondered what it would've been like to grow up in a home like that.

And suddenly, the dull, stabbing pain would return when Klaus realized that Teddy was talking about them as if he'd never return. That's what most men did here, but it was sad. That's it. That's the only way Klaus could currently explain it. It was sad.

"And then, whatdoyaknow… Out popped three! Wild, man, I'm tellin' ya. My Pop just kept screamin' 'Oh my lord! Oh my lord! Lordy, lordy, we're in trouble here, now, Suzanne! We're in trouble, oh Lord!' It was a crack up, I'll tell ya. Anyway, it only took the first time holdin' one of them… I think it was Phoebe… to really take to them, ya know? You can't hold a baby and hate a baby, Boots. It's impossible. Probably defies the laws of physics or some shit. You ever hold a baby, Boots?"

Klaus thought about that… Wait… has he never held a baby? The only people with a baby that he knew well enough would've been Josie who was something of a professional burglar he used to know in his early 20s (but he wasn't around when she had the kid) and then Allison who he had only heard about being pregnant from the tabloids and magazine covers on the streets.

For a second, Klaus had one of those moments where there's something you've always known as a fact but your mind hasn't truly processed it.

Oh shit, yeah. I'm an uncle.

Klaus would never have reached this conclusion or emotional tie to this subject if he was at home going about his usual business of scoring dope off the streets and waking up in a different nightclub every morning, but here… here in the middle of the jungle surrounded by men who spoke about home as if they'd never see it again… Klaus hurt a bit. He hurt for the fact that he's never even met Allison's daughter.

I'll never see my niece… Well, that kinda sucks, doesn't it?

"I don't think so." Klaus spoke up, answering Teddy's question and whisking away whatever stubborn melancholy had decided to try and set up camp inside his heart.

"You gotta hold a baby sometime."

"Sure, I've got a copious supply of those."

Teddy cracked up at that.

"Well if my Ma pops out anymore, you can come over for a visit. You can come and visit whenever, actually. My folks would love you. They'd make you eat until you were damn well sure you'd died and gone to heaven…"

Teddy trailed off, seeming to be caught in a memory that Klaus couldn't share. He let him stay there. He looked happy there.

Klaus let his head fall to the side to look at the small sea of soldiers all burrowed in the grass, most of which seemed already dead to the world (maybe not the best analogy) and a few still looking up at the sky, trying to find the same blissful slumber. Dave was one of them… Klaus hardly ever saw the guy sleep at all, really.

He wondered if Dave was listening to his conversation with Teddy. He wondered if there was even just a tiny smidge of him that missed Klaus like Klaus missed him. Was he really just imagining how much they got along? How could someone go from being so friendly and charismatic and welcoming to pretending like none of that ever happened?

"What about you, Big D?" The re-emergence of Teddy's voice nearly scared the shit out of Klaus. And he certainly wasn't ready for him to be calling Dave out, especially after days without real contact with him.

"What did I say about 'Big D'?"

"It's a big no."

Klaus heard Dave chuckle into the thick air. The sound sunk down into his stomach like a rock.

"You ever hold a baby, though?" Teddy continued. Klaus watched Dave's silhouette shift so that his arm was bent underneath his head. He didn't turn towards them. Klaus couldn't help but think it was because that would mean making eye contact with him.

"Yeah. My sister too."

"Oh, that's right. You got tons of siblings too. And so does Boots! All three of us got big ass families."

"Boss." Klaus said before he could stop himself, the inside joke between him and Dave partly emerging on instinct but also a kind of challenge to see how Dave would react. Even in the darkness, Klaus could see Dave instantly break into a small smile…

And then he turned away to hide it.

I saw that you little bitch.

Maybe there was hope yet.

"Wanna hum us a tune, Katz?"

"Not tonight, Teds." Dave's voice was suddenly different. It was deeper… grave. It was like a bell going off that said 'Dave is now closing down for business'. Klaus just knew it was because of him and his comment.

"Okay. Well, tomorrow then."

"Tomorrow." Dave agreed.

Silence.

Klaus guessed it was time for bed. It was only at this moment that he started to think that Teddy tried to pull Dave into the conversation on purpose. Klaus had a sneaking suspicion that Teddy could sense that there was something up between him and Dave. You didn't exactly need to be as smart as Number Five to see that they went from being two peas in a pod to being the North and South poles.

If that was Teddy's intention- to try to bridge the gap that no one quite understood- Klaus was appreciative.

Nice try, kid.

He had a feeling that Dave's mind was set and that'd just have to be alright. It was fine. He was fine. The war… Okay. Well, the war wasn't "fine" but Klaus just had to stick through that too.

I'm not trying with him anymore. Nope. Nope. No, sir. If you want to talk, you'll come to me, Dave Katz and obviously you don't and that's fine. I'm not chasing after you. Klaus promised himself. Didn't he already do that though? Isn't that truly, at its core, the only reason he stuck around this damned Vietnam nightmare rather than deserting as fast as the goddamn Road Runner?

Well he wasn't going to chase him anymore. That's a damn promise…

…A promise that lasted about 7 hours.

Klaus mind worked similar to how he behaved which made sense of course- he was sporadic and fleeting in every way. His mind changed every few seconds it felt like, and this was no exception.

They were being flown to Huê that morning after all the baby-holding talk. Klaus hadn't really paid attention to why because it didn't much matter to him. He was simply trying to float along and survive until he figured something else out. It was all the same anyway- raid an outpost on the Ho Chi Min trail or take out a hub of VC that were making their way South. Blow up some supplies, obliterate some bunkers, blah blah blah…

Anyway, Klaus was in the back of the chopper with a few other guys. The only one he knew happened to be Dave on the other side of the aircraft. Klaus didn't mean to hop on the helicopter as him- Sarge just sent him here. As soon as Klaus had boarded, he watched Dave become visibly tenser.

Whatever. Not chasing. Not curious. Just floating.

But then, Klaus had a lot of time to think in the air. His eyes scanned the layout of the valley beneath him, something he found that he quite liked to do every time they flew places. He could zone out easily, relishing the cool breeze against his face which was a nice contrast to the usual mugginess of the hot air.

Okay, but I put a lot on the line for this guy. He was the reason I didn't run right back into that bus and zap myself the hell out of here in the first place- for that stupid promise I made to "have his back" for a quick op and NOW look at me. Half a month into this bullshit just because he was nice, and is pretty hot, and…

Fuck this. This is bullshit. Seriously… Bull. Shit.

I didn't just imagine it- we got along… Really well. In fact… Yes. Yes, I think he was even flirting with me. Absolutely. And now this? This doesn't make sense.

Bullshit. Bull. Shit.

Klaus's mind bounced around every which way until they landed outside the city. Sarge was shouting orders and updates that Klaus was tuning out like a champ.

Suddenly, he was mad. He was white-hot angry and defiant and in search of answers... In search of calling out some bullshit.

The men all gathered and started shuffling with their backpacks, guns, M-26s, and whatnots, but Klaus was only fixated on one, and he had curly blond hair, super blue eyes, and beautiful arm muscles.

He had to weave through a few guys, but before he second guessed himself, Klaus charged ahead and lightly shoved Dave out from the group. He stumbled and whipped around to look at Klaus, confused and then even fearful when he saw who it was. Dave barely got his mouth open before Klaus just let the dam break.

"What the hell is up with you?"

"…What?"

Oh, so he's going to play dumb? Honestly, it seemed more like Dave was just so caught off guard by the sudden aggressive confrontation that he wasn't prepared with any sort of defenses.

Good.

Perfect.

"You're fucking with me."

"Klaus! We're about to march into-"

"I know losing Pico was rough but I gave you time and space, thinking that was it. Obviously, there's something else though because you basically jump out of your pants when we so much as make eye contact. Did I do something? If I did, I'm sorry, but-"

"Klaus, you didn't do anything. I just… I don't have to be hanging with you all the time, you-"

"No. Stop acting like everything's normal. Like you're not totally avoiding me. My whole family does that 'don't talk about it' thing. That 'take it to your grave rather than sort things out like an adult' thing. I'm not doing that shit so stop playing around."

Woah. All of this was kind of just… spilling. Klaus couldn't stop it and maybe he didn't want to.

"I-"

"I'm done feeling like I've got fucking nuts for think that I had a-" Klaus stopped. A what? What do you even call Dave? "-a friend and n- now… Well, you're just being a dick, quite frankly."

Dave's eyebrows rose in surprise but Klaus flew right along like he hadn't noticed.

"If you're scared… Or- or you're pushing me away because it's "easier"… Well then, cut the BS. That's what this is, you know. BS."

Dave's composure warped in a split second. He went from trying to act like the confused victim to jumping right in there himself. Klaus may as well have seen a wall drop from in front of him, the real Dave finally revealed and no longer pretending like everything was just fine and fucking dandy.

"Has it ever crossed your mind that I'm doing both of us a favor?"

There it is. Now Klaus was getting somewhere. He didn't like the words he was saying, but he liked that he at least was saying them.

"I don't want your fucking favor. I don't need you to tell me what's good for me. I'll fuck up my life how I want to, thanks. I've done a fine job thus far!"

"Well, I'm doing what I want. You do what you want and whatever that is, Klaus… Honestly, I don't care."

Klaus heated fury fled his body just as quickly as it had lit ablaze. The last sentence, the way Dave said it- it just distinguished Klaus.

I don't care.

It was if Dave wasn't saying it just regarding Klaus's actions, it was all-encompassing… as in 'I don't care about what you do, I don't care about what you think, and I don't care about you.'

"You don't care?" Klaus heard himself force out, his voice much smaller this time. Dave stared at him, his own demeanor changed. Dave was acting as if he was tip-toeing on ice… like he hadn't even meant to charge those words with as much as he did.

Still, Dave persisted.

"I…"

Klaus cocked an eyebrow at Dave- Dave who was now seeming less and less sure of himself by the second- like Klaus was torturing him for information he was reluctant to give.

"…don't care." He finished, but his face said otherwise. His face said, 'I'm sorry' and 'It's not true'.

"Fine… Fine." Klaus shrugged his shoulders, his voice unnaturally high and stressed.

"Fine." Dave repeated.

Klaus had never seen so much tension in the air between two people.

"Katz! Hargreeves! You waiting for the fucking leaves to turn brown? Move it!" Sarge's voice projected from ahead. Dave sighed and glanced over at where the men were starting to move out of sight, then returning his eyes to Klaus to see what was to happen next.

"Yeahhhh. Cool." Klaus mocked, spinning on his heel and walking after the rest of the soldiers. "Groovy!" He shouted back over his shoulder, glancing at a bewildered Dave who stood still and watched him leave. "Righteous!" Klaus continued, feeling a little light-headed and like this guy might drive him insane yet.

"Outta sight!"

Dave shook his head in quiet bewilderment, watching Klaus clumsily gravitate back to their squad, occasionally turning over his shoulder and quite-manically shouting all kinds of modern slang for "cool". If Dave wasn't so shaken from their conversation, he might have actually found it funny.

"Boss!" Klaus called back abruptly, pointing at Dave with an outstretched arm as if to say 'see what I did? Our inside joke? See? Hah.'

Dave just stared. Klaus finally turned back around and pushed through the crowd until Dave no longer saw him at all. He took just a moment more to try to sort out what the hell just happened in his head-

Klaus called him out.

Dave lied to try to steer him away.

…Klaus totally cracked up?

"Katz!"

"Damnit." Dave muttered in response to Sarge's beckoning, switching his gun over to his other hand and trotting after his team. He had a sudden bad feeling about the way Klaus was acting. He couldn't quite tell what he was nervous about, but Klaus was already erratic as it was- did Dave just push him over the edge?

Apparently so.

They came up on the outskirts of Huê- a part of the city that could hardly be called a city, and it wasn't just because it looked like the hurricane of war blew through, but that certainly didn't help the place either. This was already one of the poorest parts of town, but on top of that, the structures and streets were ravaged by bombs, gunfire, and all kind of destruction. Apart from the skeletons of some larger buildings, charred living complexes, and trash rolling through the streets like tumble weaves, the area was a ghost town.

Smoke rose up from… somewhere. It was unclear from where they stood. Further, dust and dirt clouded the air like a thick fog on an early morning back at home in Alexandria, but in a way that was not-at-all peaceful but instead mysteriously menacing. The worst part though, was that the air was incredibly silent as if someone had thrown them in an airtight container where all sounds were swallowed up before they could see the light of day.

"The 101st swept through here yesterday but Lieutenant Wilson thinks there are sleepin' Charlies. Area may be hot if they missed survivors waiting for reinforcement. I'm sending in a few men first to do a quick sweep for anything unusual. We don't want anyone who may be over there on high alert before we all move in, especially in an area where we'd be like goddamn bears in a pit. So, Don… What the- Hargreeves!"

Dave and everyone else glanced up to see that in the midst of Sarge's run down, Klaus had already made it halfway across the half-football-sized field towards the abandoned town.

"I got it, Sarge." He called back, turning on his heel and holding open his arms in a lax manner towards the men who stared at him in disbelief. "I don't care!" He continued, taking a few slow steps back towards the town. He might as well have been just a dot on a piece of paper in the middle of the wide, stretching, empty field. "We don't care! Dave…" Klaus gestured his hand towards Dave who just closed his eyes in frustration. "…certainly, doesn't care!"

What. The. Hell.

He could feel all of his fellow soldiers' eyes on him from all directions but he refused to open his own and face them amidst his embarrassment.

"Hargreeves! Don't you fucking-"

But Klaus turned again, his casual strides turning to a powerful walk into town, reaching the edge and diving right into the web of trash and broken buildings.

This idiot is going to get himself killed.

Dave snapped out of his mental hiding place, taking a big step forward intent on chasing after the dumbass that just charged into a potentially hot area completely alone and hopped up on crazy juice. Dave was instantly met with Sarge's arm on his chest, holding him back.

"No, no, no. We aren't sending more men across this open field like some kind of fucking parade. Harbough. Make your way along the edge and set up on top of that tower over there and watch Hargreeve's six. If you accidentally shoot the dipshit instead I ain't blowin' no whistle." Sarge muttered at the end. Dave knew he wasn't serious about shooting Klaus obviously, but he himself was feeling the same frustration energy.

This guy was going to be the death of him, he swore it… If he wasn't the death of himself first.

"Sarge, I can-"

"You won't do shit, Katz. Stand down."

Well, fuck.

The way everyone was huddled up and watching Klaus's every move, they may as well have sat with their mouths wide open in awe, popcorn in their lap like they were watching a suspense film. Klaus was waltzing around concrete skeletons and towering structures of rubble, waving his gun around haphazardly more like a wand than a firing weapon.

Please be okay. Please be okay. Please be okay.

Dave just so much as blinked when suddenly Klaus had whipped around to his left, unloading automatic bullets into something that resembled the bones of a condo complex.

BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM!

The whole platoon jumped out of their skin, hands subconsciously flying to their guns as if they could do something to help from fifty yards away.

Shit, shit, shit… What is it? Who is it? Dave's mind went wild and his body acted on impulse, charging forward to get to him as fast as he could. Don Juan was faster though, grabbing Dave's vest and pulling him back from the collar.

"Wait-"

Dave was about to twist out of his grasp and dominate the length of this damn field to come to Klaus's aid, but he noticed Don's curious gaze and it wasn't on him. He followed it over to Klaus again who was waving at them.

"It's okay!" His voice echoed over the bare landscape. "Just some birds! No worries!" He turned and practically skipped along, continuing his lethal, childish adventure.

"Fucking Christ." A soldier muttered from beside Dave. He knew that's just about what everyone was currently thinking, watching this horror show from the sidelines.

"Beeeeeeta alpha-gamma-google-zeta-charlie 444 fiiiiiive hundred!" A cheery voice came through Sarge's radio. Everyone exchanged glances. Dave even saw a few men break into hesitant smiles of disbelief.

"How the hell did he get my radio?" The sergeant from the other squad exclaimed, patting his pants for his missing piece of tech that Klaus had undoubtedly lifted without him knowing.

"He's making zero sense." Someone said, their voice stressed with the suppressed desire to laugh. "Literally. None of that held value." A few others were holding back chuckles as well… Not Teddy. No, Teddy was full out laughing until Sarge shot him a look that could've left Satan himself shaken.

"Beta-beta-bay… Bane… Banana." Klaus kept subconsciously muttering as he dipped behind a small house that was still somehow mostly intact. Dave's heart clenched as he lost visual of him. Now all he had was his voice over this stupid radio. He prayed there wouldn't be more gun shots coming over the frequencies. He wasn't even sure he'd hear them over the sound of his aggressively thumping heart.

"Banana nana nana hanna fee fi… "

BOOM.

Dave's heart stopped… He actually felt it just go silent. Everything that happened in the past couple days dissipated into the air with the smell of fire; Pico's catalyst, pushing Klaus away, their argument… None of it mattered if Klaus was dead.

Was Klaus dead?

Smoke billowed up in a theatrical cloud. Light flooded the Earth and the ground shook underneath him, but Dave himself couldn't move…

Or was he? No, he definitely was. He didn't feel himself moving though- it was like his mind was stuck frozen inside his body which was being much far more proactive. Before he realized it, he was fighting multiple hands grabbing at his vest and his arms, holding him back from trying everything in his power to run towards the explosion… run towards Klaus…

Run towards a body.

No! Shut the hell up.

Sarge's voice was shouting over the sound of birds scattering into the air, away from the explosion.

"Katz! KATZ. We aren't running a goddamn circus here! I want my squad out on the Southwest entry point and Johnson's on the Southeast. Harbough. Harbough, do you have a visu-"

"…fo fanna… Hannnnaaa." A voice emanated from the radio speaker in Sarge's hand.

Oh my God… Dave returned to his body, hands slipping away as his efforts to break free ceased. Oh my God, if that didn't kill him, I will.

Klaus emerged from a smoky cloud as if he hadn't been phased whatsoever by the bomb that had just practically shaken the country. He kept looking around a for a few seconds before approaching the edge of the field, raising his hand up at the people who were in horrified awe of him.

"I'D SAY IT'S CLEAR. JUST SOME MINES TO WATCH OUT FOR. WOW, THAT WAS LOUD!" His voice came over the radio as ear-splittingly loud and distorted. No doubt his hearing was going to be fucked up for a while after being so near to the explosion.

"This guy's a fucking sociopath." Big Al muttered from right beside Dave, his voice far off in wonderment as if he just witnessed the second coming of Christ.

They finally did move in, not straight through the field but from the Southwest and Southeast corners as Sarge had said. They filtered into the city streets slowly, wary of mines like Klaus had warned. Dave tried to get to him first, but the other squad crossed the grounds quicker. Sergeant Johnson was the first to reach him, ripping his radio back from his grasp and muttering something bitterly through his teeth at Klaus who just raised up his hands and shrugged his shoulders.

Teddy bounded past Dave next, falling into step with Klaus and punching his arm playfully. They spoke about something that Dave couldn't quite hear yet, but he himself approached soon enough. His body must've still been working off some of the instinctual adrenaline because his feet moved fast and his mind went blank. He wasn't thinking of anything particular- just his fear. His remaining, bone-shaking fear that still resided in his chest that refused to leave until he made damned sure that Klaus really was, in fact, okay.

"…a bunch of blackbirds. The first time I fired my gun, I swear." Klaus was saying to a giggling Teddy as Dave caught up, closing his hand around Klaus's wrist and yanking him a little harder than he intended. "Ow!" Klaus complained, spinning around towards Dave from the force of his pull.

Dave dragged him behind the edge of a small school building… or what used to be a school building.

"What the fuck was that?" Dave took no time to jump right in. He didn't even care if anyone heard them, although he was sure they were more focused on discovering anymore mines.

"What?" Klaus's face instantly frowned. "I'm not so sure I know what you mean."

Oh yes you fucking do. Cheeky bastard.

"That was stupid." Dave ignored his bullshit answer. "So incredibly stupid, Klaus. You know how lucky you are not to be rotting in the dirt right now?"

Klaus's composure transformed. Instead of the 'I'm-playing-you-like-a-fiddle' smirk in his eyes, he grew back that genuine anger and persistence that Dave saw before.

"Well, see… I don't understand, 'cause you said you don't care so why are you all P.O.'ed then?"

Dave blinked dumbly.

I mean… I did say that. Dave couldn't argue that one. Could he really be angry with Klaus after he literally told him to do whatever he wanted without consequence?

A little… but only a little.

He felt his willpower break down until his lips betrayed him by ever so slightly turning up at the pure absurdity of just Klaus himself. Dave had to look away from the happy, cocky light in his eyes. Asshole. He knew he had Dave.

Dave shook his head.

"So… you risked your life to call me out on my BS? That's what just happened, right?"

Klaus sucked in a deep breath and sighed dramatically, rolling his head back and looking up at the sky dramatically.

"Uuuuuaaaaahhhhhh… Yeah… I guess you could put it that way. More of an impulse then a plan quite honestly."

Dave let his smile grow across his face and Klaus mirrored the gesture. They both looked at each other, once again entering their own world away from the rest of everything… a world that they had both abandoned for a little while. Dave was happy to be back in it.

"I'm not going to be able to shake you, am I?" Dave finally ventured softly. It was a bold statement for such a delicate delivery and it hung between them like a Dave was throwing Klaus a rope- a lifeline.

Klaus bit his lip through his smile and turned away again as if he was too shy to show his reaction and holy hell- Dave knew right then that he had a nice run, but there was no way that he could turn someone that adorable away ever again.

Klaus shrugged a shoulder, regained his composure and turned back, his eyes determined and playful all at once.

"You can do what you want." He said, his voice mock-casual. "I don't care."

Dave chuckled and rolled his eyes.

Yeah, yeah… I see what you did there.

"We're all clear and moving on." Sarge's voice carried over to them from somewhere across the street. Then, "Hargreeves!"

"Uh-oh." Klaus chirped, slinking back against the wall of the building behind him.

"Hargreeves! Out here. Now."

Dave watched as Klaus peaked around the edge of the brick wall. Dave tilted his head to look as well, seeing Sarge standing amongst many amused men, all with eyebrows raised at Klaus with looks that said 'you're gonna get it, man'.

Sarge raised his hand and bent his finger in the 'come here' motion. Klaus sunk back behind the wall and straightened to look at Dave.

"It was nice knowin' ya."

Klaus snorted a breath of laughter and groaned, pushing himself off the wall and making his way to Sarge who probably had quite a lot to say about the events that just transpired.

"Hey. Klaus." Dave called one more time when he was halfway to being thoroughly chewed out. Klaus turned with questioning eyes…

"Don't do it again."

Klaus gave him an apologetic grin and then saluted Dave, turning back and walking to his figurative grave.

Dave woke up that day with his solid determination to keep himself away from Klaus and before noon even hit, he was ready to jump right back in with two feet. He had a feeling that he really didn't have a choice in the matter. Even if he did, Dave was finally ready to admit that he'd no longer try to run. Apparently, Klaus wouldn't let him run.

And that was okay. Dave would never run again.

Chapter Text

The Phu Bai base just South of Huê was over a mile long and covered in asphalt, sprinkled with large warehouses, a mess hall, bathrooms, recreation spots, and best of all,

Cabins.

No more of those fucking canvas tents that might as well have just been the same as sleeping outside except with the heat of 20-some guys squished together on top of the humidity. When Klaus dropped his stuff down on an actual bed (a crappy one, but still) he felt as if he was going to a summer camp like in the movies. Of course, Klaus has never been to a summer camp himself. He got all of his childhood summer stereotypes from books and films.

"If you think this is a luxury, you should see where we're going next." Dave said, dropping his bag and record player down on his own bed.

Klaus quietly smiled at the fact that it was right next to his.

"Where's that? We aren't staying?"

"Nah. Sarge says we're just staying until we get the orders to transfer up near Saigon. Bien Hoa airbase, where I started my tour. It's kind of like our brigade's home base."

"Our brigade… Like-"

"173rd Airborne Brigade. We aren't really supposed to be out here in the A Shau, you know. The 101st just needed some extra men and we were the unlucky bastards."

"Hm."

"You're not listening, are you?"

Admittedly, he wasn't. Klaus was just a bit distracted by the soldier in the corner, screaming and holding his guts and intestines that spilled from his abdomen. Another one writhed on the floor, his scalp partially removed. Klaus's stomach churned and his hands shook.

"Hey. Klaus." Dave gently coaxed, waving his hand in front of Klaus's face. Four's eyes flickered to Dave's worried ones. "You good?"

Klaus cleared his throat and jostled his head like a dog trying to shake himself dry.

"Just zoning out." He intended for it to come out cheerfully, but instead, it was grave and tired. Dave noticed. Of course, he did. He didn't comment further though. "I have to go." Klaus continued.

"Sarge got something for ya?"

"Pray for me, David, dear."

"You got it."

Klaus's punishment for 'risking himself' and 'compromising the team' and 'general reckless behavior' or whatever, wasn't as bad as he thought it'd be…

Until he actually had to do it.

"You were damn well lucky that Lieutenant Maddison wasn't on-site when you pulled that bullshit, kid." Sarge reiterated for what felt like the billionth time. They both walked across the hot asphalt, Klaus hardly able to keep up with his powerful strides.

"Yeah, yeah…" He muttered, taking in the sight of an old-looking warehouse coming up across from the airfield. Sarge yanked open the door and waved Klaus in.

The place was a pigsty, and that was an understatement. The amount of litter, abandoned furniture, and just plain junk reminded Klaus of a massive version of Dad's attic… before Four cleaned it out of everything valuable, of course.

On top of that, the shape in which the building itself was in added to the shabbiness. The walls and surfaces were dusty and riddled with cobwebs, some areas even vandalized with red and white spray paint that was too faded to find words in. The window panes that lined the place were barely transparent anymore, dirt lining the cracks.

"This place is a dump! Get it? Isn't this about when 'Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolfe' came out? You seen that Sarge? You a movie man? Sorry… Someone your age might refer to them as 'the pictures'…"

"Do you ever shut up, Hargreeves?"

"Mm…" Klaus dismissed, puttering around the room and looking at all of the overturned chairs, tables, boxes, and crates that had collected a couple layers of filthy film.

"Supplies are in the back. I want it to be clean as virgin silver. However long it takes"

"Wait… Like the whole place? By myself?"

"What part of punishment do you not understand, boy?"

"Ugh. Okay, whatever. I got this."

Sarge chuckled like he didn't believe in Klaus's self-confidence. Klaus ignored it. Cleaning couldn't be worse than his Dad's punishments. He'd take this over being locked in a mausoleum any day. It wasn't prison either. He's been there too and this was nothing compared to that.

This "punishment" wouldn't be bad at all, right?

Wrong. It may not have been as bad as the Mausoleum or prison, but half an hour in, Klaus felt like he was dying.

"UuuughhAHHHHH." His groaned turned into a frustrated scream as he smacked yet another spider off of his arm. There was a nest somewhere in the corner he started in and while he normally wasn't bothered all too much by a little spider-guy, a bunch was just nasty.

"Having fun yet?" A friendly voice projected across the warehouse, yanking Klaus's attention behind him. Even in his frustration, he broke into a smile.

"David! What brings you to Hell on this fine day?"

"That bad, huh?"

"No, I love this. This is great." Klaus gestured up to the network of cobwebs filled with swarming insects. Dave gave him a lopsided smile that buried every ounce of grievance that Klaus just felt. He had to look away before he revealed how much the small gesture affected him. That didn't stop his chest from swelling though.

"You can hold onto Monty."

"Who's-"

Wild Thing by Jimi Hendrix broadcast into the room, echoing off the arching walls. Klaus watched Dave step back from the needle and swoop down to grab a broom that was discarded on the floor.

"Did you name your record player, Monty?"

"Montgomery. Hmm, hmmmm, hm, hm…" He started humming and nodding along to the music, completely dismissing Klaus and starting to help knock webs from the ceilings and support beams.

Klaus snorted.

"You nerd!"

"Shut it, Wild Thing." Dave bopped him on the head with his broom and Klaus shrunk away, still racked with giggles over this newfound information he learned.

"Montgomery." Klaus tried it. "Why, Montgomery?" He mocked in a hoity-toity, British accent. Dave kept his eyes forward, but they were clearly still focused on what Klaus was saying. His smile stayed still but there was suddenly a fallen quality to it... Dave was hiding something. He brushed some more webs, stepping back before spiders rained down.

"Maybe I'll tell you another time."

"No time like the present."

"Do you want my help or not?"

"Not," …Except Klaus didn't say that- Sarge did. He barged in through the double doors, the buzz of men's' voices and aircraft take-offs wafting in until the entrance closed again.

"Busteeeed." Klaus muttered, his head falling back in frustration.

"Katz. Out. This is strictly for dumbasses who run out in the middle of a minefield."

"Sorry, dumbass." Dave tried to hold back laughter, shooting Klaus a private smile. Klaus wouldn't give up that easy though.

"I can't phone a friend? It gets lonely in here, Sarge."

"He's being assigned somewhere else."

"What?" Klaus felt his anxiety flare-up. Dave was being assigned somewhere? Like on a mission? Like in danger? Without him? "Where?"

"The courts. Your team needs you."

Dave and Klaus both leaned to look out the window where Sarge was pointing- volleyball courts. He was being assigned to the damn volleyball courts. Teddy, Don, and Al were already there, passing the ball back and forth with some other guys Klaus didn't recognize.

"Oh, that's some BS." Klaus objected. Dave just smirked and shook his head.

Sarge was ruthless and unwavering.

"What's BS is your attitude. Get moving."

"Ugh."

"Ugh yourself. And Katz. Out."

Dave gave Klaus a sad wave goodbye…

"Take care of Monty, okay?"

…and followed orders, tracking back to the entrance of the warehouse. Last second, as he was grasping the handle, he turned and tried one more time which Klaus was at least grateful for.

"You know, Sarge… I really don't-"

"Out!"

Dave sighed and Klaus snorted a quiet breath of laugh, watching him go.

Thanks for trying.

Klaus still had Montgomery though… Pfft.

Montgomery.

Hah!

Something so trivial and stupid shouldn't make his whole body smile, but it certainly did. Klaus had to take care to hold down that excited surge in his stomach or else he was sure that it'd consume him whole. He was used to pushing down strong feelings in order to keep some sense of sanity, but never were they positive. Never had he ever had to suppress happiness to maintain his composure.

That bliss faded when he got back to work and soon realized that this wasn't just a few-hours project… This was going to take the full damn day if he was lucky.

Suddenly, he started to realize what a punishment this really was. Glancing out the window and watching his friends relax and do something normal and fun for once without him was torture for someone like Klaus who lived for that. They shared beers, played volleyball, and listened to the radio with big, stupid, jealousy-inducing smiles on their faces…

Damn you, Bates.

For the next few hours, Klaus was fueled with the determination to get done so he could hang out with Dave… and the others, of course. Plus, being alone (even with the accompanying beat of the music) wasn't good for Klaus right now… It wasn't good at all.

Everywhere he turned, there was some sort of apparition. If he was lucky, it'd just be a flash of movement, a ghostly murmur, and then nothing. Most of the time though, his head was constantly fostering the screams and complaints of anywhere between five to ten spirits at a time and it was only getting worse.

Once he was done with this shit, he needed to get his hands on some sort of numbing agent. It didn't even matter what at this point. At the very least though, his task was a sort of distraction.

Tons more spiders, heaps of dust to make it hard to breathe, giant wooden crates that gave him cuts and splinters when he used every ounce of strength to move them, and old, tin cabinets chock-full of random documents he didn't care about. Apparently, no one else cared either, because Sarge came through and told him to shred them.

Every. Single. One.

By the time lunch came around, Klaus had hordes of trash bags full of shredded paper piled up in the center of the warehouse (which was looking noticeably better, but nowhere near 'virgin silver' or whatever Sarge said). He positioned said pile underneath where the loft above his head ended, a small ghost of a mischievous grin on his lips.

He deserved a break, right?

Teddy and Dave walked in around 1:00pm (oh, sorry… thirteen-hundred PM) to find Klaus launching himself off the loft.

"Klaus!" Dave yelled out instinctively, only seeing the man-child firing his body from twelve feet above the ground. He landed safely (and quite amusingly) in the pile that he had accumulated though, giving his friends a wave as they shook their heads in disbelief.

"Wanna try?"

"No."

"You insane, Boots."

"C'mon, Teddy. It's just like doing a drop… like from a chopper. Except fun and people don't shoot at you."

Teddy looked at Dave who shook his head. Teddy shrugged.

"Okay, yeah. I'm convinced."

While Teddy climbed up to the loft and mirrored Klaus's actions to his glee, Dave brought Klaus a tray of lunch.

"Dave, you shouldn't have!" Klaus commended in a theatrically high voice, glancing at the unappetizing meat, bread, green beans, and something he couldn't identify if his life depended on it. Dave brought his own too. "Is this our first date?"

Klaus had obviously meant it as a joke, and of course, it was received that way as well… Somehow though, Klaus could tell that the moment they shared right after was charged with a whole lot more than what resulted from simply "joking around". They looked at each other for a second, a strange connection (but also somehow a feeling of equal disconnect) rose. Quickly, Dave turned away.

"This is how I prefer all my dates. In a dusty shit-hole with equally crap baby food."

Klaus hummed in agreement and they sat next to each other, watching Teddy crawl up to the loft and jump off for the third time like a child that just discovered the joys of going down a slide.

Lunch didn't last long when Bates blew through, shooing Dave and Teddy out. It wasn't long before Klaus had more visitors though, these ones much less welcome.

Klaus had been dragging giant bins out from the backroom to stuff with the bags of shredded paper when he heard a tornado blow through the building- Not a literal tornado, although he didn't doubt that he would've much preferred that.

Eugie and two others burst in- two others that Klaus didn't recognize. He didn't care to get to know them anytime soon either. They followed in quick stride behind Eugene, tearing through the warehouse, "accidentally" ramming themselves into things and knocking over cabinets, tables, chairs, and bins of supplies as they went.

Klaus really wished he was able to get out there sooner because, by the time he fled the backroom to see what the hell was happening, they were already throwing bags of shredded paper up to each other on the loft and raining it down all over the place like snow from Hell.

"What the fuck?" Klaus yelled over their evil, slight-maniacal cackling. They turned their dumb grins his way, not ceasing their efforts. Klaus had a flash of an image in his mind-

That's what Eugie reminded him of… That red-headed shit from A Christmas Story. He couldn't remember his name but Eugie was similar to an older, blonde version of him. His weasel-grin, his pinched face, his beady eyes, his undoubtable cowardice hidden behind a bully-façade.

The realization really just made Klaus hate his guts even more.

That's why he was lucky that Sargeant Bates came back in for his routinely check at that moment- Klaus was halfway to closing the distance between him and that little shit, his arm muscles reverberating with tension and his fist closing tightly around itself.

"Hey, hey, hey!" Sarge shouted, his authoritative voice ringing out like a bell in the warehouse. "What the hell is going on here? Willards, get the fuck outta here."

Klaus stopped just a couple feet from Eugie's face where the guy held his ground and challenged Klaus to take a swing. Neither one of them acknowledged Sarge except for their frozen composures- they still stared at each other's' eyes as if whoever was the first to break the connection was the pussy.

"You two. What're your names?"

"Private Swallow, Sir."

"Gary Polinski."

The two unknown men mumbled, the one coming down from the loft.

"You just get in country, soldiers?"

"Yes, Sir."

"Uh-huh."

"Well, you can do better than hanging around the likes of Willards. Not a great first impression. Go fuck around somewhere else, understand?"

"Yes, Sir."

"Uh-huh."

Klaus got the feeling that these two weren't the brightest. They did as they were told at least, trudging back out the front doors. Eugie stayed put though. Eugie might as well have been rooted into the dirty, cement ground.

"Eugene. You got cotton stuffed in those hearin' holes?"

Still. Nothing.

Maybe Eugie had more balls than Klaus gave him credit for but it was a little unsettling that Sarge seemed to have little-to-no influence over him. Sarge seemed to get uneasy too, powering forward with a tight expression that Klaus recognized from when he himself was in Sarge's firing range the other day.

"Private, I've just about had it up to-"

BANG. The door swung open again, not long after the two lumps of trash had let it close behind them. A tall silhouette stood in the threshold, his stride cocky and full of disgusting swagger.

"Well it's just a fucking party in here, isn't it?" Klaus spoke up, crossing his arms in front of him as Lieutenant Mads waltzed in with his eyebrows drawn in authoritative suspicion.

"Willards. What are you doin' in here with the likes of him? It's a beautiful goddamn day out. Go enjoy it."

Eugene's composure instantly changed. He straightened, his face relaxing and becoming unreadable and compliant.

"Yes, Sir."

"You deserve it."

"Thank you, Sir."

Bleh. Gross. Mommy Mads to save the day. Klaus thought but knew better than to say out loud.

Eugene gave Klaus one more look, gave Sarge one more look, and followed the LT's orders. Speaking of the Lieutenant, he didn't say another word. He just exchanged a quick glance with Sergeant Bates, completely ignoring Klaus (which he was totally fine with), and exiting after his prized pooch.

"So…" Klaus awkwardly broke the silence when it fell between him and Bates.

"So, what? Get back on it."

"But, Sarge! C'mon, this is hardly fair." Klaus waved his arm in a sweeping motion to gesture towards the destruction the three idiots left in their wake. Sarge cocked an eyebrow at Klaus.

"If life was fair, I'd still be married and my kids wouldn't believe the BS my ex-wife feeds into their ear."

"Oh. Well, yikes, then."

"Get to it, Boots."

"This is cruel and unusual punishment."

"Keep talkin', kid. You're only hurting yourself."

Klaus let his shoulders sag as Sarge made his way out, picking up one single shred of paper off the floor and putting it in a trash bag, giving Klaus an affirmative nod as if to cheekily say, 'I helped, see? You're welcome.'

"Bastard." Klaus smirked, shaking his head at the man who broke into his own surprisingly friendly smile. He didn't say anything else though and Klaus was left to watch the back of his head as it disappeared through the door and into the sweet, sweet fresh air of the outside world.

Klaus thought that the worst part about Sarge was that as much as he could be a hard-ass, he couldn't dislike the guy. He wasn't harsh in the way his Dad was… in a self-serving, cold and calculating way. Sarge behaved in a way where you knew that everything he did was out of care and respect for his team.

Seeing the difference between the guy and Reginald gave Klaus a large sense of respect for the man. It was probably the only reason he wasn't pushing back harder on this stupid "mission" of his for the day.

Speaking of… Back to it.

He nearly killed himself on multiple occasions, trying to scrub the brick walls clean as well as the towering rows of window panes… just to find out that they had a power hose the whole time.

"You know we got a power hose?" Some random soldier told him upon walking to find Klaus just barely teetering on the end of a ladder, trying to reach the highest point of the window corner.

"…what?"

"Yeah… Bates didn't tell you that?"

"Fuck that guy." Klaus muttered, knowing full-well that the smug asshole kept that little bit of information from him on purpose. Even though Klaus had already nearly finished, he went and found the power washer anyway. He hooked it up to the faucet outside and came back in, fully armed and dangerous.

"Okay…" Klaus muttered, a tired grin on his face. This, he might actually enjoy.

It was clean in a matter of minutes- that didn't stop Klaus from fucking around though. By the time Bates came in to see his progress, Klaus was "writing" on the wall space with the power hose-

Leck mich (Quite literally, "lick me" but more meaning, "bite me" or "screw off")

Eat my ass, Eugie (Pretty self-explanatory)

And finally, just as Bates walked in, a giant, all-encompassing number 4 painted in water all across the brick like a signature to finish off the newly cleaned warehouse. Klaus kind of hated the way it made him just a tad proud. He would never admit it.

"Wait. Missed a spot." Klaus said as Bates approached him from behind. He turned the hose towards a spot that looked darker than the others, switching the water on and feeling the kickback in the hose. The water project out in a straight, powerful streamline, but Klaus overshot just a bit. One of the small window panes shattered instantly upon impact and Klaus immediately turned the water off and dropped the hose, his hand flying up to cover his mouth.

"Oops."

"Hargreeves?"

"Yes, Sarge?"

"Get out."

"Are you s-"

"You're done. Don't make me change my mind."

"Aye, aye, Cap'n!"

Klaus made haste to get the hell out of his own personal prison, bursting into the fresh, evening air in time to see the sun dip beneath the horizon. He had been soldiering for nearly a month now and had trekked for miles on end through the damn jungle for God's sake, but somehow, cleaning this damn trash chute exhausted him past a point that he thought possible.

His feet were killing him, his lower back was tight with pain, his legs wobbled with every step, his head pounded with an excruciating headache, and his mind was far off somewhere- his body acting automatically on its own.

Worst of all was the buzz that sat between his ears, trapped in his skull. It was a buzz of voices, none of them heard by anyone else in the whole damn base. Shadows followed him, flashes of light caught in the corners of his eyes, faces that appeared in places they didn't belong and an overall sickening feeling in his stomach that always came when the dead crossed over the line of the living where they didn't belong, sucking energy from him to do so.

Wait… Where was he going?

Klaus had to shake his mind clear to realize he had passed the mess hall where he was headed for dinner. Once he got there, he didn't eat much anyway. They were getting so loud. On top of the ghosts, withdrawal symptoms were setting in and whooping his ass.

To be short, because Klaus couldn't muster enough energy to be anything but, he felt like utter crap.

"Hey. Gonna eat that, Boots?"

Klaus pushed his cornbread towards Teddy without a word. His friends had all been chatting and fucking around at the table, but it faded into the background behind the voices already plaguing his head.

"Looks like someone learned not to fuck with Sarge today." Big Al poked, slapping a hand on Klaus's back as laughs kicked up in response. He just absorbed it. He absorbed everything… except for what he really wanted to.

God, he needed drugs.

"Anyone have any weed? Preferably some Thai Sticks?"

More chuckles. Klaus was just so glad they were all enjoying his exhaustion because he sure wasn't.

And, yeah… Maybe he was a little cranky too.

"Sorry, Boots."

"Nah, Man."

"Went dry yesterday. Need to restock."

They went back to talking amongst themselves, completely unaffected and unaware of how grave this bad news was to Klaus. The only thing that Klaus paid attention to was when they briefly discussed the horrible battle that ended only a couple months ago in March… The Battle of Huê. It explained the large number of dead soldiers hanging around the base not that it helped Klaus all that much. They changed the subject back "skirts" real fast anyway.

The only person who wasn't talking, joking around, or poking fun at Klaus's tiredness was Dave who just sat two seats down from him, his arms crossed on the table and his gaze more often turned to Klaus than not.

Tonight, Klaus wouldn't return his looks. Instead, he rose from the table, mumbled something of a 'See you guys later' and got the hell out of the grand room that was too crowded with both the living and the dead.

Klaus couldn't go on like this for much longer.

Quiet, drawn back, polite when approached… He wasn't outwardly in distress, but these weren't things that described Klaus on a normal night. He wouldn't even look at Dave, and it was worrying him.

Sure, he could have been tired from the "project" he worked on all day, but Dave has seen Klaus reach far-out points of exhaustion. He just got slap-happy and even more annoying (said with good intention, of course). This was different. As Dave watched him from his own bed, even with Klaus turned on his side with his back to him, there were other tells that set off silent alarms:

The way he would briefly spasm where he lay, sometimes hurrying to cover his ears with his palms, blocking out some invisible sound.

The way he whispered things to seemingly no one, his breaths choppy, quick and frantic.

Even his shoulders showed tension. The way he laid there was way to uptight- Dave would know Klaus's usual stature by now, even in the fading light of dusk.

When the other guys settled down into their own beds and the chatted died out, Dave anxiously tapped his fingers on his chest, looking between the ceiling above and the quietly tortured man to his right.

…Then he started humming.

It was just some short excerpts from Moon River by Johnny Mercer, something that's been stuck in his head all day. Klaus seemed to appreciate it though which was truly the real reason Dave started in the first place. He watched, satisfied as Klaus's shoulders relaxed and his muscles unraveled. Once Dave got to the second verse, he even slowly shifted his body, turning to face Dave and pull his sheets up around his shoulders protectively.

Klaus still wouldn't look straight at him- his eyes were constantly cast downwards, his eyelids drooping until they'd snap back open like something startled him. To be able to see his face made Dave feel better though, and as long as he kept believing that his humming was helping calm Klaus, he'd keep at it.

About ten minutes later, when Dave was sure Klaus was finally sleeping, he himself let his eyes slide closed. It never took short of thirty minutes for Dave to truly sleep though- he's been like that since he was a kid. He was used to it and didn't mind it much. That's when he always had time to think, no matter how busy his day was.

Admittedly, lately it had been filled with thoughts about Klaus; his wild eyes, his voice, his tousled hair that curled over his forehead when it rained. And as much as Dave tried not to get caught up in "fantasies", he often thought about what it'd be like if really acted on what he wanted to act on. That is, what it'd be like to touch the skin of his neck with his lips. Run his fingertips along his forearms until he could interlock their fingers, stopping his hands from fidgeting so often. He often wondered how his arms would fit around his waist. How his-

What was that?

Dave heard shuffling from beside him and opened his eyes to see a shape moving in the night, carefully stepping over backpacks and clothes to exit the cab with a soft squeal of the door…

Klaus.

Where was he going? Dave guessed he'd just have to find out.

The whole rendezvous was like a double-O-seven scene from Dr. No. Dave felt similar to an undercover spy, pursuing Klaus through the basecamp along back walls, around corners, and behind guards' backs. And then…

…Into the forest?

Dave hesitantly followed him through the tree line, fear flaring up in his chest. If they were caught out here off-grounds, they'd be skinned alive. Constantly, Dave looked over his shoulder to make sure there were no eyes on them. Quite miraculously, Klaus had timed it perfectly.

Go back, Dave.

He never doubted that Klaus was trouble, but it hadn't yet so closely been in danger of affecting him directly. Of course, this was Dave's decision though… and his decision was to keep on going apparently. At least, his feet decided for him.

Once they were further and further from the bustle of the base though, every sound they made echoed into the night air. It wasn't all too surprising when the moment Dave stepped on some sort of stick, Klaus whipped around and was coming at him in the dark. Dave was somewhat ready for that though, yanking his own hands up to catch Klaus's wrists and hold him still.

"Hey, hey… It's just me."

"What the fuck, Dave?"

"What the fuck yourself. What are you doing out here? Someone's gonna report us AWOL."

"Not us. Me. Go back." Klaus tore his wrists away and began walking into the darkness again, the only thing visible to the eye being the darker-than-black shapes of trees. A mosquito bit Dave's neck and he slapped at it, trying to shove down the pang in his chest that came from Klaus's quick dismissal of him. It probably meant all the more reason to follow him and make sure he didn't do something stupid… again.

"No." Dave simply denied, no longer whispering. Klaus whipped around again, covering Dave's mouth.

"Shhh!"

They stood still for a minute. At first, Dave thought it was because Klaus was listening to see if anyone else had heard them and was coming to persecute them for the war crime of deserting. But then, he focused his limited gaze on the dull gleam on Klaus's eyes and could see that they were staring right into his.

They froze, but not for safety or precaution. They froze nearly close enough to be against each other, both of them caught in a strange limbo moment where Dave thought they may be feeling the same buzz of excited energy between them. He couldn't be sure though. He promised himself he'd never make assumptions about Klaus- not with someone so unpredictable.

"Well, fine then. Come on. Just go along with everything I do and stay quiet."

Dave smiled and followed.

"Yes, Sir."

They walked quietly for about five more minutes, Dave ready to admit that he was a little bit freaked out about being in the middle of the forest at night, no direction, barely any vision, and zero ideas about what they were doing or where they were going. He didn't even know if Klaus knew.

But after those few minutes, lights could be seen as a pinprick in the dark up ahead. That pinprick grew bigger and bigger until Dave could see that they were headlights. Those headlights were attached to a large truck and in front of that truck was a man… another soldier to be exact.

"You didn't say anything about a two-soldier operation." The man said upon seeing Klaus and Dave approach.

"Well, it is." Klaus dismissed, glancing back and Dave and giving him a warning look to challenge him to go along with it. He did. He kept quiet, despite how insanely confused he was.

"…Alright. All aboard." The soldier agreed hesitantly, opening the back hatch and letting Klaus and Dave climb inside before concealing them in the bed. They sat quietly in new darkness until the sound of the front door opening and closing sounded, following by the turn of the engine. Then, the world was moving underneath them.

"So, what the hell?" Dave found it safe enough to speak lowly. He could see the outlines of Klaus's features enough to read his expressions but they weren't helpful. His eyes were squeezed shut and his hands were slowly lowering from his ears.

"Huh?"

"I said, what the hell, Klaus? Just after getting out of hot water with Bates?"

"Is that why you came? To babysit me?"

"I'm not allowed to be worried about you?"

"No, it's not- Sorry, I'm just…" Klaus faded off, his eyes darting to the corner of the truck. He flinched away, so Dave looked there too expecting to see something.

Nothing. There was nothing there.

"Distracted?" Dave offered.

"Yeah…" Klaus mumbled, closing his eyes again to shield out something Dave didn't understand.

"Klaus, I don't know what's up with you. Tell me how to help you."

"Wait…" He said, slowly opening his eyes and reluctantly letting his stature relax. He looked around. "It's okay. It's better now. We're farther."

"What do you-"

"I'm just going on a quick, harmless drug run, okay?"

"A wh-" Dave trailed off and pinched the bridge of his nose. This bumpy-ass truck ride was giving him a headache. Or maybe it was just Klaus's chaotic recklessness that constantly kept his mind spinning. "You're risking yourself to get drugs?"

"So maybe I'm like… addicted, or whatever. Don't worry about it." But in Klaus's voice, Dave could tell he was self-conscious about admitting it. He needn't be, because…

"I know that."

Silence. Klaus looked at him, seemingly unsure of how to proceed.

"You do?"

"Yeah. It's not too difficult to figure out, just like you're obviously hitting signs of withdrawal. Pluuuuus, I may have eavesdropped on your conversation with Teddy that one night."

"Oh, well you're just Captain Perfect. I forgot that." Klaus smiled sarcastically. Dave rolled his eyes and chuckled. Klaus's smile faded quickly though, and Dave's went with it. "So… it doesn't… bother you, or anything?"

Dave sighed and looked up at the vibrating ceiling of the truck, seeing shadows of branches pass over their heads through the crack where the door didn't perfectly close fully against the rest of the vehicle. It wasn't that he wasn't sure of his answer, he was just searching for the right words he wanted to use. He realized that Klaus was taking his pause as a bad sign though, and quickly got on with it.

"With all the fucked-up shit that goes on out here…" Klaus's eyes widened as if he was holding onto every word he said. "…that's definitely the least of all evils."

Klaus relaxed into his seat, nodding and taking that in.

"If it doesn't bother you then it doesn't bother me." Dave continued.

"Well… don't speak too soon."

"You're not planning on making it an issue, are you?"

"I never plan anything."

"This seems pretty thought out." Dave countered, referring to the fact that somehow Klaus had arranged an escape ride out of a secure U.S. Army basecamp.

"Oh… Yeah, well…"

So, as it turns out, Klaus got into an officer's office after dinner, typed out a "message" from a Captain Folger (who Klaus says he made up), signed some BS signature at the bottom and gave it to this new private who manned one of the supply trucks. The message said something about taking Klaus to town to deliver some encoded something-or-other and yada-yada-yada…

That's how Klaus put it anyway.

"You're a war criminal. I hope you know that. If you get caught-"

"Which I won't."

"-then you're actually fucked. Klaus, hey…" Dave fought the urge to lean forward and hold Klaus's hands to keep his attention. "I'm up for the adventure but I need you to know how serious it is to be toying with stuff like this."

"Okay, okay…"

"If you need something… Now, I'm not condoning your addiction… but at least tell me before you go risking yourself. I can at least trade MPC for-"

"Oh, but I do that to. I trade my rations for MPC for cigarettes, and then those sometimes for rides, sometimes for the drugs…"

"Jesus…"

"I don't always need to eat."

"Klaus, I'm serious. Please be more sensible."

"That's like asking Satan to be kinder."

Dave huffed a defeated sigh. Klaus tilted his head and gave him an apologetic smirk.

"But okay. I'll at least let you know."

Dave nodded, a little more satisfied. He sat back and shook his head, smiling.

"…what?" Klaus pressed, frowning but also smiling in curiosity.

"You just- This stuff you're doing. The shit you pull… It shouldn't work in a sane world. You have a really strange way of stumbling through things on pure luck, you know that?"

Klaus shrugged.

"Good luck for dumb stuff that doesn't really matter. Shit luck for everything that does. But yeah, Diego always said my second superpower was BS-ing my way through life."

"So, what's your first?"

"Hm?"

"You said your second superpower… So, what's your first?"

Klaus looked stunned- stunned and at a loss for words which was an impressive feat for him. His eyes fell from Dave and wandered off like they were searching for something to help.

"Uh…"

The truck stopped.

"The truck stopped!" Klaus hopped up, making his way towards the hatch and kicking it open.

"How convenient." Dave muttered, following him out. Klaus shoved some MPC papers into the soldier's pocket who looked at it, a little confused, but took them gratefully.

"Remember. This is top secret, Private." Klaus pointed at the kid, no older than Teddy's age, no doubt.

"Yes, Sir." The soldier responded dutifully, saluting Klaus before he and Dave walked off. When they turned, Klaus leaned in and muttered towards Dave,

"I may have told him I'm a Sergeant."

"Oh, you're awful."

"Awfully genius."

They were in a city now. It was strange after so long in the valley where there were only small villages and heavily forested areas that populated their every waking moment in the past month. It was nice to see civilization so similar to home… buildings people went to mail letters, buy clothes, drink alcohol, have fun.

Klaus walked straight down the center of the street, unphased by the fact that there were people milling about them. Dave himself was extremely uncomfortable. He knew he was being paranoid, but it seemed like everyone was watching them- like they all knew that he and Klaus were out of line.

Dave didn't show it on the outside though. He remained cautious and alert as he tried to keep up with Klaus. Part of him was excited too. He didn't intend it but there was a boyish adrenaline, running about where they weren't allowed to like kids trespassing in the night.

"Hey, Klaus."

"Hey, Dave."

"What is it?"

"What is what?"

"Your superpower." Dave mused. The whole topic was amusing to him, wondering what else Klaus's siblings teased him for. There was so much he still wanted to know about them- about Klaus's home life.

"Iiiiiii make a mean Fettuccini."

"Liar."

"This works." Klaus deflected again, stopping in front of a shitty dive bar with a door open to the street. Dull, yellow light flooded out of the threshold revealing a bar with a few U.S. Military soldiers gathered around with drinks in their hands. A few South Vietnamese civilians and soldiers also crowded inside, enjoying music and a tiny TV high up on a shelf on the back wall.

"W- Wait, Klaus. I don't think we should be drawing attention-"

"I'll go in. I'll be quick. If it makes you feel better, you can keep watch."

"Keep watch?"

"Ooooor, you come in with me."

Dave looked between Klaus and the doorway.

"Okay. I'll keep watch."

Klaus slapped a hand on his arm in ways of goodbye and instantly made his way for the bar, his arms held in front of him and trembling as if he was cold but Dave knew it wasn't the temperature at all. He didn't know too much about drug withdrawal symptoms, but he knew it was probably similar to alcohol withdrawal. Dave didn't have direct, personal experience, but it was something common in his home and… wait…

What was Klaus doing?

Dave awkwardly shifted, alone and feeling vulnerable on this dark city street when he should've been in bed. He wasn't focusing on that notion though. No, Dave was very sharply keeping an eye on the way Klaus was leaning on the bar, propped up on one arm and standing up close to some Military dude…

Very close.

Dave watched Klaus's free hand lightly dance fingers along the bar's edge until he trailed a single finger up the guy's chest, letting it fall away but leaving the man enthralled. Dave found that he despised the stupid, smug smile on the dipshit's face. He hated the way he looked at Klaus- like he was just some prize for him to win for the night.

Is this why Klaus didn't want him coming along on these "runs"? Is this how he always managed to get the drugs he so desperately needed? And now…

HOLD on, hold on…

Klaus was taking the stranger by the hand and pulling him slowly to the back. Dave craned his head and stumbled to the side to watch them as far as he could, but Klaus and the man slipped behind a wall.

Pain erupted in Dave's chest. It was nothing like the kind of physical pain that came from a tangible affliction like cuts or bruises or even being shot (which Dave has indeed endured before), but it was a deep-seated pain. It was like copious amounts of thousand-pound rocks were tied to his ribs with strings, pulling down and caving his chest in as he lived and breathed.

Heat rose up his neck and traveled to his face. His fingertips tingled. His jaw clenched, his right hand balled tightly…

Welcome to jealousy. Dave told himself. Did he have a right to be jealous? Klaus wasn't his per se, not that he'd ever claim Klaus to fully be his but the sentiment was there… or wasn't, more like it.

Was he allowed to be angry with Klaus if he slept with this random guy? Yes. Sure. Why not? He was already feeling it coming on, so why not?

But was it fair? Dave hadn't yet done anything to pursue the way he so admired everything about his (not his) "Wild Child", so…

"Run, run, run, run…" Someone was suddenly muttering, coming at Dave from his right, grabbing his forearm and yanking him into a running stride.

"Klaus, what di-"

"C'mon, c'mon." He hushed Dave, pulling him along through the streets, dodging light posts and the occasional person. Dave did as he was told, the jealousy melting in his chest and replaced with relief for the fact that there's no way too much could've happened in that short span of time.

They stopped where the city setting died out into a more suburban area with the forest not all too far off. Klaus's hand was still wrapped around Dave's wrist when they stopped, even when he burst into panting giggles.

"What happened?"

"Oh, some guy gave me stuff. I promised to give stuff back. Then I ran out the back when he went to 'freshen up' or whatever." Klaus realized then that he was still holding Dave's arm and quickly let go. Neither of them acknowledged it.

"I thought for sure you'd just-"

"Do the hanky panky? Nah…" Klaus fished out the baggie and wiggled some pills into his palm, popping them into his mouth. It didn't phase Dave.

"Please don't ever call it that."

Klaus giggled more at that, taking a deep breath and straightening to regain his composure. Dave's own smile faltered. He watched Klaus look out at the tree line. Dave had no hesitation to press the subject further.

"But have you?"

"Have I… Had sex? Well, I'm certainly no virgin, Dave."

"I mean for drugs."

"Oh."

"Yeah. Like… Specifically since you… came here."

"To Vietnam?"

"Yeah."

"Since I met you?"

Dave's confidence faltered. This was all getting very personal to their relationship, very fast. Well, maybe it was long overdue. Fast probably wasn't the best way of putting that.

"…yeah." He uttered, much quieter than before. Klaus watched him for a bit before looking down at the ground and shuffling his feet like a guilty school boy. That should've been answer enough and Dave was ready to just accept that, but then Klaus shrugged a shoulder.

"Nah. No one since… since 'coming here'." Klaus even used air-quotes to show his real meaning was, in fact, 'since I met you'. Dave bit the inside of his cheek to keep himself from smiling like an idiot.

"Oh. Boss."

Klaus flashed Dave a grin and then looked out towards the forest.

"He was supposed to wait here."

"Who?"

"Private what's-his-name. Can't trust this new blood these days." Klaus 'tsk-ed'. He swung his gaze to Dave, his eyes bright with curiosity.

"Fancy joining me on a walk in the forest?"

"Not particularly."

"I'll protect you."

"Uh, no. I'll protect you."

"Well, if you insist." Klaus smirked and waved Dave forward to let him go first.

"I let you totally play me. Hope you know."

"Uh-huh. Go on, Kitty Katz."

They started the beginning of their long trek back, Dave still pumped up on adrenaline from the diver-bar-escape, admittedly freaked out about the idea of walking through a dark forest, and thrilled to have a stretch alone time with Klaus ahead of him. They walked close enough for their shoulders to nearly touch until they were coming up on the edge, darkness splayed out in front of them.

Dave took notice that Klaus seemed uncomfortable and distracted as they went, but he chalked it up to the fact that the drugs probably hadn't yet taken effect.

As it turned out though, Klaus was actually just gearing up to say something and quite frankly, Dave was not ready for it.

"Dave?" Klaus said before they dipped into utter darkness.

Dave was about to say 'Yeah?' but he didn't have time before Klaus continued with…

"I see ghosts."

Chapter Text

"Dave… Did you hear me?"

Klaus couldn't tell by sight since he had none. As soon as he had dropped the bomb shell, he and Dave had dipped into the blackness of the forest ahead. He could only hope that his one outstretched arm was enough to keep him from face planting a tree. What was worse was hearing the distant echoes of pained cries all throughout the environment around him but having no way of seeing where the lurking spirits were coming from.

These drugs needed to get a-workin'.

"I said, I see dead people. Of course, you wouldn't get that reference, I realize. Shame. Great movie. Our humble cinematic king, Bruce Willis-"

"Are you fucking with me?" Dave finally made noise other than the crunch of his footsteps beside Klaus.

"No!"

"And you're not bugging out on me again?"

That was a fair question after Dave had to retrieve Klaus from his panic attack on that first day in 'Nam. Still, though…

"No, but if these damn pills don't kick in soon, I might."

Klaus's eyes were starting to adjust to the extremely low light levels now. He felt comfortable enough to lower his reaching arm and stuff his hand into his pocket instead, pulling out his new little baggie of relief.

Two more should be okay.

"Wait, wait- Hey…" Dave tried to catch his hand before it tossed two more pills into his mouth.

Too late. Klaus thought giddily.

"Shit. Klaus, that's a l-"

"I have a high tolerance."

"I- Ugh…" Dave gave up and kept walking, Klaus stumbling alongside him, nearly tripping a dozen-or-more times over roots and dirt mounds. "So, you wanna elaborate?"

Klaus sighed and stretched, his body still trying to recover from his dash from the bar to escape the man he had shamelessly cheated out of a 'good night'.

"You asked what my power was so I'm telling you." He answered plain and simple, shrugging a shoulder even though he knew that Dave probably couldn't see it. Part of him was nervous about revealing something so personal and hard-to-grasp to Dave, but another part of him felt like he was meant to do it. He had a small voice within him that assured him that he could trust Dave with this information, even if it would take him a minute to arrive at acceptance.

Klaus didn't, however, mention the Academy as a whole. He knew that that was a bomb too destructive to drop at this moment or really any moment. It was a hard pill to swallow (no pun intended) even in 2019. But in 1968? Forget it.

"What are you thinking?" Klaus asked after a moment of silence that was too long for comfort. He was dying to know. He wished Dave would at least say something, even if it was to call him up-the-wall insane.

"The Monkees song- Superstitious. That excerpt they released. Sounds like a lot of supernatural baloney to me. Supernatural, perhaps… baloney, perhaps not." Dave mimicked the deep, crackly voice as if it was emanating from an old record. Klaus was not expecting that.

"That's what you're thinking about right now?" Four threw up his arms. Dave snorted a breath of laughter.

"Yeah." He laughed, honesty clear in his tone.

This geek.

But then Dave continued, his stature growing serious again.

"Okay, So…" Every single pause that separated Dave's words gave Klaus just a bit more anxiety with each passing millisecond. "That's why you've been jittery?"

Alright, alright… Questions are good.

"Yeah… That and my body has been begging for drugs. But you can imagine that a war zone isn't a comfy cozy place for someone like me. Well, it isn't for anyone I guess, but-"

"So, what? They just look like extra people? And sound like it too?"

Klaus was impressed that Dave was talking so effortlessly about it- wanting to know more about it. However, Dave may be polite, but there was a tinge of disbelief in his voice. Klaus tried to give him time and his own patience. He was doing his best to understand, he could tell.

"They're kinda like 'extra people' I suppose, but when I look that them, there's this awful, sickening feeling in my chest and the pit of my stomach. And their voices definitely sound like they're trapped in my head- not out loud. I can't turn it off, either."

A pause.

"To be honest, I hate it. I've always hated it. The only thing that has ever kept them away was drugs, not that I'm harpin' for excuses."

A longer pause.

CRUNCH. CRUNCH. CRUNCH. Their footsteps sounded deafening next to the utter silence of their dying conversation. Every leaf crinkle and every twig snap shook Klaus's confidence. He glanced over at Dave whose outline was carefully making his way forward, head down. Klaus tried to see his expression, but couldn't quite make one out.

"You don't believe me."

"I do!"

"I can hear it in your voice."

"Klaus…"

"There are people who linger around you sometimes. A couple, I don't know. I try not to pry." This was always Klaus's last line of defense to prove himself to someone who needed a little extra evidence. He didn't like reaching this point because there was danger of freaking them out, but he silently prayed that Dave wouldn't go that way.

Maybe he would though, from the sound of compressed fear in his voice.

"…who?"

Klaus hummed, thinking back to all the times he got glimpses of apparitions around Dave. His curiosity always begged him to look into it, but he was being truthful with what he said- he tried not to pry, especially with Dave. There were some things he couldn't help but figure out though.

"Your Dad."

Klaus could sense Dave tense beside him.

"Your step-dad." Klaus quickly corrected, remembering what Dave had told him about his tattered and near non-existent relationship with his late, biological father. Dave's energy unraveled a bit. "I haven't, like… spoken to him or anything, but he seems proud. I can just feel it."

"Klaus-"

But Klaus was in full motion, needing to convince Dave. Needing him to believe him. If he didn't, Klaus was afraid that'd be the end of everything. There was only so much "crazy" one person could take, and Dave made it pretty clear that he thought Klaus was pretty wild. He just didn't want it to ever be in a non-endearing way as it was now.

"And another guy. Only once and a while, like he's… like he's checking on you. Some guy named Mick wh-"

"Klaus, stop. Please."

Dave stopped walking and the heavy tone in his voice halted Klaus in his tracks right along with him. A sinking feeling gripped Klaus's chest- he took it too far. Shit.

"…'M sorry. I should've kept my mouth shut."

How stupid to blurt out something so ridiculous when he had only known Dave for a couple of weeks. Yeah, they got close rather fast, but this was shit Klaus didn't tell people back at home, period. Why did he think it was a good idea to bombard Dave like a B52?

Klaus crossed his arms over his body self-consciously (and partially to shy away from mosquitos) and kept walking, leaving Dave behind for a second and waiting for him to hopefully just move on so they could finish their walk in silence.

"No, no. Hey, Klaus." Klaus saw Dave run up to him again- a dark mass out of the corner of his eye. A gentle hand took his bicep and held Klaus back, turning his body towards him so that he was forced to look into what he could barely make out as Dave's eyes. "I believe you, okay? I promise, it's not that. I- I'm just… I wasn't ready."

"I'll keep out of your business." Klaus nodded and turned, feeling a bit better but still guilty for pulling Dave's personal matters into the fray for his own benefit.

"No, hey…" Dave pulled on his arm again, keeping Klaus rooted in place. Klaus shifted his weight to his other foot and titled his head, cocking an eyebrow.

What?

"Don't."

Klaus smirked, taking a break from staring intently in Dave's eyes and looking out at the dark shapes of the jungle instead. He shook his head lightly in amusement.

"Don't stay out of your business?"

Dave snorted a short breath of laughter.

"Yeah. Don't."

"Whatever you say."

To say the least, Klaus was holistically satisfied with this reaction. He believed that Dave believed him, and he wasn't treating him like a freak because of it. The only thing Klaus was ashamed of now was having ever doubted Dave like that.

They started walking again. Klaus felt comfortable to continue.

"They call me The Séance at home sometimes."

Dave hummed a short, amused tone. "Number Four… The Séance… Any more aliases I should know about?"

"Nahhh. None that I'm proud of, anyway. Woah…"

A wave of warped reality washed over Klaus and suddenly, the world twisted in front of him. The sound of the jungle became muffled and echoed all at once, drifted back to normal, and then dipped "underwater" all over again. His head buzzed and his body tingled.

Klaus giggled.

He was aware of a hand grasped firmly on his arm and that the same hand was the only reason he wasn't toppling over, but Klaus couldn't actually feel it. He wished he could. He'd like to feel Dave.

"Starting to hit you?"

"Psshya." Klaus giggled some more, the sounds coming out of his mouth feeling foreign and far away. That was funny too. His abdomen was already tight from his continued, not-so-suppressed chuckling. "Uh-oh…" He muttered, a stupid grin spread across his face. "There they go."

Right before his eyes, a few moving shapes in the forest- shapes that Klaus knew Dave couldn't see- started to dissipate. The voices crowding his skull were swallowed by the warm whir in his head. He welcomed it with ease. He wasn't expecting the high to hit him this hard, but he deserved it, right? It was a long day.

"Buh-bye." Klaus managed a little wave to the disappearing spirits that seemed enraged to go, but too fast-fading to do anything about it. He heard Dave laugh beside him.

"Alright. C'mon." Dave coaxed. Klaus felt two hands now, one on each of his wrists, pulling him forward again. Klaus resisted.

"But I'm tired." He whined, feeling a knee buckle underneath him. He was too high to tell which one. He could feel his body sinking to the ground and suddenly the thought of lying down was just too good to pass up. Klaus pulled one hand free from Dave and felt the jungle floor. It felt like a soft bed- like his bed from home.

Yes, this would do nicely.

"Noooo, no. Be a good little Séance."

"Oh, hop off." Klaus tore into giggles again at Dave's use of his stupid "superpower" alias. It was so funny hearing Dave say it.

"Seriously, Klaus. It's fucking creepy out here and you just told me there are ghosts everywhere. Up and at 'em." Dave directed more firmly, pulling a protesting Klaus to his feet again.

"Welcome to my world."

"Tell me all about it on the way back then."

So, Klaus did.

He talked about the first time he had ever seen a ghost as a little kid, only four years old- how he had screamed bloody murder for reasons no one could determine for hours, clutching onto little (also horrified at the time) Ben as if his life depended on it. Back then, he was sure his life did, in fact, depend on it.

He talked about how he couldn't watch horror movies for years- how Diego would taunt him by blasting The Exorcist and Amityville Horror from the living room (films which, of course, Dave did not recognize).

He talked about the first time he realized that drugs helped- barely 13 and desperate to find something to numb his waking-nights and nightmarish days.

Klaus even talked about how sometimes… sometimes, it was useful. He mentioned the last time he was no less than forced to use his powers to escape these assholes named Hazel and Cha-Cha… a reality that seemed so, so long ago. So far away. Really, it had only been a couple of weeks ago when he had so stupidly stolen and run off with their briefcase, landing his dumbass here, 50 years prior.

He didn't so much mind it now. Not with sweet ecstasy pumping through his veins and a guy he quite-liked-a-whole-lot basically holding him as they walked through the forest.

Dave had questioned him about Hazel and Cha-Cha but Klaus refused to go into it. That would open a can of worms that Dave just wasn't ready for. Klaus wasn't sure if anyone would ever be ready for that. Even in his liberated, high mind, he couldn't bring himself to utter such silly words as 'I'm from the future. I time-traveled here.'

"Oh my God." Dave said at one point after listening so politely and intently through Klaus's stories as "The Séance".

"Hmm? What?" Klaus demanded, stumbling away from Dave when he felt his grip loosen a bit. A hand grabbed his vest and yanked him back on track. Once again, Dave's hands found Klaus's arms and helped guide him on the straight and narrow. It was like Dave hardly even noticed.

"Your tattoos. On your hands. I always wondered."

"Oh. Heh. Yeah, like a human Ouija board, get it?"

"Yeah. Kinda genius."

"Thank you! I thought so too, but Ben was all like, 'No, Klaus. You dumb-dumb.'"

Klaus burst into giggles and his knees buckled again. Dave's arm slipped around his back and held his side, pulling his body upright again.

"These were- I'll admit, these were- These were stronger than an-tis-pi-pa… Anti-pis-perated. As-pir-tit-erated."

"Yeah, I tried to tell you. The gooks-"

"NO!"

He felt Dave jump Klaus lunged forward and covered his mouth, not even thinking before he so abruptly jumped into action. Dave's body was tense- he could tell because when he jumped forward, he had nearly slammed his body into Dave's. They were close- really close. Klaus didn't even notice yet.

Dave cocked an eyebrow at Klaus, asking what on Earth could warrant his attack.

"No, Dave… I know that's standard today- HERE. I mean, here. But-"

Dave shook himself loose enough to pull his head back away from Klaus's hand.

"What? Gook?"

"Shh!" Klaus pushed his hand against Dave's mouth again. He could feel Dave smirk underneath his skin. Wow, his face was so nice and warm and soft. "Promise me you won't say it." Klaus slurred, his drug-riddled brain acting on its own. He wondered if he was actually two inches from Dave's face. Maybe he was just hallucinating their proximity.

But, nope. He could definitely feel Dave's chest rise and fall against his own. He could see his entertained irises, even in the darkness. He could feel his warm breath against his hand. He could smell cigarettes and mint, a sweet scent that was purely Dave as a result of the habit he had of popping Altoids almost as much as Klaus popped pills.

"I promise." Came the muffled reply from behind Klaus's hand.

Klaus accepted this contract, but neither dared to move. He had a feeling that neither wanted to. In fact, Klaus was certain that he could easily just remove his hand and kiss Dave right here, right now. It would take just a couple inches further and goddammit, Klaus was also certain that Dave would do nothing to stop it.

…Unless he had totally misread everything and had finally found someone who wanted to understand Klaus's habits, oddities, and dark corners just in time to fuck it all up with his irrational, reckless, mindless behavior that only ever got him into needless trouble and constantly tore down his relationships left and right and…

"We're almost there," Dave said quietly after gently removed Klaus's hand from his mouth. "We should probably be quieter if we don't want our asses handed to us by Sarge or anyone else around."

"Oh, yeah." Klaus whispered, stepping back and immediately regretting the loss of Dave's body heat from his own, needy figure.

Damnit.

If his mind didn't get in the way, tonight could've gone a lot differently… He thought. He hoped.

It didn't matter now. Klaus had hesitated and now they were just going to return to their cabins or "barracks" as Dave always corrected him.

That is… If Klaus could walk.

"Woah there, soldier." Dave mused, catching Klaus from collapsing for the 493rd time that day. Klaus groaned and wobbled a bit, his head sitting heavily on his shoulders and the world jam-packing itself into his brain all at once. There was so much pressure inside his skull. It made up for the fact that he felt nothing just about everywhere else. "Klaus… Klaus, you okay?"

"Just tired."

"Can you walk?"

"Tired."

"Klaus, I- Ugh. You owe me, okay?"

"Mm… Kay." He felt himself mumble quietly, pretty sure he'd go along with anything Dave said right about now. His reality was just waves… Wave after wave after…

"Hold on and be quiet. That last part's important." Dave was spouting out words that went right through Klaus. He felt his arms raising up but not by his own effort. Hands guided them until they were wrapped around Dave's neck from behind and before he knew it, Dave had managed to get him onto his back. Klaus's head instantly lolled forward until his forehead was against Dave's shoulder right where the collar of his shirt ended. Then there was just skin. Smooth, warm, just barely damp with sweat from the humidity-

"You okay back there?"

"Mm."

Klaus was mildly aware that Dave was holding up his legs from behind his bent knees. His arms stayed locked around his neck, his whole body slumped against Dave's shamelessly.

If I wasn't so damn gone, I'd be freaking.

Just that realization sent sobering shockwaves through Klaus for a moment. He was abruptly, acutely aware of every sensation of Dave against him- the muscles in his back that he could feel through his shirt, the reverberation of his throat against Klaus's arms when he talked, his hip bones between Klaus's legs, and everything in between.

Then he totally passed out.

Dave had a bit of a tough time getting back into base. It wasn't because of the unconscious guy on his back, but because he couldn't remember exactly at which point they got in. The whole place was fenced off and he wasn't as good as Klaus was at making up BS stories to get out of trouble. He sought to find that one Private, but it took him a while and only was accomplished with Klaus's help.

"Hey. Klaus, I need you to hear me, 'kay? Where's your guy? Left or right."

"Mm."

"Klaus."

"Left, left, left…" He'd mumble, raising his head off of Dave's shoulder for a moment before dropping it back down in defeat. After a lot of coaxing and a good amount of skirting along the tree line, hoping to not be seen by another guard, Dave finally made it back in the way they came, ignoring the strange look he got from the Private as he passed through the gate with Klaus on his back.

Once back in their own barracks, Dave carefully lowered Klaus into his bed. He didn't take much care to try not to wake him as he took off his vest because there was no way this boy was even so much as stirring at this point in time.

Dave finally managed to get him situated, pulling a blanket loosely over his lax body. He was left by Klaus's bedside, hovering over a very inanimate and very adorable sleeping human that stirred up inexplicable pains in the core of his heart. Dave savored the sight of his eyes moving ever-so-slightly underneath his eyelids, his eyelashes just barely fluttering in his sleep; the sound of his breath against the fabric of his pillow, a slow and steady beat; his hair that had grown longer since Dave first met him- long enough to the point where recently, Klaus had to jerk his head to the side once and a while to dismiss strands from his eyes.

And suddenly, Dave couldn't help it anymore. He raised mildly trembling fingertips to Klaus's forehead, gingerly brushing away his hair like he was dealing with the most delicate glass in the world. With a burst of daring that Dave didn't even feel he had ownership over, he leaned forward and pressed his lips against the warm skin of Klaus's forehead.

Could merely a kiss on the forehead make up for the fact that Dave totally froze up in the forest at that one, perfectly crafted moment? That moment that he should've kissed Klaus already, for God's sake? To be fair, Dave would prefer him a little soberer than that for their first kiss (listen to him… acting as if it was a matter of when and not if). It didn't happen though. They both froze, and maybe it just wasn't the right time. Why was it never the right time?

And so, Dave was left with this small gesture to at least somewhat entertain his debilitating, yearning heart… just for a while more. Besides, if Klaus had any idea of what was happening, he certainly wouldn't remember it tomorrow anyway…

"Fuck you, David Katz." Whispered a small, barely prominent voice. Dave leaned back again, his hand still resting as light as a feather over Klaus's head. From the moonlight that streamed through the small portkey-like windows, Dave could make out Klaus's tired smile. His eyes were still closed but obviously, he still clung to his last bit of consciousness.

"What?" Dave asked, still amused by his all-encompassing loopy exhaustion.

"You know I won't remember that tomorrow."

A breathy laugh escaped Dave's lips. He ran his thumb over Klaus's forehead curiously one last time, watching his hair brush back and then fall into place all over again. All he was left thinking before he got up and moved to his own bed was,

Fuck… It's terrifying, the things I would do for him.

And they weren't even… Well, they weren't… Dave didn't know how to phrase what they were and weren't at this point. He had no idea where they were, where they were going, or where that'd leave them in the end. For the first time since meeting Klaus though, he had a comforting warmth that spread throughout his chest that ensured him- whatever did happen, it'd all work out. For the first time, Dave wasn't afraid of losing him. He wasn't afraid of making the leaps and bounds to get him…

Something inside told Dave that they already belonged to each other.

"Goodnight, Klaus." He whispered into the darkness, the only response he could think to give to his previous accusation. Klaus didn't answer back though. Dave knew that was it- he was gone.

Dave laid back and thought back on their little adventure tonight.

Ghosts… Okay.

It was weird, but Klaus was also weird. To be honest, after having countless questions about his strange behavior and tendencies, everything that Klaus confided in Dave tonight totally fit. In this new context, Klaus as a whole made more sense with this new "Séance" knowledge than without it.

It did hurt to think of how it pained Klaus to go through that every day. To see ghosts whether you wanted to or not your entire life… Jesus. No wonder he was always itching for a fix- and that subject in itself was a whole other part of Klaus that Dave didn't want to butt into at the moment.

Instead, he thought of how he carried him through those woods. Dave just kept thinking that if anything approached them from out of the darkness- anything at all whether it be something paranormal, a tiger, a Gook (wait, no: "Commie" or "VC"), or otherwise, Dave would surely die to protect the beautiful mess of a person slumped on his back.

At breakfast, Klaus both thanked and apologized to Dave for taking care of him the night before. He imagined that if Dave hadn't followed him out of the base and joined him on his little excursion, Klaus would've been screwed in the middle of the woods by the end of the journey, high as hell and incapable of distinguishing left from right.

"Yeah, they lace everything here." Dave said. "And you're welcome."

"I do owe you."

"Oh, I know."

That cocky smirk- the one that also somehow hid a trace of shyness and shrouded inquisitiveness- Klaus loved that smirk.

They didn't have much time for conversation that morning as they were already being herded to the front of the base with their belongings in hand, watching helicopters descend from the sky. They were bound for "Bien Hoa", right alongside "Long Binh Post" which, according to Dave, was the largest U.S. base camp in the whole damn country. As Operation Delaware came to an end and they were no longer needed in the A Shau Valley, the straggling members of the 173rd Airborne Brigade were headed back to home base. This was both intriguing and nerve-racking for Klaus, seeing as the Valley was all he had come to know during his time in Vietnam so far. He'd have to learn new things and a new day-to-day all over again.

Luckily, this transition should be much more cushioned than being dropped from 2019 into a jungle under constant fire.

As a violent wind picked up from the chopper blades, a sensation Klaus was getting extremely familiar with, the men all stepped back to give the aircraft ample space to land. Klaus himself stepped back right into Dave who he knew to be standing behind him. His back pressed against his chest for a moment while the group of soldiers lightly pushed and shoved to make way.

Well, it should've just been for a moment, but when all the other soldiers found time to fan out and find their own space again, Klaus remained there, close against Dave in an obvious invasion of personal space. He didn't acknowledge it. He didn't look back. He didn't say anything because it was much too loud to utter words anyway. He merely just leaned back against Dave as if it was the most normal thing in the world.

This was part of Klaus's game. The more he grew sure of himself and his advances with Dave, the more he felt like himself in terms of outwards flirting and bold moves. Dave still intimidated him more than most people he tried to pursue, but Klaus welcomed it by recognizing that it was only because it meant more. The stakes were higher- emotions were on the line, dammit. Klaus didn't have to deal with that often.

But still… he was fucking Klaus Hargreeves. He didn't shy away from a challenge when it came to anything having to do with the… "flirtations".

Besides, Dave didn't seem to mind at all. In fact, it seemed he even caught onto Klaus's game (not that Klaus was being subtle anymore). In the reflection of the chopper's metallic finish, Klaus saw the beautiful man behind him smile and shake his head, obviously entertained by Klaus's audacious tomfoolery. Dave didn't say anything either and soon, it was time to load up.

For this, Klaus made a point to sit on the opposite side of the helicopter, separated from Dave by a couple of men who sat unknowingly in between. Klaus caught Dave's suspicious eye narrow from the opposite doorway, but he simply turned away as if he utterly oblivious. He couldn't help the small raise of the corner of his lips though as he felt Dave's amused gaze.

"FUCK YOU A SHAU!" A voice screamed in an animalistic manner into the wind-beaten air. Klaus whipped his head to the right to see Teddy practically hanging out of the helicopter adjacent to theirs, flipping off the valley below.

"Fuck you!"

"Fuck you, A Shau!" Others from the same chopper joined Teddy in flipping off the landscape below. Klaus snorted and sat back comfortably, feeling their excited (and even proud) energy course through himself. There was a sensation of relief and gratification that came from the knowledge that they had survived this Satan's-Asshole of a place.

Dominance.

For that moment, as they flew out of there alive and kickin', each one of them owned that damn valley.

Keeping that same energy going, the base they arrived at was, in Klaus's own words, "…not a camp but a fucking city."

There was an amphitheater, bars, pool, restaurants, sports courts, a town of barracks, each one even nicer than the ones at the Huê base. In agreement with Klaus's comment, the base was described to him as literally "larger than the city of Cleveland, Ohio".

There were thousands upon thousands of other soldiers who milled around, all from brigades, divisions, platoons, and whatnot that Klaus would never even begin to remember. Luckily, the Bien Hoa airbase where they set up camp was mostly 173rd Airborne…

"Our own kin." Teddy announced in a gruff, terrible Scottish accent as they entered the neighborhood of barracks.

Klaus found this entire arrangement to be incredibly more comfortable than anything else he's so far experienced in Vietnam. He could get used to this. He found himself in envy of the soldiers that waltzed around the area like they owned the place, their uniforms crisp and clean-

"Those are the guys that you know ain't been in the shit. Look at their boots, and you know. Clean. Not a speck."

"They don't fight… Ever?" Klaus asked Don Juan who hand leaned down from his ginormous stature to mutter in his ear.

"Most of them, no."

"So, why did we pull the short straw?" Klaus asked, astounded. Don Juan just laughed a deep, hearty chuckle at that, patting him much too hard on the back and jostling Klaus out of step.

Well, that just doesn't seem fair. Klaus thought about this newfound knowledge.

The only thing that really kind of freaked Klaus out was the frequent fly-bys, specifically the C123s that rained down mosquito repellant. He was grateful, all the same. It was nice to not be eaten alive for once.

When they were settling into their assigned barracks, they were attacked.

Not by VC or anything like that, but by a whirlwind of guys who clearly knew Dave quite well, and made a point to show it. It turned out to only be two, but they made it feel like a whole as clan had raided their living quarters. Before everyone knew it, there were two extra bodies tearing through the cabin, shouting things like,

"The Katz-Man!"

"David, as I live and breathe."

"My man, my man, my man."

"How've you been, Kitty?"

They jumped around like excited schoolchildren, pulling at his clothes and shoving at his shoulders. Dave shrunk away, trying to shield himself from the playful harassment. Everyone else ignored it, but Klaus watched with intrigue. As it turned out, these were guys Dave had known from his previous tour. They hadn't seen each other since.

"You off duty today, Dave?" One asked excitedly, breathless from their escapades.

"Come out. We'll buy you a drink. You gotta see the new bar. They gotta lotta new swanky shit around here, man."

Dave glanced over at his current squad, ending on Klaus. His eyes looked hesitant, words of protest ghosted on his lips.

"Uh, well… Klaus, you wanna-"

"No, no. Go ahead. Catch up. We'll getchya later." Klaus dismissed, even though he guessed that Dave truly did just want to hang out with him (if he could be so bold to think).

Klaus's new fascination was living for this game between them though. Could you call it 'playing hard to get'? Maybe. Klaus didn't actually think Dave fell for his shenanigans. By the look on his face, Dave saw right through his BS.

'What are you playing at?' His small smile asked, but instead of voicing it, he went along.

"Okay. Cool. Where are we going?" Dave asked before his friends rushed him out of the barracks. He gave Klaus one last glance before he left, and then it was quiet again. Klaus sighed and stretched, satisfied with his bag under his bed and a place where he felt relatively safe. He turned to his friends.

"Alright. Where do I buy anything that's not this god-awful asparagus green?"

They bopped in and out of a couple of shops (he fact that they had shops and bars and whatnot inside a camp still blew Klaus's mind)- he, Don Juan, Teddy, and Big Al. It was fun, as much as he missed Dave. Klaus stood by his actions though. This thing… This… Whatever it was that was going on between Dave and himself was taking too long. He needed to fast track this bitch and that started with getting Dave's attention and not being so available.

Cheeky move, he understood. Klaus knew what he was doing though.

"Oh, yes. I love this." Klaus said once they entered a small, dinky shop on an intersection. It was similar to a pawn shop, a bunch of trinkets and articles that people had picked up from all around Vietnam whether it be something they raided from a small village or bought in a far-off city. It was basically an exotic thrift store, and Klaus was in love with it. After a lot of digging, he found his artifact. It watched him from the top shelf across the store- a little wooden, carved Buddha statue that was smaller than a plum.

"Someone probably took it off of some Hòa Håo's alter. There are a lot around here."

"What's that?"

"Quasi-Buddhism." Don explained to him, matter-of-factly. "A common faith that's spreadin' throughout 'Nam. Some BS popular with farmers 'specially."

"What's BS about it?"

"Remember, Boots. Don's a by-the-book God-man." Teddy chipped in from where he was trying on vibrant, busy button downs.

"Fuck off, Teddy. It's not that- they just one step short of those cults that are spreadin' everywhere is what I'm sayin'."

"My God or no God. That's my motto." Big Al said in a deep voice, imitating Don Juan.

"Now you're puttin' words in my mouth, man."

Big Al and Teddy giggled amongst each other, ignoring Don Juan's grievances.

"I just know what I believe in. That's all. Nothin' wrong with that."

"We're just pulling your leg, Donnie-boy." Big Al extended the olive branch. Klaus let their yammering fade into the background of his mind. He was busy reading the little blurb that had been scrawled out and placed below the Buddha figure.

This figure symbolizes human harmony and the connectedness and interdependence of all people, the main belief the Hoa Hao center their faith upon.

"Well, I think it's nifty." Klaus, carefully picking up the figure and studying its delicate features.

"Yo, I don't give a crap what you believe in as long as you hate commie guts as much as I do." Teddy chipped in again. "And the Hoa Hao definitely do."

"Yeah?"

"Yes, Sir. Fiercely anti-red. Now come help me."

Klaus paid for his little Buddha friend and joined Teddy to help him find clothes.

"I'm gonna name him…" Klaus turned the figurine in his hand, squinting his eyes in thought. "Marion."

"Oh, fuck you." Teddy giggled.

"What? It's totally him. See?"

"Well, fine, then. I'm honored that you've named your son after me. This shirt or this one?"

"That one." Klaus pointed.

"You sure I can pull that off?"

"Yes, you sexy beefcake stallion man. 'Mary' thinks so too, don't you?" Klaus made the Buddha nod.

"Mary." Teddy snorted. "Alright."

Teddy went up to buy his clothes and Klaus followed suit, his "Marion" in one hand and a yellow striped shirt with accompanying black and white striped pants in the other. All he could think was 'I can't wait for Marion to meet Dave'.

Their next stop came about when they passed a tiny salon on the edge of the shopping district.

"Oh, I'm stopping. This-" Klaus flipped the few rebellious strands of hair out of his eyes for the billionth time that day. "-cannot be a thing anymore."

While they were in there, Klaus noticed a particular chair and equipment in the back. His friends stood by in their new clothes, talking about Big Al's soon-to-be-born child back in Utah.

"You guys do tattoos?" Klaus asked for confirmation. The woman who worked in the salon brushed back his hair and he heard the sound of scissors again. He loved when people touched his hair. Honestly, as sad as it was, this mere human contact was nice after a near month of the fight to survive in the middle of the wilderness.

"Yeah, I would just have to grab Barry."

"Teeeeddyyyyyyy." Klaus cooed, wiggling his eyebrows at Teds who broke from his current conversation to turn expectant, bright eyes his way. "I have an ideaaaaaaa."

It was a shady place to bargain getting a tattoo from quite honestly, but Klaus never minded going out on a limb to ink his body. He's already had his palms tattooed and after that, everything else seemed like child's play in his eyes.

Half an hour later, Teddy laid on the chair that they contorted into a padded table. His shirt was discarded on the floor and his muscular back was face up, ready to be inked. Klaus's shoulder blade already stung- the surface bandaged with a cloth and tape. Now it was his friend's turn after a little convincing.

"You'll be alright, Teds. You sure you wanna do this?" Klaus double-checked with the nervous teenager that fidgeted with his hands anxiously while "Barry" readied the needle. The machine whirred, fired up and ready to go. The sound made Teddy jump.

"Don't let this nuts for brains influence you, Teddy." Don jumped in, nodding over at Klaus with his arms crossed.

"No, no. I got this." Teddy let out a nervous breath of laughter. "Para Pico."

"Para Pico." Klaus agreed. "Here you go. Hold onto Mini Marion for me."

Teddy rolled his eyes and gave a genuine smile as Klaus placed the Buddha in Teddy's subtly shaking hands.

"Hold my other hand, Donnie." Teddy joked with Don Juan, reaching out his left hand.

"If you're holding anyone's hand, it's gonna be the dipshit who got you into this." Don joked back, obviously referring to Klaus.

"I'll gladly hold your hand, Teddy. It's okay to expel toxic masculinity and don't let anyone tell you otherwise."

"Where do you get this shit, Boots?" Big Al snorted from beside Don.

Teddy was fine though. He was a real champ all the way through, only squeezing his eyes shut and clutching Mini-Marion in his hand. At one point, when he started to relax, Klaus wondered if the kid had even fallen asleep.

"All done." Barry announced. Moments later, Klaus and Teddy were crowded around the mirror, both of them peeling back their bandages to momentarily admire their matching "tigres" in the mirror.

"Yeahhhhh." Teddy mocked, looking at Don and Al's expressions through the mirror reflection. "Now you're jealous, ain'tcha?

"Jealous that we ain't got a picture of a cat on our back?"

"A tigre, dude. Just like Pico said."

"This is like the equivalent of the 'I Survived the A Shau' type shirts you get after a rollercoaster." Klaus mused, quite impressed by Barry the tattoo-artist's skills. He loved his tigre.

"Never rode a coaster." Teddy said, refastening his bandage and pulling his shirt over his head.

"Well, that'll be our next adventure." Klaus promised even though he knew that would not happen in Vietnam at least. This was his life now though. There was nothing that said he couldn't find Teddy after all this war BS was over. Actually, he had no doubt that he would still see Teddy. He felt such a strong admiration and need to protect the kid.

"Groovy." Teddy said, making Klaus smirk. He lived for the cheesy '68 lingo. "So what's the deal for tonight? We might be back in the heat of things by tomorrow for all we know."

"I could have a night to forget about tomorrow." Big Al agreed.

"We could go to that club downtown if Sarge'll let us off base. What do ya think, Don? Will the lawd allow us some sweet, sweet R&R?"

"I don't think the big guy will mind, T." Don rolled his eyes, smirking at Teddy.

"We should invite Dave though." Klaus instantly cut in, maybe a bit too fast. It was so abrupt and cutting that Teddy nearly jumped.

"Yeah, of course, Booties. We'll find him." Teddy assured him. Klaus was almost certain that he saw a small, amused grin grace Teddy's lips, but he turned before he could 100% confirm it.

Yes. Find Dave. We must find Dave. Klaus thought, his anticipation growing in the pit of his stomach and his muscles getting jittery. Maybe it was something about being in regular clothes for the first time in a while. Maybe it was the lack of stress about constantly pulling yourself through life-threatening situations. Maybe it was just that Klaus was pumped on the adrenaline on finding some sort of normalcy again… But something was making his insides stir and his breath quicken. He was giddy. He was disgustingly, cheesily enthralled by the idea of seeing Dave again after a day apart, and that had partially been a ladder wrung to his "dismissiveness" plan. Like he said, Klaus knew what he was doing.

He had a weird feeling about tonight. A good weird. 

A great weird. 

Chapter Text

It felt like they had such a ridiculous amount of leisure-time on their hands. It was almost as if they shouldn't be allowed to have this much fun. Surely, they'd be called away to go throw their lives in danger at any second, right?

Hey… Klaus wasn't complaining. He'd take it. The only thing was that he was antsy and rarin' to go out at 7 pm before the sun could even set.

"Calm down, Boots. We'll get there. Don't wanna go to the bars before all the ladies get there."

But I don't care about the ladies. I care about one specific guy with a beautiful face and perfect arms…

Speaking of which, "Hey. Barely recognized you guys without your fatigues." Dave joked upon seeing the rest of his squad once they all happened upon each other at the amphitheater where they were about to host a special showing of "2001: A Space Odyssey". Klaus had to remind himself that even though it's what Ben referred to as a classic, at this moment in time, it was brand new.

"Dave, boyo. What have you been up to?" Teddy asked instantly. Klaus had half a mind to say something as well, but after spending a day apart just thinking about him and then seeing those eyes- seeing how they were set in a blue fire against his matching-colored button-down shirt. It was weird to see him in normal civilian clothes rather than his "fatigues". He liked it. He liked it a lot.

Klaus let conversation erupt all around him- around them. It didn't affect either Dave or Klaus though. Their eyes locked and that was it. They were trapped in their own tunnel, the rest of everyone went non-existent. Dave gave him a soft smile and Klaus returned it. God, he wished they were somewhere alone right now.

"Klaus, you okay man? You got that thousand-yard stare."

"Mm." Klaus hummed a simple acknowledgment to Big Al's question, breaking his gaze and following his friends to a spot of grass in front of the screen. He sat down, trying not to look to the side and catch Dave's eye. He refused to be the first one to make a move. That's okay- Dave did.

"How have you been enjoying some R&R?" His voice sounded from besides Klaus as Dave sat down. Klaus sighed as if he was thinking through his day, hiding his fidgeting hand on the other side of his body so that Dave didn't catch sight of his nervousness.

"It was good. Weird. Too normal. Wanna see my tigre?"

Klaus excitedly turned and took no time to hike up his shirt and reach to peel back his bandage. He didn't see Dave's reaction, but he listened for it.

"Wow, you actually did it. Looks good."

"Me too, see?" Teddy jumped in from the other side of Dave. He hiked up his shirt as well just as Klaus was pulling his down.

"Well, aren't you too adorable? I like the haircut too."

Klaus knew Dave said it to tease them, but those words coming out of his mind sent shivers down his spine and a deep, wonderful sinking feeling in his chest.

"Yeah, I can see again. So how was your day?" Klaus accompanied his question by inching just a bit closer to Dave- close enough so that their arms were consistently up against each other, their skin touching and their warmth felt between one another. The touch was bold and it was electric and it threw Klaus's center all out of whack but he wouldn't show it.

Dave did though. The move obviously affected him a great deal after he uncharacteristically muttered only, "Good…. Good.", in response. Klaus smirked at this. He couldn't help it. He was so fucking cute when he was flustered.

The movie started and they watched it like that the entire time, neither of them daring to let up the touch of their arms as if it was a lifeline that acted alone to keep them sane.

"Fuck, is that how the future is gonna be?" Don Juan grumbled after the credits started to roll. So strange listening to them talk about 2001 like it was the future. Well, it technically was the future now.

"Are you guys coming, then?"

"Huh?" Klaus perked up at Dave's question. Clearly, he missed something. Dave was staring straight at him, even if his question was "technically" towards the whole group.

"My friends offered to get us all a ride to a nightclub in Saigon. Are you guys coming? Sarge gave the go-ahead."

Klaus's chest tightened with anticipation: A night out with Dave? Yes, please.

"Of course, If you'd rather stay in, I'd also-"

"No! No." Klaus immediately put the thought to rest. The notion that Dave would've followed him to wherever he went was insanely charming, however. "Let's go out. Sarge doesn't want to come with?"

"Nah. CO's don't join in the fun with other soldiers, specifically their subordinates." Don Juan cut in as they continued to walk back to their barracks to get ready.

"Why not?"

"It's easier to make hard decisions that way. If they need to potentially… risk lives for operations and such." Dave carefully chose his words that he used to softly explained to Klaus. His face scrunched up in reaction, not liking what he was hearing.

"That's pretty fucking depressing…" He muttered as they fished around the barracks for whatever cash they could scrounge up for themselves. Soon after, they all stood and looked over their communal room one last time. "Anyway…" Klaus continued. "Let's go get trashed."

Everyone cheered.

As soon as they arrived, Klaus ordered shots all around for everyone. He didn't want to waste time getting buzzed. He needed courage more and more with each passing second. Every time Dave looked at him, every time they brushed arms, every time he heard his voice… It sent waves of excited fear through his body. If only he could get over these nonsensical nerves, he could finally do something about it.

"Klaus, I don't mean to be nosey, but how on Earth are you affording all of this?" Dave uttered quietly at one point, catching Klaus off guard after crossing the bar and closing the distance between them. Klaus was starting to feel a little tipsy at this point, three rounds of shots in his system. Dave's breath felt like a warm breeze on his neck as he leaned in.

"I accept your gratitude, David.", was all Klaus said, giving him a cocky clink of his glass. He downed another one.

A lot of dancing ensued. They were too inebriated to care about what kind of dancing. They just needed to move. They needed to do something other than march, and shoot, and raid. They needed to not think about the image of their friends dying or children crying or bullets flying… No… None of that. Just dancing.

Dancing and drinking.

The lights around the room turned into twinkling spots of electricity. Colors whirred around the room and the floor spun if Klaus looked at it too long. He was the perfect amount of drunk though- enough to feel weightlessness in his head but he still was very conscious of every instance he and Dave made eye contact.

Across the room between dances with random women.

Across the table, as they "cheered" with a shot glass, downing the contents.

Sitting at the bar, shamelessly gazing into each other as the world progressed and left them alone. They hardly had the conversation he craved though. Not until Dave stumbled up to the bar besides Klaus who was hailing the bartender for another drink- something light so he could slow down.

He smiled as soon as he knew Dave was beside him.

"That girl seems to like you a lot." Klaus said, thanking the bartender for his vodka soda and taking a sip.

Eyes forward. Don't show him your cards, Klausy.

As if Dave didn't already know them.

"Who? That one I was dancing with?"

"Yeah. What's her name again?" Klaus knew. He asked anyway.

"Vinh."

"Why didn't you go with her?" Klaus asked, trying so hard not to show the heaviness in the question. He was 99% sure he knew the answer, but this was still his game and he'd fully play it to his liking.

"Huh?"

"You know… like…"

"Oh. Nah. She's not my type."

"Oh?" Thanks for biting, David. "You have a type?"

Dave smirked at Klaus as if he thought he was the most outrageous thing he's ever seen but somehow endearing at the same time. He was onto his games but he played anyway. What a keeper.

"Sure. I mean… For starters, typically they have a dick, so..."

"Ah. I can see how that wouldn't quite work then."

"Uh-huh." Dave chuckled, accepting a sip from Klaus's glass that he offered. Of course, he knew Dave was gay. He had figured that part out a long time ago. To hear him say it was another thing though.

Things were happening tonight. Things were happening fast.

"So, what else then?" Klaus set his drink on the counter and leaned in closer to the very attractive man next to him. Dave didn't inch back. He inched forward, squinting his eyes and turning them up as if he was thinking.

"Errrrr, let's see… Tall."

'Kay.

"Dark hair."

Ooookay.

"Can't sit still for the life of him. Eyes that can be anywhere from far off in a place no one else can reach… or, so piercing and present. Like they're challenging you… Challenging everything. He's hard to pin- hard to figure out. I think…" Dave trailed off, biting his bottom lip and thinking in a way that made Klaus's insides stir. His brow furrowed ever so slightly and God damn, he was astounded by his own self-restraint at that moment. "I think people think they have… figured him out, I mean. So easily. But he hides this whole other side to him. There's something dark- Something secret. And yet, he never lets it affect his kindness. His shrouded selflessness." Dave finished, his eyes far off, but then turning to Klaus for his reaction. Klaus had none. He was without words. He was without breath. He was unhinged.

"…sounds like a handful."

Dave raised an eyebrow, his smile frivolous yet self-confident.

"Mm. Oh yeah." He agreed. Just at that moment- the beautiful moment- Klaus felt something soft close around his hand. A girl with a loose grin and curious eyes looked up at him, tugging him back towards the dance floor. Klaus saw that Vinh was doing the same to Dave until their proximity was broken and they were pulled away, seemingly to opposite sides of the Earth.

This had been happening all night. It seemed the minute they got close- the minute Klaus thought 'finally, this is it', some force or some other person would tear them apart and keep them in this torturous, suspenseful limbo.

At one point, Klaus found himself standing in a narrow, dimly lit hallway partially taken away from the commotion of the partying and revels. It was like he found his own island surrounded by a blurred whir of life- his own place of serenity to lean up against the wall with a drink cradled to his drink as he waited for the bathroom to be open. He just needed to splash some water on his face- wake himself up a bit to get his head in the game.

"Hi."

Klaus nearly jumped out of his skin. His scare was completely forgotten when he saw those eyes though.

"Hi." He replied in a small, humble voice as Dave took a spot across from him, never letting their gazes break. They were both much more forward and confident now- Klaus could feel that energy radiating between them.

And now… Here they were… Seemingly a thousand miles away from everyone and everything. It was just him and Dave.

"I really can't believe you convinced Teddy to get a tattoo."

Klaus snorted. "Yeah, they look pretty good though, right?"

"They do. Teds really looks up to you. I can tell."

Klaus gave a one-shoulder shrug. "He's like a mini-me but with way more potential and a better heart. How can you not love that?"

"Klaus, that's not true." Dave suddenly became worried about his depreciating comment. Klaus just chuckled it off. He didn't mean for it to get to Dave. He was used to his own put-down humor and forgot that it may both David.

"Wanna see it again?" Klaus changed the subject.

"What? Oh, the tattoo? Yeah. Yeah. Does it still hurt?"

"I don't think so. I don't know. Can't really reach it myself where it is." Klaus said, already turning and wriggling himself out of his shirt until it was bunched up over his shoulder, exposing his bare back to the cool air of the hallway. He sensed Dave step in closer, his face close to the back of Klaus's neck as he gazed down at his shoulder blade where the new 'tigre' crouched into his skin- a symbol of survival.

Klaus had to keep himself from flinching away at the unexpected, feather-light touch over the sensitive skin of his back. He felt goosebumps erupt all down his spine. Dave's finger gingerly traced down the outline of the image on Klaus's skin.

"Hurt?"

"Nah." Klaus breathed, unable to respond with any other coherent words. He tried to close his eyes and push down the electric pulses that Dave's touch sparked in his lower stomach.

The touch pulled away. Klaus pulled his shirt down. He started to talk casually again as he turned to face Dave once more.

"I do have an unusually high pain toler-"

"I'm gonna figure you out, you know." Dave suddenly cut in, bold and direct. It stunned Klaus. It totally caught him off guard. Dave's tone had changed from flamboyantly playful to grave but curious and intrigued all at the same time. It was like he was challenging him. Klaus took his moment to process (his decoding time was a lot slower with all the alcohol pumping through his system) and then realized that Dave just set their conversation up on a whole other level. Klaus ran with it.

He smirked and answered slyly, "I'm too much for you, David Katz."

Another challenge posed but one that Klaus secretly was, in fact, worried about often. What if he was too much for Dave? He was a handful. This much he was honest about when he announced it to Dave earlier. Sometimes he worried that Dave didn't quite get the extent of that. This was Klaus's way of coaxing him towards a warning. He hoped he'd heed it but proceed anyway.

"You're ridiculously mysterious, you know that?"

"Am not!" Klaus giggled, some of the lightness brought back into their exchange. Dave ignored his protests though, carrying on with a little half-smile on his face.

"Yeah. Like… You're like an alien or something."

"Are you trying to swoon me?" Klaus laughed at the sentence that in any other context, might have been an insult. When Dave said it though… How Dave said it… It was like he was dubbing Klaus the most amazing thing in the world. He's never been placed so highly by anyone before. It was so strange to hear someone talk about him, Klaus Hargreeves, in such a way. Strange indeed. "And you're not too far off." Klaus let slip in his moment of flattery.

Shoot. He thought, knowing that no matter how close he felt to Dave and how much he wanted to tell him everything, there were some things that were better left unsaid. Time travel was definitely one of those things.

Dave didn't press further. He just looked at Klaus, his smile fading and his eyes dazing into some abyss. Klaus joined him there. They froze and something clicked in Klaus's head- something that he couldn't stop if he tried. The words poured out of his mouth before he could stop them, but he didn't think he wanted to anyway.

"Do it." He said in a low voice, leaning against the wall and feeling its support dig into his shoulder. It kept him grounded in reality or else he felt like he could float away with Dave right this second. "I dare you."

"Hm?"

"Oh, nothing." Klaus gave a half-shrug, obviously acting. He gave a short, innocent eye roll as if to say 'silly me' and then said, "I just swore that I thought I heard you say you wanted to kiss me."

THERE it is. No going back now. Klaus had sent out the olive branch and there was no taking that thing back. His eyes returned to Dave for a reaction and suddenly, he wasn't scared anymore. He wasn't riddled with nerves or worries that his infatuation wasn't returned… It was just him and Dave, finally on the same page. The same wavelength. The same world. The same island.

"Now you have mind-reading powers too?" Dave asked, his voice nearly a whisper. It was a joke, of course, but his tone wasn't joking. It was dark and husky like he knew what was coming next. "You're telepathic?" He asked, lightening the mood with a small, amused smile.

Klaus smiled too, but it faded into only the ghost of one.

"I'll be whatever you want."

Smooth. Even for you, Klausy. Klaus commended himself before his mind went blank once again from that same electric touch- this time on the side of his face. He felt the warmth and gentleness of Dave's hand ever-so-lightly graze the skin of face and fuck was he gone. This was a kind of high that he's never felt before. He was scared about how intensely he wanted this- the lengths he would go to in order to get it- to get Dave. Klaus welcomed the fear with open arms though.

He guided Klaus in. Klaus willingly went. The space was all too much between them, but slowly it closed. An eternity and a half later, Klaus felt him- his fingertips sliding down his jaw and his neck and pulling their lips against one another.

The last coherent thought Klaus had was, FINALLY, before he seeped into nothing but vacant sensations. He felt everything.

The way their mouths fit insanely perfectly. His light breath. The warmth of his skin against his face. The firmness of his forearm against his chest. His curls tickling his forehead. His body pressed up against his own, solid yet relaxed.

Klaus was lost in the best possible way. He forgot where he was. He forgot who he was or how he got here or everything before this one single instance.

Everything was so slow and that was okay- he didn't want this to ever end. Their tongues found each other just barely- not hot and rushed and passionate as Klaus was used to. There was passion certainly, but just in a different way. It was like they were exploring the start of something that could only be held with the utmost care and caution and delicacy.

The moment was cut shorter than Klaus would've liked though. The sound of the faucet inside the bathroom shut off and the door swung open. Dave pulled away from Klaus, his heat disappearing from his face, chest, and body. Klaus let the sensation fade with a heavy heart.

Holy shit, holy shit, holy shit… His mind started returning to planet Earth. Dave watched the drunk guy stumble out of the bathroom and make his way back to the dance floor around the corner. Then, his eyes returned to Klaus who was doing his best to snap himself back into gear.

Klaus looked at the empty bathroom. He turned an excited gaze to his… His… His Dave (Klaus wasn't sure what to call him at this point), nodding his head inside.

"Coming with?"

Dave looked at the empty bathroom as well. Klaus watched expectantly in terrible suspense as he saw something flicker behind Dave's eyes- Temptation? Lust? Resistance?

Finally, Dave turned to Klaus again, reaching his hand up to his face again and touching his fingertips to the nape of his neck. He pulled gently, Klaus allowing his head to tilt down so that Dave could easily lie a light kiss on his forehead, his skin relishing at the warmth of his lips.

Then, Dave pulled back. He gave Klaus a small, mischievous smile.

"No."

Dave turned and went. He gave one last look over his shoulder and Klaus was left completely uprooted- petrifying flustered.

He broke into a smile eventually, admiring the way that Dave could play Klaus's own game back at him. That fucking tease.

"Fuck you, David Katz." Klaus muttered under his breath, stepping into the bathroom alone to try and comprehend what the fuck just happened.

Chapter Text

Just a kiss. You've been kissed before, you stupid idiot. Klaus told himself as he paced the small bathroom like a madman. His hands were shaking… Why were his hands shaking? Wait… No… His whole body was shaking and his face- as much as he tried, he couldn't push down the stubborn corners of his lips that dug upwards and held him frozen with a big, dumb smile.

Dear God, Man. Klaus thought to Dave, rubbing his hands over his face. He groaned and spun on his heel, stumbling a bit and then catching himself on the corner of the sink. Drunk. Still drunk. Don't do anything stupid.

Klaus centered himself in front of the sink, his head tilting up to look at his reflection in the mirror. Things blurred for a second, but he was able to finally get a crisp image.

No. Sorry. Nope. Nope. Nope.

There was no way that he, Klaus Hargreeves, was allowed to be this disgustingly giddy.

Get your shit together.

Klaus took a deep, stuttering breath and shook out his hair. He ran his hands under cold water as the scene kept replaying over and over and over and over and over and-

"Shit." Klaus jumped back from the faucet where he had been absentmindedly running his hands underneath the water for a while now. Apparently, the drain wasn't in great shape, because the liquid had overflowed past the rim and onto the floor, hitting Klaus's boot. He reached forward and shut it off.

So, he could stop worrying about losing Dave, right? They were, like, a thing now… Right? Right?

He couldn't keep doing this. He couldn't keep falling into these self-conscious traps- it just wasn't him. Yeah, Dave had an effect on him that no one else ever had, but… Well, so what?

With his sudden return of confidence, Klaus decided not to waste it and burst out into the hallway once more. The lights flooded in from the dance floor- yellow beams, blue shadows, and speckled white reflected from disco ball overhead. He followed the colors until he saw Dave sitting at the bar, sipping something he assumed to be a rum and coke (which he found that Dave very much enjoyed).

Teddy sat on one side and a very inebriated Big Al sat on the other. He was drooping over the bar, hardly teetering on his stool. His head was down and his eyes were closed, but his foot still tapped to the music which told Klaus that he was fine.

That was until Klaus haphazardly shoved his loose body from the barstool seat and replaced it with himself, shamelessly wiggling his way right next to Dave.

Dave snapped over to look at him, his confused eyes going to Klaus and then flickering to Big Al who giggled uselessly on the floor.

"Klaus…" He smirked, rolling his eyes and shaking his head. Klaus took note of his smile. He knew it was the same one he was having trouble hiding- the one that wouldn't go away no matter how hard he tried. At least he wasn't the only one.

Both he and Dave turned their eyes forward and away from each other. They didn't need to look at each other to sense the pure energy they emitted. Besides, Klaus caught their reflection in the long mirror behind the bar anyway. Just two guys sitting next to each other turned away but close enough for their arms to touch and give one another reassurance that they were right there… Right there in that specific moment, and neither would have it any other way.

Klaus couldn't bring himself to make coherent conversation at the moment. Sitting next to Dave and feeling the skin of his arm against his own was enough anyway. While this was partly because of how flustered he still was from the kiss, he also was somehow feeling increasingly drunk or high. Klaus recounted the things he took tonight and something didn't add up. The only conclusion he reasonably came to was that there was something in that last drink he had that he did not warrant.

That's okay. His world was on fire with rainbows and vibrations, and he quite liked it. He was sure that the other guys liked his predicament too, because it kept him quiet.

"Boots. You alright over there? You ain't been this quiet since your first day." Don Juan was the first to poke fun. Klaus shrugged a shoulder, catching Dave's eye in the mirror for a split second before sliding forward and laying his head on his crossed arms. Still, he made sure that his left one was always in contact with Dave's right. Every moment that his contact accidentally slipped away, he felt his heart plummet until the touch was restored.

Time blurred by. Eventually, the effects of whatever Klaus was drugged with started to fade enough for him to sit up and start anxiously fiddling with the salt shaker on the surface in front of him. He made a little salt pile, spreading it around and drawing in the salty canvas with his finger. This caught Dave's attention- he saw his soldier grin at him out of the corner of his eye.

Suddenly, the hand that was lying on Klaus's lap underneath the bar felt a warmth slide up his skin and between his fingers. Dave's hand took his own discreetly out of sight. His thumb ran over the back of Klaus's hand gently and with a steady rhythm.

His first reaction was the electric pulse that shot into his chest and forced his heart into an unnaturally fast beat. His smile came back, his face already sore from how much he had been grinning that night, and as Dave continued his motions over his skin, Klaus felt himself slowly relax into his touch. Only his foot bounced happily, all of his thrilled energy at least focused into one single part of his body.

"Hey."

"Yah-huh?"

Klaus felt his hand softly tugged out from underneath the bar. His initial thought was 'Dave, they'll see!' but then he reminded himself that 'Oh, yeah. I don't care.'

No matter anyway. The guys were all in a heated debate with Dave's other friends about who was going to win the World Series.

Dave led Klaus through the dancing bodies that paid them no mind. They passed under lights that made weird patterns on the floors and walls. They wormed their way through a narrow hallway, past the bathrooms where they kissed and into the dark, furthest corner of the building.

"You gonna steal my kidneys? Sell them on the black market?"

"Shh." Dave snickered, giving Klaus's hand a few reassuring squeezes. Klaus pushed forward so that he was stumbling into Dave, his mouth pressed up against the cloth on the shirt over his shoulder blade. He stayed there as they walked. This was his home now.

"Fuck, that feels amazingggg." Klaus muttered into the fabric as Dave opened the door and cooler, fresher air blew in and tousled the hair over his forehead. He hadn't realized how hot and stuffy the place had gotten.

Once outside, things happened quite quickly. Before he knew it, Dave was pulling Klaus fast and hard towards the outer brick wall of the joint. His head spun, but he didn't feel nauseous. He just felt happy. So, so happy.

…And kind of turned on with the way that Dave was taking charge like this. He went to nearly slam Klaus against the wall (which Klaus would've been more than okay with), but at the last second, he artfully caught him by the hip and the back of his neck, carefully lowering him instead. Klaus was okay with that too- Dave was handling him like he was the finest of China- like the most precious thing in the world. What a strange feeling that was.

"Woah…" Klaus giggled, his back finally easing against the cool brick. It felt good and helped him sober up a bit. This was one situation that he was completely fine with being as sober as possible for. Dave hummed in a content response, running his thumb along Klaus's cheekbone.

"Hi." He whispered.

"Hello." Klaus smiled, wrapping his arms around this truly gorgeous man's neck. Dave beamed at him. His lips relaxed into a more unreadable expression and he leaned in, pressing a short but sweet kiss on his lips. "This isn't real." Klaus said his thoughts out loud before he even realized it. Dave chuckled lightly and reached up to run a hand through his hair.

"That'd be really unfortunate if it wasn't." He mumbled, pushing his fingers into the curls atop Klaus's head. Four let his head tilt back, his own hands finding their way to the nape of Dave's neck and feeling his hairline, his skin, his goosebumps…

With Klaus's neck exposed, Dave started to plant small kisses down his jawline, moving towards his throat and God. Damn. If Klaus never felt another thing in his life other than the feeling of his lips and his hot breath against his neck, that'd be just fine.

"You good?"

Klaus opened his eyes to the black sky. He knew what Dave was referring to, but he didn't know how to address it.

The trembling was back. It wasn't that he was nervous, it was quite the opposite. Klaus was quite literally shaking with happiness. That's the only way he could describe it. There was just a sheer excitement reverberating through his muscles. It was like his body didn't even belong to him anymore. He couldn't stop.

Klaus refused to look down at Dave who was undoubtedly smirk-mocking him. He remained looking up, an embarrassed but amused smile sneaking up on him. He kept it directed at the sky.

"I don't know." He admitted, amusement at his predicament laced into his tone.

"You're shaking a bit there," Dave said, knowing full-well that they both knew it. Klaus cocked an eyebrow, still refusing to look down.

"I can see that." He played along. Dave's hand traveled up his arm and back down, soothing some of his shivers, but not most. Finally, Klaus got fed up. He couldn't let these random spasms ruin the best night of his life. "Alright, let's try this."

In one swift movement, Klaus pushed off the wall and hopped up on Dave, his legs wrapping around his waist. He was elevated above Dave who quickly caught on and supported him with his hands underneath the bend of Klaus's knees. Klaus leaned down and coiled his arms tighter around Dave's neck. They resumed kissing, ignoring the fact that Klaus still had tremors wracking his frame.

Dave proceeded in slow steps backward while keeping Klaus up against his body. This was a speedy jump up from kissing. Now resumed the full making-out with Klaus wrapped around Dave, their hips pressed firmly together. It wasn't long before he could feel him and suddenly, Klaus had never wanted anyone more in his life.

Dave groaned against his lips when Klaus intentionally tightened his legs, pulling them harder against each other. There was a moment where he felt himself tipping back as a result of Dave's momentum. His stomach dropped an inch when he thought he was falling for a split second, but his back was carefully met with the frame of a car. He didn't even realize it was back there.

Legs still around Dave's waist, Klaus was wedged in between him and an old vehicle behind them. Dave lowered all of his weight into Klaus and this time it was his turn to moan. It took everything he had not to tear their clothes off in a rushed fury and just get it on right then and there.

"Dave..?" Klaus breathed between kisses, one of his hands slipping up into Dave's hair and the other dipping down past the collar of his shirt.

He's waited so long for this.

"Mm?" Dave mumbled, moving down to Klaus's neck again. He loved that he already had places that he specifically loved Dave to touch. How is it that only a couple hours ago, they were still skirting each other like silly teens?

"You suuuuure, you don't wanna go back in there?" Klaus didn't mean the main room of course, but he knew that Dave would understand what he meant.

"To the bathrooms?"

"Unless you're fine with doing it out here in the open."

"I'm not doing it in a crack-house bathroom. You deserve better than that." Dave countered, taking a break from the kissing and touching curious fingertips to Klaus's lips.

"Mmmmmm, 'kay. So what about this car?" Dave glanced down behind Klaus at the abandoned car that they were slammed up against. Klaus couldn't stand the break in constant attention, so he took the time to pull himself forward enough to kiss Dave's temple, feeling his lips against Dave's hairline. He had always wondered what this particular spot would feel like.

"What about I get us an actual-"

Klaus instinctively moved against Dave, knowing that he could feel him loud and clear through his pants that were growing increasingly tight. Dave caved immediately. Klaus knew he would.

"Fine. Fine. The car's fine."

Klaus snorted, absolutely adoring his beautiful geek. He slipped out of his place wedged between Dave and the car and clumsily found his footing on the ground. He searched the edge of the parking lot that was littered with discarded objects and metal, trying to find something that'd help his efforts.

"What are you looking for?"

"A thin piece of metal to slide between the window and the-" Klaus stopped short when he glanced over to Dave- he stood there besides the rusted car with the door swung wide open. "How'd you do that?"

"I tried the handle. The locks are rusted."

Klaus dropped the piece of junk he was inspecting and made his way back to the abandoned vehicle.

"Work smarter, not harder. I like it, Katz."

Dave chuckled took Klaus's hand in his. He pulled him against his chest and turned them both around until he could tenderly lower him into the backseat. Thank goodness the cars in this time were a hell of a lot more sex-friendly than the cars from the future. The seats were just flat and open, much more room allowed in all directions. The interior was decaying much less than the exterior as well, not that Klaus's attention was too much on the car.

Speaking of which, what was taking Dave so long?

"Why would someone leave a perfectly good Toyopet Crown-"

"Dave." Klaus called him from the backseat where he waited. He had only been waiting a few seconds, but that was a few seconds too long. Dave was still outside, inspecting the car.

"Sorry." He said, reappearing in the open doorway. He climbed over Klaus, keeping himself elevated with his outstretched arms that he anchored on the chewed leather seats on either side of Klaus.

"You like cars?"

Dave bent one arm, steadily lowering himself to press a kiss to Klaus's lips. He adored the way he could taste the sweet Coca-Cola and rum on Dave every time their lips touched.

"Mm. My step-dad was really into them and taught me a lot."

"So you'd work on them and stuff?"

"All the time before he died." Dave moved a knee on one side of Klaus, using his other leg to swing the door almost-shut behind them. Klaus had to bend his knees slightly so he could fit all the way in the backseat.

"Kinda sexy." Klaus mused, his eyes far off thinking of Dave bent over the open hood of a car, his shirt removed and all glisten-y and stuff.

"Hmm." Dave hummed a short chuckle, pulling Klaus's legs around his waist again so they fit more comfortably and were able to push flush up against each other again.

"Talk cars to me." Klaus smirked with a seductive raise of his eyebrows. He was teasing Dave but admittedly, the thought kind of turned him on. Dave laughed kissed Klaus one more time before fiddling with the hem of his shirt. Klaus helped maneuver his body for Dave so that he could slip his shirt off. Dave threw it in the front seat and Klaus shivered against the cool leather on his bareback.

"The Toyopet Crown started development in 1952." Dave mumbled, kissing down the bridge of Klaus's nose all the way to his chin. Klaus tilted his head up so that he had easier access to his neck. Dave willingly accepted, his back bending as he moved down Klaus's body, planting feather-light kisses as he went.

"It was America's first Japanese car." He made it to Klaus's collarbone. Klaus dug his fingers through Dave's hair as he went, feeling tiny electric shocks of pleasure run down his spine right to his crotch where Dave just barely hovered above.

"Advanced suspension system…"

Down Klaus's sternum, leaving a trail of goosebumps.

"Double wishbones, coil springs up front…"

Down into the little dip where the bottom of the two sides of his rib cage met. A hand brushed over Klaus's left nipple causing him to involuntarily jerk underneath Dave, a short gasp piercing his chest. He felt Dave grin against his skin before he resumed kissing down his stomach.

"Three semi-oval leaf springs at the rear…"

Dave was backed up against the car door now, kissing past Klaus's belly button and to the waist of his pants. His heart was nearly beating out of his chest now. He could hear it like a timpani in his ears.

"Actually, the-" Dave stopped short though, his head raising up to turn and look over his shoulder. Klaus was shocked out of his pleasure trance as well, his head slightly raising.

"What?"

Dave didn't answer and he didn't need to because Klaus suddenly heard it too. The back door of the club was opening and voices leaked out. The car was only fifteen yards from the back entrance. No doubt any seen movement or audible noises would tip everyone off.

"Shit." Dave whispered, scrambling off of Klaus's body and onto the floor of the car, out of the window sightline. Klaus's curiosity sparked though, and he pushed himself up on one elbow to look out the side window to see Teddy, Don, Big Al, and a couple of other guys flood out the door to light a few smokes.

"Klaus! Down." Dave whispered worriedly. Klaus gave a glance with a glimmer in his irises, doing what Dave said but going as far as lowering himself onto Dave's body on the ground. He didn't bother to hold himself up over him. He fit himself into his chest, the rest of his body finding a comfortable resting position against him as well. Dave closed his arms around Klaus, kissing the top of his head. Klaus gave a happy little moan and buried his face in Dave's neck.

"Well, so much for that." Klaus said in a low voice. He felt Dave's chest vibrate under him with quiet laughter.

"We tried."

"How long do you think they'll stay out here?"

"I don't know." Dave admitted, tilting his head as if he was trying to listen in better. The voices weren't saying anything clear or intelligible, but it sounded like they were having a good time.

Good. So am I. Klaus thought blissfully from against Dave's chest. He breathed in, long and deep: Sweetness of the soda, mint, not so much tobacco at the moment, but the musky smell of aftershave- Ah, yes. Dave. Finally, it was just him and Dave.

The pad of Dave's finger traced along Klaus's hairline, to his eyebrow, around and under his eye, down the bridge of his nose and ending against his lip. Dave gently pulled it back, making Klaus's insides stir all over again.

"God, you're so beautiful." Dave whispered, making Klaus tilt his head up to make eye contact. He was entranced for a bit before he broke out into giggles that racked his body.

"Shhhh, shh, shh…" Dave tried to shush him, slipping his hand over his mouth and holding Klaus's shaking body tighter against his own. "What?" He asked with a questioning grin.

"This is… It's all just… so ridiculous. IN A GOOD WAY." Klaus hurriedly corrected, pushing his hand into Dave's chest to sit himself up enough to look fully into his eyes to make his point. "In a good way." He repeated. Dave didn't seem to take offense anyway. "Like I- This was the last place I expected to find someone like you. Find something like us. It's just… ridiculous." He finished again, a breathy smile charmed on his face.

"Well, I'm kinda glad how this turned out." Dave said, his voice rising to a level right above whispering for the first time since the guys all came out and ruined their moment.

"With your elbow stabbing my ribs and pending permanent spinal trauma?" Klaus asked. Dave rolled his eyes and shifted his arm so that his elbow was causing Klaus a little less pain.

"I just want our… Our 'first' time to be better than the backseat of some rusted car."

"You some kind of romantic, David Katz?"

"Well, I can do better than this." Dave countered, waving his hand towards the features of the decaying car. Klaus gave a half shrug.

"I think this is great."

"Guess it doesn't really matter in the long run." Dave thought to himself. "I will do better than this, though."

"So, there will be a next time, then?" Klaus asked expectantly, knowing the answer for the most part but needing to hear Dave say it to put any last anxieties to rest. Klaus was the king of one-night-stands, so he knew that this was more than that but still… He had a heart to guard, no matter how his walls fell when Dave was around.

Dave sighed underneath him. Klaus rose and fell with the motions of his chest. He raised both of his arms up Klaus's back to cup his face in each of his hands, holding his head in place to lock their eyes together indefinitely.

"Klaus. I fell for you the first day you appeared in that damned tent wearing nothing but a dirty, bloody bath towel."

Klaus bit his lower lip. No. It hurt too much to keep smiling like he has been all night. His whole body smiled for him though. He could feel himself get a hundred pounds lighter. If Dave's hands weren't holding him in place, he was sure he'd just fucking float away.

"It's been a long time comin', buster." Dave gave a small, short half-grin. His thumb traced along Klaus's eyebrow.

"I couldn't stop looking at you. In that bunker. With the bombs on that first night." Klaus admitted, feeling even more weight lift off his chest as things that he kept to himself for so long finally came to light. He'd feel stupid for saying such a dumb, sappy thing in any other situation, but with Dave, it was alright.

"Yeah. Me neither." Dave agreed, but his smile faded. Klaus watched him as Dave's hands slid down the sides of Klaus's neck and back to his lower back, his fingers tapping lightly on his skin.

"What?"

"I'm sorry about pushing you away at first."

"Oh. Dave…"

"No, really. I was stupid for thinking I even had the self-restraint to do so."

Klaus didn't like the true guilt he saw in Dave's eyes. He moved a hand up to gently finger Dave's exposed collarbone.

"Why'd you do it?"

"What we're doing… It's not smart in war. Making any kind of connection isn't smart in war, to be honest. Fuck it, though. The more I thought about it, if these are my last days on Earth then I want them to be spent with the idiot who throws himself into minefields to get my attention."

Klaus was speechless. It was amazing how Dave had given him more wordless moments than he had ever had in his whole life combined. He just dropped to nestle his head under Dave's chin again, not knowing what to say but just knowing that he needed to be as close as he could get. They had a lot of time that they spent dancing around each other to make up for.

"Plus…" Dave continued, rubbing his hand over Klaus's back, sometimes letting his fingers trail gently down the length of his spine. "It's not like we're going to be able to be any kind of open about this. As it is, people freak out at the sight of a guy all up on another guy. Here though… In 'Nam… there's no telling what these people would do."

Klaus sighed sadly, but he understood. Things weren't nearly the same back here in 1968 as they were in 2019.

"I keep forgetting about that. How things are different with you people."

"What- it's not the same in Canada?"

"In Can-? Oh… Oh, yeah. Canada. No, uh… Actually, in Canada, we've taken some big strides in that department. Not nearly enough, mind you, but we'd be able to get married and everything. Not saying I want to even think about marriage but… You know, the option is at least nice."

"No way."

"Yeah, way."

"I would've heard about that if they legalized-"

"Well, it's kinda new. Too new, really. It took way too long."

"Hmm." Dave thought about that, continuing his steady movements against Klaus's exposed back. "Well, it's definitely not the same here. Even people that you think are your friends- guys that you know are good people at heart… They'll shock you. Turn everything you know about them on its head once they find out you're a 'faggot' or a 'panty-waist' or the thousand other ways they wanna put it."

"Sooo…" Klaus prompted, wondering more about what it meant for them specifically in Dave's eyes.

"We just keep it on the DL. That's all."

"And if they find out?" Klaus cautiously asked, growing terrified of the answer. Not about what the others would do, but what Dave would do. If people found out, would Dave give him up? Give them up? He didn't know if he could bear that.

"Then we figure it out." Dave shrugged, putting a hand on the back of Klaus's head and tousling his hair. "I'm not letting go of you, Hargreeves. If that's what you're asking."

Klaus turned to press his smile into Dave's shoulder, trying to conceal the deep surge of satisfaction that rose in his chest.

"Oh. Good." He mumbled, trying and failing to sound more casual than he felt. Dave was going to kill him with his adorable, painstakingly emotional swooning.

"I just wish we didn't have to. Like- Like this song, for instance." Dave said, raising Klaus's awareness back to the sounds the seeped out from the club, mixing in with the garble of the guys' voices who still gathered outside. Klaus listened hard, trying to determine the music but it was too soft from where they laid.

"What song?"

"At Last. Etta James."

"Ah. What about our Madame, Queen Etta?"

"I would kill just to be able to take you out on the dance floor, not caring about anyone, and have just one shamelessly cheesy, innocent slow dance. Just you and me. And no one would give us a second glance. Just the thought that we can't though-"

"Well, we coooould…"

"Okay, then the thought that we definitely shouldn't… It just sucks a bit, that's all. Nothing I'm not used to."

Klaus frowned and turned his eyes up to Dave.

"I'll get you that slow dance, Katz. Just like the tacky end of a prom scene in a shitty 80s movie."

"Did they have dancing in the first moving pictures?"

"Wha-"

Shit. Dave was thinking 1880s, and why wouldn't he be? The 1980s wouldn't hit for another 12 years.

"In Canada."

"I see."

"Mm-hm."

"Well, is that a promise then, Hargreeves?"

"Sir, yes, sir." Klaus jerked his arm up to salute, elbowing Dave in the hip with his other arm in the process.

"Ah, Klaus…" He chuckled, taking his saluting wrist in his hand and lowering it to his own chest once more. Klaus was going to make another quip relating to war-jargon, but he realized that it was almost too quiet to do so. Did the guys go inside?

"Wait…" Dave whispered, also realizing the quiet. "Are they gone or did they hear us?"

Klaus carefully stationed his palm on Dave's sternum and pushed himself up enough to see out of the window. The silhouettes were still there, but they were frozen as if they were listening. Klaus dropped back down onto Dave's chest, his heart thumping loudly again.

"I think they heard us." He whispered. They stayed quietly against each other, every movement ceased. In the silence and suspense that brought about the fear of being caught though, Klaus couldn't help but take special notice to how damn good it felt to fit into Dave's body like this. He could feel the muscles of his abdomen expand and fall with each breath, the dull pulse in his neck where Klaus's forehead lay, the gingerly taps of his fingertips at the base of his spine, and most of all-

"This is torture." Klaus muttered into Dave's neck as quietly as he could, trying to ignore the dull throbbing that was starting to arise between his legs from the unapologetic contact he was getting down there.

Dave gave a breathy chortle in response, "booping" Klaus's nose in silent agreement. Klaus tried to shift his weight a bit so he wasn't so aptly pressed into the begging rise in Dave's pants, but it made it so much worse. He groaned, burying his face in Dave's shirt again to quiet himself as he felt pressure rising just in the right area.

"Shhhhh…" Dave soothed again. Klaus could feel Dave's wide smile in his jaw muscles over his head.

"Are you sure we can't just… do it really quietly?"

"If I thought we could, we'd already be doing it. I promise." Dave whispered back, just in time for the talking to resume from outside. They must've given up on whatever they heard out there.

"Ughhhh." Klaus groaned in frustration mixed with aching pleasure. "This is just cruel." He noticed then that Dave's breaths had gotten faster and louder. Obviously, he was feeling the same brutal, teasing tension where Klaus was tightly pressed right against his crotch.

Klaus shifted again, wiggling his pelvis a bit- just enough to practically grind against Dave, pulling a satisfying, stuttering gasp from his lips.

"Nng.. Klaus, you're not making it easier." He muttered through gritted teeth. Klaus kissed Dave's neck cockily, forever enjoying annoying the hell of his Dave.

"If we're stuck in here, might as well do something."

"Great. I'm going to die of blue balls. Put it on my gravestone."

Klaus snickered and decided to give Dave a rest.

"So, what other songs?"

"Hmm?" He asked, obviously still discombobulated.

"To dance to. What other songs would you want to dance to?"

"Oh, uh… Here, There, and Everywhere. Always On My Mind. Oh! Tonite Tonite." Dave said, a small dreamy look in his eyes. "By the Mello Kings. Yeah. That's a good one."

Klaus adored him when he got into his music trance. One of the first thing he fell in love with was Dave's passion.

Wait…

In love?

Did he just-

"I was serious about figuring you out, by the way." Dave cut into Klaus's shocking revelation that he was not ready to think about yet. He was happy to change the subject.

"What if you already have?" Klaus mused, knowing there was just too much to even keep track of that Dave actually didn't know yet. He wondered, now that they were "together", would he ever be able to tell him about the time travel thing? The Umbrella Academy?

Klaus thought so. Just not quite yet. Not when it was too early to tell for sure.

"Mm. I doubt that." Dave caught on pretty fast.

"Fine. I accept your challenge and counter it with the same bid."

"Okay, deal."

Dave's hands started to run over his body again. Up over his neck, down between his shoulder blades, over the curve of his back and finally reaching to trace-

"Klaus- what's in your back pocket?"

"Oh!" Klaus announced, a little too loud and excitedly. No one outside seemed to notice. He maneuvered himself so that his right arm could reach back and pull his little Buddha dude from his pocket, holding him up in front of Dave's face.

"My Buddha buddy I found. I named him Marion."

"After Teddy?"

"Yeah. He hates it." Klaus giggled, putting him back into his pocket safely. Dave shook his head and kissed the top of Klaus's head again.

"You're my favorite weirdo."

"Don't I know it."

The voices outside faded and the sound of the door opening back up sounded. Dave and Klaus went silent and still, waiting for their much-anticipated window.

Once again, in the new silence, Klaus took a certain notice to strain sitting between his hips. He sighed, loving being able to just lay here and talk to Dave but also missing the opportunity that was lost tonight.

"Goddamn, I really wanna jump your bones, Sonny-boy." Klaus murmured tiredly.

"Don't tempt me. You're all too good at that. We're gonna miss our ride back to base."

"You callin' me a bad influence?"

"Yes." Dave quickly, plainly answered.

"Okay. Fair. Fair."

"Hey." Dave tapped lightly on Klaus's temple like someone knocking on the front door of a house to see if anyone was home. "C'mere."

Klaus obliged, raising himself to hover over Dave's face again, taking in how his features were artfully crafted in the moonlight, wanting to save the image forever. When he and Dave were old and gray and traveling the world together or something, he'd want to remember this moment.

A hand on the side of Klaus's face lowered him down for one last kiss for the night, slow and gentle. Dave's tongue coaxed its way against Klaus's lips and he eagerly granted access. Klaus had never cared all too much for kissing. It was okay. At least it was a nice bridge into fucking but never had it ever felt as meaningful as it did with Dave. He guessed that was the difference when you actually really liked the person you were snogging.

"Alright," Dave said when he regretfully pulled away. He brushed Klaus's hair back one last time before he urged, "C'mon, gorgeous."

Chapter Text

May 11 th , 1968

It was May 11th… One day after he and Klaus got together, whatever that entailed. Dave had a new date to count from, instead of subconsciously counting the amount of time that passed since Klaus appeared out of nowhere.

May 11th: Day 1 of something amazing.

How many times has Dave watched Klaus sleep? An innumerable amount of times, that's how many. This was a whole new game now though. This time, he could watch him and think,

That's mine. That's my Klaus.

And that was something that was hard to wrap his head around, but he did so willingly and eagerly. Part of him was surprised by how quickly it seemed everything happened last night, but at the same time… was it really "quick" when they had been dancing this torturous tango for so long with seemingly no end in sight? But Dave had always felt a small fleck of hope within him that ensured his begging mind that it would happen someday. He and Klaus were inevitable, it was just a matter of when.

So, last night had its beautiful moments of unpredictability, but at the same time… inevitable. Dave just felt like he was finally where he needed to be, even if it was a long, harrowing journey to get there.

After they had returned last night, it was hard to sleep on all that had transpired. Lying in the bed next to your… boyfriend?... was a whole lot different than just lying next to a comrade who you happened to like a little more than usual. Those two feet of space between them that seemed so small before was suddenly a cavern and it took all of Dave's restraint not to just crawl up right into bed with him, everyone else's opinions be damned.

Like he said last night though… This was no place to test everyone's tolerances about such things.

Instead, he and Klaus tossed and turned while the rest of the world slept. Most of the time, they'd lay on their sides, facing one another with big grins on their faces. They tried their best to communicate through hand signals, stifling their boyish giggles when they hopelessly failed at it.

A good amount of time later, Dave didn't know how long, he realized Klaus's signs of exhaustion. His eyelids would droop before being harshly forced back open, his breaths became more deliberate and separated, and his head sunk further into his pillow.

'Go to sleep.' Dave finally mouthed to him. That Klaus understood. Even with the scowl he gave him in response, Klaus did as he was told almost immediately.

Dave had plans to follow, but he never quite got there. It must've been an hour or two before he followed suit. His brain always lit up like a damned Christmas Tree at night, this time relentlessly playing moments on repeat in his memory.

That first kiss was a common theme that he didn't dare chase away. Dave remembered how tipsy he was, but somehow, his drunken mind earlier that night was the most reasonable it had been in a while. The alcohol and weed had soothed some of his anxious, overkill worries that were rooted in sour, past experiences that he wished would stop haunting him. After a few drinks, they did- They left him alone and completely vulnerable to Klaus.

DO IT. He remembered his thoughts screaming in his ear. Yes, you might die. Yes, he might die. Why does it matter if it's just as painful to drive him away?

He had to admit- He was a little dizzy and details were hazy, but what was important was that he remembered the feeling of a buzzing warmth spreading through his body when their lips touched for the first time. It was like Dave was woken up in a way that he hadn't felt in a long, LONG, time. Klaus had taken his hand and coaxed him out of a dark hibernation.

Well… This was Klaus… It was more like he grabbed him by the waist and yanked him from his self-induced, emotionless cave whether he wanted to go or not. That was good though. Obviously, Dave needed it. Now look at him- unable to fall asleep because of the pure happiness that coursed through his body. What a change from the usual nightmares that kept him awake.

"Heh…" Dave had to slap an arm over his own mouth to stifle his giggles at the memory of how Klaus was shaking so violently when they first started out behind the building. It was so strange (not that he expected anything less from Klaus) and Dave wasn't quite sure what was causing it. It wasn't temperature. It wasn't nerves. He was just trembling like a little Chihuahua.

My favorite weirdo. Dave thought to himself, mirroring what he said to Klaus earlier. There were just small things that set Dave alight with love for the kid.

Like, how did he find eyeliner in the past twenty-four hours? He was wearing some when they went out that night, much like when he first met Klaus. Quite honestly, Dave really digged it. What could he say? It turned him on.

Speaking of "that", God, the way Klaus was moving on him… To be fair, Dave hasn't been with anyone in that way for a while but he doubted that was the reason why every time Klaus touched him, he was on fire. Every kiss, every touch, every time he got antsy and just had to wiggle his hips around and against him was even more heightened than Dave could've imagined.

Dave's first sexual experience was awkward- not unusual for a teen who didn't really know he was doing, of course, but it just proved how polar opposite his experience with Klaus was. It just felt like they had been doing that for their whole lives without an ounce of hesitation or uncertainty. He knew what to do. He knew what he felt for Klaus.

This was all new territory, mind you, but somehow, Dave wasn't scared. He should be, but he wasn't. It was supposed to happen. He knew that for sure now.

Eventually, Dave got a few hours of sleep. He never needed much to operate on. Now, though… Now, he was enjoying his morning watching his sleeping beauty, thinking of all the ways he could spoil the hell of him now that he could.

"Mmm…" Klaus mumbled, shifting in his sleep and tangling his sheets in the fists of his hands. Dave narrowed his eyes, waiting to see if he woke up.

He did. Klaus slowly blinked, taking his fingers and rubbing his eyes while his legs stretched out under his blankets. Once again, Dave found himself wishing to be right there next to him so he could run his hand through his sleep-ruffled hair and kiss him good morning.

Klaus's eyes found their way to Dave as if they were slowly putting together what had happened the night before. Once he seemed to piece it all coherently in his mind, he smiled tiredly at Dave.

"Morning." Dave greeted, his own smile soft and growing by the minute.

"Morning," Klaus muttered. His eyes squeezed closed again and he groaned.

"You hurting from last night?"

"A little. I think my drink was spiked."

"Poor baby."

Dave saw Klaus's lips turn up just a bit more at that.

The moment was short-lived when the barracks door nearly tore off its hinges though.

"Rise and shine and all that glory shit. UP! UP! UP! You boys think this is some kinda vacation in the god damn Car-u-been?"

"Morning to you too, Sarge." Dave mumbled, shielding his eyes from the harsh morning light that cut swiftly into the room through the open doorway.

"Car-u-been?" Someone muttered tiredly from their bed, confused by Sarge's strange pronunciation of Caribbean.

He rounded them all up- the whole platoon gathered outside the barracks. Lieutenant Mads waited for them there and eventually went around, assigning everyone to different tasks around the base to keep them busy for however many days they had remaining in this particular spot.

"Watson. Palmer, Rossi, Thornton… You're assigned to the Sentry today. Khan, Wise, Katz… LBJ. Kaye, Strickland, Hargreeves, Williams… Ammo dump. Mann, Rodriguez, Polinski…"

Dave tuned the rest of the LT's harsh droning out. He felt his chest fall a bit at the sound of him and Klaus being assigned apart from one another. LBJ was the Long Binh Jail, nowhere near the infamous ammo dump on the base. He gave Klaus a lopsided frown and he stuck out his tongue in disgust right back. When Maddison finished up and shouted something along the lines of 'I don't want to hear of no trouble 'bout you boys unless you want your asses handed to you' and walked off, Klaus immediately shot up his hand like a kid with a pressing question in class.

"Yes, Boots?" Sarge called out tiredly from where shooed men back into the barracks to get ready for the day.

"Are you taking requests? Like takesies backsies? Can I switch with-"

"Shut it, Boots."

"Right."

They threw clothes on and combed through their hair with their fingers, already running late for their day's duties.

"Stupid Ammo dump. Don't even know what that is." Klaus muttered in frustration under his breath while pulling his shirt over his head on the way out.

"I'll see you later." Dave assured him, amused. "It's still a war, ya know. We've still got responsibilities." He shouldered Klaus subtly enough for no one to question it. That brought a little more of a smile to Klaus's face.

"Yeaaaahhhhh, but I don't like those."

"Responsibilities?"

"Yeah."

Dave snorted and rolled his eyes while they walked down the same street before they were meant to split off. Klaus cleared his throat, raising Dave's more acute attention. He knew Klaus well enough at this point to know when his mood shifted- to know when he had something serious and touchy to bring up.

"Are you still…" Dave raised his eyebrows as Klaus searched for words- a rare occurrence, truly. "You know? Like… In the same frame of mind? Even without the alcohol and everything?"

Oh.

It kinda, sorta, really broke Dave's heart that Klaus thought there was even an ounce of a chance that Dave would back out of what they so steadily crafted and sealed last night. If he didn't see that this was probably the best thing to ever happen to Dave… Well, he'd have to spend the rest of his life changing that.

"Yeah." He simply said for now, shooting Klaus a small, meaningful grin that was returned. "All in. Are you?" He asked in return, just to be 100% sure and shamefully just wanting to relish in hearing Klaus say it.

"Yes." He immediately cut in. "Yes. Yes please."

They walked side by side in content silence after that, their arms brushing as they went. He guessed that was their thing now- their way of telling each other that they were there, literally and metaphorically. And since they couldn't do such a thing out in the open, their arms nonchalantly up against one another was like their own version of holding hands.

There was something so tragic and gleefully cheesy about that. In any case, Dave loved it.

"You don't feel like it's a mistake? Like you 'can't care about people in war'?" Klaus mocked in a deep, gruff voice, not unlike Sarge's.

"You make me sound so harsh."

"I mean, it's kinda what you said."

"Okay," Dave admitted. "Well, yeah. It's technically not smart to make any relationships in war if you wanted to be real about it."

"You have friends!"

Dave gave a half shrug.

"I keep them at a distance." He regretfully revealed. Klaus frowned and scoffed.

"Jesus, David. Who hurt you, buddy?" He poked at him, a small giggle as he skipped over a divot in the dirt road. Dave should've been able to shoot a retort right back at him like normal, but something prevented him before he even realized that a wall hit him. It had nothing to do with Klaus… It was just that every time his mind even began to wonder to a… certain place… it was hard to bounce back from there.

Klaus picked up on his silence.

"Wait… Dave, did someone actually- Aw, Daveeeee…"

"Klaus." Dave instinctively and self-protectively cut in with a warning tone. Klaus instantly stopped, holding his hands out in front of him and taking the hint.

"Shutting up. Shutting up." He assured. Dave didn't mean to completely shut him down or get all touchy, but sometimes it felt like it wasn't his choice- like his guard went up whether he wanted it to or not. He shouldn't be down on Klaus for trying to coax him out from behind these walls, especially when he hasn't even gotten around to telling Klaus why they were built there in the first place.

"I'll see you after work or whatever, yeah?" Dave told him, wanting to give him a little reassuring nudge but noticing Eugie eyeing them from where he was walking off in the opposite direction.

"Yeah. Okay." Klaus agreed, giving Dave a small, humble smile- a toned down and nonconventional response as far as Klaus's responses went. Dave could tell he was trying to give him some space after Klaus clearly touched a nerve.

Dave took a deep breath and rested his hands on his head as he watched Klaus turn and walk towards the ammo dump. This day apart would be good for him, he decided. Dave needed some space to just think after all of this started happening all at once. He didn't regret it for a second, but Klaus was so used to living spontaneously- it took Dave a minute to catch up and still keep his sanity.

The whole process was a little weird after how his last relationship had ended too. Dave had actively stayed away from relationship commitments after Mick, quite honestly, a little traumatized.

He just didn't want to mess anything up with Klaus, was all. He wanted to be fully there for him- not wound up in his head with fears that were rooted in nothing but his own self-sabotage as he pulled up old memories that should just stay dead.

And, along with some time to just think and process, Dave had a plan- something for Klaus… And he needed to hurry along whatever he was to do at LBJ so he could get cracking and be done with it by nighttime.

An "ammo dump" was just a name for a place where you were in constant danger of being blown up, Klaus came to find. They had to unload, pack, and reload trucks all day long and some of that shit was heavy. He was exhausted by midday already, ready to sit down in the mess hall with Dave and tell him all about how between loading times, he managed to teach Teddy a proper "Guillotine Choke" which the kid has been trying to get down for a while now.

Dave wasn't at lunch though. Everyone else from their squad that was assigned at the jail was, but Dave was MIA.

"Donnie-"

"Not Donnie." Don Juan interrupted Klaus, but he seamlessly went on anyway.

"Donnie, where's Dave?"

"You come all the way over here… And all you gotta say to me is, where's Dave?"

Klaus sighed, slamming himself down on the bench next to Don, cozying up to him.

"Hi, how ya doin', Don-boy? How's the weather? How's the wife? How're the kids? Little Timmy-"

"Jesus, alright, I don't know where Dave is." Don instantly gave in to put a stop to Klaus's own form of torture. "He ran off as soon as we were released to lunch. Didn't say nothin'."

Hmm. Klaus hoped it didn't have anything to do with this morning when he pushed Dave just an inch too far into territory that was obviously already on the breaking point. Klaus had sensed that there was something from Dave's past that still bothered him, but he didn't want to prod. Well, this morning he admittedly tried a bit, but clearly, he wasn't ready to talk about it. He doubted the middle of the base was a good time to get into it anyway.

Klaus went back to work. He messed around with Teds a bit, soon regretting teaching him all of his "moves" and even telling Teddy that he's 'created a monster' all in good fun.

But then, Dinner came around. Again- Dave was nowhere to be found.

"Don't worry, dude. D's just the kind of guy to mosey off and be alone sometimes. It's just like that." Teddy brushed off, taking an engulfing bite of cornbread. Klaus nodded, knowing he couldn't seem too put off or raise any questions. He knew Dave got like that, but he could do it any other day except for today. Not after what happened last night. Now, all Klaus's rampant mind could think was, what if he was backing out? Realizing it was all a mistake?

Those fears just manifested further when ten thirty pm rolled around and still no Dave.

"Hmm. That is a little wonky." Teddy admitted as he fell asleep on his bed, exhausted from the day's pursuits. And just like that, he was out, leaving Klaus alone to look up at the ceiling. That wasn't the only weird thing- Monty was gone. It had appeared that Dave had taken a shower at some point before Klaus came back for bed. His towel was hung up and damp, his clothes that he had worn for the day discarded on his bed (which was odd for Dave- he usually was anal about neatness). Most shocking of all, Monty was gone. No Dave, no record player, and a mess left in his wake.

Strange. Very strange indeed.

Klaus felt himself zone out for who knows how long. He didn't just worry about Dave, mind you. There was only so much he could do from here (which, by the way, was why he was thinking about going out and looking for the stubborn idiot). But Klaus also thought of home a bit. When Dave wasn't around, it was a frequent place in his mind he visited.

Ben. Diego. The cool, dry air. The city. The lights. The constant pulse of life around him. Of course, there were bad parts about living on the streets in the city, but from 50 years and thousands of miles away, Klaus found his mind only missing the good parts.

Ugh. And the drugs. 'Nam stuff was great- In fact, Klaus was cruisin' pretty comfortably right now, but he didn't have as much variety as he did back at home.

Oh well. He tried not to complain. The sound of rain starting to gently sprinkle outside was calming and Klaus tried to use it as a way to lull himself to sleep and stop worrying about Dave. He made a note to himself that if he heard anyone enter the barracks though, he'd wake up right away to catch whoever it was on the way in.

No need.

A hand covered Klaus's mouth. It came out of absolutely nowhere, or at least that's what it seemed like as Klaus was trapped in his own mind whirl of thoughts and daydreams. Klaus felt a surprised yelp conjure up in his throat but it came out muted against the hand.

And who else would it be, other than irritatingly, gorgeously unpredictable David Katz?

"Mm?" Klaus tried to hum in the tone of 'What?'. Dave, his face only inches from Klaus's where he knelt beside his bed, simply gave him his dazzling, show-stopping smile and jerked his head in a curt motion towards the doorway. Klaus took the hind, carefully easing himself out of bed and following his "prince come to rescue him from the tower". The thought made him giggle at himself.

"Shh…" Dave shushed him as they bounded down the steps of the barracks, Klaus's chest swelling in excitement as they went. He loved surprises. He loved spending time with Dave. This was good. This was a good thing. "Coming, kid?" Dave asked when Klaus took a minute to internalize the moment, he and Dave running off into the night secretly like kids out after bedtime.

"I'm pretty sure I'm older than you." Klaus responded, taking up Dave's offer of his outstretched hand. The feeling of Dave's warmth around his fingers and palm melted away any anxieties he may have had throughout the day about Dave backing out on him. Just the sight of his soldier made Klaus wonder how he could've ever worried about such a thing at all.

"Only by, like, 11 months." Dave answered in a low voice, pulling Klaus along in the shadows that lived in some of the base's darker alleyways, out of sight of all the other normal, nightly business.

"How do you know?"

"We talked about it. Remember?" Dave gave Klaus's hand a squeeze before letting go as they reentered a more trafficked area of the street. "Didi mau."

"Uh. No. And what on Earth just came out of your mouth?"

"It means, go quickly. And we did. You were smoking a lot of Thai sticks and-"

"Ah, well… There we go. Where are we going?"

The obscure silhouettes of buildings that were nothing more than skeletal versions of their old selves made their shapes known in the not-to-far-off distance. The more they walked, the shabbier the structures became and the darker it got under the looming rain clouds. Still, Klaus recognized where they were.

"Isn't this what was blown up a few days ago?" Klaus asked, struggling to keep up with Dave as always. The guy walked like he was escaping a building fire.

"Yeah. We're headed into a May Offensive it seems."

"What's that?"

"Just an offensive that, you know, happens in May."

"Oh." Klaus chuckled, remembering hearing all about the Tet Offensive which happened before he zapped into Vietnam. It meant the Viet Cong were engaging in offensive attacks as they moved down South, taking more and more of Vietnam as they went.

Listen to him… Sounding all army-ish and stuff.

"Here we go." Dave announced, motioning towards the big pile of rubble that kind of resembled a building.

"Mm. Wow." Klaus teased him, hardly able to distinguish anything past the big black blobs against the twilight skies. There were hardly any lights over here- the entire area was bombed and no one had bothered to start rebuilding. Klaus had heard that they're planning on just clearing the debris and adding it to part of the airfield.

"What, you don't like it?" Dave joked. He couldn't exactly see it, but Klaus could sense his smug smirk. Dave kept moving towards the structure though, so Klaus followed and trusted that he had something planned.

"What is it with you leading me into deep, dark corners?"

"I'd think you'd like that sort of thing."

"Oh, inevitably." Klaus confirmed as small instances of lights made themselves known in the shadows. What was that? Was someone living in this shabby wasteland? Creepy.

At that moment, the heavens opened up and the sky sobbed a torrential rain of tears.

"Shit."

Dave grabbed Klaus's hand again and bee-lined for the large mass of concrete and supports before them.

More of the light came into view. They were little lanterns keeping the inside of the wreck illuminated, revealing it's industrial, caved in but still sturdy appearance. Not only that though… There were blankets and tarps draped everywhere to make the whole place look like some sort of circus-gypsy tent thing. Once inside, the sound and feel of the cool rain faded into a background hum. In here, it was cozy and comfortable- something Klaus wasn't at all expecting from the remains leftover at a bombsite.

Cutest of all, there were blankets and pillows and cushions of all sorts piled in the corner where there was a heavier concentration of lanterns bunched together to build an impressive glow that warmed the entire place with yellow light. Next to this heap of make-shift bedding? Monty the record player.

Klaus beamed. What else could he do?

"Boss…" He breathed, feeling stupid and out of words but still managing to realize the perfect utterance of their inside joke. It made Dave laugh. Then, "What did you do?"

He walked forward and took in the sight of the place- their own little wonderland. Sure, it was based in an area where countless soldiers injured (a few even killed), resurrected from a bomb-wreck, but what did you expect from Vietnam? This was pretty much as good as you could get.

"Snuck around. Stole a few cushions here, a few blankets and lanterns there… No one comes over here anymore so…"

"You are some kind of romantic. I knew it." Klaus teased, remembering how he accused Dave of such things the previous night. "Oh! And I even have candy. Can't complete the corny romanticism without that."

Klaus dipped his hand in his pocket where he pulled out what he was waiting to proudly show Dave all day. Thanh Longs- They were a coconut hard-candy that Don Juan always managed to find. He never shared though.

"Paws off my Thanh Longs, bitch." He'd snap, then slap your hand away.

"How'd you get those?" Dave asked, mesmerized and knowledgeable about Don's Thanh Long legacy as well. "Five finger discount?"

"Dictionary check."

"Stolen."

Klaus theatrically gasped. "You think so lowly of me, suh!" He punctuated in a British-tycoon accent. He fished a candy out, unwrapped it, and held the little square between his teeth. "Come and get it." He challenged, a tiny smirk turning up the corner of his lips and his words sounding more like 'Cuh angeh it' with the candy in between his bite.

Dave's eyes caught a glimmer off a nearby lantern right at the right time to make it seem like they sparkled at the challenge. This was ridiculously similar to a cheesy Hallmark movie and Klaus was living for it.

Before he knew it, Dave's hands were sliding up his still-damp arm and back down again until it rested on Klaus's hip. Dave pulled him in so that their bodies were against each other- their rain-soaked clothes not much mattering if they were equally drenched.

And finally, what Klaus has been waiting for all day, Dave's nose just barely brushed his before he tilted and pressed his lips against Klaus's. The candy was caught between the two of them now, but Klaus relinquished his bite and let Dave carefully take it from his mouth, now holding it between his own teeth as he pulled back to look at Klaus.

"Tayks." Dave muttered in terms of 'thanks' with the candy between his lips before he completely took it in his mouth, leaning in and giving Klaus a quick, actual kiss afterward. Then his attention belonged to Monty. Klaus watched him pull a record from its sleeve, carefully laying it in the record player. He loved watching Dave do that. He was always so delicate for someone who could appear so somber and sultry.

Klaus recognized the voice when Dave laid the needle down and had he actually paid attention, he may have raised question about it much sooner, but Klaus had something else pressing on his mind that he needed to say.

"I thought you were mad at me." He admitted. "I couldn't find you anywhere… Which… Now, it makes sense."

Dave sighed, standing up from Monty and walking back over to take Klaus's hands.

"I'm sorry for snapping at you."

"No, no… That wasn't- I press too far. I know tha-" Klaus stopped, finally paying full attention to the song that was playing. "Oh no."

Dave's devious smile told all. Klaus felt Dave's hands let go and instead wrap themselves around Klaus's waist.

"Oh, yes. You promised me."

"Well, I didn't think you'd just have the record on you!"

At Last, by Etta James projected its music around their little space with the backdrop of the everlasting rain outside- the song that Klaus swore he'd slow dance to Dave with. This little shit. He was planning it like some mischievous scheme.

"Come onnn…"

"You can't- No-" Klaus struggled as Dave locked his grasp tightly around his waist, picking Klaus up off his feet and quite literally dragging him to the center of the room. Klaus erupted into helpless giggles and kicked out his feet the best he could. "You monster."

"The absolute worst." Dave agreed, setting him down but keep him locked in his happy prison cell between Dave's arms. Klaus gave it, rolling his eyes and encircling his own arms around Dave's neck. He was close enough to be able to give all of Dave's body credit for holding his own up. Their foreheads fell together, their wet locks of hair tangling together as they stepped back and forth to the music.

Even though it was close enough to warp his vision a bit, Klaus could see into Dave's crystal gray-blue eyes and the way the complimentary warm lights reflected off into his own.

"Hi." He mumbled happily once he realized they were quietly hypnotized for quite a bit.

"Hi." Dave repeated his voice low, nearly a whisper.

"I missed you today."

"I missed you too."

Klaus bit his bottom lip to keep from slipping into that same smiling trap he was caught in last night. It was hard though, knowing all of his worries throughout the day were based in nothing but that- pointless worries. He could rest easy now knowing that this was it for them- they finally made it.

Thank fuck for that. The rest would be fun… easy… right?

In truth, that very thought would be why Klaus would later call present-day-him naïve, but right then, it didn't matter.

"You know, Etta James was actually her stage name. Her birth name was Jamesetta, which is where she got it." Dave announced, his tone of voice changing to a sudden, unexpected matter-of-fact. Klaus grinned. He couldn't help it at that point.

"Yeah?" He played along, pushing his fingers through the short hair at the nape of Dave's neck. He was so into his music history that Klaus doubted he barely noticed.

"Yeah, she got her first vocal training at 5 by her church choir director. He was abusive though… Would hit her to sing."

"Jesus…"

"Yeah. That's why she had trouble singing on demand when she was older. Thank God she still did though."

Klaus smiled and pressed his lips against Dave's, tasting rain and coconut.

"Dork." He teased against Dave's lips. Dave clicked his tongue in response and rolled his eyes. They still rocked gently to the music.

"I prefer aficionado… Or genius… Or maybe just God."

"Oh, okay. Are we role-playing already?"

"Is everything sexual with you?"

"Absolutely. That okay?"

"Perfectly fine." Dave answered, a cocky little raise of his eyebrow following. Klaus thought it a perfect time to take it up a notch then. He wound his finger in Dave's belt loop and yanked him closer, their hips now flush up against each other and leaving right where they left off in the car last night. Dave's soft grunt at the surprise contact was enough to satisfy Klaus. He pressed his forehead to Dave's again.

"Tell meeeeee… more about times you thought I was cute."

Dave laughed.

"Why? You couldn't tell?"

"Are you kidding? I wear my thoughts on my damned sleeves. You're like… a wall."

"Oh. Thanks." Dave joked, his hands making their way down Klaus's lower back until they slid into his back pockets.

"A sexy wall!" Klaus hurriedly corrected. "Made of… you know…" Dave's look told him 'yeah… go on…' Klaus tried to find a way to spin this into something cute, but he couldn't. "Bricks… Bricks and… bricks and shit. I don't know."

"A brick and shit wall. You know how to flatter me, babe."

Klaus giggled through his teeth, partially at just how Dave spun it on its head but also babe… Babe. He knew it was more as part of his joke, but he loved it. Babe. Hah.

Dave dipped him at the end of Etta's song, right before the next started. Klaus yelped and tightened his arms around Dave's neck, feeling the floor come up towards him until Dave's arm caught him in support, holding him suspended there.

"And you weren't so easy to figure out yourself." He said, laying a quick kiss on Klaus's nose before pulling him back up for the next track.

"What? I made it so easy looking back. Embarrassingly so. I flirted with you like crazy."

"Yeah, but I just thought-" Dave stopped, his eyes getting just a bit wider as if he realized what he was about to say was a sin or something. Klaus could already finish the sentence in his head anyway. He stopped dancing and cocked an eyebrow.

"Say it." He pushed, a small daring smile gracing his face. Dave looked scared but amused at the same time. "Say it, David. You're too far in." Klaus basically scolded like a mother to a child who was in hot water. Dave sighed and looked up to the ceiling.

"I'm just… looking for the right words." He complained, still smiling at the predicament he got himself in.

"You're looking for 'I just thought you flirted with everybody.'" Klaus finished for him, knowingly. Of course, he didn't mind because he did. That was just part of his personality- part of his time. He was pulling Dave's leg, was all. "So, I will say it again. Tell me about when you thought I was cute. Babe." Klaus finished warningly as if he was telling Dave he needed this chance to pull himself out of the hole he dug himself into. Dave laughed.

"Okay, okay."

He kissed him first. And then…

"Okay. I already mentioned that first night, but even the next day-"

"On the bus!"

"Exactly. Now, shh. Let me finish." Dave mused, brushing some of Klaus's damp hair from his forehead. "Or-" Dave snorted in amusement, remembering that day when he had come back on the bus for Klaus after the Lieutenant had tried to harass him. "When you subtly insulted me and then tried to stumble over yourself to correct yourself."

"What? When did I do that?"

"When I said if the LT gave you any trouble to come and tell me and you said, 'what are you really gonna do about it'?"

"Oh!" Klaus laughed. "Yeah, I do remember that. I guess I did try to stumble into a useless apology after that too, didn't I?"

"It was cute." Dave concluded.

"Whatever you say."

"Ah. When you knew the Yardbirds song. Dazed and confused."

"Oh, of course. Probably all turned on, you being all melophile-y and shit."

"Sure, you could spin it that way." Dave rolled his eyes, pecking the tip Klaus's nose again. "Oh! God… When I had to chase after you when you barreled into the jungle looking for that damned briefcase."

The briefcase. Just hearing Dave acknowledge it again was like talking about some legend from a far-off land. The mention of something so closely tied to home sent pins inside of his chest, but Klaus felt them dissipate at lightning-fast speed when Dave continued talking.

"When we were in the bunker and hiding…"

"Oh shit, yeah…" Klaus smirked, remembering how he had to back up against Dave and stay there, pressed against him while awaiting their possible death.

Present-day, Dave took Klaus's hand and spun him around before he could protest, his back now facing Dave. Soon, he felt his chest up against him much like it had been that day, Dave's arms wrapping around Klaus's torso and pulling him into him nice and close.

"Yeah… Yeah, I remember this." Klaus mused. "If I would've realized you were affected in the same way, I would've mounted you right there and gotten it over with."

Dave laughed.

"Charming."

"That's me."

Dave mentioned a lot of moments that lined up with many of Klaus's favorite bits from the last month.

"I'll admit, the way you smoke is really fucking hot. You were like some… gorgeous celestial being-"

"Please tell me you at least know you're a beautiful nerd."

"Shut up." Dave lightly bit at Klaus's neck, both annoyed and tickled by his teasing. Shit though… If he knew how much that sent shocks of pleasure through Klaus's stomach…

"Then you tackled me outside in pitch-black darkness. Thanks, by the way. Ooh- Or when Sarge made you clean that warehouse-"

"What could you have possibly enjoyed from that?" Klaus asked, pretending to be butthurt.

"You, all worked up and sweaty."

It was Klaus's turn to roll his eyes.

"Okay, okay."

"WAIT." Dave suddenly burst out, his stance freezing and tightening where he still held Klaus in front of him. It was so loud and abrupt that Klaus jumped. Of course, this amused Dave, but he kept going. "Heh, sorry. I was gonna say when I was teaching you how to use your gun."

Ooooooh, yes. Klaus remembered that well, even if he was super high that night.

"That was… bold for us at that point."

"Hell, yeah. I was freaking out but I couldn't stop." Dave admitted. This made Klaus smile, but he didn't show it.

"You, talking in a low voice in my ear the whole fucking time." Klaus reminisced, just the memory sending tingles into his fingertips. It didn't help when Dave mirrored it all over again.

"Oh yeah," He breathed against his ear, his voice dropping low much like it had that night. Klaus felt shivers rack his body. "I guess I did."

Holy fuck.

The shivers concentrated in his spine and shot down between his legs. He felt his body slightly jerk from the sudden rush of pressure, Dave's arms keeping him ultimately still though. He could feel Dave now- feel him against his lower back. He shifted so that he could shamelessly direct the pressure down lower against his ass.

"Okay, okay…" Dave groaned, his forehead falling into the crook of Klaus's next. Klaus gleefully took that as 'I can't hold out any longer' and if that was the case, then he agreed.

"Are those completely cushioned over there?"

"Mm… What do you mean?" Dave mumbled into his skin. They still swayed to the music but at this point, one might even call it "tastefully grinding".

"Under those- those blankets." Klaus tried to annunciate, failing to find other words to explain.

"What-"

"Dave. Will it hurt when I slam you down right on that spot right there?" He finally gave up and flat-out asked. Dave chuckled, lightly grazing his teeth along Klaus's neck before laying a definitive kiss there.

"No. It won't."

So, he did. Klaus kicked out Dave's knee so that he dropped onto the well-cushioned set up that Dave had piled together earlier that day. He took no time to brace his hands-on Dave's shoulders, holding him down while Klaus mounted him with a knee on either side. They were so cruelly interrupted in ripping off each other's' clothes the other night that they took no time at all to start now.

First came Dave's shirt, then Klaus's. It felt good, to be honest- to be out of their damp clothes. Of course, their skin against each other didn't feel all too shabby either.

Klaus kept his hips straddling Dave's, his back arching over so that he could kiss Dave simultaneously. His tongue explored the curve of Dave's bottom lip before Dave's own came to meet his. Meanwhile, hands moved up Klaus's abdomen and brushed over his chest. Klaus did the same over Dave's, feeling every hill and cavern of sculpted muscle, nearly groaning at that feeling alone.

So lightly that he almost wasn't sure he felt it, Dave's fingers brushed Klaus's nipples on the way back down to his waistband, sending goosebumps all along his flesh. He sucked in a tight breath.

Alright. That was it.

Klaus moved against Dave's crotch once for good measure before scooting himself down enough to get his hands on the button of his pants and undo it in a quick motion. That was one skill Klaus had pretty much mastered- unbuttoning, unclasping, and untying things. He kissed down Dave's abdomen as he went, loving the endless supply of deep warmth his skin always radiated.

Dave gripped the sheets below him unknowingly to ground himself and hold onto some form of restraint once Klaus managed to remove any bit of cloth left between Dave's increasingly constrained dick and the cooling night air. It wasn't helping that Klaus's adventure in kissing down a straight line towards his crotch had now come to a near-end, his lips against pelvis and his jawline shamelessly moving against Dave's member as he went. He was teasing him, and Dave knew it. If that wasn't enough to know, then the look Klaus gave when his eyes turned up to meet Dave's begging ones was.

"Can I help you?" Dave asked with the smallest ghost of a smile he could manage, breathless and knowing he was under Klaus's complete control at this point. Klaus gave a devious little smile that was also laced with something that looked like deep admiration. Even in his intense desire for touch, Dave also felt a warmth spread throughout his chest at the sight of Klaus looking up at him like that.

Goddamnit, Klaus. You can't look at me like that right now. Dave thought, exasperated but loving every second of it. You'll make me do something rash like say I love you.

It was that moment that Dave fully realized that he probably, in fact, did. He found himself almost thinking it before, but he never let the thought become fully birthed. However, now that it was, this was just not the time. Besides, Klaus gave a little mischievous gleam in his eyes before his gaze turned downwards again, and suddenly Dave could feel his tongue against him, sliding up the place where he longed so dearly to feel him.

Dave's eyes squeezed shut and his head fell back as he felt a frustratingly rooted pleasure erupt in his lower stomach, his nerve endings all throughout his body on fire. He groaned, not caring at the moment if everyone in the whole goddamn world heard him- to Dave, he and Klaus were the last people on it at the moment anyway.

Everything happened like they usually tended to happen with Klaus- faster than his logical mind could keep up with, but somehow, also slow like he was caught in a moment he was okay with never being able to leave. Before he could conceptualize anything past the ache he was feeling between his legs, Klaus's mouth was around him and Dave's hand was gently pushing fingers through his hair, relishing in the way he moved against him, pulling more and more pleasure with every motion.

Either Dave had completely forgotten how unbelievably electrifying it felt to be sucked off, or Klaus was just aptly skilled at it. Dave didn't doubt it had everything to do with the ladder though. Sometimes he felt like he could feel everything from the slick pressure of Klaus's lips to the warmth of his mouth and the occasional run of his tongue; and sometimes, Dave felt nothing but a blinding mix of everything pleasurable.

That debilitating lust took a turn when Klaus sped up, finding a rhythm that drove Dave past the brink of sanity. He didn't even notice at the moment that his grip in Klaus's hair was slightly tighter, his muscles tensing and core shaking.

Dave pulled in a stuttering gasp and felt Klaus's name escape right as he was on the brink.

"Klaus…"

"Yes?" Klaus's face suddenly appeared above him, the pressure around Dave's cock gone just in time before he completely succumbed. The casual form of 'Yes?' Klaus oh-so-innocently voiced made Dave give a breathy laugh through his pattern of panting, Klaus too out of breath as they finally rejoined each other at the same eye level.

Dave felt his chest start to rise and fall a little slower and steadier as he let himself fall from the peak of his pleasure, raising a shaky hand to cup Klaus's face and run his thumb across his bottom lip. Klaus just stared at him with big eyes, the corner of his lips turning up just the tiniest bit before fading, leaving his face laced with a look of begging lust.

Dave doubted his gaze was much different. He wanted Klaus… bad.

"You're pretty fucking good at that." Dave breathed as Klaus moved down to plant kisses on his neck, his crotch pressed up against Dave's again, his hips ever so slightly gyrating as he went.

"Practice makes perfect," Klaus mumbled cheekily as he gave Dave's neck a little bite. Dave rolled his eyes at Klaus's clear move to teasingly provoke him, grabbing his hips and flipping Klaus onto his back faster than Dave even realized he was doing.

"Hah. Hah." Dave breathed sarcastically, still laced with a smile. He knew Klaus had been with a lot of people. If it was going to bother him, it would've done that a long time ago. He was glad that Klaus felt comfortable enough to address it without worrying about Dave getting all touchy.

Dave positioned himself over Klaus, his body looming above his gorgeous soldier's with one hand planted by the side of Klaus's head to hold him up at a distance where he could enjoy the sight of him like that- trapped under Dave's weight with his chest heaving with desire and his eyes large and craving.

Dave brushed a hand down his bare chest, watching Klaus's face fall into relinquished pleasure when he brushed over his nipple and found his way to his waistline, tugging at his pants until he undid the button and zipper, taking a moment to move himself down Klaus's body so that he could slide off the only articles of clothing left on his person.

Klaus watched him the whole time, moving his legs to help Dave more seamlessly take everything off. When it was time to slip down the band of his underwear past the point of return, Dave did so while kissing up his chest instead of down like he desperately wanted to. Dave wanted nothing more than to taste Klaus- feel him in his mouth and make him writhe like he had done so expertly to Dave, but first, he wanted to see him.

With nothing left keeping Dave from feeling every bit of him, he resumed his position propped up above Klaus's face, gazing down at him like he discovered the most precious treasure on God's green Earth because that's just about exactly what he felt right now. Klaus breathed heavily underneath him, his chest brushing up against Dave's when it expanded rapidly with anticipation.

Not able to hold out any longer, Dave reached a hand down and first pressed his thumb into the soft spot right besides Klaus's hip on his pelvis, making him squirm and moan softly. His eyes fluttered before they turned back up to Dave, begging him to go further without words.

Dave did. He reached between them and rubbed his hand up against the hardness between Klaus's legs and relished in the moan that it pulled from Klaus's lips. His back arched under Dave and he pressed up into his hand further, his eyes squeezing shut and stuttering breaths falling from his lips.

Admittedly, Dave had imagined and fantasized about what Klaus would look like at this moment- under him and in his grasp both literally and metaphorically. He could've never prepared himself for how enthralled he currently was just from the beautiful sight of him completely at Dave's mercy though.

Dave took the opportunity to stop messing with Klaus and fully stroke him up and down, still loving every second and every expression he made, feeling himself grow tense again just from the sight.

"God, I could just watch you and that'd be enough." Dave breathed, earning a small chuckle from Klaus that was punctuated with a whimper when he ran his hand up and down his length again. He usually would expect some kind of retort back from Klaus, but it seemed he was too lost to even manage that. Dave moved his own body down a bit so that he could kiss and bit at Klaus's neck and jawline, taking his sweet time to feel the way Klaus's throat reverberated when he moaned and breathed deeply.

In this position, he could feel Klaus pressed up against his lower abdomen as he fondled him. The touch seemed to drive Klaus past a breaking point.

"Dave," He begged, helplessly writhing under him. Dave allowed himself a satisfied smile against Klaus's skin at his request for more.

Dave gave him one last kiss before he moved himself down between Klaus's legs and obliged.

It was one thing to envision what it would feel like with Dave's warmth encompassing the length of his dick and another thing to actually feel it. Klaus felt his whole being shake with the need to release, not quite like when he shook with happiness the other night but somewhere rooted in the core of his being. He wouldn't have been able to stop himself from jerking up to meet Dave's mouth if it wasn't for Dave's hands gripping his hips, sometimes pressing his fingers into the spot right inside of his hip bones and expelling every cohesive thought from his head.

Klaus groaned as he sped up, realizing that a blow job from some rando and a blow job from someone who he truly cared about and admired greatly were two way different things. He expected the concept to be different of course, but he wasn't prepared for the physical feeling it gave him- Like endless rushes of pleasure mixed with the burning warmth of pure adoration. The two sensations worked together to completely throw Klaus off guard- he would do absolutely anything Dave asked at this moment.

It was different too, refraining from going hot and heavy and fast just to find some sort of release like Klaus was used to doing with people he picked up at bars or in clubs. Usually, sex of any sort would only feel this good if there was an added layer of pain or intensity. Not that this wasn't equally passionate (in a different way) but Klaus was surprised at how much he responded to them going slower and more explorational.

It was like they both were on their own little journeys tonight- set out to discover every single inch and pull every single reaction from each other's bodies. Not once did Klaus find himself missing that roughness or brilliantly painful speed- and he found that if he did get worked up towards aggressively needy, Dave would artfully, sexily (and sometimes frustratingly) hold him down either by pinning his hands against the ground with his own or capturing his hips in his grasp to keep him still.

In a way, their sexual relationship was very similar to their day-to-day. Klaus guiding Dave to cross lines that he felt reluctant to cross and Dave, in turn, patiently forcing Klaus to slow down and enjoy the moment when needed.

He loved that. He loved how they worked together.

Klaus didn't know how long they fooled around, sometimes Dave on top and roaming along Klaus's body and sometimes vice versa. Eventually, they couldn't hold off any longer- that was apparent in the way that both of their bodies trembled against one another.

Dave hovered about Klaus at this point, his forehead pressed against his. He laid a soft kiss on Klaus's tired lips and then replaced it with his finger that moved across the curve of Klaus's bottom lip until Klaus smiled a bit, parting his lips ever so slightly so that the tip of his tongue could meet Dave's finger. He then gently bit him, keeping Dave trapped between his teeth.

"Ah-nguessing –ube isn't really a hing around here, huh?" Klaus tried to say with Dave held captive in his bite. 'I'm guessing lube isn't really a thing around here, huh?'

Dave chuckled, kissing Klaus's nose lovingly before his finger slipped further past Klaus's lips.

"No. Sorry, gorgeous." He mumbled, pressing down on the back of Klaus's tongue for good measure and pulling a small gag from his throat and an involuntary jerk of his hips. His eyes rolled up when he felt the movement cause his dick to move up against Dave's… plus, Klaus never minded a little rough play either. When he opened his eyes again, he knew that look on Dave's face. If he hadn't figured it out earlier by finding out what Klaus's body responded too, then this was definitely a test to confirm his suspicions now-

"You're into some freaky shit, aren't you?" Dave asked, more as a knowing statement than a question. Klaus sighed, Dave's finger still between his teeth but not letting that stop him from talking anyway.

"-Ell I -uhs -onna -ai -ill a-eaths -uh -econ –ime -oo -eh-eel eh-ee of –at." Klaus smirked, amazed that Dave actually understood him. 'Well, I was gonna wait 'til at least the second time to reveal any of that.'

Dave laughed at his attempt to joke through his circumstances, not seeming the least bit bothered by it. Klaus had a feeling that he had guessed it much before he was giving Dave credit for. Tonight, it didn't matter much anyway- they were perfectly content just feeling each other in whatever way possible.

Speaking of which, it wasn't long before Dave had one hand braced on the ground besides Klaus's head and his other finally removed from Klaus's mouth and moving down, over and past his crotch and finally-

"Fuck." Klaus breathed, gripping Dave's shoulder for support with one hand, the other digging into the blankets underneath him as he felt pain erupt through his body. He gritted his teeth and moaned as Dave pushed further inside of him, Klaus's own wetness around Dave's finger at least aiding the process.

Once Dave could more comfortably and confidently move his hand against Klaus, he came back up to kiss him while still keeping a slow pace moving inside of him and preparing before he completely took Klaus as his own.

"-So fucking beautiful," Dave mumbled against Klaus's lips as he pulled another groan from the back of Klaus's throat, the pain soon turning into an aching pleasure that spread from his lower back to his crotch and all the way up to his chest. He could feel Dave's hardness against his abdomen and suddenly, nothing would be enough until Klaus could feel him inside of him. He needed to be as close to Dave as he possibly could. He needed them to become one thing- one entity.

"Okay…" Klaus breathed, giving in and not above begging. "Okay, I need you. I need you." He whispered. "Please."

Dave smiled, his head falling against Klaus's again like he too had given up trying to keep any form of self-restraint. His hand was moved away from Klaus's entrance and Dave shifted so that he himself was positioned there instead.

They were left looking at each other- something so small and irrelevant to a normal person who, you know, had normal sex. To Klaus though, just the fact that Dave made sure to fuck him first while able to see into his eyes meant everything. No one else had ever cared about that. To be fair, Klaus hadn't either. Now though, he was grateful for being able to watch every single expression graced upon Dave's face as he pressed against him for the first of (hopefully) very, very many times.

One hand was still braced by Klaus's head and the other gripped his left hip to help guide Dave inside…

Klaus's loud part scream, part yelp, part moan was muffled quickly by Dave's hand that had to drop to the support of his elbow use. Klaus didn't care or even really notice at the moment- all he could feel was the aching pain inside him and he loved every second of it.

"Shhhhh…" Dave half-chuckled, removing his hand from Klaus's mouth and replacing it with his lips as he kissed him, still only partially pushed into Klaus.

He was being gentle and deliberate, and Klaus never thought he'd find that somehow even sexier than being rough and abrasive, but right now, he did. Klaus was still Klaus though, and he wrapped his legs around Dave's waist and arched his back a bit to tell him that it was okay- he was more than ready.

Dave took the hint and pushed all the way inside, rocking both of their bodies up and into one another. Klaus moaned against Dave's mouth, Dave muting him enough until he was able to break their kiss and drop his head against Klaus's jaw, his own groan escaping his lips.

They were suspended in time for a moment- Dave buried deep inside of him just like it felt like it was meant to be all along. This was more than just a pleasure escape. This was more than just searching for a release. Klaus had truly thought he'd been about everywhere sex had to offer at this point in his life but never did he ever even think the sensation he was feeling right now existed.

For the desire of straying away from as much corniness as he could, Klaus thought this was like a whole new kind of union. When hugging wasn't enough- when grinding wasn't enough- when blowing wasn't enough- Klaus felt so damn deeply for this guy that all pleasurable pursuits aside, this was the only way he truly felt like they would ever be physically close enough to express how he felt in that way.

And then, Dave started moving inside of him. It hurt like hell at first, not that it was any different from any other time Klaus felt his world split apart, but as it was widely known, Klaus never minded the pain. It very quickly turned into overwhelming indulgence anyway.

Dave's arms snaked their way behind Klaus's back between him and the ground, one arm around his waist and the other across his upper back to where his hand gripped and braced itself on Klaus's shoulder, pulling him deeper and deeper into madness.

Klaus whimpered into Dave's shoulder, his own arms wrapped around his neck for support, one hand gripping his hair.

Soon, Klaus wasn't sure how soon exactly, but every thought turned to mush. Klaus? Who was Klaus? Home? What home? This was home. Umbrella Academy who? 2019, what?

This was all Klaus knew and wanted to know was his pleasure built and built upon itself with Dave pumping in and out of him faster, Klaus's own maneuvers bringing up his hips to match his movement.

"Fuck… Dave…" He breathed, not able to bring coherent words to the table, but Dave got what he meant anyway.

"I'm with you." He breathed through heavy panting, and Klaus knew what he meant too. They were both incredibly close. Dave reached up with one hand to unravel both of Klaus's from around his neck. Klaus let them fall to the ground on either side of his head, palms up. Dave took each of his hands in his own, pinning them to the floor by Klaus's head. He angled himself to move even deeper inside of Klaus and continuously hitting a spot that sent white flashes of bliss through his consciousness.

Klaus felt Dave's body tense along with his warm breath against Klaus's forehead as he moaned, a sound that Klaus decided may have been his favorite in the whole world. Dave stalled for just a half-second as his muscles tightened, but kept moving, this time so that he abdomen rubbed against Klaus's member trapped between them both, sending him even closer to the edge.

Klaus got what he was doing and it sent even further sparks into his core- Dave was waiting for him- something else that no one else had bothered to even think about before.

Just the thought rose Klaus's pleasure levels to a dangerously high point and he was so fucking close to tipping over and then Dave nuzzled his jaw and gave him a little exasperated smile and kiss before his kissed his way down to Klaus's ear and whispered something along the lines of "Coming for him" (Klaus really couldn't fucking grasp reality enough to remember) and that was it.

His body wasn't his as it writhed underneath Dave, spasms erupting through his muscles, out of control. Dave let his hands up off the ground so that Klaus could grip at his neck and shoulders as his back arched off the ground and into Dave further. He was sure he moaned Dave's name, but again, he couldn't really conceptualize.

Anyway, soon Dave's mouth met his and kissed him through his blinding shocks of pleasure, Dave tensing into his own climax just at the feeling of Klaus's body succumbed to ecstasy beneath his own.

Time wasn't a construct here, so Klaus was pretty certain it just damned near froze for that moment. Waves attacked him again and again until they dulled into peaceful, satisfying crests and subtle surges.

When Klaus's mind came back to him, he was left to notice his heart beating dangerously fast and aggressive against the confines of his chest, his torso rising and falling dramatically with heaving breaths. Dave pulled out of him, also nearing the end of his flood of gratification, turning so that he could fall onto his back beside Klaus.

They were both left to collect their thoughts for a few seconds, their heartbeats trying desperately to return to normal.

Klaus felt Dave's hand entwine in his own. He turned, trying to get his breathing under control as he blinked at the stunning hot mess of a person beside him. Dave gave him a breathless grin and Klaus broke into something similar, no words needed or found.

He realized then that Monty the record player had finished up his tracklist and Etta James's voice faded out into the dull drone of rain outside. Klaus thought of how he danced with Dave by the beginning of tonight- it seemed like that was lightyears away compared to now.

'At Last', Etta James. Klaus smirked at the song choice from earlier.

At last, was goddamn right.

Chapter Text

After taking a minute to catch their breath, Dave and Klaus got cleaned up the best they could from their little hideaway. It also gave Klaus the perfect opportunity to reach into the pocket of his discarded pants to pull out his baggie of pills. He popped one into his mouth, not hiding it from Dave but also trying to not raise a whole big deal out of it.

It wasn't that he craved it per se, but it had been a while since he replenished and voices that were definitely not supposed to be there started to waft around in his head. It took a little while after people perished to fully grasp the concept of coming back as some form of spirit. Unfortunately for Klaus, it had been a few days since this area was shelled, and that seemed to be a long enough grace period for those that were affected to become a problem in the afterlife.

Nothing that some opioids couldn't fix.

They were left tangled underneath the varied array of blankets that Dave had collected, each on their side facing one another. Dave had Klaus's hand in his hand, studying his palm. Klaus watched his face dip into an intrigued expression as Dave turned his wrist as he pleased, studying his "Goodbye" tattoo.

Klaus couldn't help but smile. He loved Dave's concentration face. It sent stabbing pains into his chest to watch him like this, but Klaus never knew there was a such thing as good stabbing pains.

"What's this one?" Dave asked, tracing his finger down the center of Klaus's palm to the inside of his forearm.

Shit.

"An umbrella. Duh."

Dave rolled his eyes and playfully flicked Klaus's forehead.

"You know what I mean."

Klaus took a deep breath and let his eyes wander to the dark, slightly caved-in ceiling above them, trying to think of how to word this one.

"My siblings and I all have it."

"I didn't realize you guys had been that close." Dave admired, tracing the circle around his Umbrella Academy tattoo. Klaus watched him do it, an unexpected, curious tightness shrinking his throat from the thought of home. He didn't like it.

Dave glanced up when Klaus didn't answer right away and all of that tension he unwillingly acquired when thinking of home dissipated as if it had never been there in the first place. Sometimes, Klaus was positive it was Dave who had the superpowers to do such a thing, not him.

"When we were a lot younger."

"How old were you when you got it?"

"13."

"What?"

"Yeah." Klaus said dreamily staring at the ink embedded in his arm. He still remembered the sting- a kind of physical pain he never would've thought his Dad would dare to inflict- his style was more on the emotional trauma side.

Dave frowned, turning astounded eyes up under furrowed eyebrows and Klaus thought,

Damn, he's so cute.

"Who on Earth allowed a bunch of 13-year-olds to get tattoos?"

"I told you. My Dad's weird."

Dave looked like he had so many questions, but he let it go. Klaus was glad. He didn't want to taint tonight with talk of Reginald.

Some line had been crossed twenty minutes ago. Obviously, things were set on a whole different playing field after fucking in general, but as Klaus had already determined, that was far from just "fucking". He reached a whole other level of closeness with Dave- Part of him terrified at this brand-new feeling of reaching new extents to which he cared for this other human being… Most of him though, was just at peace.

Klaus couldn't remember the last time he had felt this calm- this absence of anxiety. Sure, it could've been the drugs he just took, but he highly doubted that. Drugs were nothing compared to everything else he had experienced tonight.

Klaus scoffed, not meaning for it to escape his mind and actually materialize into a visible, audible reaction. He turned away from Dave, onto his back.

"What?"

Klaus shook his head, smiling.

"Nothing."

Out of the corner of his eye, Klaus watched Dave tuck one of his arms underneath his head to prop himself up and study Klaus. There was a small knowing smile on his face.

"Still having a hard time believing this is a thing?"

Of course, Dave knew exactly what he was thinking. It was weird having another person inside your mind like he was able to do.

"Just a little." Klaus humbly admitted.

"It's odd, imagining it for so long before." Dave agreed, tracing circles on Klaus's arm. The sensation sent shivers over his skin. He could get used to this.

"Reach your expectations?" Klaus smirked, cocking a curious eyebrow as he turned his head to wait for Dave's answer. He traced his hand up Klaus's arm to explore his face. He ran the pad of his thumb across Klaus's bottom lip, sliding his index and middle finger ever-so-gently up to his eye. Klaus let his eyelids slide close and felt Dave trace underneath the curve of his eyebrow towards the bridge of his nose.

"Surpassed." Dave answered in a low voice. Klaus opened his eyes again to meet those hazy blues.

"Me too."

Their special tunnel formed around them- the one that blocked everything else in the universe out. Klaus couldn't even bring himself to smile, that's how far in Dave's gaze he sunk.

Then Klaus giggled, breaking it and turning back up towards the ceiling. He shook his head.

This is real. This is real. This is real.

Dave chuckled too.

"Klaus…"

"Sorry, sorry!" Klaus stretched his arms up into the air, letting them fall back on his chest with a big sigh. "It's real. I know. I'm just… Weirdly happy. I don't know what to do with this annoying thing in my chest. I can't breathe." He groaned, lightly pounding on his chest with his fist. He didn't know how to describe the swell of pure ecstasy that came with just simply lying next to Dave- with having Dave. He had a feeling that he didn't need to explain though.

Arms wound themselves around Klaus's torso, pulling him into a gloriously warm body. Klaus hummed happily as Dave tugged him closer, lazily tapping his fingertips on Klaus's hip bone.

"What's hard for you to grasp?" Dave asked like a therapist questioning a patient. Klaus still refused to look at him, knowing exactly what was so hard to "grasp" but not wanting to open a can of worms that shouldn't have been opened at this point in time. With one look into those damned eyes though, Klaus always turned to jelly. He knew from very early on in the entire expanse of their relationship that he couldn't keep shit from Dave like he kept from everyone else.

But still, Klaus clicked his tongue, deciding better of it this time.

"Nahhhh. No." He shook his head.

"Oh, c'mon. Don't bait me." Dave urged.

"I don't want to sound like a self-conscious preteen girl who is just hitting puberty and constantly fishes for compliments."

"That's specific."

"Allie went through an annoying phase." Klaus gave a one-shoulder shrug, remembering how irritating it was for everyone in the house to have to deal with Allison's obsessive insecurities in her teenage years.

"Klaus…" Dave brought him back to the now, begging him to let Dave in on what he was thinking. At least it was comforting to know there were some things that they couldn't instantly sense about each other.

Klaus gave in and wiggled his body onto its side to face Dave again. Just as he expected- one look at that face and all restraint was shot.

Number Four rolled his eyes at what he was about to say, even if he meant every sentiment behind it.

"Okay; You're smart, and humble, and thoughtful…"

"You're not seriously trying to say you're somehow not good enough." Dave caught on immediately.

"Hey," Klaus complained, pushing at his chest in complaint. "I didn't want to say anything- you made me!"

"Klaus," Dave objected, his voice raised a level in disbelief.

"Dave!" Klaus mimicked his exact tone, earning a look of disapproval. He jumped in before Dave could go on though. "Alright, listen… I'm just a lot. I know that."

Dave opened his mouth to protest but Klaus propped himself up on an elbow and took either side of Dave's face in his hands.

"I'm a lot," He reiterated, setting it in stone. ", and there's no way you can argue that." He quickly rushed out before Dave could resist. "Dave, you don't even know what my life was like before I came here."

"Why does that matter?" Dave hurriedly cut in, giving an uncaring shrug.

"Drugs in alleyways, passing out at clubs, waking up in strangers' beds… sometimes with multiple freaky people… You're better than that."

"So are you." Dave plainly stated, till unaffected despite what Klaus had just told him. That definitely wasn't the response he was expecting.

Ben always told Klaus that he was above his lifestyle, but he never really listened. Besides, brothers weren't for listening to anyway, pfft.

Hearing it come from Dave was… different. Poignant. Almost to the point where Klaus nearly believed him.

Almost.

Klaus went quiet from the comment that took him aback, so Dave spoke up, clearing his throat.

"I had the same thoughts, you know."

Klaus pushed himself forward so that he could fold both of his arms over Dave's chest, planting his chin on top of them so that he was face to face with Dave, only a couple inches apart.

"You got drugged out and had orgies too?" Klaus asked like an innocent child come to rest on Dave's ribcage for storytime, knowing full-well that was not at all what Dave meant. Dave snorted in amusement, raising a hand to brush through Klaus's hair as he spoke. Klaus loved to feel the rumbling in his chest as he did.

"You're fearless." Dave carefully started, mimicking Klaus's structure in how he earlier described Dave's shining attributes. Klaus let him continue, their sights never leaving one another's. "You're unapologetically different. Full of a kind of life that was lost in everyone else since leaving childhood. You don't fall for society's bullshit. You don't fall for anyone's bullshit, period, actually. You know what you want, you can sense what's right, and you can see through all the haze that everybody else seems to get caught up in."

Klaus didn't know what to say. No one had ever taken such care to describe him in such an abstract, flattering way that also made a surprising amount of sense at the same time.

"You're point?" Klaus finally softly asked, genuinely curious.

"Why me?"

Klaus rolled his eyes from his place on Dave's sternum.

"But, I just-"

"Sometimes…" Dave interrupted, clearly having a difficult time choosing his words. "I sometimes wonder how- how I'm not… I don't know, too normal."

"Oh, heavens me." Klaus sat up and shook his head like an elderly woman going 'tsk, tsk, tsk'. "That won't do."

"Whaaaat." Dave laughed, trying to pull him back down on his chest.

"You are not normal, Sonny. Sorry, kid." Klaus kept shaking his head, letting Dave pull him back into his embrace. This time he buried his head underneath Dave's jaw, pressing his lips to his neck and letting his whole being slump against him.

"Well,"

"Eh, eh, eh!" Klaus objected, mowing over Dave's sentence. "You never let me finish."

"Okay, okay."

Klaus shifted, nuzzling himself into Dave's neck and pulling a light laugh from his lips. Hm. It seemed Dave might be ticklish. This was good information to keep for a future scenario. For now, Klaus continued.

"You're wildly passionate. You have dedication to the things you love on a level I've never seen before. Still, you manage to be all mysterious and soft spoken… Like you're keeping your cards close. Sultry." Klaus teased, muttering against Dave's skin with a little reminiscent smile regarding all the memories he had of Dave acting in this way. "A kinda… quiet hero. You're just so… good. Non-judgmental. You don't fall into society BS either, you can recognize it in a second. You just think differently. And you give things a chance that people wouldn't give a second glance."

The last sentence hit him harder than he was ready for. Him. Klaus. No one cared to see what was past his wild antics and frantic behavior. No one but Dave.

Klaus bit his lip.

Do not cry. Not now. Crying after the first time having sex? Such a cliché, Klaus.

"Plus…" Klaus tried to lighten his own mood. "I'm pretty sure you're more a freak than you let on. Which kinda makes you even more sketchy- the freaks who just appear like normal people. Sneaky, sneaky." Klaus smiled at the idea. After all, if Dave liked Klaus, all insane parts of him included, he too by association must be part insane himself.

Dave chuckled, seeming to think about that. Then…

"So, maybe we're both just being stupid." Dave muttered, his throat reverberating against Klaus's forehead. Klaus rose his gaze to look up and meet Dave's who looked down with eyes darker than he's ever seen them.

"Yeah." Klaus whispered, entranced by this god-like entity above him. "I think so."

Dave gave a small, sad smile, tilting his head down to kiss the top of Klaus's head. Klaus closed his eyes and enjoyed the moment of pure warmth and a feeling of true security before he spoke up again, trying to bring back his usual spunk and move away from this sudden feeling of emotional overflow that threatened to overtake him if he wasn't careful.

"Hey, Dave?"

"Hmm?"

"Why is your record player named Monty?"

He felt Dave's jaw tense into a smile above his head.

"Mm." His throat vibrated underneath Klaus's cheek. "First crush. Montgomery Clift."

"Who's that? Some sucker from class?"

"No! Don't tell me you don't know who Montgomery Clift is."

"Is he famous?"

Dave shook his head, disapproving.

"Red River, A Place in the Sun… The Misfits?"

"No. Sorry." Klaus admitted, a smile creeping up on him as he enjoyed Dave's geeky side seeping back into the equation.

"What? Well, he's hot as heck."

"Mmph." Klaus scrunched his face up in jealousy. "Maybe, but can he tie an apple stem with just his tongue?"

"…I thought it was a cherry stem."

"Cherry stems are for noobs, Dave. Apple stems are for the big leagues."

Dave laughed and dropped his hand from Klaus's hair down to his bareback, tracing patterns along his skin.

"Well, I don't think Monty's doing either. He died in '66."

"Oh."

"And that's when I got Monty the record player."

"Iconic."

"Indeed."

Silence seeped into their hideaway, the rain even dying down outside for a stretch of time. The only sounds in the air included the pitter-patter of the last remaining droplets outside and the way the wind gave a low drone as it passed through what was left of the building they were set up inside of.

Dave never ceased his movements against his back. Klaus nearly fell asleep from the sensation. Everything about this was perfect- he was safe in Dave's arms, the blankets and his body were just enough to keep Klaus at a fitting warmth, and Klaus discovered that he may kill someone for the chance at spending the rest of his life having his back scratched and massaged like this.

"When you got fucked up in the middle of the jungle." Dave suddenly muttered. Klaus's eyes flew open. He didn't even realize he had closed them.

"What?"

"Times that I thought you were cute. When I came on your drug run adventure." Dave continued their conversation from earlier.

"Oh." Klaus snickered. "Really? Then? Not my proudest moment. Although, not even close to my least proudest."

"Well, I didn't mind taking care of you."

"I don't mind that either."

"I wouldn't have been confident enough to kiss you otherwise."

"What do you mean?"

"That night. I kissed you on the forehead."

"Nuh-uh. Liar."

"Yuh-huh. Truther."

Klaus burst out into giggles at that, but pushed himself up to look at Dave. This was bullshit. He would've remembered if Dave had kissed him any time before the night at the club. What was he playing at?

"You did not!"

"I did. And then you said something about how you wouldn't remember it the next day which, to your credit, you were right."

Dave smiled up at him, all smug and amused. Klaus felt his eyebrows etch into a scowl.

"No!"

"Yes!"

Klaus shook his head, falling back against Dave's chest. He racked his brain to try to find the memory, but if there was even the smallest trace of one, Klaus was worried that it was just influenced by what he was being told now.

"I can't believe I missed it." Klaus complained. Dave kissed his head again.

"Well, you know, I think you got a little more than that tonight."

"I guess." Klaus shrugged disappointedly as if it was no biggie. Dave laughed and nudged him in the ribs, making Klaus jerk away.

"Bitch." Dave teased lovingly, soon resuming his gentle motions against Klaus's back. Klaus sighed happily. Yeah. He did get quite a bit more tonight… and for many nights to come, he prayed.

More silence. Klaus didn't drift off this time though. His mind was churning somewhere else- somewhere darker. Somewhere he tried not to think about.

Drugs. Sometimes he thought about how that factored into his equation- their equation. Such an addiction had no place in any type of relationship, but-

"So, what are you on now?"

Oh. Yikes.

Klaus sighed.

"You know…"

"It's okay. I was just wondering."

"These little pills I traded for in Saigon. Opioids."

"Yeah, those are big around here."

"Yeah." Klaus buried himself in Dave's collarbone, groaning in frustration. "Sorry."

"Don't, Klaus."

"Why not?"

"I know it's not that simple. I want to be with every part of you. That means every. part."

"I don't know if you understand what this kind of thing entails. It can get bad, Dave. I can get bad."

"I have a Mom with alcoholism. I know."

Klaus pursed his lips. Interesting. He didn't know that.

"Oh. I didn't know."

Dave shifted underneath Klaus, tightening his arms around him in a firm embrace.

"I'm not about to suggest you try to fight a drug addiction during all of this 'Nam shit, trust me." Dave reasoned, Klaus humming contently inside of Dave's arms. He relaxed his grip, moving one hand underneath Klaus's chin and lifting his gaze up to his. "But after it's all said in done, we'll figure it out, okay?"

Klaus narrowed his eyes and studied Dave's face. He was serious- dead serious. If anyone else would've offered the possibility of helping Klaus quit drugs, he would've laughed in their face. Something about Dave right this second though… Klaus full-heartedly believed him. He believed it could- it would- happen.

"Alrighty."

And they kissed… because no other reaction seemed right at the moment. His chest flush against Dave's chest and their foreheads brushing softly- Klaus could still taste coconut on his lips from the candy earlier. Man, was that really just a couple hours ago?

That put them at nearing almost 1:00 AM though, with a wake-up time already set for 5:00 AM in a few hours.

"We're going to die tomorrow." Klaus muttered, falling against his everything. Dave's chest rose and fell dramatically.

"I'll keep you awake if you keep me."

"Always." Klaus heard his own voice, barely a whisper now as the world faded from grasp. He fell asleep like that- with Dave's fingers skating across the plain of his back and his breath keeping a steady rhythm against the crown of his head like a wordless mantra.

In the blink of an eye, weeks went by. Klaus swore he was just making out with Dave in the backseat of some car… Oh, sorry. Not just some car but a Toyota Crown Dave would tell him… but anyway, now here they were, flying through war like two kids in love. Well, not like two kids in love, they quite literally were two kids in love. The whole war thing put them on a relationship playing field different from any other, but nothing about them was normal to begin with anyway. Klaus was from the future, could see ghosts, and was just a general enigma. Dave was… Well, Dave was just crazy for actually enjoying every part of that train wreck.

It sucked that they couldn't be open, but running around behind everyone's backs was also exhilarating in a way. Besides, this was an army base- typically people were too busy or too high to pay mind to the way Klaus and Dave acted around each other. In the eyes of the rest of the world, they didn't even communicate that differently. After all, they had already flirted and talked all the time before everything happened officially, so the only changes to their relationship happened in the dark where no one else could find them.

Still, small inklings of cute things leaked into their public world sometimes.

During meals, Klaus would get a tray of food for both him and Dave and bring it over or vice versa if one of them didn't feel like getting up in line. Also at the mess hall, if the table was especially full and the boys around them were especially rowdy and distracted, Klaus would sit across from Dave and rest his feet in his lap under the table and out of sight. Dave would smile at him from the other side, sometimes lowering his hand underneath the table and drum his fingers lazily on Klaus's shins.

If they were called out to patrol a nearby city or fend by VCs from the Saigon area where danger was possible, they'd make sure to take a moment together before heading into a potential for battle.

"No running off into minefields, okay?" Dave would say, loading his gun before the helicopters were to descend and take them to their stationed area for the day.

"Ugh. You'll never let that go, will you?"

"Probably not."

He'd finish loading up, making sure Klaus's was loaded too (even though Klaus still managed to refuse to shoot anybody) and then finally rested his eyes on Number Four. Words would always fail them both for a little bit, the only way to convey their fear for each other's safeties resting in the softness of their irises.

"I've got your back." Dave would finally say. Klaus smiled sadly.

"Not if I've got you first."

"Stay close. And be careful."

"Maybe. We'll see."

And then, no matter where they were, in the field or safe in the base, Dave always seemed to know when no one was looking. Even in the midst of a busy room or street, he'd sense when they'd hit a moment out of sight. Dave would catch Klaus off guard with a sudden kiss on his cheek or temple.

Klaus would either be overcome with butterflies in his chest and stomach or he'd gasp theatrically, making Dave laugh.

There were moments when Klaus also found opportunities, but instead of a sweet kiss on the head, he'd just resort to slapping Dave's ass who would roll his eyes and proceed to chase a giggling Klaus off.

When they were feeling especially "dangerous", they'd hit the showers in the stalls next to each other- The dividers were only slabs of wood that rose no higher than ribcage level so it was hard to pretend like they could casually shower next door to each other without wanting to tear down the damned divider already.

After all of that was said and done, that left the nights… Klaus's personal favorite time of the day. They were lucky for the vacant field of destroyed buildings that they had made their own. No one bothered the blankets that Dave set up, so they presumed that no one visited the area at all. Vietnam could be an administrative shit-show too; who knew how long before they actually got equipment out here to tear down the affected structures.

Anyway, they'd leave around eleven or midnight and stay up into the early hours of the morning, and not just "talking" if you caught Klaus's drift.

On the floor, against the wall, fast, slow, Klaus taking the lead, Dave taking the lead, sometimes multiple times right after the other…

"I don't know how I ever keep my hands off of you." Dave would mutter in Klaus's ear when they laid there afterward, studying each other's faces and bodies, tracing patterns on one another's skin.

"We're like little bunnies." Klaus would muse back happily, earning a chuckle from his… From his…

"Dave?"

"Yeah?"

"Are you my boyfriend?" The question was so blunt and seemingly, stupidly innocent but they hadn't really established it at this point. Dave ceased his movements as he massaged Klaus's lower back from where he was collapsed on Dave's chest as always. A moment passed and then,

"Yeah."

"Okay."

"Okay."

Klaus had never paid much attention to the term, being in the "honeymoon phase", but he finally understood exactly what that entailed. To him, he couldn't imagine Dave and himself ever leaving said "honeymoon phase", but of course, as Klaus knows all too well, shit happens.

Just like today.

May 25 th , 1968.

Klaus woke up in the barracks bright and early per usual. The only thing that wasn't usual was that he and Dave had refrained from visiting what Klaus enjoyed referring to as their "sex dungeon".

"Please stop calling it that." Dave would cover his face and groan, still unable to hide his amused smile. Klaus loved to drive him up the wall like that. He was starting to learn exactly what buttons to push to make Dave squirm.

"You got a better idea?"

"God, anything but that."

Anyway.

They had been doing so every night for the past couple weeks so they needed a break purely for the sake of sleep. It was hard to stay up late, sleep a few hours, and then run back to the barracks to pretend like they had slept there the whole night when Sarge would burst in and rile them up for the day.

Today though, it appeared that Dave caught up on his sleep already because when Klaus opened his eyes, expecting to find him across from his bed with a sleepy smile and ruffled hair, there was no one to be found.

No matter. Dave got up early a lot. Klaus could hardly remember a time when he would beat Dave to it. So, Klaus got ready for breakfast and headed down.

As soon as he put his tray down next to Teddy and Big Al, seeing that Dave was still nowhere in the vicinity, he opened his mouth to question.

"Hey, whe-"

"Dave got pulled out on a mission." Big Al instantly guessed what was sitting on Klaus's tongue, answering casually without even looking up from his oatmeal.

…WHAT.

"Wha- What do you mean? Why didn't the whole squad go?"

"Some specialized op. They took a few from a couple different squads. Dave, Don, and Sarge left early this morning." Al continued, still spouting out the information as if it was boring, everyday fact. It was anything but to Klaus.

A mission? In the field? In danger? Without Klaus?

Fear spread throughout his chest and his stomach turned. His appetite dropped off the face of the Earth and his body refused to move another muscle as his mind flew through a plethora of awful possibilities, too fast for Klaus to even comprehend most of them as complete thoughts.

"Klaus. Sit down, Man." Teddy looked up at him, obviously sensing some of Klaus's unease. "Sarge said they'd be back by noon."

Noon passed.

Klaus and Teddy had been stationed at the ammo dump all day again. It was monotonous work which allowed Klaus to just sink deeper and deeper into his frenzied thoughts about all that could happen to Dave wherever-the-hell he was taken. It wasn't until noon though, that these thoughts crossed the line into desperate, gut-punching fears.

Why weren't they back? What if something went wrong? Something definitely went wrong. If they pulled Dave and Don and Sarge away (the undoubtedly best soldiers on their squad) then the operation couldn't have been anything less than perilous.

Oh, God… Klaus knew that it was all too good to be true. How stupid was he to believe that things would carry on like sunshine and rainbows? He was Klaus Hargreeves… Number Four of the Umbrella Academy. Things were never as good as they had been in the past two weeks. Small thoughts of this had crept into his mind throughout the beginnings of his and Dave's relationship- thoughts of 'if things are this good right now, then something awful must be coming soon'. Klaus couldn't help it. His life was a clusterfuck that made him constantly on guard for shit like that.

Up until now though, Klaus was able to push those thoughts down and just trust in Dave's pure goodness. Now, every single terrible thought of disaster exploded inside his tortured mind.

"Hey... Hey, hey." Teddy's voice interrupted Klaus's thoughts. He hadn't realized he had frozen mid-step, a crate of who-even-knows-what gripped painfully tight in his hands, ready to be loaded onto the truck.

Klaus blinked and noticed Teddy who was close to his face, holding Mini Marion in his hand like he was presenting some kind of precious award.

"Marion doesn't like when Klaus is quiet. Marion's lonely and bored. Don't leave Marion." Teddy's voice rose a billion octaves as he shook the little Buddha figure as if it were talking. Klaus didn't know how he managed to slip it from his pocket, but he didn't doubt that he was distracted enough for Teddy to successfully pull it off.

Klaus tried to manage a smile, but he doubted it came out like that.

"Sorry, Teds." He said, loading the box into the truck and brushing his hands on his pants.

"Don't worry, Dude. You know 'Nam, everything's FUBAR, FUBAR, FUBAR. It's not unusual that they'd be running behind."

Klaus checked the clock.

Yeah, but nearly five hours?

Once off duty, things only got worse. Klaus's hands shook, he felt like he couldn't breathe, and haunting images kept flashing across his mind.

Dave being shot. Dave being blown up. Dave bleeding out. The life fading from Dave's eyes just like Pico's.

And Klaus wouldn't be there for any of it. He would just… poof. Disappear. Almost as if a thing as remarkable as Dave just never existed, and Klaus wouldn't be able to do a damned thing about it.

He needed to throw up… or hyperventilate… or do tons of drugs.

Tons of drugs sounded the best out of all of those options. So, Klaus hurriedly walked back to the barracks, skipping dinner with his friends. He couldn't even fathom putting food into his body right now. Plus, Al and Teddy were starting to get worried too, and being around other people who were starting to accept that things might have gone way South on this damned operation would just be too much for Klaus to handle right now.

Surprisingly, when he held two little baggies in his hand along with a joint laced with sweet, sweet opium, Klaus couldn't bring himself to do anything about it.

He wanted to worry for Dave. He didn't want to be numb. He wanted to feel sick to his stomach- he wanted to suffer with Dave if he was suffering right now.

So, Klaus set the drugs aside in his bag, taking a shaky seat on the ground with his back up against the wall. It was a shame that he didn't feel like getting high right now because the ghosties were starting to find their way to him.

Of course they were… When it rained in Klaus's world, it fucking poured.

Still, he refrained from taking anything. Besides, that's what Dave would want him to do.

If he was here. What if he was already dead? He was probably already dead.

Klaus moaned and let his face fall onto his raised knees, trying to shut out the whispers of tortured soldiers around him.

What if Dave appeared to him as a ghost?

That thought was just too much. Klaus had to do something other than just sitting here and stewing in his thoughts, so he resorted to the only thing he could think of in order to distract his mind and ease some of the debilitating tension…

"Hi, Ben." Klaus announced in a low voice to no one. His head fell back and his eyes dazed out on the pattern of the wooden ceiling. He nervously rubbed his sweaty palms on his pants. "I know you can't hear me or anything but I had to talk to you…"

On top of everything else, Klaus was starting to feel those annoying pains and longings for home. Especially now when he was in danger of being left with nothing in the strange world of 1968… The thought of also never being able to return home after losing Dave was just… too much.

If Dave didn't come back, Klaus was afraid of what he himself might do.

Stop. Don't think. Just talk.

"Maybe one of these chaps will carry my message along fifty years to you, how about it?" Klaus glanced over at one of the half-formed apparitions in the room, knowing that the possibility was out of the question. The sentiment was nice though.

"Anyway. I'm sorry for just disappearing on you. I know you're probably, like, what the fuck, Klaus? I didn't mean to, but here I am. I think this breaks the record of the most heinous situations I've gotten myself into."

Klaus gave an ironic, short laugh that was anything but light-hearted. He shook his head at himself, gritting his teeth and trying to keep his composure.

"It hasn't been all bad though, Benny. I met someone… And before you say anything, I know you don't usually approve of the people I surround myself with, but this guy is… This guy is good. Really good. Like, I don't know how I deserve him. You'd be floored with how much of me he puts up with. He's kind of like you in that regard- quite the enigma."

Klaus tried to imagine how Ben would react to what he was saying. He'd be happy but still make sarcastic jabs because that was just Ben. Klaus wouldn't have him any other way.

"His name is Dave, and..." Klaus felt something in his throat catch. His eyes stung and his chest exploded with crippling pain. He fought to squeeze out words through his tightening throat. "And I'm terrified that I already lost him."

Saying the words out loud put Klaus on a whole new level of acceptance.

This might be it. Two of the best weeks of his life and that's all they'd ever be- two weeks. Klaus had to keep talking or else he'd break down right there on the floor.

"I know that if you were here you'd tell me I was being stupid. That I was jumping to conclusions as always."

The more Klaus thought about it, that's what Ben would, in fact, say. The vision of his brother in front of him, telling Klaus to stop being such a baby, comforted him greatly.

"I don't know…" Klaus whispered, drumming his fingers on his knee and finding a small glimmer of hope and peace within himself. Even when Ben wasn't here, he was what Klaus called, "mothering him to death".

"Alright. I think I'll go get a drink with Teddy. You'd like him too, Ben. Um… Well, I miss you. A lot. Again, I'm sorry for all of this. I promise I'll find you again someday. I don't know how that works in the afterlife, but I'll make it happen. I swear."

Klaus meant it too. He couldn't envision never seeing Ben again. Besides, they had made a pact in the first year of Ben's death and his ghosthood that should Klaus also die, they'd just hang out for eternity together. He didn't plan on breaking that.

"Bye, Ben." He whispered.

He felt better… a little. Just enough to go back out into society and have a few beers with his friends.

Two more hours went by. Teddy and Al kept him mildly distracted and Klaus even figured that they were aiming to do so. It wasn't a secret that Klaus was mess- after all, he barely uttered a word himself and that was unheard of.

Teddy went into a wild story about how he and his Dad had accidentally befriended Abbe Lane by helping her hide from paparazzi.

Big Al showed Klaus pictures of his wife with their newborn baby girl who he has yet to meet- Sarah Marie Walker.

It was dark now- nearing 10:00 PM. He and Dave would have been running off to be alone in their hideaway in an hour. Klaus closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"Well…" Big Al announced when a moment of silence passed between the three of them as they sat around a table outside of one of the base's bars. "At least we haven't heard anything bad, right?"

"True. True." Was all Teddy said in response. Klaus didn't say anything.

They headed back to the barracks after that. Klaus didn't really want to go back to a place that was so clearly Dave-less, but the guys were already tired and ready to shower and dress for bed. Klaus doubted he'd get any sleep at all that night.

They walked back to the cabin, mostly quiet. Teddy and Al conversed lowly about war politics, but Klaus was both disinterested and wound up in his own mind.

Then, he heard it.

At first, he thought he was imagining what his mind wanted to hear, but the closer they got to the barracks, the clearer it became.

Johnny Cash's voice broadcasting from their living space- the crackle of a record player punctuating his deep, country tones.

Oh, no I never got over those blue eyes
I see them everywhere
I miss those arms that held me
When all the love was there

Everyone stopped talking. Klaus froze for half a second before he bounded in through the barrack doors, taking two steps at a time on the way up.

Please, please, please, please…

"And I still miss someone…" Dave muttered under his breath to the music as he pulled his towel from his backpack and set out new clothes on his bed. He looked exhausted- his hair was disheveled, his body detailed with smudges of dirt, and most alarmingly, he had a cut that ran from his hairline down to the outer edge of his right eyebrow, dried blood radiating a deep red on his forehead.

But he was alive. He was alive and fine and functional and he looked up at Klaus when he ran in, the both of them frozen ten feet apart with stupidly surprised looks on their face. Then Dave broke into a small, apologetic smile.

"Hey."

Klaus swallowed the thick lump in his throat. Still, he managed to sardonically respond with a breathless,

"Salutations."

…And then their friends came in behind him, erupting the room's high tension with their boisterous greetings and "welcome backs".

"Ah, Man. Starting to think you guys were goners. You know you missed a good lunch though. They brought the good stuff in today. That's a mighty big trophy you got there on your noggin, Kitty-Katz. Hey, you also missed that Sergeant from next door blowing a gasket on one of Eugie's big, stupid lugs that follows him around. It was wild, right, Boots? Boots here was quiet all day. A bore really. Nah, I'm just fucking with you, man. Hey, Katz, where's Don?"

"The showers." Dave finally managed to get two humble words in amidst Teddy's excitable rambling.

"You look like you need a beer. Want a beer? We just left the bar, but we can go back, right Big A?"

"Yeah, a beer would do you good it seems." Al joked, slapping a hand on Dave's back.

"What do ya say, D? They have a new local on draft that's just, mwuah. Oh, and I gotta tell you the story I was just telling Boots and Al-"

Through Teddy's ruthless onslaught of words, Klaus never moved a muscle. He remained rooted to the floor just watching Dave nod politely to Teddy's wild antics from the day.

Klaus wanted nothing more than to hold him- to feel him and make sure he was really there. He couldn't do shit with the room populated by Teddy and Big Al though, and that concept was driving him insane.

It seemed Dave was feeling the same tension, because he kept looking over at Klaus with eyes that cried, 'Help', a small, amused, and much-more-patient-than-Klaus smile on his lips.

LEAVE, Teddy.

"Hey, we'll go open a tab, yeah. Let you get showered." Big Al finally put a hand on Teddy's shoulder, pushing him towards the doorway.

"Yeah, yeah. Good idea. We'll catch up then. C'mon, Boots." Teddy tried to whisk away Klaus too, but he didn't budge.

"I'll catch up."

"But-"

"Let's go, Teddy." Big Al kept moving him out to Klaus's extreme gratitude. Finally, Teddy's excessive waterfall of words faded out the door with the slam of the screen frame.

Klaus and Dave were left alone, Klaus still in his statue-still stance and Dave hunched over his bag as he was when Teddy and Al left, probably smartly trying to seem nonchalant and unaffected by Klaus's presence.

He was always so much better at that then Klaus was.

And then Klaus tackled him. Hard.

"Christ," Dave laughed as he collapsed to the ground, Klaus's arms around his neck and his body on top of Dave's. He buried his face into his shirt, feeling that he was completely there- he was okay. "Hello, beautiful."

"Hello, fuck you." Klaus immediately came back with, raising his head and propping himself up over Dave to look down at his gorgeously tired face. "Noon? Noon? What took you so damn long? And no goodbye either? David… No. Goodbye."

"I-"

"I thought you were dead, I hope you know."

"I know, Klaus…"

"Just… Poof. Gone. Like you never happened."

"Klaus, baby…" Dave raised a hand to cup Klaus's face in his own. "I'll tell you all about it, but I did say goodbye."

"Oh, I beg to differ, Sir."

"Yes. This morning, I tried to shake you awake to tell you I had to go and you said something like 'Avocados are best served cool' and I said 'Okay, well I'll be back later. I promise.' and you said, 'In your dreams, Hook.' to which I just kissed your forehead and left."

"Well, pfft. Obviously, I was not in this realm."

"Clearly." Dave laughed from under him. "I'm sorry though. I didn't think it'd turn into a whole big ordeal."

"What happened?"

"We were ambushed and held up at a checkpoint for hours. It was… weird though…" Dave said, pushing himself up to sit on the ground with his back against his bed. He pulled Klaus back into his arms as he told him about his day.

"Weird how?"

"I- I swore that- Well, I didn't get a great look at them- but I swore the attackers were American."

"How does that make sense?"

"It doesn't. I don't know. Maybe I was just tired. And hopelessly missing you." Dave added, nudging Klaus in the side and making him smile. He let himself collapse into the nook of Dave's neck and shoulder, taking a deep, relieved breath that felt like he had been holding back for the whole day.

"I forgot… How much this situation sucks." Klaus admitted, referring to the constant possibility of danger for the both of them.

"Yeah. Me too."

"It doesn't change anything though." Klaus added hurriedly. Dave chuckled and kissed the top of his head.

Blessed be, Klaus thought he might never feel that feeling again.

"Not for me either." Dave agreed.

I love you. Klaus thought it, loud and clear. He meant it too- he meant it with every fucking fiber of his being… so why wasn't his mouth saying it too? Klaus assumed he was just so overcome with relief that he didn't want to complicate this moment. He just wanted to be with Dave- to relax for the first time today.

So instead, he mumbled,

"You smell like sweat and dirt."

"Come shower with me?"

"Oooooh, Daviiiiiiid."

"Next to me, dummie."

Klaus sighed in disappointment, obviously knowing they couldn't shower together-together right there in plain sight. Still, he'd settle for being tortured by Dave's godly being in the next stall over.

"Sure."

Dave stood pulled Klaus up with him, but before they left, Klaus wrapped his arms fully around Dave's waist, pulling their bodies flush against each other. Dave's strong arms enveloped Klaus too, the both of them locked in a tight embrace that was nothing less than a much-needed moment of refuge between the two of them.

What'd I tell you? Ben's annoying, non-existent, told-you-so voice popped up in Klaus's head. Before he realized he was answering out loud, Klaus muttered,

"Shut up, Ben." Into Dave's shirt, most of it muffled.

"What?"

"Nothing."

Chapter Text

May 26 th , 1968.

After being so freaked out with the whole "Dave going missing" thing, Klaus was extra careful to wake up earlier just to ensure Dave was still there and that he wouldn't miss his potential "goodbye" again. Well, it had only been a day, but Klaus was determined nonetheless.

Plus, he was excited. He had a plan today- something he's been wanted to pull off for a while now, ever since he saw how the "Captain Martin" who regularly worked the ammo dump set his keys so carelessly on a ratty recliner in the office.

Today, those keys would be his and his master plan would be put into action. He's been itching for some mischief lately anyway.

Come nightfall, Klaus excitedly ambushed Dave when he was coming back from the showers, his comfortable clothes all nice and fresh and his hair still curled with wet locks- his beautiful boy.

"Hiya Papaya."

"Jesus." Dave jumped as Klaus attacked from the shadows. "What's this thing you have for jumping at me in the dark?"

"C'mon, c'mon, c'mon."

"Don't worry, we'll get there." Dave assured him, assuming he meant their shelled hideaway across the base. He raised his towel up to dry his hair, distracting Klaus for a second while he just admired how everything he did was somehow a minor turn on, at least.

Head in the game, Klaus.

"No, no. Not there tonight. Somewhere else."

"What do you mean-"

"Zip, zip. Go throw your towel in the barracks and meet me back outside."

Dave had the starting of an objection on his lips, but it faltered into a defeated smile and the shrug of his shoulders. He did what Klaus said (as if he ever had the choice).

"Why are we being sneaky?" Dave whispered once they were en route to Klaus's secret destination. "You're trouble, Hargreeves. I know it."

"Here we are, Chatty Katty."

"Clever."

"You like that one?"

Klaus stopped at the front doors of an unmarked building- it wasn't anything magical, but the entice was the fact that it was strictly off limits to them…

"We aren't allowed in the poolhouse."

"Mm-hm, mm-hm." Klaus mumbled, pulling out the keys he stole from his back pocket, jamming them into the lock and trying out a couple of different options.

"Where- What-"

"You're charming when you're flustered, doll."

The door opened. Dave watched Klaus stretch his arm into the void of the open doorway dramatically.

"Entrevous."

Dave didn't budge.

"Oh, c'mon. Don't wimp out."

"Peer pressure at its finest. But I'm not, I'm not." Dave reluctantly followed, gripping Klaus's hips and guiding him in front of Dave. Klaus let the door shut, leading them both through a dark hallway towards majestic aquamarine reflections that danced on the walls and ceilings where the pool lights leaked in from the room ahead.

"All locked up and ready for us." Klaus rocked back and forth on the balls of his feet excitedly as he went to unlock the inner door. Dave's lips found their way to his exposed neck- usually, as soon as they got out of the public eye, they'd be all over each other to try and make up for all the tension of having to wait throughout the day.

"We're fucked if we get caught fucking in here."

"You're so jumpy tonight."

"Just saying."

"Well, maybe I just wanna swim. Not everything in life is about sex, David." Klaus glanced back over his shoulder with a cocky little smirk on his face. Dave rolled his eyes.

"Uh-huh." He noted unconvincingly. After all, that was not a very Klaus-like sentiment.

The last door opened and Klaus hurried them in. The whole place was lit up with the shimmer of the pool surface, a psychedelic performance against the walls. It was calming when it came down to it- like they had climbed through a portal away from everything, into a void that they could take personal ownership of.

"Alright, boy. Strip." Klaus waved at Dave's clothes, then proceeding to take his own off and leaving him solely in his underwear. It took him a minute to realize that Dave hadn't made any efforts to do so as well. "David!"

"I'm okay. Don't feel like swimming. Look, there are chairs right over-"

"What? No! Dave-"

"I took a shower."

"Lame reason. We'll take another one, 'kay?" Klaus started to peel off Dave's shirt for him, Dave reluctantly letting him do so with tense muscles.

"Mmmm…"

"Stop whining. C'mon, I was excited about this!"

"Okay, okay." Dave gave in, unbuttoning his own pants and sliding them off to Klaus's delight. He had a feeling Dave was only doing it to keep Klaus happy, but he'd make sure Dave didn't regret it.

"Ooh. Frisky." Klaus shivered when his feet dipped into the chilled water. It felt good after a long day in the heat though. He turned to reach out for Dave who stood in his underwear, unmoving. "C'mere. Why are you being so weird?"

"I'm not."

"You are."

"I'm not."

"You are."

Dave sighed and relinquished himself towards Klaus, reaching out his hands to take his in his grasp. Okay, good. That was a start. Klaus pulled him towards the water's edge, but Dave resisted, planting his feet in his current spot. His face twisted into an expression of disdain while looking past Klaus and at the pool.

"Alright, what's up."

"What?"

"Dave…"

"I- Okay. I just- I'm not-"

Something clicked- The way Dave was staring at the water as if it would attack him, his rigid stance, his attempts to talk Klaus out of his escapade…

"Wait…" Klaus fit the pieces together. "No…" By the look on Dave's face, he knew that Klaus was starting to catch on too. He turned his eyes away. "But- But I've seen you, like, take showers and stuff!"

"It's just large bodies of water… not my thing."

"Oh, Dave…"

"No, no, no. Don't you coddle me about this." He rejected, raising a finger towards Klaus warningly. "Don't make a big deal."

"Daaaaaaaaaaave." Klaus pouted with an embrace of exactly what Dave told him not to do. "Poor baby."

Afraid of water... He would've never guessed.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah." Dave muttered, smiling and rolling his eyes. Klaus still held one of his hands in his own and used that to pull him forward again.

"Alright, well now that we have that out in the open."

"What? No, Klaus-"

But Klaus got his way, inching Dave closer and closer to the pool's edge despite his moans of protest and stiff movements. Soon Klaus got him onto the third step leading into the water, only one left to go… and Dave clung to him like a parasite. A cute parasite.

"I don't like this. Hope you know that."

"Yeah, I gathered that part." Klaus mused, trying not to giggle at the way Dave's fingers clutched onto Klaus's bare shoulders and his face never left the water below them. The blue gleams waltzed over Dave's face in a steady rhythm, sometimes alighting his eyes with a blue flame. He looked absolutely stunning- and terrified at the same time.

"You know, normal boyfriends would just accept their boyfriend's fears with understanding and let them live in peace."

"Pfft. Sure, Dave. That's why you like me, for my normal, understanding nature." Klaus jabbed sarcastically. "I'm helping you!"

Dave snorted in amusement at that, finally on the pools bottom-most surface, his arms sliding up to rest on Klaus's shoulders, his wrists crossed behind Klaus's head.

"You're okay." Klaus assured him in all seriousness, sliding his own hand down Dave's stomach and feeling the ridges there with ease. He had goosebumps and a slight shiver that quaked through his muscles. Klaus held him closer. "See, this isn't so bad."

"Yeah, at 3 feet deep, I won't totally bug out," Dave mumbled into Klaus's shoulder as if he was hiding from the water that engulfed him. It was painfully heartwarming to be able to take care of Dave like he so often took care of Klaus, but it also hurt Number Four just a bit to see him like this.

"Can you swim?"

"Yes."

"Then why water?"

"Couple reasons I guess. Never good experiences."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. Like once when I was little, I almost drowned when I tried to reach for a fish off of my Dad's boat."

"Oh no! Little Dave."

"Yeah. He yanked me out of the water just in time. Screamed at me for being so selfish."

"Selfish. Hah, get it? Sorry. Serious story. Yeah, that's rough." Klaus tried to bury the constant nagging in his head to find a joke in everything. Dave laughed though, his body relaxing a bit from his strained tension. Klaus was proud of himself for being able to manage that.

Then, he started walking backward, leading them towards the deep end little by little.

"Why do you insist on torturing me?"

"What else is there to do for fun around here?"

"I can think of one thing."

"Right here? Right now?"

"I'll have a fucking heart attack."

They were up to four and a half feet deep now, Dave painfully gripping Klaus nice and tight. Klaus himself had his arms draped lazily around his boyfriend's waist, his hands rubbing his back comfortingly.

"Klaus…" Dave complained, glancing at the water below and then back up at Klaus who touched their foreheads together.

"I'm right here. You're fine." He assured, tracing circles on Dave's back with the pads of his fingers. Dave took a deep breath, his body relaxing a bit… just a bit.

"You do look really fucking handsome in this lighting." He took notice of Klaus rather than the water for once, kissing the tip of his nose playfully.

"I was thinkin' the same thing." Klaus whispered, kissing Dave's lips for the first time today. It was such a catharsis when they finally got to have their moment apart from everyone. It sucked to have to wait, but it made every touch and every moment all the more valuable. "About me, of course." Klaus gave a half shrug making Dave laugh. Klaus took another step back and Dave refused to follow.

"Nuh-uh. This is as far as I go."

"Don't be stubborn."

"Excuse me, that's exactly what I'll be.

"I'll give you my banana bread tomorrow."

"No."

"Pack of those cigarettes you like?"

"Nope."

"Mm…" Klaus frowned in concentration. "Sex?"

"Like you weren't already gonna do that."

"Damn. You're right. Okay…" Klaus tried to think of another thing to put up on the offering table, but Dave surprised him by taking the step forward anyway- he did so to kiss Klaus gently on the lips, taking his time before he pulled back to give Klaus an unamused gaze that said, 'Look, jerk. This is for you.'

"Proud of you."

"Mm." Dave grunted, unenthused. His grip on Klaus was steel now. He was starting to think he may need expert welding tools to break himself free of Dave by the end of this. For now, he enjoyed the proximity, leaning into their situation by tightening his own embrace and letting their chests fall flush against one another. His lips crashed back into Dave's and they made out right there in the middle of the officer's pool, Dave's muscles unwinding more and more as they did so.

Soon, it was like the fact that they were standing in the middle of a pool was a fact that was forgotten altogether completely…

Until the sound of the door rattling open echoed through the room. Klaus and Dave pulled away from each other just in time for a Captain-y looking person with a scowl burst in, his eyes instantly falling to the intruders in the water.

Klaus sighed.

"Well, shit."

They ended up being fine after the pool incident- surprisingly, but maybe… not so surprisingly. Like Dave had already mentioned before, Klaus had a weird aura- somehow, everything managed to just kind of figure itself out when it came to his mischief. Of course, Klaus had a pretty big hand in that himself.

Last night, he had talked circles around the Captain until he was convinced that Klaus and Dave had special access to the pool house as a reward for their bravery in fending off a tiger from their campsite…

…Yeah.

Dave didn't know how he did that. It was part hilarious, part annoying, part sexy, and part downright unsettling that he could bullshit like that.

Dave trusted Klaus more than he had trusted anyone in a long, long time, but sometimes he felt like Klaus was still hiding something from him- something big. He couldn't place his finger on it and therefore would never bring it up in case he was wrong, but sometimes the sense that Dave and he were on completely different planes.

To be fair, Dave was holding a few things back himself. He didn't mean to do so intentionally, he just wasn't looking to bring it up either. He had the perfect opportunity to when Klaus discovered his water fear- he wasn't lying about the whole "fishing with Dad" incident, and that certainly started his disdain, but there was something much more profound than that, attributing to Dave's not-so-irrational fear.

They'd only been together for two weeks now though (even if it felt like it had been a glorious lifetime), and there was plenty of time ahead- an eternity, in fact.

Speaking of such things, Dave couldn't hold out anymore- he had to say what he had been thinking for longer than even he realized.

I love him. Holy shit, fucking hell on Earth, I love him so much.

It felt good to admit it fully to himself, but saying it out loud to Klaus was a whole other thing. Dave wasn't nervous… Maybe a little… but mostly he just wanted the first time to be good enough for what Klaus deserved and they were hardly handed a time that Dave felt opportune.

That evening, they snuck off to their hideaway again (NOT sex dungeon like Klaus insisted on calling it), and took the time to just relax with each other over the blankets and sheets. Dave had found an old guitar at that strange thrift-like shop that Klaus had mentioned to him and bought it for Klaus immediately- He'd admit though, it was more for Dave. He loved to watch Klaus in concentration with his fingers moving up and down the neck of the instrument.

The foreign songs that Klaus insisted were by bands that Dave knew to not have written them were always interesting too.

"Play that one again. The- the- the Beatles song that's totally not a Beatles song."

"Blackbird?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I like that one."

Klaus would smile down at the guitar and just nod quietly, his fingers taking their places at the top of the neck and sliding down as he plucked away, the song ringing against the inner walls of their homey-cave.

And that's when Dave broke. Seeing him like that- all hunched over and his face just slightly bent in focus- God, he was stunning… And sweet, and wild, and slightly crazy, and surprisingly humble, and-

"Klaus…" Dave uttered, Klaus's efforts faltering as he looked up to see what was the cause of Dave's sudden dark shift in tone.

Damn, he loved those eyes, eyeliner and all.

He loved the slight, curious raise of his eyebrow.

He loved his fingers that he could never keep still.

He loved his body that was somehow elegant and stumbling and endlessly energetic all at once.

"I lo-"

"NO!"

Klaus launched forward, the guitar falling aside onto the pillows as he attacked. In a quick instant, Dave was on his back, Klaus on top of him with a hand over his mouth.

It was stuff like this that Dave could look at and know he never had to worry about their relationship ever getting boring or predictable.

"Mmph?" Dave smiled underneath his hand, a laugh muffled from behind Klaus's skin. He clearly knew what Dave was going to say- something told Dave that he didn't stop it because he was afraid of it or anything though. Dave would be right in that regard.

"You can't."

"Mm mm?" (Why not?)

"Because I was gonna!"

"Mm?" (So?)

Klaus huffed and sat back on his heels, letting his hand fall from Dave's face. He sat up to take Klaus's hands in his, massaging his fingertips with his own as Klaus liked him to do after he had been playing guitar for a while.

"So, I was gonna beat you to it first. I had it all planned out."

Dave laughed and let his hands fall in his lap.

"What if I wanted to do it first?"

Klaus gave him a scowl that just made him laugh harder.

"Klaus, I lo-"

"NO!"

Klaus launched forward again, knocking Dave onto his back again, and covering his mouth… again. Dave was cracking up now, his laughs muffled and his stomach taught with his strained breaths underneath Klaus's other hand that planted itself on top of him to stay elevated above Dave's face.

"Stooooop." Klaus whined, a small smile creeping up on his own face. "You're not allowed."

"Mm!" Dave removed Klaus's hand from his face. "I beg to differ."

"Okay. Let's make a deal. We let it go today, and tomorrow we'll just feel out whoever gets to say it first?"

"I'm sorry, are we two kids fighting over the last P&J or are we two capable adults trying to say I lov-"

"NO!" Klaus jumped forward again, this time smothering Dave's face with a pillow. He laughed even harder at this, nudging Klaus in the sides and getting him to jerk away in response. Dave flipped their positions, leaning over Klaus and kissing him hard.

He'd drop the "I love you" thing for now, but he'd get him when he least expected it.

That proved harder than he thought.

In the next couple of days, they headed into battle… Not Vietnam battle, but a battle between the two of them. Constantly on guard for the moment when the other may strike, neither of them could get past "I love" before the other would either cover their ears, run away, or cover their mouths.

The next morning in the barracks when they woke up, they stared at each other in silence like they often did, just admiring each other from their own beds and feeling pure gratitude radiate between the two feet that separated them.

Before the others would wake up, Dave and Klaus would try to mouth a conversation to each other, only whispering when they absolutely needed to. Dave saw it before Klaus could get too far, thank God. His mouth forming the words "I love-" and then Dave sat up.

"Nope." He said, way too loud for their current situation but not caring if he woke others up. "Nope, nope." He rushed out of bed and towards the barracks door, leaving a giggling Klaus to chase him outside all the way to the mess hall.

There were other close calls on both of their parts- In the showers, at dinner, on a walk around the base, after sex… Dave even tried to subtly put on a specific record from The Doors when he and Klaus had joined their friends outside their usual bar for drinks.

And the song he positioned the needle to? Hello, I love you.

Unfortunately, Klaus seemed to catch on before the lyrics even started, jumping out of his chair.

"Sneaky bastard!" He accused, covering his ears and moving inside the bar. "GOING TO GET ANOTHER ROUND." He called out much too loud, over the music with his hands still over his ears. He shook his head at Dave unapprovingly. "NICE TRY."

The guys were confused, but neither Dave nor Klaus answered any of their inquiries and soon they just gave up and left it at another one of Dave and Klaus's weird inside jokes.

The latest time one of them tried to utter the words to the other's hindrance was on the helicopter on the way to the opposite outskirts of Saigon where they were stationed on the penultimate day in May.

There were reports of VC marching down towards the edge of Saigon- a shabbier part of town North of the main part of the city. Dave and Klaus's squad amongst many others were sent to protect it and fend off the offensive before they could inch any further South.

For now, though, they just waited… and waited… and waited in the hot baking sun in what appeared to be a large schoolyard. At least it provided a soft cushion of grass for the troops while they were handed out crappy rations of food for the day.

The war had been absolutely ruthless lately.

Oh, he guessed the Vietnam one kind of sucked too.

Klaus was referring the great "I love you" war of 1968 though. That day that Dave had almost said it (before Klaus so cruelly stopped him midsentence), he wasn't lying… He had planned it all out in his head that day to be the one to say it later and when Dave had cut into his plans and caught him off guard, Klaus freaked out a bit.

Of course, Dave thought it was just oh-so-hilarious and teased Klaus endlessly that night, trying to get out those three words, but Klaus had his mindset- he committed to this battle. He couldn't back down now.

And then Dave formed his own defense and Klaus couldn't say it and yada yada yada… It took off into a whole conundrum after that, one that Klaus couldn't say that he wasn't enjoying. I mean, Jesus, they danced around the entire existence of their relationship for so long before anything officially happened, why should this milestone be any different?

But there came a point where their playfulness only stretched so far until Klaus felt the true, deep need sink into his chest. It happened when he least expected it- they were just stationed outside of Saigon in an area that looked like people had given up on the upkeep years ago. About fifty-some soldiers sat spread out among a large grassy area, trying to enjoy their lunch rations the best they could while waiting for the first sights of any VC who dared show their face.

Klaus was just going about his business, finishing his cornbread and sitting back to survey the area a bit before shit hit the fan, his eyes eventually landing on Dave.

He wasn't doing anything in particular- just happily eating his green beans with his distracted eyes sometimes flickering up to look over the crowd of soldiers they sat apart from. He was unaware of Klaus watching him intently which Klaus decided to keep that way. Sometimes he'd catch Dave in a moment of deep thought- he had no idea about what, but Klaus liked trying to guess.

His eyebrows would pull together for a second like he was sorting through something in his head, his eyes dark and distant and somewhere else. Then he'd relax and just still for a bit, his fingers absent-mindedly tapping out a beat to some song stuck in his head. At times, if Klaus didn't step in, Dave could stay in his own little world for what felt like forever.

And God, he was beautiful like that. Something about this particular time, just simply watching him look off and eat green beans out of all the things he could've been doing, Klaus was overcome and he couldn't fucking take it anymore. It hurt. He loved him so much it physically hurt.

"I love you." He blurted out, feeling the words bubble in his chest until Klaus felt like it might actually kill him if he didn't say it now. Dave's gaze returned from his distant world and flickered straight to Klaus who begged him with apologetic pleading eyes. He didn't mean to steal the moment from Dave, but he had to now… He had to.

"Sorry, I just-"

Dave leaned forward in a swift movement, kissing Klaus abruptly but with so much saturated feeling that it shocked Klaus into paralysis for a half a second before Dave pulled back. Klaus immediately looked around them at the very public place they were sitting at the outskirts of.

"Dave!" He exclaimed, his eyes darting around to look for any potential witnesses. A smile found his way to his lips though, a small surge of adrenaline rushing through him at the ballsy move. Dave didn't even look worried. He didn't even check to see if anyone saw. He just turned his eyes back down to his food, taking one last bite before looking up at Klaus.

"Yeah, I love you too." He said in a casual tone, but it was charged with an energy that was anything but nonchalant. Klaus felt it between them, that tension slowly killing him with the fact that he couldn't close the socially-acceptable gap between them right now and hold him forever.

Instead, Klaus just gave a short breathy laugh, that same painfully happy feeling that he had on the first night that they kissed, returning back to turn his insides over each other.

"Good." Was all he said in confirmation.

They were all called up on their feet and to their positions right after that, Klaus following close behind Dave- close enough for his chest to be against his shoulder blade as he walked- as they moved into their assigned position on the second floor of an abandoned building. When they got there, they were lucky enough to be in a spot where they were shrouded by a crumbling half-wall that divided them from Teddy, Don and Big Al on the other side.

They crouched down below the wall to get ready to shoot (or for Dave to shoot at least), but also to relish in a quick moment alone.

Klaus sat in front of Dave and Dave moved himself right up against Klaus, his arms encircling him and holding his gun at the ready in front of them both. While they waited, Dave quietly kissed the back of Klaus's neck down to his shoulder where he lightly bit him. Klaus closed his eyes and took a deep breath, feeling a little guilty to be enjoying this moment in the middle of war before a bunch of people were about to engage in a shoot-out, but only a little.

"As soon as we get back, we're going straight to our place, yeah?" Dave suggested in a low voice in Klaus's ear. Klaus shivered at the contact of Dave's warm breath, nodding in agreement.

"Okay." Was all he managed to get out. His head fell back on Dave's shoulder, so Dave took the opportunity to kiss his temple and nuzzle his hairline.

"Love you." Dave smiled against his skin like he had a surge of exhilaration just from saying the words.

Klaus smiled, feeling that same sensation and just wanting to repeat the same phrase over and over and over and over...

"I love you too."

Chapter Text

June 1 st , 1968.

Klaus would always remember that date because he had noted,

First day of June… First fight with Dave.

They had mildly bickered before on multiple accounts, but nothing ever came close to being anything more than another way of flirting. Today was a game-changer in that regard- today was an onslaught compared to their previous, playful back and forth gibberish. It shook Klaus more than he had let on too- he had been so caught up in their lovey-dovey, star-eyed beginnings that he neglected to realize that they were still different human beings that had other levels other than disgustingly (wonderful) cheesy romance.

This particular morning started like any other morning that they knew they'd be off duty and wouldn't be searched for in the barracks at 5:00 AM… With Klaus gritting his teeth against the urge to moan loudly while Dave finished what he was doing underneath the sheets.

Ain't gonna study war no more…

Ain't gonna study war no more…

Louis Armstrong's "Down By The Riverside" played in the background, but Klaus was hardly paying attention to that.

His heart was left pounding harder than usual that morning, the sound ricocheting around his head violently when the waves of pleasure subsided and he found his way back down to Earth. Dave's head emerged from under the blankets and he pushed himself back up next to Klaus, collapsing on his side and wrapping a protective arm over Klaus's heaving chest.

"Good morning to you too." Klaus breathed, the first words either of them muttered today. He had practically woken up to Dave between his legs- he wasn't complaining.

"Hmm." Dave hummed happily, giving Klaus's body a soft squeeze. Number Four reached back to where he had set a bottle of beer the night before and forgot about it after things started to get heated. He took it by the neck of the bottle, dumping the liquid down his throat and taking a few big gulps.

"Want any?"

"It's like… 7:00 AM."

Klaus raised an eyebrow and shrugged as if to say, 'And you're point?', taking another swig. He passed it to Dave and Dave gave in, doing the same with a little smirk on his face. The thing with Dave was that he enjoyed acting amused by Klaus's more irrational behavior, but he'd always partake just a few moments later. It went along with what Klaus had said earlier- Dave was more of a "freak" than he wanted to admit… and Klaus meant that in the best possible way.

It still floored Klaus to think that Dave ever thought he may be too normal for him. Maybe he could fool himself, but he couldn't fool Klaus. Dave was just as unique as Klaus was- he was just simply more reserved in his personality. You had to dig a little deeper to find his more… eccentric corners.

"Nothing like beer after sexy time."

"I thought that was cigarettes."

"Oh. That too. Good idea." Klaus stretched out an arm behind him, feeling for his box of Marlboro's and pulling one out. Dave rejected his offer for one, so Klaus smoked alone while Dave watched. Klaus would admit- he knew Dave watched him every time he smoked. He had expressed before that he loved to watch Klaus do it, and Klaus played with it. He always felt like he was putting on a little show when he did now, loving to watch Dave's admiring gaze out of the corner of his eye.

"There was this girl," Klaus took another puff, watching the tendrils of air rise from the part in his mouth, his head falling back in relaxation. "She always had to rush to redo her nails after we fucked. It got really irritating."

Dave's body tensed.

"When was this?"

"Mm. Like, last year. We were only together a couple of times because, well, I don't know- it really stressed me out for some reason." Klaus gave a half shrug, closing his eyes and pulling another breath. His fingers tapped a nondescript rhythm on his own bare chest, trying to find a steady beat to calm the stirring anxiety wrapping around his heart-

The ghosts. They had been getting bad lately. There was some bittersweet sentiment to that- It sucked for obvious reasons, but Klaus had only allowed it to get this rocky because he was desperately trying to be better for Dave. Now that he had committed himself to another person, he didn't want to be totally twisted all the time. He tried to manage his stash accordingly, only popping pills when he absolutely needed to and smoking dope to cover all the rest of the side effects up. It wasn't as effective, but it meant he could live more in the moment with Dave which was 200% worth it in Klaus's mind.

"So… Okay." Dave pursed his lips and then nodded, drawing Klaus's attention back to him.

"What?" Klaus asked, a small smile growing on his lips. Dave was clearly perplexed about something- he could practically see the tangle of words winding around themselves in Dave's head, none of them able to make it to his lips.

"Nothing. I just didn't realize- I mean, it doesn't matter in the slightest-"

"Oh, that I can be attracted to the female race? Yeah. Guess we never did talk about stuff like that."

That started the conversation about past history to which Klaus just sucked in his lips and fidgeted uncomfortably while trying to quantify the number of people he's been with.

"Err…"

"You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to."

"No, it's just- I don't know."

"You don't know how many people you've been with?"

"Romantically or sexually?"

"Uh… I don't know. Either."

"Romantically- never anyone officially. Sexually, it's anyone's guess."

Dave chuckled, shaking his head.

"You really did live something of a rock star lifestyle, didn't you?"

"You know, you have such a way of spinning the worst possible things in a positive way."

Dave shrugged.

"Klaus, I really don't care who you've been with, as long as you're mine now."

"Daw." Klaus swooned, rolling his eyes and pushing at Dave's cocky little grinning face. "What about you then?"

"Hmm?"

"Your people. People you've been with." Klaus coaxed, his head swinging to the side to look fully at Dave. His expression was not one that Klaus expected- in fact, it was kind of unreadable.

Now, Klaus thought he had gotten pretty skilled at deciphering Dave's expressions and reactions. The slightest clench of his jaw meant something rubbed him the wrong way. A specific flutter of his eyelids meant something piqued his interest. If he licked his lips, it meant he was debating himself inside his head. If his breathing staggered a certain way, it meant he was more tired than usual. If his eyebrows just barely creased the tiniest bit and his lips pressed into a tightly closed line, the muscles on his face becoming more defined, he was completely lost in what Klaus started calling the "Dave Dimension".

This though… Klaus didn't know what this was. Either way, there was obviously some discomfort.

"Or not. That's okay too." Klaus assured him, but not really meaning it. He wanted for it to be okay, but he knew himself well enough to know that if Dave plainly chose to keep some dark secret from him right now in the most opportune moment to share, he'd feel a little let down.

"No, no… I only really had one guy I was really 'romantically' close with other than, like, girlfriends in high school and obviously that never really took off anywhere."

"Mm. When was that?"

"Started four years ago... Ended about two."

Man. Two years. The longest Klaus has been with anyone was three weeks.

"Just didn't work out?" Klaus gently prodded, wiggling himself closer to Dave and pressing their foreheads together. He tried to pull any clues from Dave's face since his words weren't giving him much to work with.

"Nah." Dave said in the lowest possible husky voice. "Just didn't work out."

Mm. Okay. Ominous.

Klaus wasn't going to let him off the hook that easy, but he perked up when he heard his name somewhere in the distance. Well, not "Klaus", but…

"Boots!"

"Did you hear that?" Klaus asked, pushing his palms into Dave's chest and stomach to elevate himself like a Meerkat on alert. Dave "oof-ed" and chuckled through gasps of breath that Klaus was forcing from his lungs.

"Jesus, you nut." He shoved Klaus off, Number Four seamlessly rolling over and standing to make his way to their "cave's" opening.

"Boots! Daveyyyyyy!"

"Teddy's calling us."

"Ugh." Dave groaned, rolling over and burying his head in one of their many stolen pillows. Klaus skipped over and threw himself over Dave, straddling his torso and nuzzling into his neck. Dave jerked away the best he could, bursting into laughter while finding himself caught in Klaus's all-encompassing hold.

"Alright, alright. I'm up."

Unfortunately for them, Teddy wasn't making a social call- Their "day off" turned out not to be a "day off" at all.

A few hours progressed into a hot, hellish day stuck fifty miles outside the city. Reports had come in early that morning of VC camping out in a small village spreading through the base until the officers decided to do something about it. Dave and Klaus's squad was one of the unlucky few who got to go…

Along with Eugie's.

The little shit hadn't been too big of a problem lately. If anything, there were just copious numbers of dirty looks, attempts to shove, and bitter comments directed towards Klaus in the past few weeks. He hadn't really paid mind. He often attracted negative attention from people all throughout his life. This wasn't Klaus's first "bully". Eugie was also the last thing he was thinking about when he had such a prime specimen that captivated his attention twenty-four hours of the day.

Still- Klaus had a feeling that Eugie never got over the incident where Klaus had stopped him from harassing the Vietnamese citizens and everyone else knew it too. Klaus may have been Number Four in every other respect, but he was number one on Eugie's radar.

Whatever. It happened. He was used to it, and Eugie was just a dweeb. It was funny sometimes, in fact. Klaus already knew himself to be above the cowardly dickmuffin, so when Eugene would make a nasty comment, Klaus would retort right back. Dave would shake his head at him disapprovingly, but then that would be the end of it.

Today, dear Eugene must've woken up on the wrong side of the barracks though, because he was scheming from the very start of the morning. He still kept the company of those two big lugs- young kids with dumb looks who probably had the intelligence to equate to only one whole person combined, if lucky. They were gathered together, giving Klaus looks that he was obviously meant to see, then turning away quickly and muttering bullshit to each other.

Whatever. Klaus didn't care. Besides- Dave was telling him all about how obsessed he was with playing baseball when he was a little kid, wanting to be in the Major Leagues when he was older (a dream that faded when the harsh hand of his own father's reality hit). Anyway, Klaus was living for the little-Dave stories. He even got a promise to be shown pictures when the war was over.

What a beautiful sentiment. When the war was over.

"You think your Mom will like me?"

"Of course, she will."

"Are you sure? Parents don't usually like me."

"What parents?"

"The other kids." Klaus pouted like he was a child again, joking but honestly remembering how he always left a bad impression on his friends' guardians growing up. He lost a lot of buddies that way. That stuck with a kid at that age.

Dave gave him a sad smile.

"She'll love you."

"What about Lizzie?"

"Oh. Please. I'm terrified to get you guys together."

"Yeah?"

"I"ll be fucking outnumbered."

"By people who love you?" Klaus asked with a small confused smile, wondering what exactly could be so scary about him and this teenage girl meeting. Dave raised an eyebrow.

"By chaos. By trouble. By people who relentlessly tease me."

"Sounds fun to me."

"That's what I'm worried about."

Lieutenant Mads hushed the whole clan with his harsh barks. Klaus found it pretty humorous that even when he simply announced lunch, it sounded like he was a rabid dog.

"LINE UP, GATHER ROUND, NO PUSHIN', NO SHOVIN'. EVERYONE WILL GET C-RATIONS. COME GET YOUR LUNCH BOYS."

Klaus winced at the ringing in his ears.

"GET YER CORN. GET YER BEANS. FUCKIN' CORNED BEEF. BREAD PUDDIN." Klaus imitated the LT in an overly gruff, southern voice. Dave snickered and held his finger to his lips.

"Shhhhhhh."

Klaus hummed happily, loving when he pulled giggles from Dave.

"I'll get yours."

"Thanks, c-yeeeeeew. Thank you." Dave stumbled to correct himself when his eyes flickered to Teddy, Don and Al nearby.

Thanks, cutie. He meant originally, "smoothly" correcting himself… A big emphasis on those quotations. Klaus smirked and pushed himself up, making his way to the bustle of soldiers scrambling for shitty lunch.

Klaus juggled two metal, sectioned trays in his hands, eyes cast down in concentration on spilling the disgustingly gelatin contents everywhere.

And he would've been fine if it wasn't for the foot that was kicked out in front of him like some little shit in middle school. Klaus didn't even have time to realize what was happening until the ground was rushing up and his stomach lurched in alert.

If there was one thing Klaus could thank his dickface of a Dad for, it was his quick reflexes. Klaus caught himself and staggered to stand again, only losing a can of corn. Klaus jerked his gaze over to the assailant, not all too surprised to find the idiotic grin on one of Eugie's blocky goons.

"I'm gonna tell my Mom on you, Private Hallow." Klaus mockingly whined with the same childlike energy that the stupidly kiddish act warranted.

"It's… Swallow."

"Oh. You're right. That's much worse."

This "Swallow" character that reminded Klaus a whole lot of Frankenstein or Lurch from the Addam's Family narrowed his beady eyes, sniffing roughly like an animal that smelled pray. Klaus's eyelids fluttered in disinterest. Jesus. Even he was above this.

He promised he'd get both him and Dave lunch so damnit, that's what he was gonna do- with both cans of corn. Klaus walked back to the serving table to swoon his way into getting an extra one, leaving the spilled contents of the first on the ground where "Lurch" still sniggered. Even more notable was the grinning bafoons behind Franken-dick… Eugie and his other robot, "Polinski". Klaus knew that the two lugs, basically children and hardly legal to be here, would never be the mastermind behind any of this harassment. They followed Eugie like dogs though, and Klaus couldn't really blame them. In an environment as fucked and chaotic as the Vietnam War, if someone was offering you an olive branch of protection, it'd be hard to say no, even if it entailed acting like a complete, mindless dunce that bugs the hell out of other innocent bystanders in Eugie's self-indulgent games.

Klaus sighed. Not worth getting wrapped up in.

Look at him, all mature and stuff. He swore, Dave made him a better person. Sometimes Klaus didn't even realize how much he did simply in hopes to make Dave proud.

Klaus was able to charm one of the nice serving ladies into an extra serving pretty easily. He had gotten to know quite a few of them, ever the social butterfly. He was walking back all over again, through a crowd of milling soldiers, when his heart dropped with a stabbing pain of irritation.

Seriously?

"Lurch" was clear in the reflection of someone's discarded tray that was angled in the sunlight on the ground. The giant mass of a man was inching up behind Klaus again, not realizing that he was already caught. Klaus watched him with unimpressed, half-lidded eyes as he followed Klaus's stride like a cat waiting to pounce.

Fucking idiot.

Klaus was about to turn on his heel and trip Lurch instead- he saw the movement in his head pretty clearly- but then his eye caught something else-

Eugie again. The wiry little fuck stood a few yards away, this time without the stupid, empty smile. This time, his eyes drilled a hole straight through Klaus and down into the pits of Hell themselves. The way those slate-gray orbs locked on Klaus's being… there was so much hate there. What the Hell did Klaus do to this dick?

It was then that Klaus realized he'd get much more pleasure in taking down the "brains of the operation" rather than the blind henchman. He hatched a new plan in his head just as he watched Lurch's reflection "lurch" forward and kick out his heel into the back of Klaus's knee.

Klaus let his leg buckle underneath him, even emphasizing the impact by doing exactly what Lurch was looking to do- throw him off balance so that he lost his tray. But Klaus, a forever thespian of sorts, threw the tray as if it was Lurch's impact that caused him to do so…

…Right at Eugie's head.

To say the least, there was a beautiful, horrible cascade of a C-Ration-splattered masterpiece that painted itself across Eugie's shock-twisted face. The entire yard of soldiers seemed to tense into a still moment of anticipation until a few laughs reluctantly broke out from around them.

Klaus straightened himself, still holding one of his trays up unharmed. He bit his lip and tried to send the strongest brain signals he could down to the muscles in his face, telling them to not smile as much as he wanted to.

"Sorry. Clumsy-me." Klaus gave a half shrug, eyes intent on Eugie's that were currently being wiped clean with his hands that visibly shook with anger.

"You fucking kidding?" Eugie spat, taking his forearms and wiping wet, undescriptive meat from his shoulder. Klaus gave the tiniest instance of a smirk.

"What goes around comes around. Next time you need someone else to do your dirty work, have them finish the job right."

Shhh. Shut up, Klaus. Let it go.

"I don't need anyone to do shit, Hargreeves. If I want to kick your ass, I can do it myself."

Klaus backed up a few paces to grab another tray of food against some of the ladies' rejections.

"I really enjoy this back and forth flirtation between us, Eugene."

"Fuck off."

"Baby, if you want my attention-"

A few of the guys tuning into the drama chuckled around them, their heads swinging back and forth between Eugie and Klaus.

"I'm warning you, fuckface."

"I love it when you talk dirty to me."

Klaus took two steps forward.

"I will take you down right here."

Eugie took two steps forward.

"In front of Daddy Maddy?"

"Ooooohoho…" Some of the guys started to kick up with sounds of entertainment around them.

Two steps. Two steps.

"I don't give a-"

"Because he's welcome to join in."

Ugh. Klaus could never stop himself once he was on a roll. It was like a drug in itself- his mouth running amuck and causing trouble.

"Why don't you go run back to your faggot boyfriend."

Uh oh. Klaus knew Eugie was just trying to push his buttons- He wasn't worried in the slightest about Eugie actually knowing about Dave and his relationship, but that didn't matter… He insulted him. And that put Klaus over the edge.

A lot happened very fast. He was lunging forward, Eugie was lunging forward, Lurch and Polinski were closing in, and a crowd was amassing. Even faster though, were the hands closing around Klaus's biceps, yanking him backwards.

"Enough, Klaus." Dave's voice said lowly into his ear as he dragged him back still practically kicking and screaming, totally ignoring him.

"Oh look! And there he is!" Eugie called. "Lucky, lucky. Right in the niche of time, huh painty-waist?"

"All this sexual tension you've got bottled up really isn't healthy for a growing boy, Eugene."

"Fuck off." Was all he kept saying. Klaus was getting dragged further and further away, so he yelled louder and louder, drawing everyone's attention. He didn't care. All he currently occupied his mind with was getting in the last word with this good-for-nothing, scrawny asshole.

"Oh, I'm sorry. That's as big as you're gonna get, isn't it?" Klaus poked the bear, trying to strain again Dave's firm hold.

"Klaus. Stop, for God's sake."

"When you want to address this obvious burning passion between us, you know where you can find me!" Klaus giggled, getting a pretty large hoard of others to join in with him. Eugie's face was beet red now… not with embarrassment, but with pure, boiling rage.

"Klaus!" Dave berated again.

And then he was yanked into a maintenance shed full of typical schoolyard stuff- Hoola-hoops, balls, rakes, brooms, broken swings, chalk… Neither Dave nor Klaus was paying attention to any of that though. They were both much to fired up about two separate things.

"Asshole." Klaus snorted in bitter amusement when the rickety barn door-type hatch shut behind them, shutting the two of them off from the rest of the troops. Conversation resumed from outside where everyone sat eating the lunches that Klaus and Dave never were able to get to. Klaus had dropped both trays as soon as Dave was brought into the equation.

"You don't know when to stop, do you?" Dave asked, finally releasing his bruising hold on Klaus's arms and running his hands over his face in frustration.

"He started it!"

"Are you five?"

Klaus actually had to stop for a moment and remind himself that Dave wasn't comparing himself to his brother, Five, but to a five-year-old.

Gasp.

He didn't know which was worse.

"I was just having fun!" Klaus defended himself against what he felt was a very abrupt, unfair, misdirected accusation. Why was Dave all pissy with him and not Eugie? His first reaction was to be defensive about something that clearly wasn't a big deal, but also, a tinge of painful confusion also tainted the cavity in Klaus's chest when Dave wouldn't stop tensely pacing, only darting his eyes over to Klaus to shoot more angry phrases at him.

"Why are you stooping to his level?"

Klaus frowned in disbelief, his mouth slightly open in surprise at Dave.

The audacity. Now, he wasn't even so mad at Eugie anymore. All of that energy was slowly being redirected whether he wanted to or not. After all, it was Dave who he was trying to offend when things got more heated.

"You're not my mother, David. You can't just drag me out of situations you don't like. That's my business."

"Is it seriously too much to ask for you to just stay out of trouble from time to time?"

"Pff-Yeah!" Klaus chuckled without an ounce of any kind of gleeful amusement. This was bullshit, is what it was. "Why the hell are you so worked up over this?"

"I don't like you tangling with him!"

"Dave- He's- he's… a coward. A dweeb! He's practically harmless!"

"He fucking frags people!"

Klaus froze, eyebrows raised and body still tensed from being fully engaged in their heated argument. His eyes flickered over Dave's features for a second…

Then Klaus cracked up.

"Excuse me? Is that some kind of sex thing, or-"

"Fragging:" Dave started, his voice strained with frustration but still in a tone like he was about to define another "Vietnam Dictionary" term. "Killing off fellow soldiers in a way where it gets covered up in the other chaotic killings of war. He's murdered, Klaus. I've seen it. In the first days I met him, that's why we've never gotten along. I threatened to take him out next time I saw any funny business."

Klaus blinked.

…Oh.

"Okay, well that's…" Klaus searched for words, but all he could think of was how dumb he now looked for doubting Dave's mistrust of the guy. Still, though… ", heavy, but you're saying you're all worked up because you think Eugie might murder me?" Klaus tried not to roll his eyes, but he did… just a little. "I think I'll be alright."

"Klaus-"

"As I think I've displayed, I usually can take care of myself."

"Klaus."

"Usually. And plus, I have you!"

"And what if I'm not enough!?" Dave shouted so suddenly that Klaus jumped out of his skin. His breath caught in his throat and his eyes went wide.

Holy hell…

There's no use in Klaus regarding his thoughts in return, because they came right out into the open before he could even process them.

"What's this really about, huh? You've obviously got something you're not telling me about."

"Don't turn this on me."

"But it is about you, Dave! You just won't tell me why!"

"I don't-"

"I let it go before because whatever. You need your space and your time and not everyone can be go-go-go, I get it. But now, I can't. So please, for fuck's sake…" Klaus's angry ranting stumbled to a pause so that he could take a deep breath and calm himself down before he was screaming right back and alerting the whole damn country about their fight. "How can you expect me to take you seriously if you won't tell me the root of the problem?"

Ooh. He sounded so sophisticated. Maybe he should be, like, a psychologist… or a therapist, or something.

"I just did."

"Don't give me that." Klaus shot right back. Even now, he could see the dishonesty in Dave's eyes- he was hiding from Klaus. "Don't treat me like I'm stupid. You can fool other people, but don't do that shit to me."

Dave tensed and opened his mouth like he was close to arguing Klaus again. His eyes were hard and set, no sign of him yielding to Klaus's wishes.

And then he softened. This new Dave that Klaus liked significantly less than his Dave returned back to the persona that he was much more familiar with. His muscles unraveled, his eyes lightened, and his face slackened in defeat. He sighed and broke his intense eye contact with Klaus, turning around and pacing the room.

Klaus just watched him, patiently (but inside, not-so-patiently), waiting for him to gather himself.

Finally, he spun around.

"You're right."

"…Okay."

"I- I haven't been… trying to keep it from you or- or- or-"

"Hey." Klaus soothed in his own sudden change of tone. He rushed forward to where Dave was anxiously fidgeting which was much more of a Klaus-characteristic than it was a usual for him.

Klaus took his hands in his and pushed their foreheads together. Just feeling Dave again, this time in a much more tender way than the last, diffused any last bit of tension that Klaus was holding onto. He wasn't mad in the slightest- now, he was just worried. He wasn't backing down though. Dave's secret, whatever it was, wasn't just a harmless inconvenience now. It was something that was affecting their relationship.

A small pang of guilt pierced Klaus's chest when he reminded himself of his own secrets that he was keeping from Dave.

One thing at a time.

Dave took a deep breath, turning his gorgeous blue chasms of light into Klaus's green ones. Dave's thumbs ran over the backs of Klaus's hands.

"Remember when we were talking about our past relationships?"

"…Yeah. Like… Five hours ago."

"Yeah, that's the time." Dave chuckled, raising a hand to brush through Klaus's hairline. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath with the feeling, so goddamned relieved to be back to a safe spot with Dave.

Now that the fight was over, Klaus didn't realize how much it freaked him the fuck out. He wouldn't have ever been able to imagine them arguing like that until it actually happened.

"So, the… The guy's name was Bryant."

"…Okay."

"But everyone called him Mick."

Klaus's pulse stopped. His veins went cold and a feeling all-too-familiar gripped his heart- it was the feeling he got when the dead were too near for his liking. When the line between the corporal world and the darkness was blurred into confusion.

A face blurred into his memory. A face that Klaus didn't recognize from the world of the living, but the dead.

"But-" Dave patiently waited for Klaus to connect the dots, holding him against his forehead still. "That's the- I've seen- He… He died?"

Dave swallowed thickly and nodded, offering a sad smile. Klaus pulled back from him, tearing his eyes away to trying to process this all but also be there for Dave in the way he should be… And how was that exactly?

Klaus couldn't imagine the pain of losing someone like that- someone that meant… that.

God… If Klaus ever lost Dave?

"I'm sorry." He whispered, turning back to Dave's eyes that patiently waited. Dave shouldn't be waiting for him, Klaus should be patiently waiting for Dave- for whenever he was ready to confide everything he's been keeping inside all this time.

Dave smiled again, but there was nothing happy about it.

"I uh- I knew him from college. Mizzou. We had a- Well, it wasn't super conventional. We would do "dating" things, we'd tell each other everything, we were each other's best friend but it was open too. I got a job elsewhere for a while, then he'd get some opportunity somewhere else so we never made anything 'official-official'. Anyway, we had always had this unspoken pact that someday we'd settle down though, just the two of us."

Klaus nodded, hanging onto every word.

"But then- I mean, I've told you that I'm from a small town, yeah?"

"Yeah." Klaus said in a voice so soft that it didn't even sound like his own. He was honestly scared to hear the rest. Part of him selfishly didn't want to, just because it involved Dave getting hurt.

"They're not too, er- Progressive in towns like that. They're traditional. Conservative. They don't like things they don't understand."

Klaus unfortunately saw where this was going.

"Anyway, there was this group of dingbats that I went to high school with. Not unlike Eugie and his shit-for-brain sidekicks, actually."

Ooh. Klaus saw why their current situation might have sparked some heightened emotions in Dave then.

"They never left the town, always lurking when they weren't working in the local processing factories. They acted like they fucking owned the city or something. I don't know, it was sad quite honestly. It was all they had, so people let 'em have it. They were always up on me though, ever since school. Then, they started following Mick and I one night on the way back from Cargo's… Oh, it's just a local joint… And then the harassment kind of just took off after that. Wherever we went, they seemed to find us. The usual bullshit, ya know? Driving by and screaming 'fags' or 'cocksuckers' or whatever. Sometimes they'd throw things or show us their blades in their jackets. Stupid stuff. One night it-"

Dave stopped and Klaus could tell this was getting to him. He instinctively raised a hand to Dave's face, running his fingertips along his cheekbone lightly.

"You really don't have to-"

"Yeah, I do. And I want to." Dave assured him, his voice back and strong again- unwavering.

That's my Dave.

"One night it went too far. They threw something at my car and it was dark and I swerved and there was a riverbank-"

Klaus's hands flew up to cover his own mouth in shock. He couldn't help his outrageously dramatic reactions, so much was making sense now.

"No!" His muffled protests came. "The water-"

Dave smiled despite the darkness of the story, obviously enjoying Klaus's reactions.

"Mhm."

"And I made you go in the pool!"

"It's really not a big-"

"Oh my God, yes, it is," Klaus said into his hands. "I'm sorry."

"No, no. Klaus if it really bothered me that much, I wouldn't have let you. And I wasn't lying about that story when I was a kid. There are multiple reasons that water is just… fucking… Satan's domain." Dave tried to assure him, putting his strong hands on Klaus's shoulders to keep him from jittering. He gave Klaus's body a soft squeeze which instantly muted some of his tension.

"Okay…" Klaus mumbled. "Sorry, go on."

Dave sighed and shrugged.

"I mean… You can probably put the rest together. Besides, I don't remember much. I had a lot of short term memory problems when they pulled me up out of the water. I could, and still, just remember flashes. Hitting the water, the awful impact. Mick trying to kick through the window. His hand grabbing mine beneath the surface right before we went completely under. I-"

Dave's voice broke again and Klaus couldn't take it much longer. He let his body fall forwards into Dave's chest, wrapping his arms around him.

"When I woke up, he was already long gone."

"I can't believe you kept this bottled up."

"Sorry."

"Don't you fucking dare say that."

Dave laughed, his abdomen contracted beneath Klaus's own. Four rested his chin on Dave's shoulder, squeezing him with every ounce of strength he had.

"I hope you know this doesn't, like… Change anything, or- I just mean- If there was a reason you didn't want to tell me before, which is totally fine, but I-"

"It had nothing to do with you and everything to do with me. And I feel better now. A crapton better. I just don't talk about stuff like that. Easier to not." Dave said, pulling back to see Klaus's face again. "Until it becomes a problem. Like today." Dave added, giving a half-roll of his eyes at himself and reminding them that of their surroundings- hiding in a shack not far from a few platoons of soldiers milling about and eating lunch outside after having their first fight.

What was it about again?

Oh yeah.

"Well… I'll stay away from Eugie… The best I can." Klaus added hurriedly at the end, earning a small smirk and another eye roll from Dave. And then,

"I'm sorry for freaking out. For yelling and shit."

"It's okay. It was kinda hot." Klaus admitted with a mischievous, teasing little glint in his eye. Dave chuckled and nudged Klaus in the ribs, making him snort with a short chortle of laughter.

"Freak."

"So… If I get you mad enough, will you get rough with me?"

"Oh my Christ, Klaus." Dave covered Klaus's mouth with his hand, then leaning in and removing it to replace it with his lips. Klaus smiled into the kiss, glad the atmosphere had naturally lifted itself back up to their usual light-hearted nature. "We said we'd talk about that some other time."

"It's another time, Sonny."

"I'm not hurting you."

"Is it 'hurting' if I like it?"

"C'mon. I'm hungry, kid." Dave dismissed, giving Klaus a short kiss on the lips again before walking out, giving him one last nod of his head out the door to tell him to come with. Klaus pouted but followed, feeling like a weight was lifted off of both of their chests. There had always been this unspoken fence between them when certain things came up… Dave's past relations, his hometown, water… Now, Klaus understood everything.

There was also a new level that their relationship reached in general. It was a reminder that the honeymoon phase and all that lovey-dovey crap was great, but Klaus and Dave were still very different humans and things were bound to spin out of control sometimes. Things couldn't always be fine and dandy, but as long as they stuck through it side-by-side, Klaus could deal with that. He felt like with Dave, he could deal with quite literally everything.

"And I'm getting our lunch this time."

Chapter Text

June 6 th , 1968.

A lot can go down in just a five-day-span in Vietnam. Unfortunately, these most recent changes weren't ones that worked in Klaus and Dave's favor.

They were shipped out of Saigon; away from the Long Binh base; away from their perfect hideaway. There was trouble on the Vietnam-Cambodia border and multiple troops from the 173rd Airborne Brigade were flown over…

Or at least they were flown as far as they could go. The rest of the way was too dense with flourishing jungle to land anywhere with a flying aircraft- the point at which the bridges between Cambodia and Vietnam separated the border was shrouded in towering trees, swinging vines, and cut down the middle with a sinister river.

They'd have to boat the rest of the way.

Yeah. Dave wasn't a fan of that.

"C'mon." Klaus nudged him when they watched the rest of their squad climb on and separate themselves onto two boats, four to five per vessel.

"Mm." Dave complained with a scowl on his face. His feet remained rooted in place. Klaus sighed.

"Dave, what're you gonna say?"

"Nothing, nothing. I'll get there."

"When are you planning on doing that?" Klaus smirked, but mostly with a tone of sympathy. He hated that he had to push Dave towards this level of discomfort, but not going was just not an option. Besides, what would the other's say when-

"Let's go! Katz. Hargreeves." Sarge waved them over to board his boat where he already stood waiting with Big Al and Teddy. Klaus held up a finger at him to wait. "I'm sorry. Am I inconveniencing you, Boots?"

"I- We're-"

"Water fucks him up. I know. Get a move on."

Dave gave Klaus an apologetic cringe but Klaus's attention was turned to Sarge in surprise.

"You know?"

"We all know. The Melophilic Aquaphobe." Teddy teased, but still in a way respectful enough to tip off Klaus that everyone also understood the gravity of it.

"Oh. Okay. We all know!" Klaus threw his arms up, shoving his shoulder into Dave's back unapologetically to get him moving. He didn't realize he was last to the party on this one.

"Sorry, it just never came up. I wasn't trying to keep you out of the loop." Dave muttered, still fighting against Klaus's movements. His back shoved back into Klaus's unwavering hands but Klaus was relentless now that he knew he didn't have to hide their predicament from anyone.

"What kind of boat is this?" Klaus asked, not trying to hide the fact that he was distracting him, or at least trying his damnedest.

"Uh… PBR… Or something." Dave mumbled, his voice somewhere far off as they staggered closer and closer to the river's edge.

"Pabst Blue Ribbon? How funny is that, I brought some with me."

"You brought beer with you?" Dave asked with a small laugh of disbelief, his shoulders relaxing a bit- enough for Klaus to gently push him fully onto the rocking boat's surface. Dave instantly gripped the railing on the edge, lowering himself to sit down where the floor dipped into a rectangular cavity, the edges acting as a bench of sorts. Klaus dropped down next to Dave, the tension of not being able to hold him and "protect" him from the water just killing him. Instead, he made sure their arms touched like whenever they couldn't express everything they wanted to. The simple notion took Dave's strained aura down a few notches.

"You good?" Klaus asked in a low voice once the boat got moving. The tree lines guarding the river's edge on both sides started to whir by faster and faster.

"I'm good," Dave replied in a low, monotone answer. Klaus didn't quite believe him- not from the way his hands fidgeted in his lap and his foot tapped nervously against the boat's floor. But then, "I'll get used to it. Have before." Dave offered a reassuring smile that melted Klaus on the spot. He wanted to tell Dave that he was proud of him, but Teddy was too close and all revved up to tell them about yet another crazy dream he has last night.

It had to be a boat ride. And not just any boat ride either- a ten-hour boat ride.

Having Klaus there next to him helped ease some of the aching anxiety that thumped relentlessly in Dave's chest, especially the way Klaus was posed- like he was some fucking superstar on a five-star cruise rather than a dingy Patrol Boat River. He laid across the ledge, his arm bent underneath his head that sported banana-yellow sunglasses he had picked up from one of their trips to downtown Saigon a while ago. His shirt had come off almost as soon as the boat had left the harbor, discarded back out of sight… Dave wasn't even entirely sure that it didn't carelessly fly over the edge of the boat.

His stomach peacefully rising and falling underneath the beating June sun, his hair grazing across his forehead in the steady wind, his leg popped up in a casual pose…

"What a primadonna." Dave teased, watching Klaus take a swig of beer from the stash he brought in his bag. Klaus craned his head back to see Dave above him, his eyes peering over the frame of his glasses. He flashed him a smile and winked, sending boyish tingles through Dave's chest.

He tried not to, but Dave despised their company right now. He didn't hate Teddy, Al, and Sarge personally, of course, but he hated that he couldn't be alone with Klaus right now- His beautiful God all laid out under the sun.

Three hours had gone by since they departed from land and Dave was almost okay now. He was truthful in what he told Klaus- he could get used to it on a boat if given time. He just tried to ignore the fact that they were skating across a giant chasm of deep, dark, all-encompassing liquid.

He hadn't meant for his aggressively persistent need to suppress everything to explode right back into his face… well, it really kind of attacked both of them in the end. Seeing Klaus wrapped up in such a close, tense situation with Eugie like that the other day just struck some hidden cord within him. Before Dave knew it, any kind of emotion regarding his past incident with Mick that he had tried to conceal had boiled up and turned to anger directed straight at Klaus, as if he could've guessed what and why Dave was feeling this way.

It had turned out alright, but Dave still felt bad sometimes. Klaus was clearly the cuddlier one out of the two of them, nothing attesting to that other than just simply their different personalities, but in the past few days following Dave's outburst, he made sure to Klaus all of his extra attention. Maybe as some form of apology, he supposed.

"Why are we stopping?" Dave asked when he realized they were quickly losing speed.

"Don't worry, buddy!" Teddy pouted sympathetically like he was consoling a child. He put a soft hand on Dave's shoulder and positioned his eyes only inches from his own. "We're okay. You're safe. Breathe."

"Stuff it." Dave rolled his eyes and shoved a giggling Teddy off of him, his own smile creeping up. He knew damn well that Dave was just asking an innocent question. Still, it attracted Klaus's attention. He lowered his sunglasses from his eyes to tilt his head back and check on Dave, relaxing when he noticed that he wasn't, in fact, in any type of distress.

God, Dave loved him… even now, when Dave wanted to shy away from everyone's damn coddling about this "water" thing.

"Gassing up. Picking up grub. At least one of us needs to watch the boat." Sarge announced, slinging the loop of their anchoring rope over the knob of an upcoming dock. He slung his bag over his shoulder and looked at his half-squad.

"I need to take a leak," Teddy announced, grabbing his bag as well. Al wordlessly followed behind.

"Boots. Up." Sarge commanded. Dave guessed he was the one being entrusted with the boat. Somehow, that didn't seem like the best option.

"Mm… Nah. I'm comfy, Sarge. I'll watch the boat." Klaus waved his hand in the air, letting it lazily fall back onto his chest, not even bothering to open his eyes. His leg carelessly danged over the edge of the dip in the floor, swinging to and fro.

Dave sighed.

"Alright, Katz-"

"I'll stay too." He relinquished, and for many reasons.

First, did he trust Klaus alone on a boat on a US Army dock with other people around and the potential for trouble? No. Sorry. He did not.

Also, when Dave glanced over the edge and saw the step that was required to cross from the boat to land, he realized he was quite comfortable on this vessel, thank you very much.

Sarge cleared his throat and gave a half dismissive shrug, roughly grabbing one of the dock beams that extended out from the water, pulling himself out of the boat and making Dave's whole world rock back and forth.

"Fine." He accepted gruffly, waving Teddy and Al forward with him. "But no fucking on my boat."

…

What?

…

WHAT?

Dave's mouth fell open just a bit, but he didn't even notice. Sarge just took Dave's brain in his hand, shook it up with a violently destructive force and then threw it in the damned river.

When Dave found his bodily movements again, his eyes flickered down to Klaus whose sunglasses hung low on the bridge of his nose, his wide eyes staring over the rims at Sarge who barely even gave them a second thought.

Okay… So, Dave didn't just imagine that he heard that, right?

Sarge finally glanced back at the two of them, ready to say something else with a casual air about him. He noticed their dumbfounded shock though, a mocking smile finding its way onto his face.

"What? You actually thought you two were being sneaky?" Sarge poked, a cocky eyebrow raising. "'larious. You get that, Teds?"

"Pffffffft." Teddy burst out laughing, turning to look at Dave and Klaus (still with eyes the size of the Moon). He walked backward on the docks, holding his arms out all wide and presentational as he went.

"We fucking knew before even you guys did, please!" He giggled, shaking his head as if they were being the crazy ones right now. Big Al just snickered with them, obviously in on the whole conspiracy as well.

Was he dreaming? He was dreaming. Surely, Dave was going to wake up next to Klaus's ruffled hair and steady breathing any minute now…

"We'll be back in thirty. I'm serious though, no funny business. Hear me?" Sarge instructed, turning and walking off still chuckling under his breath. "Thought they were bein' sneaky. Fucking 'larious." He grumbled under his breath.

Then they were gone, leaving their stunned victims to fend for themselves in their stone-still composures. Dave felt like if he moved, this fabricated simulation he obviously was trapped in would collapse.

"Uh…" He heard his voice escaping his lips. He sensed Klaus sit up beside him, his hand reaching up to slowly and cautiously remove his sunglasses. Neither of them could tear their eyes from the spot that Sarge and Teddy disappeared through the gates of a base on the riverside.

"So…" Klaus attempted at words, his head tilting to the side curiously. Dave watched him out of the corner of his eye, wishing he knew how to react to the mind-fuck that just took place. He saw the motion of Klaus's head whipping to finally look at Dave. "Wanna fuck on his boat?"

Klaus pushed Dave's shoulders into the ground with the palms of his hands, holding himself up over Dave with a giddy smile. He tried to catch his breath for a moment after a good amount of time making out. His shirt had been torn off long ago, but now he wanted Dave to join him.

"What if they come back?" Dave chuckled, still allowing Klaus to inch up the hem of his shirt until it was over his head. Klaus moved down Dave's body just a bit to kiss his jaw, his neck, and his collarbone.

"They said," Kiss. ", thirty minutes."

"God." Klaus felt Dave's voice reverberate in his throat as he nuzzled his neck. "I can't believe that."

"What? Thirty minutes seems like a pretty acceptable-"

"That they know about us." Dave rolled his eyes, beaming up at Klaus mockingly.

Oh yeah. That. Klaus wasn't thrown off all too easily, but that moment took him for quite a spin. He wished he hadn't just frozen there like a damn statue and whipped something back at their teasing, but they got him that time. He and Dave did think they were being sneaky.

"Oh, right." Klaus tried to cover. "Knew that."

"Uh-huh."

"I mean… I thought we were being discreet."

"Appears not."

Klaus thought about it, hands still pressed into Dave's chest to keep himself elevated. Dave took the time to run his fingertips along the skin of Klaus's abdomen, cresting over his muscles and down into the dips of his skin.

"...But a man can go wrong when he's busted…" Dave quietly sang as he did because of course, he had a song for this moment. "Ray Charles. In case you were wondering."

Klaus smirked and shook his head at Dave before his mind traveled far off again. Klaus replayed the moment they realized their friends knew until he finally burst out with a high-pitched chuckle, shaking his head.

"What?"

"It's 'larious." Klaus imitated and agreed with Sarge, taking on the gruff southern voice as he always did when mocking Bates.

"It's not!" Dave said, laughing despite his protests. "What if other people have seen us?"

"I don't know. What if other people have seen us?" Klaus reflected the question right back at him. Dave seemed to ponder this, pinned by the interrogation. He shrugged the best he could with Klaus holding him to the ground.

"I don't know."

"Well then stop being a worry wart." Klaus pointed out, moving back down to kiss Dave's neck. He moaned happily, accepting Klaus's movements. They were lucky the boat had a little covered area where the controls were kept. It wasn't big, but it was just roomy enough for him and Dave to comfortably mess around in without having to worry about other people on the docks.

As long as they didn't rock the boat too much.

Dave suddenly jerked back- it wasn't a noticeably huge cringe away, but it was there alright. A low hum sounded in his throat too, the kind that was involuntary. Klaus sat up enough to connect their eyes.

"Dave?"

Dave refused to look at him. Instead, he looked up towards the dials and wheels that controlled the boat. He had a tight-lipped smile like he had a secret he was too embarrassed to reveal.

"Mm?" he asked innocently. Klaus felt his own smile grow. He's been meaning to address this for a while.

"Are you ticklish?"

"No." He answered much too quickly and defensively. Klaus giggled.

"Liar."

"No, Klaus-" Dave tried to escape his hold, but Klaus had him firmly pinned down as he tried poking at Dave's ribs. He jerked away again. Something about it was deeply, menacingly satisfying for Klaus. He smiled like the devil, poking Dave lightly in his neck. He erupted into poor attempts at containing his laughter.

"You're fucking adorable."

"Stop." Dave tried to shove him off but Klaus was ruthless. He grazed his fingers lightly down Dave's sides, earning giggling convulsions in return. Finally, Dave had enough and before Klaus could put up his defenses, he was flipped off of his boyfriend's body and pinned against the floor, Dave now taking his position above him. He held Klaus's hands down.

"Yes, okay? I'm a little ticklish and I hate it. It's a stupid, pointless, awful weakness."

"Okay, but damn, can you do that move again?" Klaus asked, breathless. He shockwaves of pleasure run through him. Dave smiled knowingly, shaking his head mock-disapprovingly. He gripped Klaus's hands tighter, pushing them against the boat's hard surface. Klaus slowly closed his eyes, relishing in the nerve endings that erupted throughout his body.

C'mon, Dave.

He coaxed in his mind.

Rough is okay. Rough is good.

Instead of any other maneuver in the same realm that Klaus desperately craved, he felt soft lips gently press to his forehead. He opened his eyes to see Dave lovingly stare down at him, their noses almost touching.

"Still not gonna hurt you."

"What if I say please?"

"No."

"What if I tickle you more?"

"Absolutely not."

They made out more after that. Right when Klaus was starting to toy with Dave's pants zipper, voice wafted over the water and surrounded the boat. Teddy, Al, and Sarge were on their way back again.

"Already?" Klaus whined, face twisting in disappointment. Dave pouted in sympathy, kissing his nose.

"Sarge probably gave us a BS time frame, ready to catch us in the act."

"Then they shouldn't be so damn loud on the way back."

Dave sat up and worked on getting his shirt back over his head. Klaus sat back on his heels and wiggled his hand into his pocket.

I know you're in there.

Finally, his fingers reached the plastic wrapping of his little pill baggie. He pulled it out, fingers growingly anxious in the way they shook for a fix. Sometimes Klaus got so wrapped up with Dave that he didn't notice how much his body craved more drugs. When his contact with Dave ended though, it hit him like a freight train.

Klaus dumped three pills into his hand, ready to pop those suckers.

Dave watched him from a few feet away. He didn't say anything. He didn't frown or make any kind of expression of judgment- He just… watched.

Trying to ignore him, Klaus raised his palm towards his mouth.

But God Damnit, Dave.

Klaus finally allowed his eyes to meet Dave's. He sighed, hissing at Dave's blank gaze. He put a pill back in the bag.

Two's still good.

But still- those eyes. They traveled from Klaus's hand to his face and over his features. Maybe it was outwardly judging him, but inwardly, you bet your ass.

"UuuuuUUAGH." Klaus groaned in frustration, stuffing another pill back and hurriedly throwing the one into his mouth before he could be persuaded off of even that.

"Proud of you."

"Shut up."

But did part of Klaus love when Dave took care of him?

Yes. Yes indeed.

Thank Christ Teddy, Al and Sarge brought back food. It wasn't half-bad either; foil-wrapped chicken and vegetables that was still gloriously warm. Sure, the day itself was as hot as Satan's asshole, but you rarely got good, warm food in Vietnam. This was a treat. This whole day kind of felt like a treat to be honest. If Klaus closed his eyes and daydreamed enough, he imagined that he and Dave were on a cruise somewhere far off in the Caribbean or some shit.

The guys ate their lunch ravenously as Sarge finished "gassing up" the boat, then returning on board. He took a quick glance at Dave and Klaus, both innocently blinking back, then he narrowed his eyes and did a sweep around the area. Klaus watched him with a scowl.

"You expecting to find my panties somewhere, Sergeant?"

"Klaus, Jesus." Dave elbowed him. "But while we're on the topic… How long have you guys known?"

If Dave didn't bring it up right then, Klaus was about to. Maybe that's why Dave made sure he was the one to cut in first- Not even Klaus himself knew what would come out of his mouth in regard to their current situation with their friends.

"Ehhhh… Three weeks, give or take." Teddy happily groaned, taking another bite of his food. "This is damn good chicken, I'll tell you what."

Klaus and Dave exchanged glances. Fuck, they were all so nonchalant about it. That was a good sign, right?

"But… You're the only ones that know… right? I mean, we weren't being too obvious, were we?" Dave cautiously asked. Klaus could sense the muscles in his arm tensing against Klaus's own as he did when he awaited the answer to a loaded question.

"Pfft. You kidding me? Sneaking off at night. Disappearing when we go downtown. Shit, just the fucking googly eyes since day one."

"Oh my God…" Dave muttered, covering his face with his hands. Everyone laughed, admittedly, Klaus included. He got the confident sense that they were safe- this was fine. Fine enough for Klaus to feel comfortable in poking fun at Dave a little bit anyway. If it was a problem of any kind, they would've known by now.

"But nah, no one else knows. Not even Don Juan, which-"

"Don't tell Donnie." Al cut in, raising his forkful of chicken at them warningly. He bit it, shaking his head to emphasize his point.

"What- Why?" Klaus asked, confused. Al and Teddy exchanged glances and went to explain, but Dave cut in before they could.

"Don's traditional. Conventional. Conservative. Plus, he's got that 'God' thing going on."

"Oh. He's one of those religious types?"

"Don't get us wrong. It's not that he means to be a bad guy, but-"

"He just won't get it."

"But for us though-"

"We couldn't care less."

"Nah, as long as we get to make fun of your dumb asses." Teddy sniggered, ending his fast-paced back and forth of "finishing each other's sentences" with Big Al.

With Sarge already disinterested and in the pit driving the boat again (or maybe he was doing that thing about not getting close to his subordinates so that he could sacrifice them if it came to it… yikes) and Big Al taking a "Quick siesta. Don't wait up.", that left Klaus and Dave totally open for Teddy's continual harassment.

"So… you guys kissed yet?"

"Wanna see?" Klaus raised his eyebrows challengingly, darting forward and licking the side of Dave's face before he could block him.

"Klaus." Dave berated and pushed his face away, wiping off his skin with a scowl. Teddy and Klaus giggled like kids.

"Have you…" Teddy trailed off, raising his eyebrows suggestively. Klaus and Dave both stared, waiting for him to finish. "You know…" Klaus tilted his head as if he didn't know when really, it was pretty easy to figure out. Finally, Teddy broke into what could only be described as a "naughty" smile. "How's Katz in bed?"

"My God." Dave muttered, shaking his head and turning away, not justifying Teddy's prodding with an answer. That's okay- Klaus was happy to oblige.

"Not here. I'll tell you all about it later."

That earned him a slap in the chest from the back of Dave's hand, just making him snort with laughter.

"Don't worry, doll. All good things."

Teddy was truly living up to Klaus's original nickname for him, Giggles. It was kind of precious how giddy he was about the whole thing. A relief for sure after Klaus and Dave had spent so long wondering if their own friends would reject their relationship.

"So, do you loooooooove him?" Teddy swooned. He said it with a big goofy smile and little chuckles that showed that he was 100% fucking with them, but how was he to know about their "I love you" war from a week ago?

The question was directed more to Dave, so Klaus tapped out. He was interested in how his boyfriend would react to this one. Pretty straight and simple, actually:

"Yes."

Teddy's giggles stopped in their tracks. He looked at them with a blank face. Wow- something actually shut Teddy up; a truly amazing phenomenon.

"Shit… So, you're not just fucking around, huh?" He asked in all seriousness.

Embarrassingly, Klaus couldn't hold back the wide, cheesy smile that spread across his face like butter. Something about hearing Dave admit it confidently out loud to other people made his heart thump just a bit faster and heat rise to his face.

Sometimes Klaus despised what this guy did to him… In the most wonderful way.

To make it even "worse", Dave lazily wrapped an arm around Klaus's waist and leaned in to kiss his temple. He felt Dave's breath against his hairline and the warmth of his lips on his skin, making his whole body tingle. Klaus smiled wider and had to turn his head away to try to hide his grossly boyish expression.

"Aw, look at him- All smiley and shit." Teddy teased as Klaus tried to force down the corners of his lips. He could feel Dave chuckling beside him too.

Yeah, yeah. Laugh it up.

Klaus flipped his sunglasses down over his face again, covering his mouth with his hand when he was unsuccessful in taming his damn face muscles.

"Fuck off, Teddy."

"You made Boots all shy!"

"Fuck off, Teddy."

That just made him laugh harder.

When the relentless teasing died down, Klaus was relieved to find them all able to return to their regular back and forth conversation with each other. They talked about Abrahms who recently took control of the whole Vietnam War fiasco in terms of American involvement. They talked about the food they were going to binge on until they died when they returned home. They talked about how Don was the next of them ready to go- He only had a couple of months left before he could take the "Freedom Bird" out of here.

It was comforting to know that bringing Dave and Klaus's relationship to light didn't change all too much about their friendship with their comrades. Klaus would feel terrible if he mucked up other relationships for Dave- For himself, he could handle, but not if it was directed at David.

After a pretty damn good day, they, unfortunately, arrived at their destination. No one knew exactly where they were or what they were to be doing next once the boat slowed to a stop- so far, it had been strictly "need to know" as operations often were. Klaus hated being a good dog, expected to blindly follow orders. If that's what he had to do to survive this damn thing so that he could make it to the other side with Dave though, then that's what he'd do.

"Where's Sarge going?" Big Al asked, watching the Sargeant get off the boat wordlessly and walk into a little shack by the docks.

"Should we follow?"

"Nah. I'll go ask. Wait here." Dave said, but when Klaus turned to him, all he could focus on was the way Dave stared at the water like it would reach out and swallow him whole. There was a pretty hefty step from the boat to the dock, and while Klaus knew that Dave's fear wasn't that bad, he felt obligated to be a good boyfriend anyway.

"No, no. I'll go." He said, getting up before Dave could protest. He hopped off the boat and onto the dock, feeling a wave of confusion hit when his body that was so used to a moving vessel hit solid ground. Klaus staggered a bit, feeling like Jack Sparrow, but eventually made his way to the little house.

He poked his head in.

"Sargie?" He called. "Boy wanna know what to do."

Bates popped his head out from where he was digging around in piles of nautical junk.

"Hang tight while I find a proper anchor." He responded half-mindedly. Klaus saluted theatrically and turned to go.

"Boots."

"Yeah?"

"Get back here."

Fuck.

"Uh… Okay."

Klaus tentatively stepped back into the tiny boathouse. Sarge's still searched through the crap-heaps, not dignifying Klaus with any sort of eye contact. Was that a good sign? Was it a bad sign? Was he in trouble? Again? Was this about Dave?

"Close the door."

"Er… No thanks."

"Close. The. Door."

Klaus cleared his throat nervously, doing as he was told. The shack was hot and stuffy, but that was the least of his worries. If he was about to be chewed out about him and Dave… Well, what then? Not being with Dave was just not an option. Klaus tried to prepare himself to try and explain that.

"Katz is a big boy. I trust his judgment." Sarge started, throwing a life preserver to the side and nearly hitting Klaus's leg. Klaus stepped out of the way, cringing a bit. "And I ain't never seen him this… With it. This engaged, see?"

"I see." Klaus agreed in a small voice, hoping this was going in the positive direction that he thought it seemed to be going in. If he had to kiss Sarge's ass right now in order to preserve everything he had with Dave, then Klaus would bite the bullet.

"I'm undecided 'bout you, though."

Oh. Okay, fair.

Klaus nodded, not knowing how to respond to that. He wasn't going to convince him otherwise or anything. Klaus knew Sarge thought he was a handful, and honestly, he couldn't argue that.

"Listen to me." Sarge straightened and looked into Klaus's eyes, expelling the air from his lungs. Shit. This was kind of terrifying. He fought to maintain that eye contact, hanging onto every word Sarge said. "Don't go pullin' him into trouble, hear?"

"O- Okay. Yeah."

"No googly eyes in the field."

"O-"

"You get distracted… you die. Yes?"

"Uh-"

"And then if you die, guess who has to deal with Dave's depressed ass?"

"Y-"

"Me. And you know what bein' depressed is?"

"Uh…"

"A distraction. If Dave's distracted, he'll die too. You want that?"

"N- No."

"Alright then. So, what am I sayin'?"

Klaus fidgeted uncomfortably. It took a lot not to spout out some kind of smart-ass retort rather than what Sarge wanted to hear, but both of them knew that Klaus wouldn't risk fucking this up for him and Dave.

"D- Don't bring it to the battlefield."

"Good boy. Out."

Klaus couldn't get out of that goddamn oven fast enough. He scurried for the door, but before he could fully scramble out of earshot-

"Hargreeves!"

Klaus froze and squeezed his eyes closed, sighing.

"Yes?"

He turned to look at Sarge through the doorway.

"And if you hurt him in any way- I got a whole fucking artillery to go ape-shit on your ass. Understand?"

Holy shit.

"Y- yes."

Sarge just turned away casually as if he didn't just threaten Klaus like a teenager trying to date his high school daughter. Klaus blinked blankly and then turned, hurrying back to the boat.

"What happened in there?" Dave asked, a slightly worried crease in his brow. Klaus shivered and shook his head out like a wet dog, trying to regain his usual bravado.

"I think I just got the Dad talk."

Dave's worried frown turned into an amused smirk. He patted Klaus on the back comfortingly, most likely knowing Sarge well enough to guess what all went down in that shack.

"Alright, kids!" Sarge yelled much too loud for his short distance from them, walking back with a large, misshapen hunk of metal. He tied it to their PBR's anchor rope to reinforce the weight, dropping it into the water. "They've got us put up in a tent on the far end of Katum Camp. The rest of our squad is already there so get a move on."

They did, Klaus and Dave's arms grazing as they walked per usual but this time, with a whole different environmental context around them.

The day left Klaus with a lot to think about on their walk to their new basecamp:

1. Their friends were amazing treasures that he would never take for granted.
2. Don't bring feelings to the battlefield or else "He'll die, then Dave will be sad, then Dave will die, and everyone will just be fucking dead"
3. Don't let Don Juan find out.

So, of course, what happens almost immediately?

Don Juan finds out.

Chapter Text

June 10 th , 1968.

Wow… A month? A month since Klaus and Dave got together. Klaus couldn't decide if it felt like it had flown by or if it had felt like a lifetime. Either way, it was the best month he's ever had in his life. Isn't that nuts? He gets stranded 50 years prior to his home timeline in the middle of a freaking war, for God's sake, and he still manages to find the most amazing time of his life.

"Thanks." Klaus told Dave, genuinely more grateful than he's ever been to another human being. Dave smiled sweetly, tilting his head towards Klaus to move in closer.

"Pleasure's all mine."

"Happy one month, Kitty-Katz."

"Happy one month, Booties."

The past four days or so had been alright. Katum Camp was similar to the first base Klaus time traveled to in A Shau- Small, muggy, and kind of shitty. He and Dave tried to make the best of their situation though. Whenever they could manage to have the tent to themselves, they relished in the moment. Teddy and Al were a huge help, keeping people away the best they naturally could when they knew Dave and Klaus managed to find some alone time.

They didn't dare to do anything too "riskay" in the potential-public confines of the tents though. For that, they used the same boat shack that Sarge gave Klaus "the talk" in. No one used that thing unless it was to throw junk into to add to the heaps. It was perfect in terms of privacy, even if it wasn't all too glamorous in every other respect.

It also happened to turn into the place that Klaus would always remember as the shack that he practically drove Dave past breaking point.

Here's the dealio- Klaus was totally okay with the sex. In fact, that was a severe understatement. He was enthralled with how he felt when he was with Dave like that. He'd never felt so… with it like he was with Dave. He'd never trade that experience for anything.

But Klaus liked to push Dave. Not just in bed, but in every respect. As he said, Klaus had a sense for Dave's more unexplored corners. Klaus brought something out in him- something that was always there and that was purely Dave but that society had beaten down in him. He was more like Klaus than he wanted to admit, but Klaus wouldn't let Dave get away with that.

…Plus, the idea of Dave and him going at it fast and hard was quite the turn on if he did say so himself.

So, Klaus pursued his goal for those four days, trying to break through that gentle exterior of David Katz.

"Asshole." Dave shoved Klaus away, shrinking backward away from his menacing intent- Ever since Klaus learned that Dave was as sensitive as a fucking Tickle-Me-Elmo, he had been ruthless. It was wildly amusing to break Dave's usual sultry, hardened composure so quickly. He could be staring off with dark eyes and a stony face one moment and giggling like an idiot the next, all just because Klaus poked at his ribs or found a certain spot near his neck.

Admittedly, that wasn't the only reason Klaus harassed him though.

"Klaus-" Dave chuckled, trying to get away in the small amount of space that their "shack" allowed. "For Christ's-"

SLAM.

Dave finally had enough of the tickling and spun around, gripping Klaus's hips and pinning him against the wall with a loud bang. Klaus pulled in a sharp breath, biting his bottom lip to keep from smiling too much. He didn't want Dave to catch onto his evil plotting.

Unfortunately, that's exactly what happened.

Instead of keeping with the rough play like Klaus had intended, Dave did what he always did after a quick outburst of hope- Klaus's own hope that he finally pushed Dave far enough to proceed with more rugged ways, that is- he just slowed his pace, leaning in to gently press his lips to Klaus's forehead.

Klaus let his shoulders sag.

"I know what you're doing." Dave told him, kissing his temple, then his cheekbone, then the tip of his nose. Klaus smiled a bit despite himself.

"Whaaaaaaaaat," He tried to play stupid even if the jig was up.

Dave rolled his eyes and snaked his hands from Klaus's hips to his arms, running them down Klaus's skin until his fingers closed around his wrists.

Klaus's breath just barely hitched.

Dave moved his arms behind Klaus's back, holding him hostage. From absolutely nowhere, Klaus felt an abrasive pressure against flesh.

Woah. Where did the rope come from?

His heart jumped excitedly. It picked pace, thumping against his chest cavity.

Finally. After days of harassing Dave, he found success. Whoever said that persistent patterns of being purely annoying didn't get you anywhere?

"Congrats. This is what you wanted, right?" Dave kissed Klaus lightly, looking into his eyes while tying his wrists together and to a wooden support beam behind them. Klaus let a small smile slip.

"Mm." He agreed, trying not to seem too excited. Dave chuckled, finishing with a tight pull of the rope to make sure it was secure. He brought his arm back around Klaus's body, trailing up his bare chest, his neck, and ultimately above his eyes. He gently touched his fingertips to Klaus's eyelids, sliding them closed.

Ooh. Okay. Okay.

"I have to admit," Dave muttered against his lips, leaning down to gently bite at Klaus's neck. Klaus very willingly tilted his head back to allow Dave full access. He fidgeted eagerly against his restraints. "You finally pushed me far enough." Dave kissed his throat gently one last time before his presence and heat disappeared from Klaus's body.

Klaus let his eyes open enough to see Dave's figure moving out the door of the shack.

"Er… Dave? Where are you going?"

"To go enjoy a nice respite after four days of your cruel tickling BS."

Klaus blinked.

"What!? Dave!"

"Sorry, baby. This one's on you." He called back, out of sight with his voice getting more and more distant.

"DAVID!" Klaus roughly yanked his wrists in his constraints, trying to break free. This wasn't happening.

That. Little. Bitch.

"Love you!" Dave called, sounding like he was already off the docks and on his way back to camp. "I'll be back. Probably."

"Fuck you!"

"I love you too!"

"No, I- Ugh…" Klaus tried to contort his body enough to slip out from the rope, but the knot was a damn good one. He kicked his heel into the beam, he slammed his shoulder into the wall, he looked for any kind of sharp object.

After he exasperated himself (which didn't take long), Klaus slumped against the wall.

He couldn't believe Dave did this… Well, maybe he could. Dave was a fucking savage sometimes, even if he didn't seem like it. He could be just as much as a bitch as Klaus could be- it was just more of a shock when he pulled a move like this.

It was possible that Klaus deserved this. He had been especially annoying this week, using Dave's weakness against him in attempts to achieve the reaction he wanted from Dave. Klaus kind of liked that about him- When Klaus gave Dave bullshit, Dave fought back… apparently. Even if that meant that Klaus was now literally tied up in a shack, at least it also meant that Dave was able to keep up with Klaus's shenanigans. That couldn't be said for most people. In fact, Klaus had never found someone who kicked back this hard.

Well played, Dave.

Don't tell him that.

To speed up twenty minutes of just sitting there stewing in bitter admiration (which didn't sound long, but for someone as fidgety as Klaus, that was a lifetime), eventually Teddy's voice wafted in from somewhere in the distance.

"Boots?"

"TEDDY!" Klaus slammed his shoulder into the wall of the boathouse to make as much noise as he could. "Teddy, in here!"

"What the fuck, dude."

The kid's body showed up in the doorway- Klaus's angel sent from heaven. He stared at Klaus, shirtless and tied up, like he was the most alien thing Teds had ever laid eyes on. Klaus yanked against his restraints for extra emphasis on his current situation.

"Help a brother out, yeah?" Klaus got a smirk from Teddy who gave in, coming to untie him. "How'd you find me?"

"Katz said you might need my help on the docks."

"Oh, well isn't that just fucking precious of him."

"He did this to you?"

"Yeah! Can you believe that?"

"Pfft. The way you've been harassing him, yeah." Teddy joked.

"Whose side are you on here, Marion."

Teddy halted his efforts halfway through untying Klaus, stepping back and crossing his arms.

"You want me to untie you or not, bro?"

"Sorry, sorry. Please." Klaus begged, trying to shimmy out of the looser-but-still-not-enough rope. "Please, Teds."

Teddy laughed, giving in and setting him free.

To say the least, Klaus stopped with his "provocation" approach. He growled at Dave when he saw him after that, earning a cocky little grin. Even then, Klaus couldn't deny the hypnotizing power of those eyes. Dave knew it too.

Asshole.

"Well played." Klaus muttered indignantly into Dave's chest later that night when they found some time alone in the tent. Dave had reached forward and enveloped Klaus in his arms, maybe as an olive branch of peace. Klaus accepted, letting himself slump against Dave's body. He felt a kiss pressed against the top of his head.

"Sorry, Love." Dave chuckled, giving him a tight squeeze.

"I thought you might leave me there all day."

"Christ, Klaus. I couldn't be that cruel."

"I guess I wouldn't blame you if you did."

"You gonna stop pestering me?"

Klaus "hmphed" in hostile surrender.

"Yes."

"Thank you."

"Hmph."

Dave pulled back to kiss Klaus hard on the lips, pulling their hips together even with the sounds of a few soldiers out by the bonfire not too far from the tent. Klaus smiled before joining Dave in his passion pursuit, their tongues moving against each other until the air in his lungs ran out. Klaus broke the kiss and pulled in staggering breaths, admittedly a little dizzy from the intensity.

"Love Shack?" Dave asked, an eyebrow raised with the full expectation of Klaus agreeing. Four started calling the boathouse "The Love Shack" after the second time they "used" it, a reference that Dave wouldn't understand (A song from the late 80s), but still was amused by.

"Mm." Klaus shrugged, unenthused. "Nah."

Dave looked stunned.

"What?"

"I said, Nah."

"Klaus, are you actually upset that I left you tied up in there?"

"No! Of course, not." Klaus answered honestly, moving to go lie down in his own cot. Dave frowned.

"Then what is it?"

"Nothing. Just… You know… Nah." Klaus casually chirped, shimmying under his covers and pulling them up over his chest as he stared up at the canvas-clad ceiling. Dave scoffed.

"Oh." He said, Klaus watching him nod out of the corner of his eye. "I see."

"See what, Dave Dearest?"

"See what you're doing. This is your new approach, right? You think by abstaining, I'll get all freaky like you want?"

Klaus tried to force down his smile, but small instances of the expression carved itself into his face. Apparently, this was enough of an answer for Dave.

"Fine, fine." He said, in the same mockingly casual tone as Klaus. "But you know, Klaus, I can hold out way longer than you can."

"Oh yeah?"

"Oh yeah."

"It's on, Katz."

"You bet, Hargreeves."

And so, started the "Abstinence War of June, 1968"… Because when were Dave and Klaus not at mini-war with each other?

The next day, the boys were all shipped out to the bridges on the Cambodia border to keep guard, expecting an attack anytime now. It didn't happen that specific day, so that meant another day just sitting there, gun in hands, staring at the empty river.

It also meant a lot of narrow-eyed, challenging looks passed between Klaus and Dave. They had developed their own kind of "hand-signal-lip-reading" language between the two of them in the past month or so, and would sporadically send each other teasing messages from opposite sides of the tall bridge they patrolled.

At the end of that same day, Dave wrapped his arms around Klaus from behind, surprising him in the empty tent while he collected his stuff to hit the showers. Klaus smiled and let him, leaning his head back into Dave's shoulder.

"Hi, you." Dave rested his chin on Klaus's shoulder, swaying their bodies back and forth like they were caught in a subtle dance to invisible music.

"Hiya, Papaya." Klaus hummed happily.

For a moment, it was like they weren't engaged in their own secret battle at all.

But then, Dave spun Klaus around and tried to kiss him. Klaus ducked away, planting a quick kiss on Dave's cheek instead. He sighed in disappointment.

"Really? I can't kiss you either?"

"I didn't make the rules, Dave." Klaus shrugged, fake-apologetically.

"Okay… Except you did, so…"

"Well hey, you could always fight for a kiss."

"Not hurting you, Klaus." Dave reiterated flatly for the billionth time since he met him.

"A little dirt never hurt."

Dave laughed.

"Have a nice shower."

"Thank you! I will." Klaus stripped very suddenly, leaving nothing but his underwear on, making a point to do so in Dave's full view before picking up his towel and slinging it over his shoulder. Dave looked away, rolling his eyes. He pointed at the exit.

"Stop taunting. Out."

"Yes, sir." Klaus saluted, skipping out of the tent, not caring who saw him nearly-streak all the way to the shower area.

The next day, tensions rose even higher… Both in the Vietnam battlefield and in Dave and Klaus's own. Reports were flying in that the VC was nearing the border and the Lieutenant was sure that today was the day they'd see bloodshed.

Nope.

But the standstill gave Klaus and Dave even more time to taunt each other from opposite ends of the bridge.

At the end of the day, Dave tried to steal himself a kiss. He swooped in, catching Klaus on the way back from the bathrooms, nearly attacking him to get his split-second opportunity to achieve his goal.

Klaus's reflexes were too fast though. He ducked away, spinning out of Dave's grasp and shaking a finger at him.

"Tsk-tsk, David." He scolded, giggling as Dave chased him across the camp. They made it all the way back to their tent where thankfully, other men milled inside so Klaus was safe from Dave's advances.

"I'll get you." Dave muttered to Klaus, out of breath as they got ready for bed.

"Maybe in your dreams, Bitch."

Dave smiled and flipped Klaus off, Klaus just responding with a seductive lick of his lips and a wink. Dave shook his head and flopped into his bed- another night devoid of intimacy for them both. Klaus thought he saw Dave's resolve weakening… At least, he hoped he did. This was becoming just as much of a punishment for Klaus as it was a test for Dave. Klaus just couldn't let onto that fact.

This wasn't even so much a device to get Dave to get rough anymore… Klaus kind of just wanted to win. Dave really brought out his competitive side. Klaus kind of liked it. It meant he cared about something. He hadn't had this much consistent, healthy fun in years.

Next day… Same shit in the world of Vietnam.

High tensions in the world of Klaus and Dave.

Klaus laid there in his cot that night, too hot to bring himself to wear a shirt, even resorting to peel off his pants at some point in the twilight. Dave was awake for all of it (hopefully the only one awake, but Klaus didn't much care either way) and watched Klaus with longing eyes. In the dull, flickering lantern light, Klaus laid his body on top of his sheets so he was exposed in the air and for Dave's hungry eyes. He rested his hand on his chest, breathing slowly and deliberately while looking straight into Dave's eyes, a little smirk playing on his face.

"What?" He whispered. Dave rolled his eyes.

"Nothing. Nothing at all."

Klaus wriggled his body a bit as if he was trying to get comfortable.

"Oh. Okay." He said innocently, reaching into his bag on the floor and pulling out a joint. He licked the end, sealing the paper tightly together using his saliva as the glue, even though the joint was already pretty damn sealed. It was all for the show though. Dave fidgeted uncomfortably as Klaus lit the end of, pulling in a deep breath and blowing smoke from between his lips.

He knew Dave already loved to watch him smoke… Doing so in just his underwear was sure to drive him nuts, even if he was trying his hardest to hide it.

"Want some?" Klaus offered. Dave sighed.

"No."

"You sure?" Klaus coaxed. "You don't want some of this?"

"You talking about the weed or-"

"Whatever you want, David. Choice is yours."

"Oh, stuff it."

"Whatever you say, Love."

Dave chuckled and shook his head, turning away from Klaus's cruel display.

"Goodnight, Klaus."

"Night, Dave."

The next day was rough, and not in the way that Klaus craved. Both of them were being tortured with this "bet" of sorts, and it was showing in the way their bickering reached new heights.

"Do not."

"Do too."

"Do not."

"Just repeating your denial over and over again isn't going to change anything."

"Name one time."

"Right now."

"Okay. Name a different time." Klaus crossed his arms.

"Every other single time before this, Princess."

"Drama Queen."

"Oh, I'm the Drama Queen." Dave crossed his arms right back.

"MY GOD." A third voice erupted into the fold- Teddy. He exploded at the two bickering idiots while they all rode on the back of the truck to their regularly scheduled bridge watch. "SHUT. UP."

Klaus didn't blame him. He and Dave had been going at it nonstop since breakfast and it was only getting worse. They weren't full on fighting- just getting on each other's nerves. Currently it was about Klaus taking up all the space on the bench with his beer cooler and "carelessly" stretched out pose. And in return, Klaus thought Dave was just being a control freak.

They both quieted when Teddy stepped in though, pouting one foot apart. They've bickered before on countless occasions, so Klaus doubted that their discrepancies were totally due to the whole 'no intimacy' thing, but that certainly attributed to it.

Their time on guard was the same general shit too- they were constantly on each other's asses. To be honest, a lot of it became Klaus just unable to keep his mouth shut when he knew he was already driving Dave nuts and vice versa.

On the drive back, they elbowed each other to try to fight for more room on the bench, finally exhausting their efforts and deciding that not conversing was best for everyone. At some point Dave tilted his head over towards Klaus, elbowing him, but with a gentler intention.

"I love you, Princess." He said softly enough for only Klaus to hear over the hum of the truck. Klaus rolled his eyes but couldn't help smiling.

"I love you, Drama Queen."

"But you know I'm right."

"Oh, bullshit!"

When they got back to Katum Camp, they weren't allowed to relax just yet. They had them help pull in a capsized boat from the river. Klaus had reached the point that he only had gotten to with his siblings before- the mocking phase.

"Seriously, Klaus?"

"Seriously, Klaus?"

Dave huffed as they trailed behind the rest of their squad, leaving the docks after successfully pulling the PBR caught sideways in the currents. He carried a few hauls of rope from their efforts, ready to put them back into storage.

"Okay. Please stop channeling your inner five-year-old and help me with-"

"Please stop channeling your inner five-year-old and help-"

Thump.

The ropes were dropped to the ground and Klaus's body was shoved into the boathouse that conveniently came up on the right, colors flying by his vision and his world being whipped into a 180 faster than he could comprehend. It wasn't until his back hit the hard surface of their "shack" that he realized what had happened.

And as soon as Klaus was able to conceptualize that, his hands were being tied.

"Oh shit, you're not gonna leave me here again, are-"

Dave's lips stopped Klaus's words in their tracks, kissing him hard and wasting no time at all to move down his jaw and neck where he left trails of bite marks and most definitely hickeys when this was all said and done.

Without him even realizing it at first (he was much too into the feeling of Dave practically attacking his neck currently) Klaus's hands were raised and tied above his head to another post that supported the low shack's ceiling… Well, he was stuck here whether he liked it or not.

But oh man, did he like it.

His hips stung, sending all kind of shockwaves through his body- Dave's fingernails were gripping waist firmly, moving down until he gripped the back of Klaus's legs and lifted him so that they were wrapped around Dave's waist.

He slammed Klaus against the wall mercilessly, pinning him there with their bodies flush against each other.

So… Was it safe to say Klaus won this war? If so, now probably wasn't the best time to bring it up. Even if Klaus was so inclined to do so, he was so overcome with a plethora of constant sensations coming at him from every which-way that he didn't think he'd be able to utter one single cocky word.

It was pretty damn amusing the Dave broke only 10 minutes before Klaus was planning on giving in though. Maybe he'd just keep that part to himself.

While Dave worked to undress them both (something not all too easy while holding a tied up Klaus against the wall), he never stopped his fast, constant rhythm- He kissed up Klaus's jaw until Klaus could feel the painstakingly pleasurable warmth of Dave's heavy breath in his ear. Klaus closed his eyes. He'd never not be in love with that feeling.

And then Dave surprised him by kissing his way up to his ear and then biting him, hard.

And fuck, Klaus was not ashamed to say he nearly lost it right then. He moaned, letting his head fall into Dave's shoulder, moving his hips as forward as he could in this position, begging to feel Dave.

He obliged, almost finished with the process of tearing off any remaining clothing that was separating them from one another. While he did, he braced Klaus steadily against the supports behind him, one hand roughly gripping his hip and the other finding his way to Klaus's neck, his fingers wrapping around his throat. It was nothing nearly as intense as Klaus has experienced before with other random "pain-aficionados"- Dave never squeezed hard enough to cut off Klaus's breathing (although he would be very much okay with that) but just enough so Klaus could feel a dull, throbbing pain at Dave's fingertips and a strangely comforting dizziness in his head from the pressure on his airway.

Hey. Don't judge.

"Dave… Please. Need you." Klaus begged, his voice just a bit more raspy than usual. He tightened his legs around Dave's waist and his boyfriend did not refrain from giving Klaus exactly what he craved.

But holy guaca-fucking-mole, Klaus was hardly ready for the pain of having:

1. No lubricant in sight

2. No sex at all for the past few days

…And Dave did not spare any expense. He slammed into Klaus hard and fast just like Klaus had been practically pleading him to do for weeks now, but God Damn.

Klaus had to bite down on Dave's shoulder to keep his moans down to an acceptable level. His eyes squeezed shut and his fingernails dug into the palms of his own hands where they were still tied up above his head.

The pain quickly melded into a duller throbbing that wasn't distinguishable between pleasure- the two sensations became one as they often did in Klaus's world. Just the fact that he had managed to push Dave into a whole different realm than he was used to seeing him in… Well, that alone probably turned Klaus on most of all.

They didn't draw anything out as they liked to when they went all slow and gentle and intimate… Dave kept up an impressive pace that had Klaus whimpering for release in no time. Dave was also getting there- he could tell. He removed his hand from Klaus's throat to pressed kisses and bites there instead, often groaning into his skin as his body tensed with each movement that picked up the pace.

It only took Dave coming for Klaus to tip over that peak as well- Speaking of which, the guy always managed to remember a condom without Klaus even noticing. At least one of them was responsible, and it wasn't even the one who was introduced to the invention of the term Aids or HIV yet.

Admittedly though, that was the last thing on Klaus's mind as he came down from his "Dave-high", his body quite literally trembling all over, his chest heaving for air that seemed just out of his reach. The shack was filled with the sound of both of their heavy breathing patterns, both Dave and Klaus just taking a moment slumped up against the wall and each other trying to grip reality again.

Klaus didn't even realize that Dave had bit his shoulder near the end there, but the pain was flaring up in an aching sting- he loved it. It was like the equivalent of Dave taking a Sharpie and writing "Dave was here" on Klaus's skin, and Klaus adored that.

When David gathered himself, he gathered Klaus as well- he held him in his arms, rubbing his back gently and lovingly in contrast from the intensity of what just went down. He nuzzled himself into Klaus's shoulder, pressing gentle kisses there and just making Klaus's shivers intensify. He was starting to feel like he did that first night that he and Dave got together at the club- like an out of control Chihuahua.

"I know you said not to ask, but are you okay?" Dave mumbled into Klaus's skin, kissing up his neck until their eyes met and their foreheads pressed together lightly. Klaus let out a breathy, stuttering chuckle.

"It's sexy that you care." Klaus assured him, kissing him on the lips. "And, yes. I'm perfect. Thank you." He said, grateful both for the fact that after having rough sex like that, no one had ever bothered to actually check on Klaus (even if Klaus always loved it, the sentiment was lovely), but also that after so much pestering, Dave finally gave into Klaus's craving for the more… unconventional fucking.

"You don't have to thank me for something that I enjoyed too." Dave admitted, a small and even slightly-embarrassed smile crossed his lips. Klaus giggled at him. What a saint.

"Oh, goodie! See?"

"Yeah, yeah. You may have been right with this one, Asshole." Dave rolled his eyes, kissing Klaus again.

"Takes a big man to admit that, David. Thanks. Feels good."

"Don't push it."

Klaus smirked, but it soon faded as a cringe took over.

"Hey, look… Usually I'm all up for staying like this, like, forever… But I lost feeling in my arms a long time ago, so…"

"Oh, shit. Sorry."

Dave reached up and untie Klaus's wrists so that they could move again. Klaus instantly wrapped them around Dave's neck, partially because that's what he's been craving to do ever since they were tied there and partially because it was a good place to rest his limbs that he could not feel whatsoever.

"Dave?"

Dave lowered them both to the ground so they could take some more time to catch their breath. Dave's arms wrapped protectively around Klaus, pulling him against his chest as they laid against the mounds of nautical junk scattered around.

Thank God, they laid out towels on the ground a while ago when they started using the shack. Klaus did not fancy the idea of laying on the dirty cement ground after that.

"Yeah?"

"Just so you know… I'm more than happy with our sex, you know, without anything freaky or rough or-"

Dave's lips stopped Klaus's talking… again. He was grateful though. Dave pulled back and smiled sweetly at him.

"Klaus… I want to do everything and anything with you. I'm not going to do anything I don't wanna do."

Klaus felt the small part of himself that was kind of nervous about that, dissipate… He didn't want to push Dave into doing anything just because he was being annoyingly forceful about it. He never doubted that Dave was much too mature and confident to let Klaus "bully" him, but still. Klaus would hate for Dave to ever do anything against his own grain just to please Klaus.

That was comforting though; comforting and in Dave's normal realm of stunning sweetness that always flared up a sickeningly happy feeling in Klaus's stomach.

"I love you."

"I love you."

They kissed again, this go-around, taking their time and being slow and explorational as if words just couldn't express what either of them was thinking right now, but if they tried, maybe they could show it instead.

"I hate it, but we should go." Dave eventually had to break the bad news. Klaus sighed.

"Nothing gold can stay." He agreed bitterly, earning a surprised raise of an eyebrow from Dave.

"Wow, fancy. Did you just quote Ron Rash poetry?"

"The Outsiders. With Patrick Swayze." Klaus corrected, but of course, Dave wouldn't understand that. The movie didn't exist yet. Maybe the book did, but Klaus wouldn't know.

Klaus wished he could say they just got dressed, kissed one more time, and then headed back to camp. He wished he could say that the rest of the day was boring and uneventful- the same as always as they sat around a fire, downed a few beers with friends, and went to bed, ready to go through the same routine tomorrow.

But, that's not how shit went down.

Klaus and Dave were in the middle of pulling clothing back onto their bodies, trying to hide any signs that they just went crazy on each other in the boathouse. It was a little more difficult for Klaus with all the marks forming on his skin. Dave frowned when he noticed all of his bruising and bite marks, running his fingertips along the patterns that he left all over Klaus's body.

"Oh, don't give me that, Bitey." Klaus brushed his hands away. "I love them." He examined his own body, touching his fingers to the areas of pain and finding some impressive bruises and marks. "This one's William. This shall be Edgar. This is-"

"Stop naming them, you freak." Dave laughed, kissing Klaus's forehead. "You're truly shameless, aren't you?"

"You love it."

"I'm in love with it." Dave corrected, creating a flight of butterflies in Klaus's stomach. Even after a month, he still felt spells of nervous but excited stomach flips when Dave hit him with those smooth one-liners.

BAM.

The door to the boathouse swung open and someone rushed inside, grabbing some logs of wood that were kept in the corner. Klaus and Dave froze where they stood, half-dressed at best. The person was obviously here for other means, not even noticing Klaus and Dave at first. In the split second he had to react, Klaus thought-

Don't move. Then he can't sense us.

Oh wait… Or is that a T-Rex?

And this wasn't a T-Rex… This wasn't Jurassic Park… This was Don Juan, and it only took him two seconds to realize that he wasn't alone in the little shack. His eyes flickered up to Dave and Klaus who froze where they stood, Klaus still in his underwear and Dave holding his shirt in front of his pants that were on, but still not fastened.

"Uh…" Klaus tried to think of some kind of bullshit- anything that could explain their current situation without mentioning what actually was going on. Before he could though, Don Juan held out his hands in front of him as if to say,

'Okay. Shit. I don't want to know.'

He grabbed a few logs and hurried out like he was running from a wildfire. Dave and Klaus were left alone once again.

A few moments went by until Dave finally broke the tense silence.

"Shit."

Dave and Klaus didn't talk much for the rest of the night. They took showers (separately), got dressed (separately) and nervously went to the fire as much as they both dreaded it. Dave said if they didn't go, it would just make things worse. They had to keep moving as if this didn't change anything, and maybe, maybe, it wouldn't.

But it did. At the fire, Don Juan wouldn't even look at them. He didn't talk, not that he was the talkative type, but it was still weird and noticeable. In fact, it seemed like every single person around that fire noticed that something in the air wasn't quite right. Teddy caught Klaus's attention at one point when everyone went silent, a phenomenon that wasn't common for their particular group of friends.

'What happened?' He mouthed to Klaus.

Klaus didn't answer with words. Instead, his eyes just deliberately flickered over to Don Juan who's eyes were currently cast down, his eyebrows furrowed as if he was scornful. When Klaus's gaze made its way back to Teddy, it was clear that the kid understood.

'Shit.' He mouthed.

'Yeah.' Klaus mouthed back.

Later when everyone started peeling off to go to bed, Klaus leaned over to Dave.

"I'm gonna talk to him."

'What- No, Klaus! No offense, but I don't think that you out of all-"

Klaus didn't listen though. He got up and followed Don Juan to where he was quickly walking back towards the tent.

"Donnie! Donnie Juanie, wait…"

He didn't dignify Klaus with an answer. He just kept walking. Klaus had to fall into a trot to keep up.

"Hey, listen- About what you saw-"

"I didn't see nothin'." He flatly cut in, keeping his eyes forward.

"Okay, but you clearly did, so-"

"I have nothin' to say to you, Hargreeves. Back off."

Klaus stopped for a split second, a little taken aback by the harshness of his tone. Don Juan wasn't any kind of sugar-and-spice-and-everything-nice, but he had never sounded that cruel. Plus, he always called him "Boots". He never called him Hargreeves to Klaus's recollection.

Klaus wouldn't back down though.

"I just don't want anything to change. Nothing's different, really. I-" Klaus tried to reach forward and gently touch his arm in hopes to get him to slow, but Don jerked away like Klaus had just touched him with a hot poker.

Jesus Christ, Klaus realized he was now practically Satan in Don's eyes. He tried not to let it get to him. He's dealt with people like this before- people who for one reason or another liked to blame things they didn't understand for all of the world's evil and injustice. This was a little more poignant though- this was someone who used to be their friend, and if he lost that, Klaus would live. But if Klaus had to live knowing that it was because of him that Dave lost a relationship…

Well, that'd just suck.

"What did I tell you? Fuck off."

"Okay, I can deal with you not liking me or not understanding me or shunning me… Whatever you wanna do. I can't have you thinking differently of Dave though. I mean, c'mon. You guys were friends before I got here and stuff- He's still the same Dave and-"

"I don't know what to tell you, Man. He made his decision, and I'm making mine."

"Pfft. And what's that?"

"To not associate. Now fuck off before I get mad."

Klaus fell behind until he stopped completely, watching Don Juan stalk off to their tent, his shoulders as tense as if his muscles had been wound up into billions of tiny, tight knots.

"Well, Damn." Klaus muttered under his breath.

He and Dave were the last ones sitting at the fire by the end of the night, both of them staring into the flamed with tumultuous minds. Klaus had already informed Dave on how the altercation went down, not wanting to discourage Dave any further with Don Juan's biting reactions, but not able to keep it from him either.

"I don't know why this is bothering me so much." Klaus sighed, letting his chin fall into the palm of his hand as his elbow rested on the arm of his chair. Dave gave him a look of sympathy.

"I mean, it's understandable. We didn't do anything wrong but we're being made to believe we did."

"Yeah, but I've dealt with that before with people who are much worse. I know you have too, obviously, but-"

"Maybe just the fact that everyone else reacted so well made this extra disappointing."

Klaus pursed his lips and thought about it.

"Yeah, I guess we were kinda living in a little fantasy bubble for a while, weren't we?"

"I'm okay with our bubble."

"Me too!"

Dave chuckled, taking a stick from the ground and poking the end into the fire. They both watched the embers burn into the wood.

"It's just a reminder of where we are- Who we're surrounded by. Maybe we should be more careful."

"Well that's no fun."

But Klaus knew he was right. God forbid someone like Eugie finds out, or anyone else who had any kind of twisted "reason" to hate anyone who strayed from the traditional ways. This atmosphere- Vietnam in general- it was dangerous, even among your own people. Ever since Dave had informed Klaus about "fragging", it freaked him out a bit. It seemed all too reasonable to believe that someone would take out all their war aggression on them just for being gay.

"Well, at least he doesn't want to talk or do anything about it."

"Yeah. Count our blessings, I guess." Dave shrugged. He seemed less affected than Klaus was, surprisingly. Maybe because of everything he had been through with Mick. Klaus guessed that anything in comparison probably didn't seem half-bad. Maybe Klaus was just doting on it because he felt like he infiltrated something that Dave had before his arrival, and now with Klaus's existence, it all came crashing down.

Oh well.

"It's no secret," Dave suddenly muttered. Klaus raised his head to look at him.

"Hm?"

Dave was still zoned out into the fire.

", how strong my love is for you… It's no secret, when I tell you what I'm gonna do." He mutter-sang, making Klaus roll his eyes. It drove him crazy when it seemed like Dave was talking to him but really, he was just having a mini jam-session in his head.

"Oh."

But he could adore something that drove him insane at the same time.

"Jefferson Airplane."

"Thanks, babe."

"Anytime."

Unfortunately, things didn't change in the weeks that passed by. Not with their stalemate at the bridges, waiting for an attack that never came. Not with the new tenseness in their squad either. It was like if one gear of their machine was bent out of place, nothing moved seamlessly as it used to. Of course, Teddy, Al, and even Sarge (in his own way) were still supportive of the way things were, but just the fact that Don wasn't made everything… super fucking awkward.

Tensions at the bridge and tensions with their friends… Klaus didn't know which was stressing him out more.

One of the situations broke loose from the prolonged, agonizing tension though… And it wasn't the one with Don.

After weeks of empty promises of the VC showing their faces at the border in attempts to move into South Vietnam from Cambodia, a country that in itself was seeing a rise in communist movements, the 173rd Brigade was starting to realize that there was no attack. The whole operation kind of seemed like a joke, even if every moment spent on that bridge just felt off- Like they were waiting in line to be thrown into their own graves.

Just when they found it within them to be relaxed though- Just went Sarge started talking about pulling out of Katum and moving onto their next stationed area-

Hell broke loose.

A day that Klaus was almost positive would progress as a boring day holding his gun lazily- fifty feet above the river's surface for hours on end before a bumpy ride back to base- ended in a tsunami of fire.

Chapter Text

July 4 th , 1968.

Not the type of Fourth of July explosions that Klaus had in mind.

The heat was unbearable. He had been near big fires before- More often than he wanted to admit, Klaus was involved in parties so big that it ended in the whole place going up in smoke. That was nothing compared to this though. Klaus was sure that he was the one on fire, not the entire fucking forest around him.

That heat trick thingie happened- that thing where the world got wavy like a giant force field radiated from the flame, warping everything around him. It wasn't all slow motion and beautifully destructive like in the movies though- the crackle of fire was loud like violent tsunami crashes. The light flickered with immense speed, blinding Klaus's corneas and burning them down to nothing.

What the hell even happened?

One moment they were on the bridge as normal, the next they heard shouting, and a split second later- fire.

While it was the first initial shock of the outburst that seemed to be the worst of it, once things started dying down into a high-pitched whine and phased out sound effects, Klaus's ears seemed to have tapped out of reality on him. So what happens when reality fades out?

The dead fades in. That was all that was left for Klaus's mind to focus on when his senses maxed out... and the screams were deafening. Klaus could tell that they were screams of the dead and not the living from the way that the rest of the sounds in "real life" weren't making it to his brain. His stumbling footsteps meant nothing, the soldier next to him who was clearly screaming orders didn't make a sound, and the sound of the whole center of the bridge tumbling down was absolutely silent.

But the screams of the dead were loud as ever… and apparently, there were plenty of new initiates to the ghost world as a result of this new fiasco. For a moment, Klaus wasn't even positive that he himself wasn't one of them- Was he dead?

Well, shit. He always knew he'd go to Hell.

But when the feeling of the dead world mixing with the living became an achingly familiar pain in his chest, he knew that he, unfortunately, was feeling it for real.

Klaus just barely felt his hands covering his ears as if it'd do anything against the invisible cries around him. He didn't realize that he was still standing on wobbly legs until they buckled underneath him, sending him to the ground.

The last thing he saw the last of the bridge disappearing into the water below, taking a few men with it.

The last thing he thought was, God… Please don't be Dave. Please don't let any of those people be Dave.

And then, blissful peace and darkness.

"KATZ."

But Dave was listening. His mind was replaying the same scene over and over again-

Klaus on the other end of the bridge one moment, then a fiery chasm separating them the next. He knew that after the napalm attack had commenced, Klaus was still standing. Dave saw him covering his ears on the other side through thick smoke and in the light of raging fires.

Then, Dave was rammed into by some soldier he didn't know the name of, losing his balance but grabbing a burning-hot beam next to him. When he reeled back and turned to check on Klaus immediately again, he was gone- like he was never there in the first place.

Now, Dave was searching his recent memory time and time again to see if his mind wasn't just playing tricks on him. He was there right?

Klaus… He had to get to Klaus.

"KATZ. COME ON, BOY. DON'T GO DUMB ON ME!"

"WHAT?" Dave finally shouted over the flamed, allowing his eyes to focus on Sarge's beet-red face in front of his. Bates was yanking on his uniform, trying to drag him off the remaining carcass of the bridge end. Dave allowed his feet to uproot from their place, stumbling after his Sergeant with one last glance across the river.

His body ran without his permission, keeping in sloppy time with Sergeant Bates, not knowing where he was going or what they were doing. His lips couldn't find their way around words though until finally, the first ones that he could utter crossed the air.

"Wait- Klaus-"

"Keep going!"

"Sarge-" Dave slowed to a stop but Bates yanked his vest again.

"He's with Teddy. Christ, Katz. I said move it."

Dave felt a little bit of relief… a little. If Klaus and Teddy were together, at least that was something. That didn't mean that part of him didn't die and feel the growing distance between them. In a time like this where Dave looked back over his shoulder and saw only a wall of fire and smoke, anything could happen.

A falling, burning tree branch.

A VC's shot to the heart.

A plummet from the falling bridge.

Drowning.

Oh, God. Don't let him drown. Okay, well, don't let him die in any manner. Please, God?

"…communication center."

"What?"

"I said there are men! Trapped in that there communication center!" Sarge barked, gesturing over to a building that collapsed in the burning ruins of fallen trees and a tank that imposed on the area- definitely not one of theirs.

Dave ran shaky hands through his hair and wiped sweat from his forehead.

Alright, Katz. Trust Teddy. Trust Klaus. They're okay. You're needed here.

"O- Okay, I think I have an idea." Dave felt someone say... but it came from his mouth. The whole thing was surreal- like he was out of body. Still, something within him told him to just keep going. Keep pushing. Human screams sounded from the burning structure, all exits and entry points enclosed with burning branches or a steaming NVA tank.

"Well, fuck. Then spit it out, Son." Sarge shouted while waving over some other soldiers that escaped the bridge and were running their way. Big Al was among them. At least that was a win.

Dave did, appalled at himself for the planning strategies that came from the tip of his tongue. He felt like he was on the edge of his seat in the theater, watching an intense action film where he could imagine himself as the main character.

But he was. All of the soldiers nodded around him, taking orders from him and Sarge and stationing themselves around the burning building and taking part in Dave's (hopefully) well-crafted plan.

Dave moved around to the back of the area where the tank had rolled over the side of the building, collapsing a brick wall into a large mound of rubble. The hatch was open and smoke rose from the vehicle- clearly, there was no longer anyone in there.

Before Dave could force his head in the game and act on his own plan, he heard something.

"Ah. Ah, fuck- Fuck, help a brother out, man?" A raspy voice begged from somewhere further off in the forest. Dave didn't see anyone at first- it was just a meek cry for help that his sights were now set on finding. The man screamed. It sounded… somehow familiar. Not in a good way, but Dave couldn't describe why.

He walked around some of the rubble to see the ruins of an electric house- something not much bigger than the boathouse that he and Klaus… Well… He couldn't get caught up thinking too much of Klaus without heeling over with worry.

Anyway, there was clearly a body under a giant steel beam that used to be used in the foundation of the small building. The body was still moving. The body was about to be crushed from a giant, groaning, leaning tree that was lit in dull flames. The body was-

"…mother fucker."

"Dude. C'mon. Get up."

"Leave me be." Klaus grumbled, rolling over and burying his head away from the world.

"You're such a diva, you know that?"

"How can I forget with you always reminding me?"

Ben sighed and kicked Klaus's leg again, trying to rouse him from his drugged-out slumber in the middle of the Academy floor. The fire crackled comfortingly nearby, it's heat warming his nearly-naked body that slumped shamelessly on the carpet.

"I don't want to go to a stupid funeral."

"Neither do I, but everyone else is going!"

Klaus muttered swear words under his breath, pushing himself up and rubbing his eyes until they focused on the living room around him. He stretched out, rubbing his stomach when it growled.

"Hm… Beeeeen."

"You're hungry. I get it." Ben cut him off flatly.

"Where's my breakfast in bed, bitch?"

"How can you have breakfast in bed without a bed, dumbass?" Ben shot back, grabbing Klaus's wrist and yanking him up to his feet. Klaus's world spun as his brother did so, feeling like someone just plucked him from the ground like he was a sack of potatoes.

"Ouch. Careful with the goods, Bro. Let's eat."

Numbers Four and Six moseyed down to the kitchen where Mom was standing before the oven, her spatula cutting through the air expertly like a magic wand. In fact, Klaus remembered using the opposite end of the said spatula as a "wand" when he and Ben used to play "Wizard and Dragon" when they were little…

Until Dad would come and rip it from his grasp, that is.

"Hi, kids. Hungry?" Grace asked, smiling at Ben and Klaus sweetly. Something about her voice and her perfectly red lips sent achingly nostalgic chills down Klaus's spine. He cleared his throat and nodded, dispelling the sensation.

"Starved. Thanks, Mom."

"Take a seat."

"Yes, Ma'am." Ben agreed. As they passed by her, Klaus felt an unusual amount of heat radiating off the stove. She should be careful. It shouldn't be that hot, right? Why was it so hot?

Ben and Klaus took their seats next to each other. Klaus accidentally knocked his napkin under the table, so he leaned down to pick it up.

When he straightened, the whole table was suddenly full.

What the Hell?

Luther sat at the head. Diego to his right. Allison to his left. Vanya. Little Five. Then Ben. Finally, Klaus was at the other head of the table… or was it the foot? The end? The butt? The trailing, ostracized Pluto- excommunicated to the land of never-belonging.

Or maybe it was just simply the other side.

"Can't believe he's dead." Allison said, shaking her head sadly.

"Whatever. Kind of a selfish asshole." Diego shrugged, cleaning his knives with the table napkins.

"A pain in the ass. Better without him." Five nodded through a sip of coffee.

"Ain't that the truth." Klaus agreed. His father. His father died the other day, that's why they were here. That's why…

They were all suddenly dressed in black suits and dresses? Klaus blinked. What on Earth?

He looked down- Oh, sweet. He was wearing a fabulous dress. Nothing too fancy. It was a long-sleeved, almost jacket-like piece that he often stole from Allison when she wasn't looking.

Mom set down plates before all of them, covered by silver domes to conceal the contents inside.

"Ooh… A fancy feast for the funeral, eh?" Klaus rubbed his hands together excitedly. "Diego, dear. Will you pass the salt?"

Diego ignored him. Uh. Kay.

"V? Five?"

Nothing.

"Screw you guys, then."

Klaus was about to stand up and get the damned salt shaker himself when everyone reached forward to lift their cases off of their plates.

Pills.

Thousands and thousands of white pills spilled from everyone's plates and covered the table. No one batted an eye. His siblings simply picked up a fork and knife and started to eat it like it was fucking Chicken Piccata.

"Uh…"

"Shame how he kind of just, like… Took up space." Vanya voiced, a shameful little giggle escaping her lips. Klaus was stunned.

"Wow, V. Harsh for you, don't you think?" He asked, but Diego mowed in over him.

"Well, he's not anymore."

"Speak for yourself. He takes up half the study now in that giant death box!" Luther laughed through a mouthful of pills.

"Oh, stop! You guys are awful!" Allison berated, but also gave in to the laughter.

Then, in a blink, all the pills and plates and silverware were gone. The table was empty.

And then it wasn't.

A coffin sat across its length. It was sleek, black, ominous, and devoid of designs. It somehow had a sound all in itself- a presence that was completely its own.

Klaus hated it. He hated that box, and not just because his dead, asshole father was in it. He hated its contents, he hated what it stood for, and he hated that he wanted it. He wanted it there before him. He wanted to look in it. He had to see it.

Not sure what he was gaining by seeing his Dad dead except maybe the comfort that he could no longer hurt him, Klaus stood up from his chair and carefully approached. He pulled himself up so that his knees were on the table's surface and his face was raised enough to where when he opened the casket's hatch, he'd see the asshole-inhabitant inside.

Shaky fingers gripped the edge- They didn't feel like Klaus's own, but they must've been. He knew they were.

The lid was heavy, but Klaus was persistent. With all remaining strength and a grunt of effort, he hoisted the black stone until it raised to the sky, leading down into a black-cushioned death box…

And Klaus Hargreeves, dead inside.

Klaus couldn't move. He couldn't speak. He couldn't react. There was a piercing sense that felt all-too-familiar inside of him- the same feeling his got when the ghosts started winning and the dead world rose higher and higher into that of the living. It exploded in his head and in his heart like an atom bomb, sucking his very being into a black hole of devoid feeling.

Klaus looked into his own dead eyes as they stared up at the ceiling. His body was wearing a charred Vietnam uniform- the green vest, the cargo pants, the ratty gray shirt… Jesus, even Mini Marion sat sticking out of his pocket. His gun laid next to him, never fired. His palms faced up, the "Hello" and "Goodbye" staring him in the face. His skin had no pigment- He was gray and lifeless.

His siblings continued to converse around him, and all Klaus could do was watch.

"Eugene." Dave said like the word was venom in his mouth. Eugie twisted his head from where he was trapped underneath the rubble, seeing for the first time who his potential rescuer was.

"Oh." He spat flatly. "Fuck off, Katz. I've got this."

He tried to push himself up, but the beam was much too much for a little wiry man. He tried to roll and was hit with a sliding brick.

"Ow. Fuck."

Well, he did tell Dave to fuck off. He could just… walk away. Let that burning palm do its thing until it collapsed and took this piece-of-shit murderer with it. But something Dave always appreciated and hated about himself was that he was too nice. That sounds like a brag, but in some situations, it truly was nothing but a detriment in the end.

Such was the deal with this current situation, but Dave wouldn't feel the negative effects until much later. For now, he just knew himself well enough to recognize that he could never leave someone there like that- even one of his least favorite persons on Earth.

"Stuff it, Willards. Stay still."

"Back off!"

"I SAID STAY. STILL."

Dave was doing the "good" thing, but he was only able to be pushed so far. One more bullshit comment from Eugene and he'd leave his sniveling, punk ass right here to die.

Once Dave freed the Devil from his cage, Eugie brushed himself off and staggered a bit.

"You know, the common response is 'thank you'." Dave muttered with irritation. Eugie narrowed his eyes and was about to deliver some snappy retort, but Sarge's voice erupted from the other side of the building where men still yelled for help.

"Katz! Ready?"

The plan was still in action. There were actual good soldiers in there that needed their help. Dave turned from Eugie, knowing he wasn't worth a second thought. These men deserved his attention way more than he did.

Dave's plan took off- The problem was that if anyone tried to move anything that supported the last bit of the collapsed building, the ceiling would come crashing down on everyone inside. Luckily the ceiling was still held together as one giant slab (right now, anyway), so Sarge was currently ducking into the VC tank, ready to plow it under the falling ceiling as soon as Dave worked to knock down the back wall to allow everyone to get out.

He didn't really know if he could reward himself for anything he did here today. Dave's mind was so buzzed from the initial impact of all the napalm fires and explosions that he was really just acting on autopilot. Something worked though, because before he knew it, about seven men were wiggling their way out of the collapsed communication center just in time for the ceiling to crumble and cave in over the tank that Sarge managed to wedge underneath.

Shit.

So, Dave's work wasn't over. Once the boys were all out, he had to go back in for Sarge. Everything was a whirlwind of thick smoke that clouded his lungs and falling debris that cut up his body, but eventually, Dave felt the hot metal of the tank's door latch in his hand.

Lift. Enter. Find Sarge. Exit. Don't get killed.

By some miracle, it all worked.

Dave was left in the sweet, open-air, coughing up his damn intestines as Sarge patted him on the back, uncharacteristically gripping his shoulder comfortingly.

"You okay, kid?"

Dave could only manage a thumbs-up.

Am I okay? Let's see… I was blown up on the Fourth of July, I just had to save a little ungrateful shit, and I don't know if my own boyfriend is even fucking alive. I'm fucking peachy.

To make things worse, as things calmed down and Sarge started directing the men around him to enact plans from there, two more men ran in from the tree line- from the direction of the bridge.

A little spark of hope erupted in Dave's chest.

Klaus?

"Woaaaaaahhhhhh…" One of the men said, taking a look at the ruined building before him and the men crowded around. "Heavy."

…Teddy.

The other man wasn't Klaus.

Dave blinked dumbly at Teddy who waved at him innocently before he turned dark, angry eyes to Sarge- the person who ensured him that Klaus and Teddy were safe… together.

"Where the fuck is Klaus?"

"Mm… Guys… Guyses… Don't- I'm here…" Klaus mumbled, the faces of his siblings melding into dark shapes that resembled palms and fronds. Light started seeping into his vision, separated by the slow pulse of his blinking eyelids. Dreamworld and reality became one, mixing into psychedelic colors and shapes that reminded Klaus of tripping on acid. "Wuh- Woah… Um…"

And then he noticed another figure- an alive figure- a man figure. He was big and built and hovering over Klaus, too blurry to make out any features. Everything was so damn surreal and he himself was so damn dizzy. Still, as Klaus often did, he found the strength to run his mouth.

"Uh-oh… Please. Please don't steal my kidneys. I do a lot of drugs, Man. These are shit. You don't want these!" He protested in a high panicky voice. "Ugh… Just kill me quick, okay? Unless… Unless we can barter here. I've got good shrooms, my Dude. I'm not talking veggies, here."

"Shut it, Boots."

Klaus squeezed his eyes shut and tried to expel any muddiness from his vision. He subconsciously relaxed before he realized who the man was, knowing that if the person was calling him Boots (and speaking English), he couldn't be in as much danger as he expected.

When he opened his eyes again,

"Oh. You."

Don Juan.

"What happened?" He asked groggily sitting up with hands instantly flying to his head to hold in his splitting skull. "Ugh…"

"I saved your crazy ass."

"Oh. Thanks, bud!" Klaus chirped cheerily once the throbbing in his brain died down. The sounds of the dead died with it but left a remanence of existence in the back of his mind. Lots of people died today… he could feel it. He could hear it.

A stabbing, hot poker of realization hit Klaus's chest. He cleared his throat and tried to keep a casual air of voice, not for Don, but for his own sanity.

"Where's Dave?"

Don was tying his backpack together, a lot of the canvas burned to nothing and the contents spilling out. He didn't even look up at Klaus for his flat answers.

"I don't know."

Klaus swallowed thickly, feeling remaining molecules of smoke there. He erupted into a coughing fit which Don also ignored.

"Have-" Cough, cough, cough. "Have you seen him at all, or- or- Is he okay?" Klaus unapologetically pressed more. Right now, the fact that Don didn't approve of his relationship was the absolute least of his worries. He'd hound Hitler himself for information about Dave right now if he had to.

"Look. I don't know where your boyfriend or anyone else is, okay?" Don hushed him (or tried) while standing and slinging his pack over his shoulder. Klaus realized that his own was gone, probably another casualty from all the hullabaloo. His hand flew to his back pocket though, closing around a little figurine in the fabric.

Phew. At least mini Marion was okay.

Don Juan started walking into the smoldering forest. Klaus jumped up, almost fainted, regained his consciousness, and skipped ahead on Don's heels.

"You never really liked me, did you?" Klaus poked the bear, falling into step. Every time Don took one of his big steps, it equaled two of Klaus's. The dude was huge. It didn't intimidate Klaus. "Even before the gay thing."

"I saved you, didn't I?" Don reiterated, but with sour undertones. Klaus raised his eyebrows and held out his hands in defense.

"I get it. Thank you. Really. But not an answer."

Don didn't justify him with anything other than that. He kept walking- no, tearing- through the woods towards who-the-hell-knows-what. Don was a good soldier; Klaus knew this. He trusted that he had a plan.

"It's okay." He said in the meantime. "A lot of people don't. I get it." Klaus shrugged.

"I don't… dislike you, Man. I just don't get you." Don said, not angry, but not nicely either. Klaus was currently hitting his hands against his ears, trying to expel some of the dull ringings that still resided there. It seemed to help a little… that, and if he kept talking Don's ear off.

The rest of the day was spent like that- Klaus yammering on and on with not one dignified response from Don the whole way. It wasn't so much about talking to Don as it was just talking in general though. It helped distract Klaus from some of the awful thoughts that were creeping in- thoughts that he hadn't had since Dave went off on that "specialized" mission almost two months back.

Dave dying in fire.

Dave dying in gunfire.

Dave dying in-

NO. STOP.

So, Klaus did what he was best at:

"You know, I wasn't joking about the shrooms. If you want some, that is. Not trying to peer pressure. Might loosen you up a bit."

"I met this guy once with seven toes. Not altogether, but on one foot. The other foot just had five toes. So, I guess, if we're keeping a total here, he had twelve. Nuts, right?"

"I think my favorite movie might secretly be Princess Bride. I know you don't know what that is, but- Just keep that between us. My brother would make fun of me. It's so good. Classic."

"I have six siblings. How many siblings do you have? Let me tell you- Six pains in the ass is… well… a pain in the ass. Moments like these make you miss the little shits though, you know? Simpler times, Donnie. Simpler times."

At night, his throat was finally sore from all the talking (and probably still from all of his smoke inhalations), but the worst part was that night arrived at all. Klaus kept telling himself that surely, he'd be back in Dave's arms by now. Surely, they'd all be back at Katum Camp, sharing a beer and celebrating the Fourth of July the right way.

But darkness fell and Don Juan and Klaus were clearly lost somewhere in the dense jungle, alone and unknowing if they were the only ones in the whole damn world left alive. Don refused Klaus's request for a fire, brashly reminding him that there was likely to be Viet Cong on foot in the area still. Did he want to be shot?

So, he and Don laid there in the dark in a small clearing they found underneath the stars. Klaus looked up at the sky that was still polluted with remnants of smoke, trying his hardest to focus all of his thoughts on counting the number of light pinpricks that managed to shine through.

It didn't work. Even with the tedious task of numbering stars, Klaus's thoughts always fell back to Dave.

What was he doing right now? Was he worried about Klaus? Was he in pain? What if he was captured? Were they torturing him?

Tickling him?

Klaus found it in him to give a small, sad chuckle at that. It turned into a tear that spilled over his cheek. He quickly wiped it away.

What he wouldn't give to earn a shove from Dave right now after trying to poke his ribs and illicit an amusing reaction.

Admittedly, Klaus had downed most of his remaining stash today. It wasn't to calm his nerves (although it helped), and it wasn't to find an escape (although it helped that too) but mainly, it was because Klaus was terrified of seeing Dave appear… and not alive, either.

He wouldn't be able to go on if that was the case. He knew that if Dave was dead, then it had to happen eventually, but he was just… not ready to accept that. So, Klaus did the other thing he was best at- hiding behind drugs.

He was dangerously low now though, but the ghost world was quiet. He imagined that they were pretty far out into the jungle now. Klaus didn't even know if Don had any idea of where they were going. At any rate, he was grateful for the peace from the screams in his head, but again, that only left room for thoughts and longings for Dave.

"I can't help thinking…" Klaus whispered into the night, directed towards the motionless Don-lump a few feet from him. "…about every single instance we interacted. Thinking about how I could've been better or- or things I could've done differently. I can't help but think back and… I don't know. Maybe there's some way I could've prevented this or protected him, you know?"

Klaus didn't think he had to acknowledge the fact that he was speaking of Dave- it seemed pretty self-explanatory. Besides, Don Juan had been ignoring him all day, so he fully expected him to do the same now. Klaus just felt better saying it out loud to himself.

"I can't help but think of everything I'd say to him if I had known that the last time I talked to him-" Klaus felt his throat close up suddenly, sneak attacking him with accompanying tears. He let them slide down his face in hot tracks. If he couldn't cry for Dave, then what the Hell could he cry for?

"It's so weird to think there are 3 billion people on this Earth. You know how people say, 'there are plenty of fish in the sea?' But they obviously haven't found their person yet because I know that no one will ever come close to him. His passion, his mannerisms, his disappointed chuckling and… and stupid need to turn everything into a lesson about music." Klaus laughed bitterly, sniffling and taking a stuttering breath. God, fuck it. This couldn't be it. He wasn't ready. He'd never be ready.

"Anyway. Why does it matter if there are plenty of other fish? They're not my fish. I don't believe in much, but I believed in us. I don't know about the whole 'fate' thing but nothing has ever just fit so damn well… You ever feel like that Donnie-boy?" Klaus whispered through his tight airways, knowing full well he wouldn't be dignified by an answer, but not caring anyway.

It took him a while to realize it, but a small piece of paper was hovering right above his eyes. Klaus blinked and shrunk back to focus on it better-

A picture. Don Juan was holding out a photo in front of Klaus's face.

Okay. Was not expecting that.

Klaus wiped his face and pushed himself off the unforgiving ground until he was sitting crisscrossed applesauce. He tentatively reached forward, remembering when Don Juan jerked away as if Klaus was the plague the last time he reached out towards him.

This time, he didn't. He let Klaus take the photo, still lying on his back, facing the sky.

"Wow." Klaus mumbled, feeling some of the paralyzing pain in his chest over Dave, dissipate with the new distraction. "She's beautiful."

He wasn't bullshitting. The woman in the picture was absolutely gorgeous. Her hair was long with perfect curls, her skin dark and flawless, her eyes darker… and she was radiating a bright, warm, fuzzy feeling- something very opposite to everything Klaus knew about Don Juan's first impression.

"Yeah." Don hummed up at the stars. "Kendall. But she hates when I call her that. Kenny."

"Kenny." Klaus smiled weakly, handing the photo back. "You been together long?"

"High school sweethearts." Don nodded. "And I've known her since kindergarten."

"Daaaaamn." Klaus breathily laughed.

"Yeah, been a hot second. She has six siblings too."

Klaus perked up happily at that.

"So, you were listening to me!" Klaus clapped, remembering his own siblings being one of the billions of topics he talked about today. Don chuckled and rolled his eyes.

"Don't let it go to your head. Therefore at such a time the prudent person keeps silent, for it is an evil time."

"Don't quote God at me."

"All I'm saying is a little quiet never hurt no one."

Klaus giggled and ignored Don's suggestion, asking him more questions about Kenny. Surprisingly, Don asked him questions about Dave in return.

It couldn't be a "good" night considering their current situation. No night was "good" without Dave. Still, it was probably the best that the two of them could make it.

"Hey, let up! Let up, dude!" Teddy slapped at Dave's shoulder, breaking him from his daze. It was only then when Dave realized his hand was firmly gripping the hot barrel of his gun. It was burning through his flesh and he didn't even realize.

"Ah! Fuck." Dave pulled back, examining the red welt on his palm. He had just fired his gun not too long ago upon finding a straggling commie on their path through the jungle. He had done it without a second thought, mostly because all of his thoughts weren't even here right now. They were with his lost (and hopefully not dead) boyfriend, wherever he was.

It was getting dark now, and Teddy, Al, and Sarge decided to set up camp.

The rest of the men they had rescued from the comm center and any other outliers had set out to return to Katum Camp when all was said and done. Sarge got word over his radio that there were survivors from the attack at a base a few miles south of the river, a few from the 173rd Brigade.

Dave was so incredibly relieved that no one gave even an ounce of protest when he proposed they go and collect their men. Of course, even if Klaus wasn't potentially there, they should've probably taken that course of action, but Klaus was the only reason Dave truly cared about going at the end of the day.

Please let him be one of the survivors. Please let him be there.

This night would be fucking torture- Dave knew that already.

Later, when Al, Teddy, and even Sarge were well into their stories of 'most embarrassing school moments', Dave still sat on the sidelines, wanting to join in but just having no strength to do so. He tried to imagine sitting there with Klaus next to him- what he would say. What he would do.

Probably something annoying or shocking or adorable… or all of those things wrapped up into one. He'd make a stupid music pun to watch Klaus roll his eyes- "Light My Fire" by the Doors. That kind of dark humor always made Klaus laugh. He'd even take Klaus's damn affinity for tickling right now- anything to just have him there; have him be okay.

The idea of him not being okay was just one that didn't register with Dave. That simply wasn't an option.

"Hey, Negative Nelly." A soft but with gruff undertones voice appeared at Dave's left. He turned to see Sarge sit next to him, leaving the other two guys to ramble on about whathaveyou.

Dave didn't say anything.

"You know, kid. You should be proud of yourself. You saved a lot of lives today. My ass included."

Dave shrugged and looked down at his bandage wrapped hand. If Klaus were here, he'd dote all over him about that.

"Ah. I forgot. Not the 'Dave way' to have any self-pride. Always about what's next. What could you have done better? What about every tiny mistake or misstep or-"

"You make me out to be a real miserable prick, you know that?" Dave finally cut in, earning a bitterly amused scoff from Sarge.

"You know… Hargreeves is like…" He searched for words. The pause was enough to keep Dave on his toes- genuinely interested. Sarge never talked to him about Klaus before. Was he actually about to make some sort of kind gesture? "A parasite."

…Okay.

Dave gave him a weird look and Sarge continued.

"You just can't get rid of the guy and his stupid, dumbass, somehow disgustingly, repulsive lovable personality. Guy's an enigma, David. You really know how to pick 'em."

It was the weirdest, backhanded compliment and offer of comfort Dave has ever experienced, but somehow, it was exactly what he needed to feel better- to hear Sarge's twisted approval right now was perfect timing if any, and the way he talked about Klaus in the present, as in, still living, was everything Dave could ask for right now.

"Thanks?"

"Yeah. You're welcome."

A moment of silence passed by. Teddy and Al were laying down for bed.

"Sarge..." Dave spoke up again, his voice lower than ever. He had something on his mind ever since he started to truly comprehend all the events of the day. There was something else that was bothering him.

"Mm?"

"I- I think some of our own were shooting at us."

"What?"

The scene replayed in Dave's head. When that soldier had shoved into him and his eyes flickered away from Klaus for a split second, he had seen someone at the base of the bridge- they had light hair, a cleanly groomed face, and a dark suit. At first, the image was surely strange, but the least of Dave's worries. He let it go. Now though...

"I know it sounds nuts, but I even saw it when we were on that special Op a couple months back. Well, they were American... or... Caucasian at least, but they weren't wearing uniforms either."

Sarge blinked and Dave waited for a reaction.

"Get some fucking sleep, dipshit."

Dave sighed, giving a forced smile.

"Yes, sir."

Morning came all too soon and all too late. Too soon because Dave didn't get a wink of sleep like he aimed to. Too late because the reason he was unable to sleep was due to his anxiousness to get moving the next day- get to Klaus.

That is, if Klaus was-

Shut the fuck up. Dave berated himself.

Onwards. Always moving onwards.

And that's what they did. Four hours into their day, Sarge stopped them all to check their coordinates and see if they had any radio signal to call to the base. He checked every hour or so which worried Dave… Did that mean they should've gotten there by now?

"Shit. Stop." Al suddenly whispered, putting his hands out and catching both Dave and Teddy in the chest to slow their pace. Sarge looked up from his radio, turning the volume knob down while his eyes went on high alert. Dave also switched over to war-mode, trying to keep all of his senses at peak awareness.

"What?" Teddy whispered.

"Shh!"

They listened more…

Yep. Those were definitely footsteps. Dave gripped his gun in hand, wincing at the pain in his palm from his self-inflicted burn. Time to take out another VC, he gathered. Unless…

"We make it to base?" Al asked. Sarge shook his head, motioning for them to raise their guns and carefully proceed towards the noises. The four men did so in a uniform line, stepping over twigs and sticks with expert stealth, hardly making a sound.

Movement could be seen through the foliage now. An intense buzzing noise flew right by Dave's ear. He jerked away in surprise, slapping away a mosquito.

"Shh!" Teddy unnecessarily berated, being much louder than Dave was with his angry slap to the temple. It was enough to tip off the Viet Cong they pursued- they stopped their movement about ten yards away.

The four of them tensed, guns raised.

"Hey, wait…" Teddy said out loud, lowering his gun. Simultaneously though, a yelp was heard across the way.

A familiar yelp. A Very. Fucking. Familiar. Yelp.

And then a gunshot.

Dave felt a sharp pain flare up in his left bicep, grunting in pain.

"Ow. Fuck." He muttered, his right hand flying up to grip his limb. To be truthful, it probably didn't hurt as much as it would have if he wasn't so distracted by everything else happening right now.

"Don't shoot, you idiot." Al shouted, lowering his own gun from the front of their defensive line, obviously seeing something Dave couldn't yet. He had a pretty good idea though.

"Klaus, what the fuck, man."

Don Juan. Don Juan saying Klaus's name.

Wait a minute… Hold up… Did Klaus just fucking shoot him?

"Oh shit! It's you guys!" Klaus's voice wafted over. He heard running footsteps, but it only took two until he came into view- Dave's wonderful freak in all his glory. Klaus stopped midstep upon seeing Dave, his face dropping into an expression that Dave could feel deep inside himself- pure relief.

"Oh." Klaus breathed as if he just came to an interesting academic conclusion. Then he charged forward and threw himself into Dave, his arms wrapping around his neck and his face burying in his shoulder. Dave moved up his arms around Klaus, rubbing his back and holding him closer than he's ever held anything in his life. Even with his throbbing arm that was no doubt bleeding right now.

He took note of Klaus's rising and falling ribcage against his chest.

In. Out. In. Out. He breathed. He was alive. He was okay. He was here.

Dave kissed the side of his head, not giving two fucks about the other people around them right now. This was a moment he feared he'd never attain so he was going to take it for all it was worth.

Klaus's breath hitched against him, sending biting urges for tears to sprout behind Dave's eyes. He forced them down, trying not to focus on what could've happened, but on what did happen.

They both survived and found each other. As Dave said, that was the only option he'd accept.

"I didn't know if- Um- if-" Klaus mumbled into Dave's skin, still wrapped up against him. Dave snaked his hand up over his back and to his hair, running his fingers through.

"I know." He acknowledged, enough to let Klaus understand that he went through the same awful process of the unknown.

Finally, Klaus pulled back and resumed his usual, perky, energy-spiked ways. He jumped up to wrap his legs around Dave, forcing him to support Klaus's back with one arm, the other holding him underneath one thigh for support. Klaus looked down at Dave, their foreheads pressed together.

"Oh no…" He suddenly said, eyes flickering away from Dave's. "What'd you do there?"

Dave finally had time to twist his arm enough to see the wound. The bullet hadn't lodged itself into him or anything- in fact, luckily, it just grazed him. Still, the gash was deep enough to rain blood down all over the sleeve of his shirt.

Dave scoffed in disbelief.

"What'd I do? Klaus… You shot me!"

"Pfft. Did not." Klaus shook his head as if Dave was being ridiculously silly. He felt ridiculous for even saying so, but it was the fucking truth even if it was hard to believe… even for Klaus.

"Did too!" Dave's voice got higher than he himself had ever heard it. He let out a laugh of disbelief, examining his arm and setting Klaus down on his own two feet.

"Oh… You'll be fine." Klaus dismissed, wincing at the sight of the blood. Dave finally noticed the other guys a few feet away from them, staring at Dave's arm with wide eyes. Teddy was cracking up.

"Klaus, oh my God…" It started to truly hit Dave. He wasn't mad- this was much too wildly absurd to be angry over.

"I just did what you taught me!"

"Oh! This is my fault!" Dave laughed, shaking his head at Klaus who just smiled apologetically.

"I thought you were bad guys."

"Klaus… Klaus…" Dave was finally letting this all sink in. He put his hands on Klaus's arms and pulled him directly in front of himself, locking their eyes. His voice dipped low. He had to know this. It was just too hilariously lunatic. "Was that the first time you've ever shot your gun?"

Klaus looked up towards the sky, thinking about it.

"Mm… Yeah. Yeah, guess it was."

Dave stared at him.

"And you shot me?"

Klaus giggled nervously and shrugged.

"You're my first! How sweet is that?"

"Holy shit." Dave shook his head and pulled Klaus into him again, wrapping his arms around his fucking psychopath of a boyfriend. "You could've killed me."

"That would've sucked."

"You're going to kill me someday, I swear."

"No! Don't say that."

"You genuinely scare me sometimes."

"I like to keep you on your toes."

The guys finally broke away from where they awkwardly watched the "show", starting to discuss their path back to the camp that Sarge had set out for a while ago. Apparently, it was the same place Don had plans on reaching until they got a bit turned around.

Dave wondered how that was; just Klaus and Don, the unlikely pair. Things were no doubt awkward after the whole fiasco with Donnie finding them in that shack. He assumed Klaus had some stories. Those were for later though. Now, Dave let every muscle inside of him go- all the ones that he held in a tense hostage ever since he was split from Klaus. Now, he couldn't go five seconds without leaning over and pressing a kiss to Klaus's forehead or his temple or his lips. Now, Dave just held him.

Chapter Text

August 3 rd , 1968

Klaus ran as fast as his legs could take him. His heart was begging to escape from his chest, pounding against his ribs violently and acting as a drum in his ear. He heard Teddy's cries from behind him, the kid screaming up to the skies as the helicopter ascended into the heavens:

The Freedom Bird, they called the aircraft.

Don was goin' home.

Klaus and Teddy chased after the chopper like kids chasing after their grandparents' car, waving goodbye after they left from a visit. The two of them flapped their arms in the air like idiots, still able to make out Don's embarrassed smile from the helicopter.

"Sayonara, shithead!" Teddy was screaming over the beat of the helicopter blades, exhausting himself as Don got smaller and smaller in the sky. Klaus decided now was a pretty good time to collapse and die, taking Teddy with him.

The two of them let their bodies give in and tumble to the ground, chests heaving and eyes watering from exertion and the intense wind kicked up by "The Bird".

Klaus could barely conceptualize the idea of leaving this place. A long time ago, in order to prepare his mind on new grounds of sanity, he forced himself to accept that this was his life now. War, Vietnam, and…

Well, later, Dave. And that part was perfectly fine with him, obviously.

He was thrilled for Don. Before he departed from the ground or even boarded the chopper, the squad joined around to send him off.

Everyone but Dave that is. He couldn't make it for other reasons.

Stunningly, Don even let Teddy attack him with an emotionally charged hug. Klaus didn't try his luck in that department- he didn't doubt his new, positive standing with Donnie, but he also knew that they weren't quite as connected as he and Teddy had come to be. Instead, he shoved his shoulder into the giant man who basically "tapped" (slammed) him back, sending Klaus to the ground in giggles.

"Don't let that woman go, Don-boy. If you like it then you better put a ring on it."

Don clearly didn't get the reference for time-reasons, but Klaus enjoyed his little tribute to Beyoncé.

Anyway, this day was a win for sure. Any time they could get someone out of here was a win. It was kind of needed to- at least for Klaus.

July flew by pretty quickly, but not because he was having fun. In fact, the rest of July following the Napalm fires was just… Eh. Meh. Bleh. This was for multiple reasons.

First of all, they had been moving around quite a lot. Some guys liked it- some guys actually enjoyed having stuff to do. For Klaus though, that meant he had to keep finding new strategies and hookups for drugs which sometimes, just ended up being impossible. That left him with some shaky days and even more troubling nights. He really had to ration himself out these days, barely keeping himself high enough to make the voices bearable.

Second of all, most importantly of all, most suckishly of all, he saw Dave a lot less than he typically did. Apparently, Katz pulled quite the heroics when he and Klaus had been split apart following the attacks. Klaus heard all about it that night that his little squad family finally made it to the base stations a few miles from Katum. That was probably his favorite night in July, in fact.

Dave's arms were right where they should be- wrapped around Klaus's waist and holding him close. It was a bummer that his left arm was a little banged up. Of course, that was partially Klaus's fault. Okay, maybe it was completely Klaus's fault, but he was still too damn happy to be back with Dave to feel too guilty.

To make things even more of a wonderful catharsis after a day of hell, Dave was holding Klaus in front of their squad who made their own little camp on the edge of the sister-base. No one else was around, but Don, Sarge, Teddy, and Al were, and it seemed that Dave threw away all conservative needs to hide their acts of romance from everyone. They both just spent a full day, unsure that the other was alive. Everyone's opinions be damned, Dave and Klaus were going to fucking hold each other.

And as it turned out, no one gave two fucks. No one gave them a second glance. They all sat around the fire (the fire that they kept unusually small after the napalm trauma they had all been through) engaged in their own conversation or shared moments of comfortable silence. Dave sat on a chair behind Klaus who sat on a turned over log, Dave's limbs wrapped around his boyfriend protectively- as if he didn't hold him in place, Klaus would dissipate.

Neither of them talked much- overcome with relief, Klaus supposed. They were just purely enjoying each other's company and the company of their friends. At one point, after whispering to each other like misbehaving kids at the back of class, Dave stood up, pulling Klaus with him. They both knew that as fun as this was, they craved some alone time. 

"So, we're gonna… Um… Well, we need to…" Klaus tried to find some bullshit reason for why he and Dave were about to sneak off together. Everything from the past day caught up with him though- that along with the fact that no one in their squad seemed to mind anything about him and Dave. Klaus just let his shoulders sag as he felt his entire being give up. "Look. Dave's gonna pull me back into those woods there and I'm gonna stick my tongue down his throat, so… Catchya later!"

"Klaus!" Dave berated, hitting him in the chest. Klaus shrugged defensively.

"What!?"

"We're going to get more wood." Dave corrected, shaking his head at Klaus in disbelief. "We'll be back."

"Oh. Okay. We're going to go to 'wood'." Klaus threw up his quotations.

"Christ." Dave muttered, already walking away and shaking his head.

The guys around the campfire were so tired with their tough exteriors so eaten away from the past events, that they just gave chuckles and grumbles of acceptance.

"Get that wood, Boots."

"Whatever."

"Have fun."

Klaus skipped happily away, grabbing Dave's hand and pulling him along. Dave trudged forward on undoubtedly tired feet.

When they got far enough to be separated considerably from the rest of their fellow soldiers, Klaus had to admit- he was severely disappointed when Dave actually started collecting sticks and branches to keep the fire going.

"Wait… We're seriously getting wood?"

"Help me."

"Ugh."

But Klaus did. While they collected in the dark, they talked. Dave told Klaus about how he was forced to act on a life-or-death situation for a bunch of soldiers trapped in a collapsed building on fire. He described it so humbly (or as humbly as you could describe something as stereotypically heroic as that), but of course, when Klaus tried to commend him, he shrunk away.

"Dave! Look at you! First-rate superhero shit."

"Oh, stop."

"What? You're not even a little proud?"

"See, that's the thing. Can I really give myself credit if my mind was barely conscious? Like, I feel like it wasn't even me. I barely remember it."

"But it was you."

"I guess. Whatever, don't make a big deal about it."

"Fine, fine…" Klaus smirked, passing Dave on his right to pick up a sizable gathering of kindling. Klaus bit his ear quickly and playfully on his way down.

"So, what about you and Don then? That had to be interesting."

Klaus couldn't wait to give him the details on that, mostly because it was just plain, good news. He felt every single detail that he could remember flow out into their air for what felt like the whole damned world to hear and be proud of.

"…and then he showed me his girlfriend. Kendall. But she doesn't like that. Kenny. And then we talked about our favorite things about you guys, and also the things that are kind of annoying, but we love anyway."

"Oooh. What-"

"Oh, I'll never tell, David. Anyway, he finally started to address it full on. He apologized for being so stand-offish. He said he didn't really understand why- Well, he said ever since coming to 'Nam, he started to wonder why those kinds of things mattered to him in regular society. He said ever since coming here, it seemed… trivial compared to what we see. He even got into the race thing, ya know? Like after having to deal with so much bullshit about the color of his skin, then why would he judge someone based on who they like to fuck?"

"He said that?"

"Well, he said 'who they like to kiss', but I made it sound better."

Dave laughed. "Well that turned out… well. Really well."

"I'd say so." Klaus chirped happily, kicking sticks instead of picking them up. He was bored with this already. He didn't want to do responsible things. He wanted to-

"Okay. Cool. Done with this." Dave said, throwing aside the twigs and sticks they compiled so that they waited for them patiently a few feet away. He then moved in on Klaus, gripping his hips and pulling him close, fast and hard. He kissed him in the same manner.

"Finally," Klaus complained cockily, earning a jab in the side from Dave as they made out. Klaus giggled into his lips, feeling Dave's fingers stumbling with the button of his pants. He was disappointed with himself that he ever doubted Dave. Of course, he always delivered.

Yeah, that night was a good one.

It was just every day after that. It got a little… Well, as Klaus mentioned- Bleh. It wasn't bad. At least less time with Dave meant less opportunity for bickering, right?

But who was Klaus kidding? He even loved it when they bickered. He loved every second with that doofus, so recently he had been feeling a bit robbed.

The problem was, he was also proud of Dave. He was proud and happy that he was getting the recognition he deserved because the reason Dave was being pulled away from Klaus more frequently was due to his heroics during the napalm fires. People noticed and he was called on to consult about operations and missions. He was all special now, not that he was ever not-special in Klaus's book, but specifically, he was all top-dog with the officers and shit. Even Lieutenant Mads set his pride aside to recognize that Dave was just good at this strategy shit.

So, while Klaus was happy that Dave was getting the affirmation and higher-involvement that he deserved, he was wildly jealous. Mostly, he just missed him. Sometimes, spending a full day without his smirky face and curious eyes was torture. Seeing him at night right before bed for a few kisses if no one was looking just… It wasn't cutting it.

Klaus tried not to be selfish though. He put on a smiling face and sent out proud words because truly, he did feel that still. He just… also felt other, less-selfless emotions as well. Dave knew- he apologized for going missing for full days often. It didn't change anything though.

Near the end of July, however, some things did change. They did get more alone time together, but not in the way Klaus wanted or imagined. As he said, the ghosts got bad. At first, it was Klaus's doing. He figured he'd try and cut down a bit- why not? After all, he did always call Dave his favorite drug.

It didn't quite work for him as well as he hoped though. Wishful thinking, maybe. It got to the point where Dave basically begged him to consider at least smoking some dope to take the edge off. Klaus could tell it was extremely difficult for him to ask such a thing, but he could also tell that it pained Dave to see him in such fearful agony constantly.

"I just… I wanted to try and cut down, ya know?"

"And you have been. I'm incredibly proud of you, Klaus." Dave assured him, noticeably relaxing a bit when Klaus took a drag of a Thai stick. Klaus couldn't help but release a little happy hum from hearing that.

"Good. 'Cause, you know, I'd die to make you proud."

Dave seemed on the brink of emotional collapse at that which made Klaus feel admittedly high-and-mighty.

Anyway, his point being- it was all just trying to cut down at first, and if it got to be too unbearable, it could be fixed with drugs. No biggie.

But then, it wasn't a choice. Then, the drugs started to run dry.

On the first night when the drugs got especially sparse…

Dave heard something in the far-off vast distance of his dream. Everything was just dark, but somewhere out there, there was something… Dave just couldn't quite place what it was, and he was so damn tired.

But there it came again- a sound like someone whimpering or- or- or- screaming?

Dave finally pushed himself fully awake. He jolted from his cot, his subconscious recognizing the sounds before he fully did.

Klaus. Klaus was freaking the hell out.

Dave fell to his knees beside Klaus's bed, gently laying his hands against his arms that wrapped themselves helplessly inside his sheets. Muffled whimpers and screams surrounded him as he thrashed around, failing to flee some invisible force.

"Klaus. Klaus, hey…" Dave tried to gently coax him awake. When that didn't work, he held him more firmly, forcing him to sit up a bit. His first priority was calming Klaus down, but he didn't want the other guys around him to wake up either. He didn't so much care about them, but he knew Klaus hated that kind of attention.

Besides, how do you explain, "Oh, sorry. The ghosts I hear and see have been especially bad lately. Don't mind me." Maybe that was one way Vietnam worked on their side though- Everyone was sure to assume Klaus was just having war nightmares... everyone did. 

"Klaus, c'mon." Dave put a hand behind his neck, gently shaking him until Klaus woke with a start, shoving Dave off of him and scrambling back towards the head of his bed.

"No, no, no." Klaus pleaded, his eyes wildly alert and frantic.

"It's just me. Klaus." Dave tried to calm him, tentatively reaching a hand forward and touching feather-light fingertips to the side of his face. It was damp with sweat and ice-cold.

It broke Dave's heart quite frankly.

"D- D- Mmm." Klaus shook his head and squeezed his eyes shut, shrinking away. Dave instinctively took a look around the tent, half-expecting to see something that was freaking Klaus out. Of course, he didn't though. He never could. No one could.

"C'mere. We're gonna go outside, okay?" Dave spoke softly, gently taking Klaus's shaking biceps in his hands. Klaus resisted, but weakly. Dave was able to half-carry him outside, leaving the other soldiers who started stirring inside to get some peace and quiet.

Once they broke into the fresh air, Klaus stopped making sounds but he shrunk against Dave, gripping at his t-shirt.

"It's okay. I got you." He assured him, lowering him and Klaus by the dying embers of the fire they made last night. He sat on the ground, his back against a log as he held Klaus in his arms. His trembling frame reverberated in Dave's hold.

"S- S-" Klaus tried to speak, his face burying itself in Dave's chest.

"It's alright, baby." Dave whispered, pressing a kiss to the top of Klaus's head.

"There are so many." He finally whispered. It sent chills down Dave's spine. He tried to imagine the entire yard before them filled of achingly agonized death stories, young men begging to be saved from the end that came too soon.

"What can I do?" Dave begged, wishing he knew, but he was out of ideas. How do you fight the supernatural? The invisible?

"I- I don't know." Klaus admitted, taking his trembling arms and weakly wrapping them around Dave's torso. Dave nuzzled himself into Klaus's mess of hair, ruffled from all of his thrashing around. "Just this is good." He whispered. Dave closed his eyes.

He hated this. He hated seeing Klaus in pain. He hated feeling so incredibly helpless.

"I love you." Was all he could say. Surprisingly, it did seem to steady Klaus just a bit.

"Love you too, nerd." He muttered into the cloth of Dave's shirt. Even amidst torture, Klaus could find a way to tease him. God, Dave loved this man.

He wished he could say the nights got better after that, but they either maintained the same air of panic or got even worse. It got to the point where Klaus was waking everyone up so often and consistently that Sarge pulled both him and Dave aside one morning at breakfast.

"Look, I don't know what's causing these fucking night terrors. Not my business-"

"Sorry, Sarge. I'll- I'll try to-"

"Shut it, Hargreeves."

Klaus swallowed thickly and nodded. Dave felt a pang of pain in his chest seeing him like that- with no strength to give some smartass retort back.

"As I was saying… I had another place set up down the ways. You'll be sleeping there from now on so you're not waking the rest of the boys."

Dave opened his mouth to protest, not about to put up with the idea of Klaus having to fend off the ghosts in the night alone in an isolated tent.

"Ah!" Sarge held up his hand to stop Dave. "Both of you."

Oh. Well, that's… Okay.

"Really?" Klaus possessed a gleam in his eye that Dave hadn't seen in a while. "A tent just for-"

"Yeah, yeah. Don't make me change my mind. This is purely because I have to for everyone else's sake- don't go doin' any funny business, understand?"

"Pfft. Well, I mean-"

"Got it." Dave mowed over Klaus's mouth movements that got going before his mind stopped him. He grabbed Klaus's wrist and tugged him back to breakfast before Sarge could change his mind. This was a good thing- First, because of Klaus's night terrors. Second, because they hadn't been getting a lot of alone time lately so this could at least be considered a win if any.

Was it really a "win" when they spent most of their time fending off the restless dead though?

That first night, Dave didn't get to their little isolated tent until pretty late. He had been "invited" (pressured) to go to these meetings of teams of officers and other soldiers about their movements Southeast. As it turns out, it looked like they may return to A Shau Valley after all.

Perfect. Great. Fantastic.

To say the least, Dave was mentally and physically spent by the time he got back to find Klaus, still up, sitting on the furthest bed towards the tent wall. He faced away from Dave, his shoulders tense and fingers gripping his sheets tightly.

Dave knew that neither of them would get much sleep that night. Truly, that was okay. Dave would much rather lose sleep to feel like he was helping in any way he possibly could than leave Klaus to fend for himself… despite what Klaus urged.

"Go to sleep.", "You look exhausted. Terrible. Just being honest here. Still adorable as fuck.", "Please, Dave. I'll be okay."

Klaus kept trying to coax him away, but Dave remained firm.

"I can't rest if you can't rest." Dave would say, pressing a kiss to the top of Klaus's head.

"I love you." He'd whisper back with pain inflicted in his tone. Dave's heart would break, and then he'd assure Klaus that he loves him right back.

Anyway, this particular first night, Dave let all signs of his own fatigue fall from vision when he saw Klaus. He immediately approached him from behind, his fingers gently grazing over his shoulders.

Klaus jumped.

"Hey. It's okay. Just me." Dave calmed him in a low voice, letting his hands fully slide over his shoulders and gently massage the rigid muscles there. Klaus let himself fall back into Dave's waist, his body relaxing a bit.

"What did they talk about in there?" Klaus asked, his voice so quiet that Dave barely heard. Sometimes, Dave thought that Klaus got extra quiet so as to not draw any more spirits onto him. Dave wondered if it worked, but he didn't want to press the subject.

"Ah- Bullshit, mostly." Dave brushed off. He didn't want to talk about himself right now. Not when Klaus was hurting and terrified by everything around him.

"Like what bullshit?"

Dave sighed and let his hands fall from Klaus's shoulders so that he could move back to the second empty bed closer to the entryway. He pushed it into Klaus's, the crappy metal frames of the two rickety structures bumping together and emanating a clear ping sound.

It made Klaus jump again.

Oops.

Dave laid down in "his" bed that he joined with Klaus's to make "their" bed. Once he was settled under the covers, Dave gently wrapped his arms around Klaus's waist, slowly pulling him down into bed with him.

"We uh- We might be heading back to A Shau. You didn't hear it from me though." Dave admitted, taking a trembling Klaus into his arms and nuzzling himself into the back of his neck.

He smelled like soap and campfire all at once- Dave subconsciously piecing together the clues to fit together an idea of what Klaus's evening had been like without him.

It made him sad to have to do that. It made him sad that he wasn't there. Dave tried to ensure himself in that moment that he'd say no to the officer meetings and strategy hearings more often- that even though a part of him was somewhat enamored and honored to be part of something grander in serving his country… he also made a commitment to this beautiful idiot right here.

It was a self-promise that Dave would soon forget.

"Ew." Klaus said in response to the news. "Why?"

"I don't know… War jargon BS. Offensives moving in. Supply raids. Transport interruption."

Klaus jerked away from Dave so suddenly that he himself jumped. Instinctively, Dave grabbed for him again, pulling him back into his chest as Klaus started shaking his head violently.

"Mmmno-no-no…" Klaus whimpered, squeezing his eyes shut to things Dave couldn't see. His hands covered his ears and his body shrunk into itself. Dave rubbed his back, hating that it was all he could do.

"I'm here, baby."

"I know." Klaus whispered.

And then it happened again the next night… And the next night, and the next night, and the next night…

On the fourth… or fifth? Dave couldn't quite keep track. But one night, it got especially bad to where Klaus had expelled the idea of sitting on the bed and huddled himself against the foot of the cots they pushed together, hugging his knees to his chest like he was trying to shrink away from the world.

It had to be somewhere around 3AM, and the worst part about tonight was that it started off great- It seemed like the ghosts would actually cut the poor kid a break for once. As soon as Dave returned from a special patrol op, they even found the time and private space to "do the sexy" as Klaus sometimes liked to make Dave cringe by calling it.

But now, they were halfway between midnight and morning, and the ghosts cruelly came out to play once again. Dave bounded from his bed as soon as he woke up, ignoring the fact that his eyes stung with lack of sleep, his muscles aching from the extra shit that the officers had him doing lately.

"Hey, hey, hey…" He soothed, reaching out for Klaus.

He immediately fought him. Klaus didn't even recognize Dave for a good half-minute, shoving him away and kicking and screaming.

"Stop! Stop! Stop!" Klaus struggled against Dave's efforts to constrain him, worried that he'd hurt himself or wake the whole camp.

"Baby." He tried. "Klaus. Klaus, it's-"

Dave narrowly ducked Klaus's fist that was centimeters away from clocking him pretty good in the face.

"Alright." Dave said, noting that as the last straw. He caught Klaus's wrist in midair, twisting so that he could get him on his stomach, but trying not to hurt him too badly. The maneuver was easy enough when Klaus was mindlessly panicking with weak, shaking limbs.

Once Dave had him pinned, Klaus stopped fighting, his chest heaving.

Great. Now Dave was worried that he might start hyperventilating.

"Klaus, you hear me?" He brought his voice down to a gentle tone, speaking close to Klaus's ear. He fidgeted in Dave's grasp, whimpering in protest but nodding.

"You okay if I let you up?"

Klaus nodded again.

Thank God.

Dave gently let go of the wrist he held twisted behind Klaus's back, helping him to a sitting position. He never let his hands fall from his body, afraid that the loss of contact would render Dave a complete stranger in need of fighting once again.

"Klaus…" He tried to tentatively coax. His eyes returned from their wild darkness to their normal, soft, green gleam. Klaus blinked at him blankly before scooting closer and collapsing himself into Dave's chest. He sniffled, quickly wiping his face.

"Sorry."

"Don't you dare apologize."

"I just did. Whatchya gon-gonna do about it?" Klaus tried to tease, his frightened tone not quite matching his very Klaus-like words.

"Squeeze you to death." Dave answered, wrapping his arms around Klaus and bringing up his legs to sit on either side of him as well. He formed a kind of fortress in this manner- anything to even create even the illusion of protecting him. "I won't let them get you."

Klaus took a stuttering sigh.

"I'm pretty sure that's not how that works, but sweet nonetheless. I'll take it."

They dipped into an era of silence after that, the crickets and cicadas creating a wall of night-sounds outside their tent- their supernatural prison.

At least they were cellmates.

Finally, as Dave's head was starting to lull forward, nearly falling onto Klaus's shoulder and overcome with sleep, his little Séance spoke.

"I was the first."

Dave perked up, blinking the slumber from his eyes. Did he dream Klaus said that, or…

"Hm?" Dave asked to make sure.

"I was the first of my siblings to… I mean… Well, these stupid… "Powers", if you want to call it what everyone else does… they showed up when I was only two. My Dad couldn't figure out why I wouldn't stop screaming at night. He got angry and made me sleep downstairs, alone, where it was just worse." Klaus whispered. Dave craned his neck to see Klaus's eyes were dark again- they were staring off somewhere he couldn't see.

"Jesus…" Dave whispered, holding him closer and feeling Klaus's muscles against his chest. It was almost to comfort Dave as much as it was meant to comfort Klaus. He also wondered what he meant by 'he was the first'… so, did all of his siblings possess this "gift"? This "curse"?

Dave didn't want to interrupt Klaus though.

"And they'd all hear me screaming. They'd just ignore it though. They were glad it wasn't them, I guess." Klaus shrugged as if that was a casual thing to say, not something as painfully tragic as it sounded. Dave sighed and nuzzled himself into the place where Klaus's neck met his shoulder. Klaus shrunk away a bit, a small breathy ghost of laughter on his lips.

Dave knew he was ticklish there.

He proceeded to press gentle kisses to Klaus's skin, feeling goosebumps spread on his neck. Dave finally finished by resting his chin on Klaus's shoulder.

"That's terrible, Klaus."

"Eh. I thought so too, but… We were all just kids."

"Still."

"Ce' La Vie. Well, except Ben. Ben was always there for me, so I was always there for him. Guess it's why we stayed close when everyone else broke ties."

Dave had a feeling that Klaus was almost saying this as a conversation with himself as much as it was a conversation with Dave. His eyes never broke their dazed glare, his mind somewhere far off at home in Canada.

"Well… that and the obvious reason, of course." Klaus gave another small shrug. Dave kissed the side of his head and frowned.

"What obvious reason?"

"Well, that I can talk to ghosts." Klaus said as if it were obvious. Dave was happy that this talk was seeming to keep Klaus distracted from the spirits lurking in every corner of the damn place, but he also was growing genuinely more curious and admittedly confused.

"But- So how did that keep you guys close in the end?"

"Oh shit." Klaus suddenly said, louder and more Klaus-sounding than ever. All mysteriously somber tones in his voice were gone and it was like Dave had his usual, fumbling, bright boyfriend back. "I guess I never did say- Ben's a ghost, Dave. He's dead."

Okay. What.

"Uh…"

"Yeah. Swallow that pill." Klaus laughed to himself, obviously enjoying Dave's flustered stammering.

"Y- Yeah, you never- You never- How did you never mention that, exactly?"

"Oh, I don't know. I guess I thought that I already did."

"Certainly not."

"Pfft. 'Certainly not'." Klaus teased Dave, his eyes finally coming back to meet his. Dave gave a small smile of disbelief and shook his head.

"Glad you're feeling better, dick."

"See? You're helping!" Klaus offered cheerily as if it was him doing Dave a favor. Dave chuckled, but it faded when he saw Klaus's eyes flicker to something past him- something behind him.

"What is it?"

Klaus turned forward and didn't say anything. He sighed instead.

"Well, I'm sorry." Dave offered up, coiling his arms tightly around the Séance. "About Ben."

Klaus nodded.

"Happened a while ago, but yeah… It- It sucked. It was right around then that I started experimenting with harder stuff too. Like, you know: Coke, H, Xan, Shrooms, you name it. As soon as my tongue touched the alcohol that Allie and I stole to try from Dad's liquor cabinet, I knew that the only thing that seemed to work against these damn, dead-fucking bastards was self-medication. And if my Dad wouldn't offer it, then… Guess a kid's just gotta do everything himself." Klaus bit the inside of his cheek, turning his eyes down. He was ashamed; he was ashamed to be admitting this to Dave. "That and physical pain. Distracts from the mental, I guess."

Well, that whole deal made a lot more sense now.

"Hey. You were a kid trying to survive, Klaus."

"Don't make excuses for me."

"It's not an excuse, I'm just saying… Yes. Okay? Yes, I wish you didn't have to constantly rely on drugs. Yes, I wish that even all the way back then, you tried a different outlet. Any different outlet. But who am I to judge on shit like this? I don't know how it feels. Honestly, after the last couple of nights though, I can at least infer that it feels a whole lot like Hell on Earth."

Klaus snorted bitterly.

"Yeah. Mostly sums it up."

Dave kissed his head again, hating how he was starting to realize that Klaus had been more ashamed than he had ever realized. It was something he hid pretty well behind his jokes about his drug habit and his unapologetic partying-mannerisms, but Dave felt like Klaus was offering him a magnifying glass now- He was allowing Dave to see the rare and true Klaus- the one who maybe didn't want to be like this, but was molded into this from a young age.

Klaus only confirmed these suspicions.

"I- My whole life and character has been centered around it. Centered around something I didn't, and never would choose for myself. I mean, the ghosts, and my own insolence, I know, led to drugs. That led to my whole schtick. The whole lifestyle that I'm known for. My whole fucking-"

"Klaus…"

"Just an annoying burden- the handful, the bullshitter, the-"

"Klaus!"

"I'm just thinking about my siblings, is all." His head sat back against Dave's shoulder. "I mean, truly. That's all I am to them. I- Dave, don't you dare ever repeat any of this."

"Why would I-"

"I know, I know. I'm just… I'm, ugh… I'm gonna sound like a nooby preteen for a second, okay?"

"…Nooby?"

"I get self-conscious about it… I guess."

Dave put aside the fact that Klaus was rambling with terms foreign to him and focused on the real point. He loved that Klaus was opening up a bit and that he was learning about some of his well-guarded insides, but he didn't particularly like the things he was saying. He didn't like to hear about Klaus's self-deprecation, but of course, it wasn't about what Dave liked or didn't like to hear. It was about being there for him, cautiously, the best he could.

"About what?" Dave carefully asked, worried that the wrong move or word could scare him back into holding all of this down inside of him.

"What everyone thinks about me. Like… everyone. I know I have that, "don't care" attitude about everything, and honestly, a lot of the time I really don't give a shit. But sometimes… I don't know, a reputation like that wears on a guy. Nothing but a drugged-out shell of a person full of lies, jokes, and bullshit… A constant, nothing, pain in the ass."

"Jesus Christ, babe."

"Ask my siblings. They'll tell you just that."

"I doubt that, Klaus."

"Well… Something close to it."

Dave sighed a heavy breath into Klaus's neck, making him shiver between his arms. His arms tightened and suddenly, Dave didn't feel like he was protecting Klaus against other people's ghosts… He was protecting him against his own.

"Klaus, everything you just said… It just further proves that you are so much more than that BS."

Klaus thought about it and shrugged again, his chin falling onto his knees that were still pulled to his chest.

"You don't believe me?"

Klaus didn't move. Dave put his hands-on Klaus's shoulders and pulled him up and around to twist to see Dave's face. Klaus's features immediately softened, his eyes turning all gooey and admiring. Dave felt those first-date-ish butterflies in his stomach.

"I would never lie to you."

Klaus gave the tiniest of smiles, but his eyes did all the talking. He swallowed thickly and nodded, leaning in to press a kiss to Dave's lips. He held Klaus captive there a little longer, relishing in the moment of quiet that didn't often come to them lately.

When he pulled away, Klaus pressed their foreheads together.

"I'd never lie to you either."

Dave nodded, kissing him quickly on the tip of his nose.

"Well… In that regard, you are a pain in the ass." Dave tried to lighten things a bit, successful (thank God) in his attempt. Klaus chuckled and poked Dave's ribs, making him shy away.

"Yeahhhhhh, buuuuuuut…" Klaus coaxed, knowing there was more since Dave often said,

"My favorite pain in the ass."

"You bet that perfect ass I am."

Klaus sighed in the present time, August 3rd, remembering back to that July night. There were some glimmers of good moments in the ol' month of Julio, but with the ghosts, the extra Dave operations/missions/meetings, and not to mention, the damn heat and constant downpour of rain that came with this time of the season.

Now, they were back in A Shau, just as Dave had warned.

Firebase Bastogne… Where it all started for Klaus. To say the least, it was quite the mindfuck, being back.

It especially sucked because Dave knew the geography here- He had experience here. So, what did that mean? Everyone wanted Dave to consult on everything.

Which is great, whatever. It meant he was doing a good job… whatever that meant. Klaus didn't really know since Dave hardly talked about it, but they had to be talking about something in those meetings and on those special ops.

Klaus just eventually stopped asking.

Sometimes, he'd get a little jealous… He wasn't proud of it, but Klaus was never good at hiding himself from Dave.

"Again? You have to leave… again?" Klaus would pout. Dave would either sincerely apologize, or it'd lead to some light bickering. Nothing they couldn't handle, but when it was the only interaction they had until Dave got back late at night, it got to be a little disheartening.

That morning, before Don left, Dave and Klaus going into a little argument over the fact that he was missing Don's send-off. Klaus didn't want to think about it- besides, he agreed to forget it now that Dave had come back early to spend some time alone with him before dinner.

That's where they were now, in their squad-shared tent (a few tents over from the one Klaus had originally 'zapped' into), hoping everyone stayed out to give them some moments of peace together.

It felt nice, even if Klaus was riddled with cravings.

"Uuuuuughhhhh." Klaus jittered around the small space the tent allowed, pacing and pacing and pacing while Dave changed his record in Monty.

"How bad is it?"

"Worse by the second."

"Are you out or-"

"I just… I just want to try… Not, ya know?"

Dave stopped his movements, record half in. He looked up at Klaus and gave him a smile that sent shockwaves down Klaus's spine- that's when he knew it was all worth it.

"Proud."

"Don't I know it."

Dave smirked and finished in getting the next record set up. Elvis's unmistakable pipes filled the canvas room. One Night, Klaus recognized. Luther played the '58 record a lot at home.

"Klaus… Klaus, settle down for a sec."

"Mmmnnaaaaahhhhhh." Klaus made some strange welding of different noises of complaints, twisting out of Dave's grasp and bouncing around the room some more.

"Is this really the drug absence, or just you being a fidget?"

"I don't know the difference anymore."

Dave chuckled, trying to catch Klaus in his grasp again. Klaus skirted away.

"Get over here."

"No!" Klaus protested like a child, enjoying making Dave run after him, nearly tripping over all the shit splayed out around the tent.

"Fine. I'll play." Dave chuckled, lunging forward and grasping at Klaus's belt loop. His waist was yanked backward towards Dave, sending him into giggles, but he still managed to wiggle away.

"You snooze, you- Ah!" Dave wrapped his arms around Klaus's hips in one swift movement, yanking him off his feet. Dave carried a struggling, giggling Klaus to his bed where he dropped him, immediately laying down so that his back held Klaus down.

"Hey! Hey, let me go! You heathen!" Klaus tried to shimmy out from under Dave, realizing that he was more trapped than he initially realized. His arms were trapped under him, his torso held captive underneath Dave's weight.

"Settle down," Dave said with a pretend-bored tone, reaching down and feeling the floor until his hand grabbed something that made a paper-like crinkling noise. He pulled up a magazine- one of Teddy's- flipping through the pages like he was casually unaffected by his struggling boyfriend behind him.

"You- you-" Klaus fought to escape, letting out an exasperated groan. "Daaaaaaave."

"Yes, Fidget?"

Klaus craned his neck to see what Dave was reading. He rolled his eyes as Dave acted as if he was deeply intrigued by its pages.

"Mm. Interesting. Mm. Yes."

"You know if you're trying to pretend to be interested, you might want to try a magazine that has something other than pictures of naked girls, you ass."

Dave laughed, throwing the magazine aside and crossing his arms instead, still keeping his weight focused on holding Klaus down.

"You can get up when you stop jittering."

"Bull. Shit."

Dave stayed true to his word though, picking up the record case for his Elvis tracks and reading the back patiently as Klaus helplessly struggled. He was especially fidgety today, but that's why he was going to get the hell out from under Dave and tickle him until he died from lack of air.

Klaus didn't escape though. He gave it his best, but eventually, he got tired and stopped struggling. The antsy feelings that were associated with his drug cravings faded, and he (unfortunately and fortunately) started to do exactly what Dave told him to- calm down.

Soon, Klaus was still, his only movements being his rising and falling chest against Dave's back. He gave up completely, kind of comfortable using Dave as his blanket now. His eyes even started to slowly close without him realizing.

"Feeling better?"

"Fuck you."

"You're welcome."

Dave sat up, letting Klaus free. He gave Dave a hard jab in the side for good measure, rubbing his eyes and sitting slowly, trying to focus on not letting those anxious cravings find their way back in.

It wasn't easy though.

"I'm gonna take a walk," Klaus announced tiredly, letting his head fall into Dave's shoulder. Dave turned and kissed his forehead.

"Mm… Okay. Want me to come?"

"Get some rest. You've been go-go-go." Klaus assured him, giving him a kiss on the cheek in return.

"You're not going to go get fucked up, are you?"

"Hopefully not. We'll see." Klaus shrugged honestly. Dave gave him a small look that said a lot- Don't do drugs, but if you do, I kind of understand… But I kind of feel the need to push you to be better, but I kind of don't want to judge you and your weird ass struggles and…

"Come back and lay with me after." Was all Dave said though.

"You got it, boss."

But Klaus never would return from that walk.

Chapter Text

(Still) August 3 rd , 1968

Klaus swayed where he stood, suddenly overcome with a wave of nausea. His eyes squeezed shut and he clenched his jaw together tightly, waiting for the dizziness to pass. A chill erupted down his spine and his fingertips tingled. He knew these sensations all too well. Ghosts were near, and they were closing in.

As soon as the feeling passed, Klaus kept walking as fast as he could, hoping to shake their unearthly ties to his body and spirit.

Go away. Go away. Go away.

Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw shapes form and dissipate around him- figures that he knew that only he could see. He hoped that they'd fade out as he took big strides away from the main part of camp, but no dice. The voices buzzed in his head like wasps trapped in his skull.

"Yo, Boots. Hey, where-"

But Klaus ignored Teddy. He had to get out of there.

"Uh, kay. Bye!"

He walked and walked and walked, and soon, the spirits did seem to get better. Just in time too- Klaus was close to reaching into his pocket and popping one of the last pills he had. Sparingly was the way to go with the drugs though- They were deep in A Shau, no dealers in the near vicinity. This was a dangerous line he was walking.

Mind in the clouds, Klaus didn't realize how far he had gotten until the buildings around him turned into trees. Soon, there was only one structure left- a big cement-walled storage house at the edge of camp.

"Klaus!"

"How the fuck do you already know my name? Get off my ass!" Klaus shouted to the voice that projected inside his head. He spun around and found no one there. He rolled his eyes and covered his ears. "Christ."

"Klaus!"

Klaus groaned and pushed forward, not thinking twice before dipping into the building. He didn't care about the sign that prohibited his entrance or the fact that there could be people inside- he just hated when the ghosts knew his name. He needed cover.

The insides were filled with anything you could think of. It reminded him of his Dad's attic times ten. There were luggage cases, clothes, photos, boots, notebooks, and all kinds of knickknacks littering the ground. A rough path was carved through the sea of items leading to the back wall. Klaus slowly lowered his hands and looked around.

"Sweet." He muttered, feeling like he hit the 'Nam jackpot. This was like the camp's communal closet- the kind where you just stuffed everything you wanted out of sight and forgot about until years later. At least it would keep him busy and maybe he'd find something cool to bring back and show to Dave. He doubted anyone would miss any of this. How on Earth would they ever keep track?

It took a good minute of rifling around through the crap for it to hit Klaus- These things weren't "missed" because they didn't belong to anyone anymore. They were abandoned after their owners never returned- these were the belongings of men who died.

He only discovered this when the voices went from a quiet murmur to an overwhelming shower of pleads and cries. It started with inhuman noises breaking out around him- a sudden howl from behind that made his heart jump, a bang like a door slamming shut even if no door had moved at all, a crack like a gunshot, and then your usual screams and moans like a terribly cliché horror film- the horror film that was Klaus's life.

Every new disturbance to his ears made Klaus jump until he had enough. The voices became a bothersome buzz again and suddenly, he knew he was safer outside than he was in here.

Klaus had turned to get the hell out, but something caught his eye on the opposite side of the room- a record. It wasn't in any casing and didn't have a label so there was no telling what the hell was on it, but still, he had to bring it back for Dave.

So, Klaus hurried over, shuffling and tripping over mounds of junk, reaching for the light at the end of the tunnel. His head hurt from the pressure of all the spiritual cries in his brain- it got so bad that it was even clouding his visual focus. He could barely think straight.

"C'mooooon." He muttered, standing on one foot and leaning as far as he could with his arm outstretched over a giant pile of stuff. His fingertips just barely grazed the vinyl.

And then he was cracked in the back of the head with something hard and heavy.

Klaus collapsed.

The buzzing died into a low hum, and this time, Klaus knew it wasn't from the ghosts. It was from his brain just being knocked inside the walls of his skull, both when he was hit from an unseen object and from the impact of his head hitting the ground. Items jabbed into his ribs and arms and legs when he fell, junk cascading around him.

Number Four didn't even have time to make a sound. The splitting pain and physical trauma at the back of his head knocked him down so fast that his world spun and fell away for a second, the darkness creeping in.

What the-

Klaus felt a hand grip the back of his shirt.

Holy shit. This is it. They finally got me. My own powers are going to fucking kill me.

Am I going to die? Will Dave even be able to find me?

Klaus felt his body ripped from the ground and thrown back towards the cleared pathway in the center of the windowless building. His back hit hard concrete, this time forcing a pained yelp from his lips. He rolled over onto his side and held his right arm to his chest after landing on it hard.

That's when he realized that this was no ghost- This was Lurch… or "Swallow" or whatever. His ugly, sneering, giant foreheaded face towering over Klaus's blurry vision.

"Fucking panty-waist." He spat, his boot heel digging Klaus's wrist into the cold, unforgiving ground.

His mind was still having a hard time wrapping around what the fuck was happening, but his instincts weren't. Klaus let out a pain cry as pain shot from his wrist all the way up his arm to his shoulder, but not for long. He kneed Lurch in the gut, sending him stumbling backwards. Klaus rolled out from under him…

Right into Polinski.

"…fucking kidding me." Klaus muttered, his eyebrows furrowed against the intense pain in his head. Polinski lunged forward and tried to punch Klaus in the face, but he deflected the blow and sent him staggering to the side instead. Klaus took the opportunity to get the hell up and out of there, worrying that if he didn't, this is where he'd die.

Holy crap… What did Dave call it? Fragging. I'm getting fragged! Death by fragging!

No. No, I can't. I promised Dave I'd be back.

This is so lame if this is how I die. From these shit-for-brains?

So many things shot through his mind, a small inkling of hope finding its way into his chest until his hair was yanked backward, his body following.

"Ow, ow-" He complained, staggering backward until a fist landed in his stomach. Klaus felt all breath force itself from his lungs. The hand in his hair let go so that he could double forward, falling to his knees.

Everything just fucking hurt.

His arms were grabbed and held behind him before he could react. His instincts and reactions were fading like his consciousness- with each hit, Klaus became more helpless.

While one held him in place on his knees (he didn't have any clue which), the other planted punch after punch. His ribs, his abdomen, his face… He couldn't even distinguish where he was getting hit at some point- everything was just on fire with the stabbing pain of a million knives. The fist was no long just a fist- it was a fucking freight train ramming into him over and over and over…

Black spots filled what was left of his hazy vision.

Klaus was scared, quite frankly. He was kind of terrified. He wouldn't have been as freaked out if this was the fate he met a few months ago or even back at home in 2019, but now he had someone waiting on him. He had someone that he promised to be there for. He, for once, had someone who would hurt if he was gone.

He had Dave. He couldn't leave Dave- especially not like this.

His mouth tasted like iron and filled up with what he thought was just saliva, but when he spit, he saw red. In fact, soon, all he could see was red.

To make everything worse, the ghosts were still there. They screamed and laughed and cried.

Before everything fell into darkness, Klaus saw something when his head dropped- his eye caught sight of something that looked like the bottom base of a lamp near his ankle. The bottom looked thick and heavy, the handle gleaming in the dull overhead lights.

The only reasonable thoughts Klaus had left told him that it was his only hope.

Gritting his teeth against another punch to his abdomen, Klaus sucked in a sharp breath (which elicited immense amounts of pain) and used every ounce of energy he had to throw his head back, connecting it into his captor's nose.

C'mon, Klaus. C'mon. C'mon. C'mon. Think of Dave…

His arms now freed and what sounded like Polinski swearing behind him, Klaus dove for the lamp base by his leg. He felt the cool metal in his hand as it closed around the neck of the base, lifting it. Luckily and unluckily, it was just as heavy as it looked. It was hard for Klaus to shakily lift it in his fragile state, but it connected with Lurch's head damn good once he got the momentum going.

A terrible crack filled the air, and Lurch's figure fell from Klaus's cloudy vision. He screamed and then went silent following the sound of his body hitting the ground.

Klaus didn't have the time to celebrate or drag himself out of this hellhole though. Polinski recovered from the head butt and was already wrapping a big, meaty arm around Klaus's neck and yanking him back, squeezing hard.

Klaus gasped for air, struggling the best he could but not doing much to help himself. Lurch wasn't moving from where he sat a lifeless lump on the ground, and even though his mind was mostly focused on the fact that he himself was probably dying, he had an added flicker of horror thinking,

Oh, shit. Did I kill him?

If so, then that really sealed the deal for Klaus's fate- If there was a Hell, he was goin' there for sure.

Polinksi didn't choke him out completely- Klaus supposed he still wanted to have some fun and that would be much too easy. Instead, he threw Klaus to the side and mounted his torso, holding him down with his knees on his chest. Klaus couldn't breathe.

And then came the punches.

Lots and lots of punches- all to his face.

Oh, not the face. Was the last coherent thought that Klaus thought before his fate was taken out of his hands. Luckily, it wasn't as morbid as a fate as he expected.

A bang cut through the air, startling both Polinski and Klaus.

"HEY!"

Suddenly, the immense weight on Klaus chest was lifted and he was left gasping for breaths. He had no idea who this guardian angel was, but Klaus practically owed him his life. He rolled on his side, curling into himself and coughing up mouthfuls of blood. While he did, he heard rushed scuffling and the open and close of the door.

Polinski was outta there faster than a junkie during a police raid.

Hands gripped Klaus's shoulders.

"Fucking Hell… Stay with me, Son. You alright?"

Klaus never thought Sarge's harsh, condescending voice would ever sound so sweet. He helped Klaus sit up, his body protesting but managing to at least keep him in a slumped stance.

"Mm…" Klaus squeezed his eyes shut and tried not to throw up his stomach contents. It felt like his skull was splitting into a million pieces, his stomach was twisting into tight knots, and his whole body just used as a punching bag.

"Hey. Don't go dyin' on me, hear? I ain't gonna be the one to tell Katz that."

Dave…

Dave. Dave. Dave. Dave. Dave. Dave.

"I-" Klaus coughed, spitting blood on the floor and shuddering. Sarge's firm grasp on his shoulders was the only thing holding him upright. "I think I killed him."

Lurch. He thinks he killed Lurch.

"Don't think about that. Worry about yourself and that's an order. We're gonna get you out of here. I'll take care of that piece of shit later."

"Mm…" Klaus acknowledged. Everything felt so… fuzzy. "Tired."

"No, you're not."

Sarge started lifting him but Klaus could barely move without his nerve ending screaming out in pain.

"Owie. Don't dooooo that." Klaus giggled at the sound of his own voice. His defensive method of hiding from his pain was letting his haziness take over and transform into a dizzy loopiness. Suddenly, the situation was kind of funny. He didn't know why, but it was.

"Don't pussy out on me. Stand up." Sarge didn't care to share the "joke".

Klaus groaned but did what he was told with Sarge's help. He was completely fine with relinquishing his well-being into Bates's hands for now. What other choice did he have?

Dave's eyes scanned the center of the camp, trying to find some explanation for Klaus's long absence. He wanted to give him space and wanted to trust him to not give into his strong drug temptations, but three hours was just too long. He was starting to worry that either,

Klaus got into some mischief.

Klaus was drugged out and vulnerable somewhere.

Klaus wondered off and found more… sinister trouble.

Hopefully, he was just caught by Teddy, because Dave hadn't seen Teds in a while either. His eyes scanned the sparse gathering of soldiers.

A couple of randos, a guy from their sister squad, some dude Dave met named Michael, Eugie and Polinski (who were acting really weird and kept looking at him, but that'd just have to wait until later)…

And then Dave saw Big Al. He was sitting in front of a tent's entrance on the edge of the center area of the camp, his knee anxiously bouncing up and down. That was unusual for Big Al- the guy was typically pretty laid back as far as relaxing time went.

Dave walked over. As he did, Teddy emerged from the tent behind Al, going to tell him something but stopping when he saw Dave. His eyes went wide and his mouth slightly hung open.

"Where's Klaus?" Dave asked, trying to stay casual so as not to worry them… or himself… before he knew there was any true danger.

No answer.

Al and Teddy exchanged glances- glances that told Dave that they knew something that he himself obviously didn't.

"What?"

"Er-"

Dave sighed impatiently, his fear growing and growing by the second. His arm muscles clenched and his fist balled up anxiously, his nails digging into his palm.

"Where's. Klaus."

He wasn't going to ask again.

Teddy sighed, cocked his head back towards the tent he just emerged from. Something was wrong. Something was very wrong. Why else would they look so terrified to tell Dave anything?

When he rushed through the tent flaps, Dave stopped so fast that he nearly tripped over himself. He didn't know what he was expecting, but it wasn't this.

Klaus's shirt was removed, his chest painted with reds, blues, blacks, and purples. It was like someone crafted a water paint masterpiece of awful, gruesome colors across his skin. Not only that, but his chest stuttered with irregular, painful look breaths of air, some points sticking out at odd angles if you looked close enough.

And then there was his face. Under his left eye, his cheekbone was swelled slightly larger than Dave knew it to be, black and blue hues defining its curve. His other eye had a trickle of dried blood that ran from his eyebrow down past his eyelid and down his face like a crimson tear track.

There were also cuts on his lower lip, his forehead leading into his hairline, his cheek, his jaw. And too many areas to count, more bruising and discoloration.

Klaus made surprised eye contact with him as soon as he entered. They froze like that- their eyes locking, a million words exchanged without saying a single thing. Klaus's eyes relaxed from their wide state, soon flickering over to Teddy.

"I said don't let him in, Teddy. Don't."

Teddy shrugged apologetically and Sarge was working on tightly wrapping Klaus's wrist in white bandage. He glanced up at Dave, swore under his breath, and then kept at it.

Dave… Well, Dave didn't know what to think or how to feel. All he knew was that he was suddenly charging back out of the tent, despite people calling after him, Klaus included.

"Wait! Dave!"

Dave was far past listening to anyone at this point. Something surged through him- something he didn't recognize. It felt terrible and great all at the same time. He ignored the fact that Klaus stumbled out of bed, trying to stagger after him.

"Dave, stop!"

"Hey! Hargreeves!" Sarge yelled after Klaus who yelled after Dave. Luckily, once he broke from the tent, Dave saw Teddy jump forward and grab Klaus out of the corner of his eye. It was right in time too, because Klaus nearly collapsed as soon as he met fresh air.

Dave was already halfway across the campsite anyway. His body knew where he was headed before his mind did. Faces turned and watched as he stalked across the yard, his eyes fixated on two people-

Eugie and Polinski.

Polinski saw Dave first, his eyes flashing with fear. He still had faded blood on his knuckles and underneath his bruised nose- it didn't take a rocket scientist to know that he played an instrumental part in Klaus's current state. Polinski obviously knew that Dave had knowledge of this- that had to be why he was shrinking back like a coward.

However, Dave didn't go for Polinski. He didn't even give him a second glance.

No… Dave's hand closed around the fabric of Eugie's shirt collar, yanking as hard as he could and admittedly relishing in the helpless choking sound that it pulled from his throat. Eugie went down hard, his sniveling, weasel-body trying to wriggle out of the way of Dave's wrath but failing miserably as Dave's first punch connected with his cheek. He could feel the skin break beneath his knuckles, hot liquid staining his hand.

Then came another. And another. And another.

"Fuck him up! Fuck him up! Fuck him up!" The men around the yard hooted and hollered like a bunch of riled up schoolboys. They scrambled from their seats, coming to watch the violent commotion that for once, wasn't between them and a VC.

Dave just kept going, each hit giving him a rush of satisfaction. Whoever said fighting fire with fire wasn't the answer, or that violence didn't solve anything, clearly was hitting the wrong person.

A thought crossed Dave's mind…

I could kill him. I feel like I could kill him without one fucking second thought right now. I'm going to kill him.

Each time his knuckles connected, he felt another rush of adrenaline fueling him. Every time he heard that sickening thump, he thought of that image of Klaus- broken, beaten, nearly killed…

Eugie meant to kill him. He meant to kill Klaus, Dave knew it. Not Polinski. Not Swallow wherever he was… Eugie. He was the fucking mastermind behind everything, just too weak to do his own dirty work.

I'm going to kill him.

I'm going to kill him.

I'm going to kill him, or he'll kill Klaus.

"HEY!" Sarge's voice barked above the commotion. "HEY! KATZ! KATZ, GODDAMNIT!"

A hand closed around Dave's collar now, hoisting him up and off Eugie's pulverized face that didn't look much like a face anymore. Dave was shaking with anger though, energy still pumping through his veins in need of release. He lunged forward, ready to finish what he started.

"ENOUGH!" Sarge grabbed Dave by his biceps, holding him back despite Dave's struggles. He shoved Dave in the opposite direction, a few other guys taking hold of Dave's arms and holding him hostage. "CHRIST, I'M NOT RUNNING A GODDAMN FUCKING CIRCUS!"

Eugie was sniffling and violently shaking, taking fast breaths. He tried to push himself up, only to fall back down again. Seeing his pathetic performance caused some of the pure fury to die down in Dave's chest, soothing some of his uncontrolled needs to smash his face in more. He relaxed and the hands around him let go. Still, Dave stepped forward towards Eugie, just to see him flinch.

Sarge rushed over and put his hands on Dave's chest to ensure he didn't go further. Instead of his raged screaming, Sarge's voice dipped down low just for Katz to hear.

"You got someone in there who needs you." He whispered harshly, his face close to Dave's. Dave still stared down at Eugie with saturated hate, wondering how many times it would take to ensure that his face never returned to normal. "Katz! You hear me? That someone is much more worth your time that this little shit, understand?"

Those were finally the words Dave needed to hear. His anger dissipated in his chest completely and was replaced with guilt.

Klaus did need him. He was hurting in there, probably freaked out to hell. Plus, Dave knew that this very reaction was what Klaus was trying to avoid by not telling Dave about what happened at first.

Which, Dave was still kind of salty about, but that was the least of their problems right now.

"Okay?" Sarge shook Dave's shoulders, finally connecting their gazes. Dave nodded and hesitantly went back to the tent where Teddy had managed to drag Klaus back into amidst the fight… if you could call it that. Was it a fight if the other person didn't do anything but shrink up like the coward they were?

Dave brushed past all the men who stared at him with wide eyes. No one else mattered right now- no one but the one person who he felt like he was abandoning right now.

Bursting back into the tent as if he couldn't get their fast enough, Dave rushed to the table they had Klaus sitting up on, his back propped up by a couple pillow. He turned to see Dave enter, about to say something, but Dave approached him too quick. Before Klaus could explain or berate Dave for reacting like that, Katz gently sat Klaus up more so that he could sit on the table behind him, lowering Klaus back down to rest against Dave's chest instead of the pillows. His arms wrapped around his broken boyfriend as he tried his best to be mindful of Klaus's many injuries.

"'M sorry." Dave mumbled into Klaus's hair, pressing kisses to the top of his head. He took a deep breath and just held the trembling frame in his arms, ready to murder the next person that tried to hurt him like this.

"Jesus, Dave." Klaus breathed, shaking his head in disbelief at what just went down in the blink of an eye.

"Are you okay?" Dave craned his head to look into Klaus's eyes, one hand coming up to gently graze the bruises on his face. Klaus cringed away, but then relaxed against his touch. He sighed a stuttering sigh just as Sarge came back in without a word, picking the roll of bandages off the ground and wrapping Klaus's wrist up once again as if Dave wasn't there.

"Dave… I- I think I killed a guy." Klaus whispered, his voice thick with trauma. Dave frowned pressed his nose into Klaus's, nudging him back to Earth when his eyes went far off in what seemed to be a terrorized memory.

"What do you mean?"

"Lurch."

Dave's frown deepened.

"Or Swallow… whatever."

His face softened and he realized why Swallow wasn't around. Klaus must've-

"Killed him. I- I- I- think-"

"Hey, hey…" Dave soothed, kissing the side of Klaus's head as lightly as he could so not to hurt him. He could smell the blood- it was just a tinge of a metallic smell, and then it was gone. "Klaus, whatever happened… You had to, okay?"

"How do I know?" Klaus's voice broke just a bit. "What if I didn't have to or-"

"Klaus…" Dave quieted him, giving him a little squeeze. "Did you start the fight?"

Dave knew the answer, but he needed Klaus to say it.

"No… They cracked me over the head with a pipe."

"Yeah. You did what you had to, babe. You definitely didn't come out unscathed either, huh?"

As if on cue, Klaus jerked away from where Sarge was poking at his ribs.

"Ugh… Not exactly. Worth it though. Found an Everly Brother's record for you. The album with Price of Love, on it. Disgustingly fitting, don't you think? Some sick joke... Ow!"

"Man up." Sarge grumbled in response to Klaus's sudden interjection.

"Gasp!" Klaus "gasped" dramatically as if wildly offended that Sarge could have the audacity to say such a thing. Dave chuckled and shook his head, reaching down to hold Klaus's good-hand while Sarge felt around his ribcage area, searching for breaks. "Ow, ow, ow…"

He squeezed Dave's hand until Dave himself cringed, trying not to show it so that Klaus would keep taking some of his pain out on him. Meanwhile, Dave buried his face into Klaus's hair again, nuzzling the side of his head that wasn't caked in blood. Everyone was quiet for a while before Dave just had to say it-

"I'm sorry." He whispered, his voice strained with the guilt that he felt. The apology could've been for a number of things that Dave felt awful about, but mostly, he knew that if he hadn't saved Eugie's weak-ass a couple of weeks ago, this never would've happened.

"Shut up."

"I am."

"Shut it!"

"I knew I should've left him there to fucking burn."

"Then you wouldn't be my 'Dave'."

Dave appreciated Klaus's cute sentiment, but still…

"Ever since I saved him, he hasn't known how to handle it. It's like he can't bear to be ingratiated to someone, so he lashed out instead. And of course, he took it out on you."

"You think Eugie orchestrated all of this because he couldn't handle be indebted to you?" Klaus asked, twisting around to frown at Dave.

"He's been acting like a little scheming prick around me all month."

"Maybe, but Dave, I've been setting free all his little playmates."

Dave narrowed his eyes, not following. Klaus sighed and elaborated.

"You know… When we raid a village or town or whatever, he likes to pick out a few Vietnamese to toss around and torture? I- If I see the chance, I set them free behind his back. I'm sorry, I know you didn't want me getting involved with him but I couldn't-"

"No, no. Don't apologize for that." Dave waved it away, re-coiling his arms around Klaus and bringing him back into his chest tightly. "You were helping people… But yeah, okay. He's probably pissed about that."

"Yeah, I'd say so."

Dave sighed, blowing hot air against Klaus's neck and making him shiver. He was about to talk about how it was a shame that Polinski and Swallow became his dumb dogs and mindless henchmen, but Sarge cut in.

"You've got some fractures. I ain't gonna take you to the infirmary 'cause they'll ask for a report and it's best you don't get into that."

"Why shouldn't we report it? They attacked Klaus."

"'Cause this is 'Nam, son. No one gives a shit. They wouldn't do anything, and if they did, Boots would probably end up in just as much dogshit at the two lugs. And-" Sarge trailed off, searching for words.

"What?"

"I got a suspicion that those boys might be on to you two. You don't want anyone lookin' into your relationship, do ya?"

"No."

"No."

Klaus and Dave responded simultaneously.

"Then sit up and I'll wrap you myself. Up." Sarge instructed. Dave helped Klaus sit slowly, hating the grimace on Klaus's face as he did. He sat back so Sarge could tightly secure bandages around his torso, starting to circle it around and around, again and again. Klaus's body was rigid, frozen in pain. Dave reached forward and held his hand. It was all he could do.

"Tell me about your day." Klaus muttered through clenched teeth.

"…Really? Now?"

"I need something to distract me. Please?"

Dave shrugged, obviously willing to oblige.

"Well, uh- They asked me to map out some rough coordinate planes to triangulate-"

"Ugh, you were right. I'm already lost."

Dave snorted.

"But-"

"It's no use, David. Let's talk about something else."

Dave rolled his eyes, smiling.

"Fine. What?"

Klaus pursed his lips and thought, a moan of protest rising at the back of his throat when Sarge started wrapping the bandage up towards the middle of his torso.

"Um…" Klaus thought. Dave waited. "Why did you come back?"

"What do you mean?"

"Why'd you come back to Vietnam? For a second tour? Like… on purpose." Dave had always wondered if that question would come up, a little surprised that it took this long even. Usually, once people found out that Dave was here by his own free will for a second time, that was their immediate question.

Dave sighed. Not because he was dreading it, but because he was trying to prepare to do something he wasn't all too used to doing- be vulnerable.

The only other person in the room was Sarge since Teddy ducked out to laugh his head off at the bloody Eugie, and Sarge already knew what Dave was about to say.

"You know what I told you about Mick?"

"Yeah. Of course."

"Well… Okay, let me back up. Before we started being harassed, people in the town were catching on. As I said- small town, not all too accepting or supportive. Since family is also a big thing there, my reputation affects their reputation and… I don't know, I guess my Mom basically started implying that if I was going to disappoint and tarnish the family image by running around with "fags" then I could find a different family."

"What the fuck."

"Yeah, I mean… She didn't say it like that, but… Anyway, everyone started to turn their backs to me and that's when I got drafted for my first tour. There wasn't any of that societal bullshit here. I didn't have to think or work hard to fit in- it was just surviving, and that's it."

"Ah! Ah- Sarge…"

"Stay still."

Klaus whined but did what he was told.

"Sorry, I'm listening." Klaus assured him. Dave ran his thumb over the back of his hand comfortingly.

"When I got back with a cold welcome from everyone, I hung out with Mick more and more. I mean, I wanted to, of course, but it was kind of to stick it to them as well now that I think about it. Anyway, we started getting seriously harassed, Mick was killed, and I needed to get out of the society that let him die. This was the best hiding place I could think of. The place that makes no sense but more sense than anything else."

Klaus was silent. Everyone was. Dave fidgeted uncomfortably.

"Oh. That makes a sad amount of sense." Klaus finally said.

"It didn't work."

"What didn't?"

"Hiding. You found me."

Klaus turned back and beamed at Dave, shaking his head.

"You cheesy bastard." He giggled. Dave smiled, feeling accomplished in making Klaus smile for the first time since the incident with Polinski and Swallow. Dave leaned forward and kissed him (gently), trying to not let himself get too worked up over the fact that he could taste blood.

For a second, Dave wished he would've beaten Eugie just a bit more.

"Alright. Alright. Jesus, keep your pants on." Sarge grumbled, finishing securing Klaus's ribcage. He gathered his stuff and ushered himself out. Dave couldn't help but crack an amused smile at his grumpy awkwardness.

"Wait, Sarge." Klaus called him back before he could disappear into the wind. He rolled his eyes and looked back.

"For God's sake, what?"

Klaus swallowed thickly and looked down before he hit Bates with direct, meaningful eye contact.

"Thank you. Really."

Sarge nodded, eyes flickering over to Dave who nodded his own appreciation… and it wasn't until later that Dave even found out that Sarge was probably the only reason that Klaus was alive now before him.

Then, Sarge was gone. Klaus sighed and carefully lowered himself back into Dave's chest.

"Ow, ow, ow…" He muttered. Dave kissed the side of his head. "I'm sorry about your home. How it's not a home anymore. I know how that feels to some extent."

"I know you do." Dave spoke softly into the skin of his neck, nuzzling a spared patch of skin that had escaped Polinski and Lurch's wrath. And he did know. Klaus's home life wasn't nearly ideal from what he had told Dave so far. "I'm grateful for my grandma though. Out of everyone in the whole damn town and my whole damn family, she and my sister were the only ones who still cared no matter what."

"Is she-"

"She's dead. Died right before I left for this tour."

"Oh…" Klaus nodded. "I'm sorry."

Dave shrugged. 

"Circle of life. She was slowly dying. It's better this way. You, however, are not going anywhere, my dear." Dave instructed him. Klaus smiled as Dave gently, lovingly bit his ear.

"You got it, boss."

Chapter Text

September 11th, 1968

Klaus was only just starting to feel like his normal, energetic self again. Over a month had passed since the Eugie/Polinski/Lurch incident and it had taken a hot second for his ribs to mend. His face healed quite nicely and rather quick (thank the LAWD), but the ribs were a pain in the ass.

For the what felt like the longest time, Klaus was stuck in bed in that tent they were able to hide him in- hide him from who, Klaus wasn't exactly sure, but he assumed Sarge just didn't want to get anyone else involved in the drama that went down.

"Drama". As if it was some kind of gossip scandal between seventh graders and not Eugie literally putting a hit on Klaus and trying to kill him.

Fucking 'Nam, Man.

If anything good came out of the altercation back in August, it was being able to see Dave beat Eugie senseless. Klaus was expecting Dave to react protectively, but he figured that he'd at least wait until Klaus explained and that he'd go after Polinski, not Eugie. But Dave was much too smart for that. Besides, no one thought Polinski or Lurch acted on their own agendas. Without Eugie, they would be two mindless lumps that just barely remembered to breathe.

No… Dave knew it was Eugie who nearly killed Klaus, and Klaus knew it too.

He just thought that Dave would yell at him or something. Not charge out, slam the douche to the ground and then start pummeling his face in. Klaus had initially wanted nothing more than to painfully stagger after Dave in hopes to stop him- the last thing he wanted was for Dave to get in trouble on Klaus's behalf.

Once Dave started though, and as Teddy firmly held Klaus back a few yards from the commotion (what Teds would later call 'front row seats to the best damn show money could never pay for'), no one dared to stop him until Sarge came hootin' and hollarin'.

But hot damn. Klaus was hardly ashamed to admit that Dave was sexy as hell when he went in all gung ho like that. And the fact that it was to protect Klaus sent sickening waves of affection through him. Was that terrible that that was what was going through Klaus's mind watching his boyfriend beat the shit out of someone? Maybe, but Klaus didn't really have half the mind to care, especially when he felt he had earned it after receiving quite the beating himself.

That night was rough. Klaus hardly got sleep, so by association, that meant Dave didn't either. Dave ensured him that it didn't make a difference though- he was so pumped up on adrenaline that he wouldn't be getting sleep either way. That's something that Klaus did truly feel bad about- for a while after the fight, he could sense the slightest of shaking in Dave's bones. He had never seen him act out that impulsively before- Klaus didn't have to guess to know that his emotions probably spiked to terrifying levels.

He tried to calm himself and Dave down by talking to him more about the war. Weird, right? Using a damned war in order to calm tensions?

Anyway, as David had expressed, there was a pretty good societal reason for his choice to rejoin the forces in 'Nam once again. Dave later went on that night to reveal that he also felt like it was the clearest path he could choose that he knew would make his stepdad proud from wherever he was in the afterlife. Dave's stepdad had served in WWll and ever since Dave knew him, he was just so in awe of what he called "his true but non-biological" father's service. Ever since he was small and playing "guns" in the backyard, Dave knew he wanted to serve like his Dad.

Now, Dave was. Klaus was proud of him, especially since he could sense that Dave felt pride in himself for the fact. Even if,

"Everything's fucked though." Dave had said, sighing as the night dragged on and Klaus continued to carefully regulate his breathing so as to not disturb his ribcage that felt like it had been mowed over by a semi.

"What's everything?"

"Vietnam. A lot of other guys are here because their Dad's served in World War ll- The pride was so great following that period, that we all wanted to live up to the legacy. But then you get here and see that this war- That everything here is…"

"FUBAR." Klaus finished, remembering the term that Dave had taught him a while ago. He loved the way he could felt Dave's chest tremble with his chuckle against Klaus's back.

"Hm. Yeah, FUBAR."

"But it doesn't matter. You're still serving and that says a lot. Your Dad would be proud. He is proud."

"How can you tell?"

"Just the way he looks at you."

"That's super fucking creepy, babe."

"Hey. Don't shoot the messenger."

After that night of August the 3rd, a few things changed.

First, Klaus couldn't leave the tent for a couple of days. He woke up barely able to even roll onto his side with how badly his torso hurt. Sarge let him stay in for as long as he needed which wasn't all too long after all. Klaus couldn't stay still. If anything, he was probably up and at em' before he was medically ready.

He slowly healed though, able to get his hands on some Vicodin from the infirmary tent and use that as a nice accompaniment for both his pain and the ghosts.

Another thing that changed was the atmosphere of the camp. People weren't scared of Dave per se, but they… respected him- more than they already did, that is. Everyone knew Eugie was a prick and no one was sad to see him shipped off to a hospital via helicopter, just as Lurch had been earlier from Klaus's lamp-hit to the head. Eventually, Sarge brought word back that both Lurch and Eugie survived but were both unfit for duty. The details and causes of their injuries were swept under the rug as many things in Vietnam were, and they were "honorably discharged".

Honorably. Can you believe it?

"At least they're out of our lives." Dave said, still sighing in disappointment at their disgustingly undeserved fates.

"I'm just glad I don't have that dipshit's murder on my hands. Last thing I needed." Klaus agreed, ready to let bygones be bygones. He was safe, Dave was safe, and no one was in hot water. Lately, his time in Vietnam had taught him to count his blessings. Maybe it was just Dave that made him a better person… or both.

Speaking of his beautiful, sexy, strong, intelligent, introspective, passionate…

What was Klaus talking about?

Oh! It's Dave's birthday.

When he originally told Klaus that his birthday was on Septermber 11th, Klaus almost made a comment about how unfortunate it was that it turned out to be the famed terrorist attack date of "9-11", but quickly reminded himself that 9/11 hadn't even happened yet at this point. How strange a concept it was to know terrible events such as that ahead of time- maybe he could save the towers. He could spare tons of people…

Or not. Who knows? Klaus sure didn't. He wasn't sure how this time travel thing worked and he for sure knew he was no hero.

Anyway, it was kind of nice to have the date just be associated with something nice instead, even if the day still left a feeling of discomfort in Klaus's chest from the memories of 2001. He tried to convince himself that it was a problem he could worry about again in 30-some years.

That morning of September 11th, 1968, a day Klaus had been anticipating excitedly for a month now (even if Dave wasn't all too enthusiastic), Four made sure to wake up early to try to catch Dave before he rose for the day.

But sweet Jesus, even at 5:30 AM, Dave was up and gone as soon as Klaus woke. He sighed disappointedly at the sight of his empty cot, the sheets tousled but vacant.

This was a typical ritual in the morning lately. Dave often woke up early, that part was never different. However, he usually waited for Klaus to wake up too. Klaus adored waking up to Dave's soft blue eyes gazing at him lovingly, the first light of morning illuminating a rim around his golden hair and face. He'd smile gently and mouth,

"Morning, beautiful."

Or,

"Morning, gorgeous."

Or just simply,

"Hi. I love you."

And Klaus never once got used to those butterflies that'd kick up in his stomach at Dave's cute little morning greetings- the feelings he got, the deep-seated love, they never dulled.

But then, Dave got busy. People were recognizing him strategical smarts now. It turns out, he has quite the affinity for this "war" stuff, luckily more on the tactical side than the field-fighting side, although he was pretty fucking good at that too. Klaus just kept telling him,

"Don't you dare go anywhere dangerous. Not without me. I'll be fucking pissed if you bite the dust. Like, so mad. I'll probably give your ghost the cold soldier."

"Alright, alright. I get it." Dave would laugh, kissing his forehead.

"Yeah. Bud. Watch it."

Dave would be pulled on extra missions from time to time, but it was mostly to scout, act as a type of diplomat, or work out kinks in the administrative pitfalls. Klaus would ask what he did on days that he'd disappear for hours on end, and Dave would kind of start to tell him, but Klaus either wouldn't understand what the hell he was saying, or Dave just wouldn't reveal much past "Not much. Just some Vietnam BS as always."

Still, Klaus couldn't help but think,

If it's BS, why do you keep doing it?

But then he'd remember what Dave said about making his stepdad proud and his lifelong dream to follow in his footsteps by serving the country and all that heroic, Dave-like stuff. Klaus didn't want to get in the way of that, so he kept his mouth shut, even if he started to miss Dave terribly the more and more he was gone.

He better be around on his birthday. It was… Well… His day of birth, after all!

Klaus buzzed around the camp despite the horribly humid weather this morning, ignoring the fact that he was exerting himself before 6 AM in the morning. The sun's light had barely crested over the horizon and he was already a fiery ball of energy.

Then he saw him. That kicked his enthusiasm up a few thousand notches as Klaus tore across the yard, jumping on Dave's back shamelessly as he calmly emptied his backpack contents onto a table outside, cleaning the insides and carefully placing his stuff back in. Poor guy. Minding his own business, thinking he could hide from Klaus's tornado of energy.

"Holy shit…" Dave laughed as Klaus hopped up on his back, wrapping his limbs around him like a cobra. Dave stumbled but just barely managed to stay standing, moving his hands back under Klaus's knees to help hold him up. "A simple good morning would be fine."

"Lame." Klaus dismissed, squeezing the life out of the birthday boy. After gasping for air for a bit, Klaus gave Dave access to his lungs again, falling to the ground on his feet but keeping his arms wrapped around his chest. It was ballsy out in the open, but it was so early that he decided it was safe to risk it.

Dave kept cleaning his backpack with a small smile on his face. Klaus scoffed.

"Daaaaaave!" Klaus tried to prod, jabbing his chin into Dave's spine and making him jerk away in giggles.

"Ah! How do you manage to inflict so much pain and tickle at the same time?" He mused, still insistent on reorganizing his stuff. What a nerd. Klaus knew he was doing it just to annoy him. Klaus had been excited about his birthday for weeks now, Dave insistent on brushing it off as just another day but dedicated to how he's slowly dying.

"Dave! You morbid jerk. It'll be fun!" Klaus would mock him.

Now, Klaus persisted in trying to get his full attention. He poked at his ribs, gripped his shoulders and shook him, and eventually, resorted to climbing back up on his body, practically forcing Dave to give him the full attention he deserved.

"Okay, okay…" Dave laughed, giving up on the task he had started before Klaus came in like a menace. "What?"

At this point, Klaus was wrapped all around him, his legs around his waist and his arms around his neck and head, obscuring Dave's vision.

"Happy birthday." Klaus murmured into Dave's hair, finally unraveling himself from around his boyfriend's body. He dropped to the ground, settling for the more-traditional hug instead. He wrapped his arms around Dave's torso and buries his face in his shoulder, Dave bringing his own arms up and around his back to rub over his shirt gently.

"Thank you."

"I love you."

"I love you too." Dave breathed, kissing the side of Klaus's head.

He loved it when he did that.

"Hey. I have something for you."

And so, Klaus dragged Dave back towards their squad's tent, making him wait outside while he ran in under his bed- Klaus went in and out in a flash, returning with the flat object that was Dave's present behind his back.

"You couldn't wait for the sun to at least come up?"

"Nope."

"Fair enough." Dave smiled, shaking his head. Klaus rocked back and forward on his heels and toes until he held the record out in front of him.

"Sorry. No wrapping paper around here."

Dave frowned curiously at the record case, taking it gently from Klaus's hands. He always handled them like they were priceless china. His eyes scanned the brand-new print on the cardboard casing, his frown deepening. Klaus smiled at him softly, admiring at the way he analyzed the writing and artwork. It took a hell of a lot to get his hands on this record, but Dave's reaction was definitely worth it.

"Klaus, how-"

Already anticipating the question, Klaus cut in.

"Do you really want to know?"

Dave flashed his eyes up at Klaus, a small suspicious gleam in his eye.

"Oh God. What'd you do?"

"Don't worry about it." Klaus pursed his lips and shrugged half-heartedly. Dave laughed and shook his head down at the record.

Crown of Creation by Jefferson Airplane.

"This isn't even supposed to be released until-"

"Tomorrow." Klaus interrupted proudly.

You done good, Hargreeves.

Dave stared down at the record, flipping it over and studying the list of songs. Klaus tapped his foot impatiently, knowing Dave liked his time with his records but-

"So, you wanna play it or just eye fuck it?"

Dave rolled his eyes and darted forward to kiss Klaus fast and hard. He almost yelped form the sudden surprise, smiling as Dave finished by pressing their foreheads together and looking into his eyes.

"Thank you." He said in a low voice.

"Welcome." Klaus whispered.

This day was about Dave, but they both needed it. They needed something that forced them to set some time aside to just enjoy each other without having to worry about ghosts or War or…

"But I can't listen to it now. I've gotta go. I'll be back later, okay?"

Klaus's shoulders slumped and his face fell. He didn't try to hide his disappointment.

"What?"

"It's just for a little bit! Since I know the A Shau area better, they want help mapping out our next op, so-"

"But-"

"Klaus. C'mon. Let's not fight about this today." Dave pleaded, putting his hands on Klaus's biceps. Klaus jerked away.

"Oh, now your birthday matters."

"It's not even-" Dave sighed and looked away, collecting his thoughts and finally returning back to Klaus who turned on the sad-eyes. "Klaus. Baby, it'll only be a bit, okay? Promise. Then I'm all yours."

Klaus huffed.

"Fine. Go."

"Hey."

Klaus raised his eyebrows expectantly.

"I love you."

Fucking Dave… Knowing Klaus could never keep his smile away when he heard those words.

"Ugh." Klaus rolled his eyes, that unwilling grin creeping. "Yeah, yeah. I love you too."

Dave hummed happily and kissed his forehead before making his way across camp to who-knows-where-anymore. Klaus pouted to himself, taking the record back inside to keep safe until he returned (which hopefully, would be soon).

Klaus flopped onto his bed, tapping his fingers on his chest impatiently. Teddy snored on the other side of the room and Big Al was practically dead to the world.

Ugh… So, what now?

Klaus tossed and turned restlessly, trying to think of something other than Dave to keep him busy for a while. It was hard when he was really banking on that.

It wasn't just that Klaus was quite that finicky- it was partially because of his current state of being too. Near the end of August, they had passed through a particularly populated town on the edge of A Shau and Klaus had been able to score more drugs- not even enough to have fun, but they at least kept the ghosts at bay.

So now, nearing mid-September, while he didn't have too much left in his stash, he certainly had enough to be comfortable. Klaus wasn't comfortable though. For the past couple days, he had chosen to be that way. He tried not to let Dave in on that little fact. It was part of his surprise today… a surprise Klaus really hoped didn't come as too much as a shock.

The ink spread itself across the subtle ridges of the parchment. Dave found himself enthralled by the way the jet-black made a path across the page, forming a kind of language that even himself found foreign. His mind went blank and he allowed his hand to do the work. Currently, he was mapping out coordinates of possible "hot" coordinates- areas that Dave remembered running into VC trouble the last time he was in A Shau. It was a special project part of an op that he was pulled onto by the direct suggestion of a "Lieutenant Carpal"… People Dave had never even heard of were suddenly requesting his aide for their missions.

He felt bad for having to leave Klaus today. At the same time, it was his birthday. If it was Klaus's birthday, it'd be a different story… right? Shouldn't Dave be able to do whatever he wanted on his birthday? Or whatever he needed in this case?

Right?

He'd apologize later. Dave couldn't deny how excited Klaus has been for his birthday. He hated watching his face fall when he broke the news of being needed today. Dave just felt like he couldn't say no though. It was his country, for God's sake. It didn't mean he didn't love Klaus any less. It had nothing to do with Klaus, in fact.

Dave was broken from his mindless cartography when the door swung open, mercilessly hitting the opposite wall with a startling bang. And who other than Klaus Hargreeves walked in, swaggering to drop himself theatrically over the table, beers in on hand and the other splaying out over his chest.

"Uh. Hi." Dave chuckled, amused only when noting that no one was around to see this little dramatic display. Klaus laid out on the table and on Dave's map, his eyes looking up at him from a worm's eye view below.

"Hi, soldier. Oh, sorry. Were you busy or something?"

"Mm. I guess you could say that." Dave gave a little smile that said, 'You and I both know that you knew that' and gestured to the map spread out underneath Klaus's back.

"What. A. Drag." Klaus announced, groaning and slipping his body off the table and onto the floor. He rose to his knees so that he was only tall enough to rest his chin on the table's surface watching Dave resume his movements with the pen scraping patterns across the paper.

That didn't keep him interested for long.

Soon, Klaus started to noticeably fidget. He had been antsier lately- Dave had noticed but didn't say anything. What was there to say? It was probably the ghosts or the lack of drugs… probably both. Dave wished he could help, but lately, he was realizing that the sad fact was that most of the time, he really couldn't. Not truly.

Anyway, Dave kept his smile down to an acceptable level, trying not to egg Klaus on. It was hard when his little frustrated huffs of air (clearly meant to grab Dave's attention) were so damn cute, along with the tap of his fingers impatiently against the table's hardwood.

"Can I help you?" Dave eventually gave in.

Klaus sighed, pouting out his lower lip just a bit.

"Maybe. I don't know." He traced his fingers in circles on the tabletop. "Caaaaaaaan I help you?"

"What do you mean?"

Klaus gave him a little mischievous grin and Dave immediately knew that it was all he'd get from him. Fine. Dave shook his head, giving him an "air kiss" before getting back to work. If the LT came in and he wasn't done with this, how was he to explain? Sorry, my wonderful but horribly distracting boyfriend couldn't help but weaseling his way in and fucking with me?

With that thought in mind, Dave was able to regain his focus. Klaus seemed to have calmed down as well- or at least he wasn't creating a big enough scene to pull Dave's attention from his maps. Soon, it was just him and the two-dimensional geography before him. His mind dipped back into his memory filled with coordinates, physical landmarks, and-

"…F- Fuck." Dave groaned, his pen falling from his hand and leaving a noticeable ink blot on the paper. His head fell forward and his shoulders tensed while his hips jerked back in instinctive response- shockwaves of pleasure ran from his crotch and all the way up to his spine. "K- Klau- Ah, ah… Okay, okay…" He hopelessly grunted, feeling warmth surround him and relentlessly pull at his nerve endings.

When did Klaus get under there? Jesus. Dave guessed he was too engrossed in his work to notice his boyfriend dipping underneath the table to play. He wanted to stop him- wanted to tell him that this was close to insanity and that if anyone came in, they'd be screwed, but-

"Ugh… Klaus, what the hell…" Dave moaned, his forehead hitting the table and his eyes closing. Klaus didn't respond- whether that was because he didn't feel he needed to or because his mouth was currently occupied around Dave's dick was anyone's guess.

After a minute of too-good-to-put-a-stop-to pleasure, Dave felt the heat around him recede. He fidgeted in his seat uncomfortably, wanting so bad to press forward for more but also needing to prove to himself and to Klaus that he had some restraint. Klaus spoke up from underneath the table.

"Don't you have work to do?" He asked innocently.

"Oh, fuck you."

"David!" Klaus exclaimed as if he was appalled. But then, "What do you think I'm trying to do?"

Dave sniggered and shakily raised himself to sit up again. He looked down at the coordinate map that seemed so much more unappealing than it did before Klaus started exercising his delicious temptations.

"Get back to work, Private." Klaus chuckled from out of sight. Dave just knew this wasn't over yet, but he played along, knowing that Klaus wouldn't settle for anything else and that he actually did, in fact, need to get this done. Dave cautiously picked up his pen and touched the tip to the parchment. As soon as ink began to flow, jolts of satisfactions erupted between his legs all over again. He felt Klaus against him, unapologetic in the way he expertly worked his mouth around Dave, pulling every bit of attention from him.

"Klaus, just-" Dave's whispered words failed him, his head slightly falling forward and his body tensing once again. Klaus retracted to speak in a quiet but commanding voice.

"Keeping working."

"But-"

"You said you had to." Klaus reminded him. Dave wondered for a moment if he was actually bothered by this fact- if as much fun as this whole gag was, Klaus was a little upset about Dave's recent increased involvement in the war effort.

The thought was pushed aside when the lips around his member returned and his mind was wiped blank. Dave shuddered in his seat, gripping his pen painfully and subtly raising his hips to match Klaus's rhythm. He tried to look down and make sense of his own writing- his own planning- but Dave couldn't concentrate on one damn thing before him- not one mountain, one recorded coordinate, one base, one road, one river… And damnit… That's exactly what Klaus wanted, wasn't it?

The door busted open. Dave jumped what felt like five fucking feet but must've only been a mild amount. Klaus immediately stopped whatever he was doing underneath the table, both of them practically scared shitless.

Luckily, it wasn't Lieutenant Carpal, but Lieutenant Mads… Actually… Which was worse?

The first thing that (luckily) Dave realized was that the LT couldn't see what was truly going on- from his tall angle, Klaus must've been obscured underneath the table completely. He didn't even give him a second glance- Maddison just stared at Dave, his expression mainly unreadable.

"Katz. Meeting at 11-hundred."

"Yes, sir."

"These gonna be ready, son?"

"Uh- I-"

Dave's breath caught in his throat as pleasure waves ran up from his core and to his chest, warmth butterflying inside his ribcage. He let out a little "nngh", but turned it into "clearing his throat", trying and failing to be nonchalant.

"Fuck-" He muttered softly to himself, his hand covering his face.

"What's wrong with you?"

Oh geez. Thanks.

"I just- I'm-"

Dave jerked away from Klaus, trying everything he could not to cry out. He gritted his teeth instead, kicking out his foot and striking Klaus in the gut. The pure electrical rushes of intense euphoria came to a halt as Klaus's warmth retracted. He grunted from the contact of Dave's kick to his stomach. Dave had to clear his throat again to cover it up.

"I'm fine." Dave finally confirmed, giving the Lieutenant a curt nod.

"Swear to God's good grace, Katz. Minute you drop the ball, I'll be on you like white on Gook rice, understand?"

Dave felt his jaw clench, but not from Klaus sucking him off under the table this time. He drilled his pupils into Maddison's.

"Sir." He acknowledged bitterly, unblinking. Mads looked like he was about to say something but didn't. Thank God too because Dave felt Klaus's breath nearing his crotch again.

Please leave. Please leave. Please leave. Dave tried to will Mads away with his mind. Eventually, he bent to said "will" and turned to leave. When the door shut and they were alone again, Dave's resolve collapsed.

"Holy fucking shit, Klaus." He moaned, his breath catching up to him and attacking his lungs in short bursts. His eyes fell closed and his muscles allowed for him to fall forward again, completely relinquishing all control and letting Klaus do whatever he wanted below him. "You're fucking something, you know that?" He breathed, biting his lip nearly hard enough to draw blood.

"Mm." Klaus simply hummed in response, continuing his movements.

Needless to say, no work got done in the next couple of moments. Soon Dave was left gripping the edges of the table trying to ground himself as his insides caught fire, sending tingles of bliss all throughout his body to the tips of his fingers and toes.

God damn, Klaus was good at that.

When all was said and done and Dave was practically heaving for air against the table's surface, Klaus pushed himself out from under the table, wiping his mouth and wiggling himself into the seat next to Dave. He pulled the six-pack of beer closer to him, popping out a bottle and uncorking it on the table's edge. Klaus ruthlessly took a swig while Dave tried his best to compose himself after that little performance. He eyed Klaus from where his sweaty forehead rested against his papers.

"And beer? Just pure indulgence over here, huh?"

"We're celebrating. It's your birthday." Klaus mused as if it were obvious… and maybe it should be. But now as the crests of pleasure faded away, Dave remembered what he was doing in this little shack in the first place. The ink from his own doing stared up at him menacingly, screaming at him to finish what he started. "Here. I'll uncap your-"

"No." Dave cut in before Klaus could reach to grab Dave a beer. He stopped, his hand raised in the air. Klaus turned to meet their eyes. His pupils begged, "why?" for a second, breaking Dave's heart before they chilled. "No thanks, I- I've gotta finish this, Love."

Klaus's face twisted in disdain, his eyes rolling back as he abruptly raised from his seat, the chair tumbling back. Dave sighed as his head fell back.

Here we go.

"Klaus…"

"Gotta say. I'm a little salty, David. And not just because I swallo-"

"Do not finish that sentence." Dave covered his eyes in amused, frustrated embarrassment. Klaus didn't meet his light bickering playfulness this time. His tone grew hard and cold.

"It's fine. I'll leave."

Dave was taken aback. He didn't realize that he was going to be so put off by this. Surely, he had to understand that Dave couldn't just… turn them down? Turn the war down? His country?

"Klaus-"

This time Klaus didn't interrupt, but Dave didn't know how to go on. He just stared at him helplessly, begging him with his eyes to just please understand. To please not do this. At least not today.

Klaus waited and waited, and when Dave couldn't force the words from his brain to his tongue, he scoffed quietly. Dave actually wondered if he realized that he had heard that.

And then Klaus did something Dave wasn't expecting- he jumped. He jumped like he had just been brutally attacked by some invisible force. Dave's eyes widened, watching helplessly as Klaus shrunk back away from him.

"Hey, you o-"

"Yes." Klaus interrupted him. Dave rose from his seat, wanting to move around the table and wrap Klaus in his arms- to make him tell him what was wrong. Suddenly, his work before him was forgotten.

"What-"

"I- I'll let you go. I'll find you later okay?" He started to rush out despite the fact that he was just trying to weasel his way into Dave's day in any way he could. Dave frowned. Something wasn't right.

"But-"

"It's fine. Really, I get it." Klaus was so casually believable that Dave nearly trusted what he said. He didn't have time to question it further though- Klaus was gone.

Deep down, it wasn't fine. He knew it wasn't. Dave couldn't focus on that though. He let Klaus waltz back out the door and then got back to work. He'd deal with his beautiful handful of a boyfriend later. He'd make it up- he always did.

The only thing that could pull Klaus from his grumpy state of mind was the image before him- he hated it. He hated that he couldn't stay angry. He hated that Dave always seemed to subconsciously know how to pull out all the stops to make Klaus melt into a giant, lovey puddle all over again.

He hated it and he loved it.

And how couldn't you love the sight of Dave lying on his cot, a card raised above his face and mysteriously-materialized glasses sitting on the bridge of his nose?

Glasses? Since when?

"What. Is. This?" Klaus asked as soon as he entered the tent, surprised to even see that Dave had returned from all of his day's work and listening to "In Time" off his new record, but even more shocked to see him with his deep brown frames that somehow made him look even sexier than usual. Was that possible?

"What?" Dave chuckled, frowning up in confusion at Klaus, one arm tucked behind his head and the other lazily propping up the colorful card of… Well, Klaus wasn't sure what it was quite yet.

"Th- Those! When did you- What-"

"What, these? You've never seen me wear glasses?"

"NO!"

Dave took them off to study them as if he didn't know exactly what they looked like, pushing them back over his eyes and nonchalantly continuing to read.

"Guess I haven't been doing much reading in, you know, the heat of war and such."

"Yeah, that'd do it."

Klaus plopped down on the bed, wiggling himself onto Dave's chest between his arms, all other discrepancies from earlier today forgotten. The warmth that enveloped Klaus in a wonderfully familiar scent of mint and tobacco… along with something purely Dave.

Fine. All was forgiven. Klaus didn't have much of a choice when he had been internally tortured all day either. He hadn't been sober in… Well, Hazel and Cha-Cha kind of forced him into a sober state, but before that, he couldn't even recall.

Today was quite the accomplishment. Wasn't accomplishment supposed to feel good though? Klaus felt like utter shit.

Dave's chest vibrated with low laughter and Klaus relished in the deep sound it made in his chest, Four's ear pressed against his sternum. He craned his neck to see what Dave was reading, trying to distract himself from his withdrawal effects. Thank the lord, they had died down since midday. Noon was terrible, especially since Klaus had thought he'd have Dave to help him through it. He ended up facing the ghosts and withdrawals alone though.

It was rough, to say the least.

"So, what gives me the pleasure of seeing your sexy spectacles then?"

Dave absent-mindedly kissed the top of Klaus's head (as he often did) and then sighed, his chest raising Klaus up and then down again with the expansion and deflation of his lungs.

"Lizzie. She always sends me a card on my birthday. Makes my Mom sign it and all that." Dave said, a melancholy tinge in the back of his throat. Klaus felt his own mood die down on the spot, understanding the touchy area.

"Oh. That's lovely." He punctuated honestly, scanning his eyes over the colorful writing and drawings of inside jokes between her and her brother. And truly, it was quite lovely. Something about the note seemed so pure. So… unlike Vietnam. It was like someone had placed something inside a world that obviously didn't belong there. The joyous little gathering of warm words and greetings stood out in the area like a sore thumb.

"She says, hi." Dave mumbled, still reading through the card. Klaus frowned and glanced up at Dave, watching his bright blue eyes flicker back and forth beneath the glass of his frames.

"What? To moi?"

"Yes, to toi." Dave mused, his eyes flickering down to Klaus with amusement.

"I didn't realize… she knows about me?"

Dave shifted, placing the card down on his bed.

"Of course, she knows about you."

Klaus felt butterflies turn into hummingbirds within his chest- the fluttering out of control and nearly painful in its violence.

"Aw… David…"

Dave chuckled and ran his hand through Klaus's hair lovingly.

"I told her about you before we even got together."

"How?"

"I write every once in a while. Usually, it's before you get up, I guess. You never write to anyone?"

Klaus felt a pang in his stomach. It wasn't much, but it was certainly there. Of course, under his current particular predicament, Klaus didn't know anyone in 1968 and that fact just hit him a little harder than usual sometimes- but then again, now he had Dave.

On the other hand, Klaus realized that even if it was 2019, he probably still wouldn't have anyone to write to.

Ouch.

Anyway, he dismissed every single excuse he had for not having anyone outside of this camp by a simple half-shrug and small sigh.

"Nah."

And then Klaus involuntarily jolted in Dave's arm, scaring the both of them. He was racked with trembles after that, a wave of nausea rushing through him and causing him to curl against Dave defensively. Luckily, Dave wasn't all too unprepared for this kind of behavior. He instinctively held Klaus closer.

"Klaus, what's up with you today? Are you okay? Are you sick?" He asked, feeling his forehead and making Klaus smirk a bit at the motherly persona Dave readily switched to.

"Actually… Well… it has to do with today. I have another surprise."

"Uh… A good one I hope?" Dave chuckled nervously. Klaus pushed himself up, cringing against the unsettling of his insides that screamed for a fix.

For Dave. For Dave. For Dave.

"I hope so too. Just… don't like, freak out or anything, okay? And you don't have to…"

"Klaus." Dave stopped him, impatient for answers. Klaus watched him, wondering if this was a good decision. He's come this far, hasn't he? He thought about it- thought about how Dave might react or how Klaus would react if he was in Dave's shoes in the upcoming situation.

And then finally…

"Come with me."

They walked to the outskirts of the camp and beyond, Klaus taking Dave's hand when he felt they were far enough to not be seen. Dave kept looking back like he often did while sneaking out- justifyingly worried about getting caught and thrown in some deep shit with the officers.

They were fine though, slinking off while the rest of soldiers seemed occupied in hosting overzealous arm-wrestling matches.

They arrived at a little clearing, hardly a light in sight. Klaus pulled out a small half-used candle from his pocket- it was the only one he could find in the whole damn camp surprisingly. He already had his own lighter so he struck a flame, lighting the wick. Dave's face that now illuminated with a dull flicker watched Klaus with a suspicious narrow of his eyes.

"What-"

"I just… Ever since you were talking about your stepdad and his influence in you being here and- I just-" Klaus took a deep breath, curiously nervous about this whole thing despite the fact that it looked like Dave was starting to understand anyway. "Do you want to talk to him?"

It wasn't that it didn't go well. That night of September 11th, 1968 went splendidly, actually… Just… Too splendidly.

Dave was, in fact, freaked out at first- honestly, they both were. Klaus had never intentionally done a "contact" for someone he was close to before- not with the stakes this high.

Once they got going though, Klaus able to focus enough on conjuring one single soul (Edwin, AKA: "Eddie"… or as Dave just called him, "Dad"), and Dave able to calm his nerves enough to speak, the rest went quite smoothly. Klaus tried to just be the medium between the two- the messenger or translator if you will. He tried his best not to impose on their conversation, only giving the back and forth as needed.

Both of the looks on the men's faces was enough reward for Klaus. They talked for a while (he didn't know how long exactly) and a lot felt like simply two friends catching up with each other after a long time apart.

The worst was the end though- when Klaus started feeling a little woozy and Eddie was fading away faster by the second. Dave was forced to say goodbye- his stepdad too. Luckily, Klaus was ready for this biting silence that was to inevitably come after the conjuring and immediately rushed forward into Dave's arms, squeezing him tightly.

"I didn't totally fuck you up, did I?"

Dave laughed and squeezed the life out of Klaus- lovingly, of course.

"That was… Jesus, Klaus. You forced yourself into sobriety for that?"

"For you, stupid."

Dave hummed happily and nuzzled himself into Klaus's neck until he laughed and shied away from the ticklish contact.

"There just simply will never be a better gift than that." Dave marveled, his eyes looking off with a flicker from the dangerously low-burned candle, his stare genuine and full of wonder. Klaus smiled.

Definitely worth it.

"Thank you."

"Happy Birthday."

Dave kissed him, but afterward, Klaus couldn't take it anymore.

"Now excuse me, but I must go do all the drugs."

So it wasn't September 11th that Klaus's whole conjuring-birthday-present plan went awry, it was everything after that. Maybe he should've seen it coming. Maybe he assumed it would work in the opposite way that it did… The bottom line though was that Dave became even more war-obsessed following his talk with his Dad.

Klaus understood why. Eddie kept going on and on about how he couldn't be prouder to have such a brave, honorable, good-hearted son serving his country. He talked all about how he's been by Dave's side through all of his admirable moments- through all of his accomplishments achieved under the red-white-and-blue.

Klaus had just hoped that it would let Dave take a load off- knowing his Dad was already insanely proud of him. He did it. Hooray. Move on.

But he only went harder- more hours, more missions, more involvement.

And less Klaus.

So, what did Klaus do to numb the pain of feeling slightly abandoned?

Lots of drugs.

Everything combined created quite a strain on their relationship. That's why, now, one week after Dave's birthday and following a good number of days on different pages… in different books, for God's sake… Now was the worst time to have discovered what Klaus just discovered.

It started with an operation- an operation right in the place where Klaus had his very first operation in A Shau Valley. Ever since Dave had hummed the Hollies song on their first night there, everyone called it the "Bus Stop". It was where their buses had been blown to smithereens in the jungle. The carcasses of the vehicles still stood there.

Then came the boy- the Vietnamese boy that Klaus locked eyes with when they raided a small nearby village. Those orbs- those facial features and his overall stare- there was something achingly familiar about this boy who huddled in indignant fear with his family while the Army threw around their belongings, looking for signs of VC.

And finally, they found it. A whole stash of their own items- Items from the American troops stashed away in a hidden bunker from their own raids. That's where they found the VC soldiers hiding too, but that's not what Klaus was worried about.

What Klaus was preoccupied with was something in that mound of collected items and stolen belongings holed up underground. What Klaus was astounded by, leaving him speechless, wasn't a person at all…

It was a briefcase.

Chapter Text

September 30 th , 1968

"What's wrong?"

The words were hard for Klaus to push out. They tasted sour on his tongue, but it wasn't those particular words that stung- it was the answer he feared.

Dave had been… weird lately. As September had progressed, he became obsessive over the next mission, the next op, everything he could do to… Who knows... prove himself? Klaus didn't quite understand it and Dave wouldn't explain it to him. He'd always get the same vague answer of making people proud, making his country proud, serving, doing what he's always wanted to do.

But on the other hand, Dave would come back from said missions with so many doubts. Things would go awry and according to Katz, some ways that they were expected to handle situations seemed… wrong. Almost immoral. He wouldn't talk further on the subject, but it left Klaus wondering how he could keep tirelessly working through such dissonance: The need to achieve something but also the fear that there was some extreme wrong-doing being pushed under the rug.

Dave's inner dilemmas pushed him further into himself. Klaus hardly saw him anymore (at least compared to before) and when he did, it seemed like Dave was still fighting the war… just inside his head. If Klaus thought Dave was a little "kept to himself" before, then he sure as Hell wasn't prepared for how drawn back he was nowadays.

It bothered him. It bothered him a lot.

Today was especially bad though. Usually, if Dave was quiet and withdrawn, that still didn't stop him from mindlessly stroking Klaus's hair or planting soft but distracted kisses up his neck and down his shoulders. He'd still ask Klaus about his day and tease him, an exhausted gleam in his eye; but still a gleam all the same.

Today though… Today Dave just wasn't responding like he usually did. His smiles were forced, all light from them disappeared. His eyes were distracted like they were seeing a whole different world from Klaus- like they were on completely different planets. He was cold- both physically and metaphorically. His skin wasn't warm and inviting as Klaus had always known it to be and his movements and stature were stiff like a hesitant statue.

When he did move, it was to subtly pull back. He was shying away from Klaus.

"Dave?" Klaus bravely ventured again as they sat in the morning light of the small tent that they were able to nab just for themselves while out on a full-squad operation in the middle of the jungle. They sat next to each other on the edge of their sleeping bags, Klaus leaning in towards Dave and Dave leaning away.

God, something was so wrong. Klaus could sense it, even if he tried to deny it.

"Do you… Do you feel like things are different?" Dave asked, his voice distant and unfamiliar. Klaus swallowed thickly and blinked dumbly while he tried to unpack that question. Did he mean the war? Did he mean their friends?

…Did he mean them?

Klaus nervously cleared his throat, trying to keep level headed and not jump to the awful conclusions that weighed on his mind.

"L- Like-"

"Monotonous." Dave cut over Klaus like a shameless knife, jabbing deeper and deeper into Klaus's flesh. "Dulled. Like, the same thing over and over. A kind of… I don't know… Tragic carousel."

Why did Klaus have a biting feeling that he was talking about them? Their relationship?

Why?

This terrifying realization at least pushed Klaus to respond desperately, finding words flowing out of him in his last means of defense.

"I mean… How do you know if you haven't been around and-"

"Klaus, I can't always take this."

Klaus felt his arm brush up against Dave's- an action that used to mean 'I'm here. It's okay. We're okay. I love you even if this is the only way I can show it right now.' Now, Dave just quietly jerked away as if Klaus had just burned him.

A deep-seated pain erupted in Klaus's chest. He felt swelling in the cavern of his throat.

"Take what?" He just barely managed to whisper.

"The constant push- the- the- the clinginess. The desperate and endless energy put into coaxing me into-"

"Oh. So, I'm burdening you. That's it?"

"I wouldn't say that, it's just-"

Klaus stared into Dave's eyes that flickered over to him and then shot away. Klaus didn't look elsewhere though- he stared straight into those blue orbs. The same beautiful irises that used to be packed with so much love and adoration and were now just empty and unfeeling.

"-All the drugs and the carelessness. The joking and not being able to take anything seriously…"

Dave kept going on and on describing things he "couldn't always take", but Klaus's attention faded out in means of protecting himself because if he kept listening, he was sure he'd break down like a baby and he couldn't show that… Mostly because he felt like if he did, Dave wouldn't even care and that'd break him further.

What bothered him most of all was that these were all things that Dave knew burdened Klaus. He knew that Klaus felt self-conscious about how people looked at him- about how his family back at home viewed him. He told Dave that, and now, he was using it against him? And believing it too?

"I can't do it anymore." Dave's last phrase brought Klaus back down to Earth- an Earth he no longer wanted to be living on.

Those words echoed in Klaus's mind like a cruel mantra.

I can't do it anymore. I can't do it anymore. I can't do it anymore.

He couldn't respond. He couldn't breathe. He couldn't even let go of the emotions that were currently building in his ribcage and threatening to spill from his throat- they were stuck… Held captive under the brutal rule of Dave's command.

What the fuck is happening?

Dave glanced over and seemed to guess that Klaus wasn't about to respond anytime soon. His eyes hurriedly flickered away again. Klaus wondered if it was because he was having a hard time seeing Klaus breaking apart or if Dave just didn't want to deal with it.

He had an awful feeling that it was the ladder.

"Klaus, did you really think that we'd last forever? That someone could put up with-" Dave stopped in his tracks, seeming to realize that his spill of words was soon becoming too terrible. Too personal. Klaus didn't need him to finish though. The sentence finished itself in his head.

Dave took a deep breath and finally stared into Klaus's eyes, his own pupils vacant and unending.

Who was this? What did he do with Dave?

"A little too good to be true, yeah?"

Klaus was floored. He could hardly believe that Dave was- Was…

Was Dave leaving him? That wasn't… that wasn't even a possibility. That wasn't an option. That wasn't-

"Please don't." Was all Klaus could choke out, wishing he could argue back. Wishing this was just another bickering fight that they'd dance with back and forth before making up and ending the day in each other's arms as it should be. But this wasn't that. This wasn't the same. This was some terrible nightmare come to life that mirrored every dark, depreciating thought Klaus had ever had about himself and their relationship. This was his greatest fear come to life.

Dave gave him a sad smile that said everything that needed to be said.

Sorry. It's over.

Klaus felt his insides collapse and his resolve crumble into a million, excruciating pieces… and Dave didn't care.

All those emotions that were trapped by an invisible wall within Klaus finally broke through in one simple stuttering breath.

"Hey. Hey…" Dave's voice cut through Klaus's own gasping breaths as the world materialized in front of him. For a minute, Four had no idea what was going on or why these two separate realities were melding together into dark shapes of confusion.

He blinked a few times, his chest heaving and his limbs constrained by what he later realized was Dave. As reason slowly set in, Klaus realized what was happened.

It wasn't a figurative nightmare he was experiencing- it had been a literal nightmare. This was real now… This was very early morning on September 30th- too early to even shed light of the dawn. Klaus and Dave were in their little private tent just as they had been in his dream, but in every other way, it was different.

Klaus was trembling in Dave's arms, both of them lying on the union of their provided sleeping bags for their current patrol operation. The air was actually a little chilly but it hardly bothered Klaus with how wrapped up in blankets and Dave he was.

"Breathe, baby. Breathe." Dave's tired but comforting voice muttered in Klaus's ear, his hand gently but firmly stroking Klaus's back through his shirt. Klaus tried to do what he said, regulating his breathing and squeezing his eyes shut while trying to expel every single thought associated with the terrible dream.

But as much as Dave's familiar, warm voice comforted him, and as much as his loving embraced helped, there was still a pang of aching fear leftover from Klaus's mind's awful masterpiece.

"You okay?"

Klaus buried himself into Dave's neck, feeling the rush of air that flowed in and out of his chest and lungs. His heartbeat subtly thudded against Klaus's own chest, the rhythm unwinding Klaus's tense muscles into hesitant relaxation.

"Yeah." Klaus muttered.

It's okay. We're okay. He loves you. You love him.

"You were talking in your sleep again." Dave mumbled, circling his arms tighter around Klaus. He didn't open his eyes, probably exhausted from all the running around that the officers had him doing lately.

"Sorry." For a second, Klaus wanted to tell Dave about the nightmare. That desire dropped faster than a hot potato though. What if… What if that somehow made it more real? What if it put ideas in Dave's head that he wouldn't have reached before? What if it was truer than Klaus thought? "Just ghosts."

"Mm." Dave groaned, running his fingers lazily through Klaus's wildly ruffled locks. "Want to talk about it? Maybe go for a walk?"

Klaus felt himself smile a bit. Even when Dave's tired inflection showed that he had little to no energy to currently do any of those things, he still offered to do it for Klaus… and Klaus believed he wanted to as well.

That's my Dave. This is my Dave. My adorable, caring, exhausted Dave.

That last part resonated with Klaus though. Dave hasn't been getting a lot of sleep lately and he didn't want to be another cause for that.

Clingy. Burden.

Afterthoughts from Klaus's nightmare blinked in his mind, warding him off from accepting any of Dave's offers.

"No, no. That's okay. I'm okay." He lied. Klaus had to ensure he did nothing to push for that nightmare to come true.

Maybe… Maybe it was a warning.

A few hours later, once that day hit, it sure tested Klaus. He couldn't help but fall into an argument with Dave that was getting real old. It was a topic they had often been feuding about lately.

It started when Klaus woke up (again) on the last day of September, excited to tell Dave all about his plan to score tons of alcohol for a little birthday celebration tomorrow. After all, as his birthday crept nearer, thoughts of home did too. Of course, he always missed home and of course, he had also accepted his new life here, very willingly with Dave at his side. However, October 1st had always been a hard day for Klaus. He always missed his family just a bit more then. Suddenly, all of their odds and ends with each other faded into the back of his mind and he could only remember the good times- the times he admittedly missed.

Then October 2nd came around and he was fine again. But for the first, Klaus had gotten into the habit of preparing himself for a lovely day of heavy drugs and alcohol to numb the dull never-ending pain of not having a true family. What a drag. That's what he aimed to escape.

Anyway, Dave wasn't there when Klaus woke up.

Surprise, surprise.

It wasn't until breakfast around a crappy morning campfire with the union of a few squads that had been dragged out here on the same mission that Klaus heard what was happening-

A hostage situation was taking a place a few miles from their camp and a team of higher-ups and officers were requested… Apparently, that included Dave. No doubt, he'd be useful in a high-tension, strategical complication. The problem was that the mission was deemed "highly dangerous" in an "extremely hot area".

Basically, it sounded like no one expected everyone from their "specialized squad unit" that was sent out to return.

Lately, Dave had been going out on missions that just seemed increasingly dangerous each time. He'd return with cuts, bruises, and beatings that made Klaus's heart skip a beat.

The worst part was that he was expected to just sit there at camp when Dave went out, hoping to Jesus or the Buddha or who-the-fuck-ever that he'd actually fucking see him again that night, and not in ghost-form. Too many days, Klaus spent terrified that he'd see his ghost. That that's how he'd find out.

Later that evening, after Dave did, in fact, return, he did so with a giant cut on his ribs. He refused to go to the infirmary, so Klaus quietly had him sit in their tent while he used what was left of the bandage in Dave's own pack, blotting away the blood with a soaked rag and trying not to show how irked he was that Dave was being so casual about this.

"What's wrong?" Dave asked, immediately sensing Klaus's quiet tension. Those words rang in Klaus's head.

What's wrong? That's what he asked Dave in his dream. Those were the words that started the fated split.

Klaus brushed it off and kept focused on the now and what was real.

"I just feel like I'll wake up one day and you'll be dead."

Dave sighed sympathetically and Klaus fought the urge to roll his eyes. He hated it when he did that. He felt so condescended.

"Klaus… Babe…"

"I feel like they're using you. They send you out in the field in all the dangerous operations that they don't trust any of the "lowers" with and for what? They don't do shit for you in return."

"There's talk of junior officer stuff." Dave shrugged casually, then wincing at the pain that it inflicted on him. Klaus clenched his teeth together, forcing himself to meet Dave's eyes.

"What?"

"Yeah. And even possibly decoration of achievement. I just… I don't know, I've always wanted to get some kind of something to show for serving. You know, ever since I was young."

"Mm."

"Once I can get to that point, it'll die down. 'Kay?"

That's the thing about Dave's recent preoccupations- he always worded things in a way that Klaus would seem like a dick disputing it.

"Okay, but it's been months. And you don't even feel comfortable with their decisions most of the time!"

Klaus remembered all the times Dave returned disturbed by what he was asked to do on missions. There were deep moral dilemmas burdening more and more of the 'Nam operations. Once, Dave had to step away from a raid gone violent. Everything that happened that day was covered up and buried before anything could happen to the officers in charge, but it stuck with Dave for weeks after. He wasn't supposed to tell anyone, but of course, he confided in Klaus.

"Klaus…"

"Whatever. It's fine. I'm just gonna be pissed if you die."

Dave scoffed.

"I'll be fine. Babe, just relax a little, okay? You've been so tense for all sorts of reasons lately which is understandable, but loosen the reigns just a bit, yeah?"

Klaus froze.

Loosen the reigns?

I'm sorry… As in I'm being clingy? As in…

The nightmare.

Klaus stopped. He ceased arguing. He didn't prod, push, or persist. If he did, would this just end like it did in that fucked up congealment of his mind's worst fears?

"Hey. I promise, I have some fun stuff planned for your birthday. It'll be good."

That night, Dave disappeared again. Klaus had to hear through Big Al that he was called out on a patrol.

Whatever.

But then, it grew past "whatever". Dave and the senior officers were supposed to return at 10 PM, but it was nearing 11 when Klaus started getting nervous. He refused to use drugs like he always did when he was worried about his Kitty-Katz… Just imagine- Klaus being high while Dave was dying. Klaus being numb when his boyfriend was ripped from their world.

He'd feel terrible.

So, Klaus never used when Dave was gone and his well-being was in question. That left for a rough night though. He could barely sleep despite his stinging, tired eyes and when he did, the ghosts ripped him back into reality- into a yard of infuriated death and decay.

Klaus jolted awake as soon as his eyes began to close, instinctively shoving himself from his empty tent and walking… he didn't know where, he just needed to get away.

"Boots?" He heard as he passed the dying campfire and a grouping of his friends and comrades. Klaus just kept going though. He needed to get away from this fucking painful cacophony of noise.

When it finally felt bearable, Klaus dropped down on the ground, pulled his knees up, and covered his ears. It never did much to help the voices in his head, but the motion had become a comfort of sorts ever since he was young. The screams and icy cold feelings of being gripped from the inside out started to meld into just a low buzz of unease. It wasn't a fun time, but it was better than before. Klaus tried to imagine the feeling of Dave's strong arms wrapped around him right now- "protecting" him from the dead like he always did.

Well, not always. Clearly.

But Klaus was not ready for one of them to reach out and grab his shoulder. He jumped and jerked away, a yelp escaping his lips as his mind went rampant.

They can't touch me! They're not allowed! They're not able! Oh my God, they've evolved. Oh my God, I'm fucked. I'm fucked. I'm fucked.

Oh. It was just Teddy- giggly as ever.

"Dude, you okay?" He chuckled, dropping down next to Klaus, crisscrossed on the grassy ground. They were on the edge of jungle clearing where camp was set, the dull flicker of lanterns just barely reaching them where they sat on the edge of inky black darkness.

"Mm." Klaus just forced a smile and hummed in response, composing himself once again. His heart slowly returned to a normal pace once more, the gripping pain of fear dying in his chest from Teddy's scare.

Klaus was busy staring forward when something waved in front of his vision. He blinked and focused his eyes, pulling them back from whatever far-off world they were wandering on.

A joint.

"Ah. Nah, I'm okay." Klaus denied even though his body screamed, YES. Teddy didn't give up though. He wiggled it in the air.

"Since when do you turn down the good grass, dude? You sure you're okay?"

Klaus sighed and unraveled his arms from around his knees, relaxing his pose a bit.

"Just worried."

"He'll be back. He always is."

"Yeah." Klaus said without an ounce of genuine belief in the word. He saw Teddy give him a lopsided, sad expression out of the corner of his eye. He didn't mean to seem like he was trying to shut off from Teds. Klaus suddenly worried that he'd feel like Klaus often felt- like the burden or the yapping puppy or the empty shell filled with jokes.

"Alright. I'll take a hit."

"See! No big O either, my dude. Just some pure Mary Jane is all. Calm your nerves." Teddy happily rambled holding out the joint for Klaus to light with the lighter from his pocket.

"So… Got any advice?" Teddy asked as Klaus took a drag from the finely rolled paper, breathing out a cloud of smoke and coughing just a bit as he managed to frown and ask,

"What do you mean?"

"As a soon-to-be 31-year-old! You know… An ancient."

"Fuck you." Klaus chuckled, taking another hit and passing to Teddy who laughed that wild chortle and followed Klaus's lead. "And yeah. Just don't be like me."

Teddy's giggles dropped off a cliff. He blinked dumbly at Klaus, the joint held but forgotten in the air. Small tendrils of smoke rose and disappeared into the black night.

"But… That's like, exactly what I want."

"What?" Klaus couldn't help but outburst with a harsh chuckle of disbelief. "Teddy, buddy. I just- No… No, Christ. Why?" He asked, a few dizzy giggles escaping him at the end. The weed was starting to work and it was doing wonders for him in his current state- that and Teddy's conversation which was proving an excellent distraction.

"I like, kinda look up to you, Dude."

It was said without a trace of a joke and full of so much truth that it startled Klaus. Teddy rarely spoke like this. He wondered if he truly meant it as much as he was making it sound or if the Marijuana was just messing with his interactions.

"Teddy. That's really sweet, but seriously… don't."

"Why not?"

"Pfft, I-" Klaus held out his arms in front of him as if gesturing to a whole sea of reasons. "I'm a fucking hot mess in case you haven't noticed. Trust me, I-"

"Klaus."

What. Did he just call me Klaus? I didn't even know he knew my name.

"Before you got here, it was so fucking morose. So fucking uptight. I felt like I had to pretend all the time, you know? There was just so much forced testosterone and competition and this need to pretend you were fine. This need to pretend you were all hard-ass. The other guys… Well, everyone just looked at each other like future neighboring body bags."

Klaus felt hyper-focused on Teddy's words. He took another smoke, feeling the cloudy comfortable buzz in his head, hanging onto every word.

"But you came and you just ignored all that bullshit. Like you didn't even realize it was there. That pressure that everyone felt just fizzled or something, Man. I didn't have to pretend that I'm not totally just a kid, because I am, really. Dude, I'm just a kid… fighting a war. Nuts. You came with all your non-judgment though and I feel like I can embrace that. I don't need to act like all the hard-asses around here. You made a home out of the worst possible situation. You know how fucking wild that is?"

Klaus smiled and turned away from Teddy, running his hand through his hair in embarrassment. He's never been complimented or looked up to quite like this before.

"We ain't body bag neighbors anymore. We're brothers. You're my brother." Teddy giggled a little but composed himself. "The big brother I never had."

Fuck.

Fuck.

Klaus was gonna cry, he swore. He chuckled and looked down at the ground, his smile hurting at this point.

"Tedsssss…" He mumbled. "No one has ever looked up to me before."

Teddy laughed and offered the joint again, realizing that it was just a lightless stump and flicking it aside.

"Probably not wise," Klaus admitted, feeling himself sway a bit where he sat. He didn't even notice that the unwanted voices were expelled from his head. "But you've always reminded me of me except without all my BS. I- I've never been so proud."

"Awww."

"I knowwww."

"Let's get another tattoo!"

"More matching tattoos!"

"For your birthday- Our whole squad of brothers."

"I always told Dave I wanted us all to get brigade tatts!"

"Let's do it!"

Klaus giggled into his hands as Teddy studied his hand in front of his face.

"You sure there wasn't any opium in that stick?"

"Pfffffft-I don't know… I love you dude."

"I love you, Teds."

They stared at each other for a half a beat and then erupted into giggles. Teddy waved his hand in the air to shush them though, checking his watch.

"W- w- wait… Boots! Happy birthday!"

Klaus's eyes went as wide as a cartoon's and he covered his mouth.

"Oh yeah! Wow!" He announced into his hand, his excitement muffled. They stayed frozen in the moment like that, just staring at each other with eyes the size of the moon.

Then they both burst into giggles again.

See? Klaus didn't always need Dave.

Oh, but just the thought of his name… it created twisting pain of longing in the pit of Klaus's stomach. He did miss Dave. He hoped to God he was okay.

But for now, he had Teddy, and that was more than alright.

October 1 st , 1968

01:17 AM

Dave's favorite part of going out on missions and operations was returning. More specifically, returning to Klaus. By the end of the day, all he wanted to do was listen to Klaus ramble about something pointless like turkey bacon versus turkey sausage while Dave combed his fingers through his hair and felt the rise and fall of Klaus's chest against his own.

Tonight, Dave was especially desperate to be in his idiot's arms. These "missions" were starting to feel… off. There were just certain things he was asked to do that he wasn't quite comfortable with.

Diving in to raid areas without the higher authority to do so, jostling towns of citizens who ended up being innocent, watching men get killed who Dave wasn't even sure deserved it, and then, being asked to cover it all up after.

"FUBAR." Dave heard Klaus's voice in his head, announcing the term proudly whenever it was even the least bit appropriate.

"FUBAR is right," Dave muttered to himself as he walked briskly across the dark camp in the dead of night, eyes set on the tent he shared with Klaus. He didn't care how much his muscles were killing him right now. He needed Klaus ASAP, even if he didn't quite know why.

I can't do this anymore. Dave suddenly thought. It was something that plagued the back of his mind for a while, but he never let it reach the forefront. Maybe something about it made Dave worry that he was somehow a failure- not strong enough to serve his country; not worthy enough to follow in his Dad's footsteps.

But more importantly, Dave's gut was just telling him that all of this was wrong. This war was fucked, these officers twisted, and the operations and organization all…

Well, FUBAR.

Dave was starting to wonder why he kept doing this. To make people proud, yeah. To make himself proud, yeah. To make his Dad, his sister, his Mom, Klaus…

But if he was spending all this time away from the ones he loved in order to somehow prove himself to them, what was the point? Maybe his intentions were more skewed than he thought. Most importantly, Dave didn't know if he could be proud of this anymore at all.

Speaking of people he loved, there were a couple right there in the middle of the fucking ground, passed out and sprawled all over the grass. Dave was lucky he caught sight of the little "Mini Marion" figurine before he ducked into the tent that undoubtedly would've been empty. A small smile played on his lips as a scoff escaped and Dave shook his head.

These two were something else.

He approached Klaus and Teddy who were just a pile of limbs collapsed in the darkness, their chests rising and falling peacefully without a care in the world. Who cares if you're just passed out on the edge of a fucking jungle, right?

"Hey." Dave carefully reached forward and brushed some of the hair from Klaus's forehead. He barely stirred but Teddy woke immediately, rubbing his eyes and tiredly laughing.

"H- h- heyyyy, Kitty-Katz!"

"Hey, Teds."

"Yeah, he's uh- pretty out. Might of smoked him up a little stronger than I intended."

Dave rolled his eyes but only in ways of amusement. He reached down and wedged his arms underneath Klaus's shoulders and knees and lifted him with the little strength he had left from the rough day. Klaus stirred a bit, moaning and blinking a few times before falling back asleep.

Or so Dave thought.

"Hey, soldier."

Dave adored Klaus's sleepy voice.

"Hey, birthday boy."

"Who me?" Klaus tiredly chuckled, his head lolling forward and resting against Dave's shoulder. Dave kissed the top of his head.

"Good Night." Teddy groaned, already halfway across the campsite towards his own tent that he shared with Big Al and a few others.

"Night." Dave called back, trying to figure out the best way to duck into their own tent while still keeping Klaus securely in his arms.

"You're not dead." The small voice below him smiled faintly.

And, fuck. If that didn't somehow just tear Dave's heart into a million pieces. Whether it was the way he said it or just the fact that Klaus genuinely had to look forward to coming to that realization each day… Well, it just kind of set in at that moment. There was no bickering about it (as there often had been), there were no passive-aggressive comments- this was just Klaus, too tired to filter his thoughts, genuinely relieved that Dave actually came back to him.

"Yeah." Was all Dave could choke out while he carefully maneuvered them both into the tent, laying Klaus on his cot and pushing his own closer to his. "This was another rough one though." Dave admitted, knowing from experience that if something was bothering him, it was always best to just tell Klaus right upfront. If he didn't, Klaus somehow always knew and would pester the shit out of him until he finally fessed up.

"Tell me." Klaus's voice suddenly sounded more awake. Dave felt his chest warm. Even fighting the grips of exhaustion, Klaus managed to make sure he was fully there for Dave.

And lately, Dave hadn't totally been there for Klaus.

Damn, these thoughts were hitting him hard tonight.

"Tomorrow, okay? You gotta get some sleep if you want to celebrate the way you've been planning."

"Big party."

"Big party." Dave agreed, chuckling and kissing Klaus's forehead before getting dressed for bed.

"And matching tattoos."

Dave snorted.

"No. Klaus, we talked about this."

"Lame." Klaus groaned, rolling over and twisting himself into a burrito of sorts within his covers. "Teddy said he'd do it."

"Teds would jump off a bridge if you did it."

Dave didn't get some smartass retort back for that one because Klaus had already drifted off again. It should've been Dave who joined the fray right after, but these thoughts that were starting to root themselves in his mind kept him up for at least another hour until he forced himself to get some shut-eye. After all, Klaus wasn't kidding about celebrating hard tomorrow… Or technically, later today.

October 1 st , 1968

07:12 AM

Dave wasn't there when Klaus woke up. He had to try everything in his power to not take it too personally.

Surprise, surprise.

Oh, stop being a little bitch.

Klaus argued with himself in his head. At least the time alone gave him a second to do what he did every moment he had out of sight of Dave…

Check under his cot to make sure something was still there. That "something" being the briefcase.

Ever since Klaus found it again, he had to constantly make sure he wasn't imagining the whole thing. What are the odds that he'd ever come across it again? What were the odds that he could manage to take it and hide it everywhere they went without Dave or anyone else noticing?

Well, actually, that part wasn't that unbelievable. With Dave being busy so often, it was quite easy to sneak the piece of luggage around. Klaus didn't know exactly why he was hiding it, but he supposed he just wasn't ready for the questions yet. Dave would surely remember it- Klaus had nearly gotten them both killed over it on one of his first days here. He was certain Dave had forgotten it since then, but the sight of the case back in Klaus's possession was sure to open up a whole can of worms that he just didn't know how to deal with yet.

Klaus knew he had to soon though. Even without the briefcase, having to lie to Dave on a daily basis was eating Number Four from the inside out. Every time he mentioned "Canada" (he couldn't believe how he had kept that lie up for so long) or home or his family… He just felt awful. Dave deserved more. The worst part was that Dave didn't doubt anything that came out of his mouth because Katz had the utmost trust in Klaus.

And every single day, Klaus was breaking that.

So, yes. Klaus had to tell Dave eventually. Just not now. How would that affect their relationship? What if Dave thought he was fucking insane? What would they do in terms of times? Did Klaus want to go back or did he like it in 1968? Obviously, he'd stay with Dave no matter what, but what if Dave came back with him?

Was that too much to ask of someone?

Klaus thought so. What a bomb to drop. Bigger than any damn B-52.

Meanwhile, regarding the briefcase, Klaus could barely even bring himself to touch the thing. Today of all days with thoughts of home and his birthday-sharing siblings rushing through his mind, Klaus just lifted his sheets from where they concealed the case underneath his cot.

The numbers were still set as they were when he left it:

Klaus couldn't even bring himself to touch the dials. What if it transported him back before he could stop it? Or what if it transported him somewhere totally different like the fucking Ice Age or some Jurassic Park looking shit?

Instead, he just stared. He just stared and thought about-

The tent flaps flew open and Klaus jumped back, letting the covers fall over the sight of the briefcase. Dave bounded in, immediately tackling Klaus to his back on the ground and leaning down to playfully bite the tip of his nose.

"Ah! Geez, you're here." Klaus giggled, writhing under Dave's firm grasp. He looked tired, but his energy surpassed the image of the dark circles under his eyes and his slightly far-off gaze. Dave kissed his forehead and down his face until he slowly pressed a kiss on Klaus's lips, muttering,

"Of course. Have to be the first person you see on your birthday."

"Technically that was Teddy."

"Don't push it."

"You know I'm fucking with you." Klaus smirked, wiggling his arms out from underneath Dave to wrap them around his neck and star up lovingly. He had to admit- Klaus was ecstatic that Dave was here despite what he thought. He didn't know if Dave was just let off the hook from working with the officers today or if he made sure he was here, but it didn't matter. Klaus was just happy that he was.

"Alright. C'mon, birthday bitch."

"Why? Where?"

"You're not the only one with surprises." Dave gave him an exaggeratedly-terrible excuse for a wink making Klaus laugh.

"How very clandestine."

"Up. Get ready."

Klaus did and Dave went off somewhere to get whatever "surprise" he had in store, ready. Admittedly, part of Klaus wouldn't have been surprised if he never came back for him, pulled away on some kind of BS for "his country".

But once Klaus was showered, dressed, and outside by the fire talking to Big Al and Teds about their matching tattoo idea (something for their Brigade seemed to make the most logical sense despite Klaus's recommendation of everyone getting a drawing of Sarge's face on their thigh), Dave swooped in. He quite literally swept Klaus off his feet from behind, grabbing him around the middle and carrying him away like a sack of potatoes.

Klaus screamed.

"Shush!" Dave smirked, giving his sides a squeeze as he walked away with Klaus as if he weighed nothing.

"Sayonara, suckers!" Klaus saluted his friends by the fire as Dave carted him to their "surprise".

"Happy Birthday, Boots." Both Teddy and Al mumbled, distracted by the hearty plate of slop on their laps.

For about five minutes, Dave took Klaus's hand and pulled him around the outskirts of the camp, much like Klaus often liked to do with him, excitedly dragging him around like his doll. Klaus adored it- he adored when Dave got all excitable and geeky, but the curiosity was also killing him.

"Stop asking!"

"What is it though?"

"That's asking."

"I'll stop if you tell me."

"You're so impatient. You know that?" Was the last thing Dave said before dropping Klaus's hand and stopping. They were about a quarter-mile from camp, the only thing in sight was white of the tents through the trees in the distance and a few trucks that were parked around them. They hadn't used the trucks since they transported them here a couple of days ago, but they were still covered with a gray-brown mud from the sloshy ride into their little set up outside of Da Nang.

Right? That's where they were now? Da Nang?

Klaus had a hard time keeping track these days.

"So…" Klaus frowned, looking around for something… anything. Dave nodded his head towards the truck, smiling expectantly at his confused, and yes, impatient, boyfriend.

"We're here. Get in."

"What?"

"The truck, Klaus." Dave said, already climbing into the driver's seat of the closest one. He shook the keys in front of his face to show Klaus, making his mouth drop open just the tiniest bit.

"We're stealing a truck?" He accidentally shouted in surprise. Dave held up his finger to his lips to tell him to shut up and then waved him inside. Klaus obliged, climbing in the passenger seat.

It was so strange to realize that it had been forever since he had sat in an actual car seat. He felt excitement start to surge through him.

Where were they going?

Honestly, it didn't even matter. A road trip with Dave? Just anytime with Dave, but a road trip? Klaus loved road trips.

"Buckle up. I don't know how well this thing drives."

"Ugh." Klaus rolled his eyes but did what he was told, bouncing a bit in his seat. He saw Dave glance at him out of the corner of his eye, smiling at his excitement proudly and shaking his head.

"Cutie."

"Shut up." Klaus smiled, watching the forest start to move around them as Dave put it into drive. His fingers tapped on the edge of the warn seat fabric, his eyes watching the trees pass by fast and faster as light flickered into the truck. He turned around to watch Dave instead, the wind from the open windows rustling through his curls and the light playing across his face and features.

God, he was beautiful.

Stunning.

"Damn." Klaus muttered, giggling to himself.

"Hm?" Dave asked, looking more relaxed than he has in forever.

"You're fucking sexy when you drive."

Dave rolled his eyes but flashed a smile at Klaus before returning to the barely-there dirt road before them.

"So, how'd this happen exactly?" Klaus made himself comfortable, propping his feet up on the dashboard and reclining back.

"Pulled one out of the Klaus-Handbook."

"What does that mean?"

"A little BS-ing. A little sneaking around… Paid someone off to look the other way."

"I'm so proud."

The rest of the drive was great. Dave was able to find a radio station that came through enough for them to make out Love is Blue through the static. The air was perfectly warm with a refreshing aftertaste of wind. And while the road started out hopelessly bumpy and untamed, they made it to the main road and coasted comfortably for about a half an hour.

Klaus had a feeling that they were getting close when Dave started to hesitantly explain himself, bright blue eyes still fixated on the road.

"I just was thinking… Since you said that you never got to travel too much being high and all, and then how you were more-or-less landlocked in Mapleside-"

"In what?"

"Mapleside." Dave repeated as if it were obvious. Klaus blinked. "…Isn't that where you're from? In Canada?"

Shit. Klaus forgot that he was forced to come up with some bullshit hometown when Dave had asked one day. In his pure stupidity, his mind immediately jumped to: Maple! Canadians like Maple things, right? I mean, the leaf is on their flag for God's sake.

And so, Mapleside was birthed. Klaus just forgot about it completely until now.

"Yeah." He covered up dumbly. Dave didn't give it a second thought though. This was just another example of how Klaus's lies were killing him… The fact that Dave had no apparent reason not to trust him, or at least he thought he didn't…

"Anyway. I wanted to be the first one to take you to an ocean."

"The ocean?"

And on cue, Dave turned down a crappy, deserted road towards a small beach tucked away in a clove of underbrush and trees. The wide expanse of blue was immense and endless, stretching into oblivion. The sand spread out before the waves was bright and blinding in the sunlight.

Klaus didn't know what to do but stare as they parked and the engine died. Dave let his hands fall into his lap as he looked over at Klaus with one eyebrow raised expectantly.

For a moment, Klaus forgot all about his nightmare. He forgot all about the tension between him and Dave as of late. He forgot anything that ever made him worry about their future together.

It may have not been long-lived, but it'd do for the next couple hours.

"Let's go."

Chapter Text

"It tastes just like I thought." Klaus chirped, smiling up at Dave who watched from a safe distance on the shore. Four was wading in ankle-deep waters. He had just dipped his finger in, touching the tip of his tongue to his skin like he was sampling forbidden fruit.

"Salty?"

"Yep."

"You're a child."

"Huh?"

"I said, I love you!" Dave chuckled from his place on the sand.

Klaus couldn't hear Dave all that well over the crash of the waves and the gentle breeze, so he bounded out of the water to return back to the sand that was just on the verge of being comfortable and too hot. It radiated an overexposed radiance of white, reflecting the harsh beams of sunlight.

It was a gorgeous day. Klaus hardly ever saw the sun on his birthday. October usually brought cloudy skies, gray days, and rain when at home.

Dave had truly thought of everything. He had packed them a picnic, a wide expanse of blankets to lay out on the sand, and of course, most importantly, Montgomery. The needle slid across Dave's Count Five record, playing the crackly tune of what he called, Psychotic Reaction.

Klaus laid on Dave's bare, warm chest, noticing how relaxed each and every one of his own muscles were. It was a strange thing to focus on, but the odd feeling of pure lethargy made a point to remind Klaus that he was seldom able to experience such alleviation from stress. It felt damn good.

Being collapsed on top of Dave was a nice touch too. He lazily traced circles on the skin of Klaus's back, sometimes taking a moment to massage his spine and shoulders or just wrap his arms around Klaus and give him a tight squeeze.

At some point, Klaus's mind wandered off to all sorts of places, finally bringing up an interesting thought that surprisingly hadn't yet come up in day-to-day conversation.

"Dave?"

"Hm."

From his response, Klaus could tell that Dave was close to falling asleep. That, and his hand movements on his back were slowing down considerably. Klaus thought that he probably should let him sleep, but… Nah.

"What'd you do before Vietnam? Or… Or what were your plans after?"

"Mm… Like… Career-wise, or-"

"I don't know. Yeah, sure. That's a start."

Dave sighed and wrapped his arms securely around Klaus's waist, pulling him into his body further. For a second, Klaus wondered just how secluded this little beach area was. How far could they push their intimacy out in the open here?

But then he forced his mind to focus.

"Well, out of high school, I went to trade school for a couple of years so I could help my Uncle take over my stepdad's car shop."

"Sexy."

"And I took up a lot of extra bartending gigs at night."

"Seeeeexy."

Dave's abdomen jerked with a snort of laughter from underneath Klaus. He kept going.

"But right before I was drafted for my first tour, I was about to go back to school."

"Oh? What for?"

"Music education. Or possibly music therapy. Hadn't decided quite yet."

"…Like… With kids?"

"Probably middle school."

Klaus wiggled himself from Dave's grasp to push himself up on his chest, his hands planted on Dave's sternum for support. He looked down at his radiating god who squinted back up uncomfortably, fighting against the power of the sun.

"Wow. Hot, strong, and sensitive. Truly the full package, David."

Dave rolled his eyes and knocked Klaus's arms from under him, causing a sudden fall back onto Dave's chest. Klaus yelped and giggled, settling for resting his chin on Dave's chest to look up at his face instead.

"So why middle school?"

"I loved when Lizzie was that age. That was around when I figured out that I like kids a whole lot more than adults… Hm…" Dave added at the end, clearly realizing something. Klaus frowned in curiosity.

"What?"

"Our relationship makes so much sense now."

"Fuck you."

Somehow that had become another version of "I love you" from Klaus to Dave.

"But uh- I guess what I really always wanted to do if I was being honest…"

"Ooh, the tea. The tea!"

"Shush, you." Dave laughed, pressing a gentle finger to Klaus's lips. "What does that even mean? But I want to travel. Just leave."

Klaus felt his smile spread wide across his face.

"Shut up. I know. Stereotypical dramatic."

"Edgy. An edgy basic bitch. I love you. Let's do it."

"Where do you hear these-"

"Shhhhh, David." Klaus covered Dave's mouth, mounting him and grabbing at his shirt. "Is that our plan?"

"Ourmm Plammm?" Dave's muffled voice frowned up at him.

"After all of this?"

He saw Dave's eyes light up. He nodded.

"Okay. It's a plan."

The only thing in question was if that plan would enact in 1968 or 2019. Now seemed like it might be the opportune moment to bring that up.

Hey. Dave. Here's a thought. How would you like to move? No, not locations. Times. Like 50 years into the future. How 'bout it?

Maybe not. How do you go about that kind of thing? And Dave seemed so at peace for the first time in a long time ever since he's been being pulled on these fucking missions and what-not. Maybe it was just another excuse to procrastinate the inevitable, but Klaus didn't want to mess up a nice day.

And it only got nicer.

When Klaus was near full-relaxation against Dave's chest again, he felt something cool slide around his neck and over his shoulders. It was a chain. Klaus jumped at the sudden cold contact, reaching down to finger the metal plate that hung from the chain that Dave just slipped around his neck.

"You fixed it!"

While on a full-squad operation a few days back, Dave had snapped his dog tags, rendering them unwearable. He was pretty bummed about it. Klaus guessed it had something to do with that quiet pride he had in serving and whatnot. He tried to fix it for Dave, but they were shuttled onto their next stop. Dave just stuffed it into his pocket while they talked about why Klaus didn't have dog tags at all in the first place.

Klaus couldn't even remember what bullshit he made up to cover himself for that one. More stupid explanations… more lies.

"Yeah, some guy had a multi-tool while we were out patrolling yesterday." Dave said proudly, fully dropping the tags so they hung around Klaus's neck and tapped against his chest. Klaus took the little plates in his fingers and thumbed over the engraving.

"David Michael Katz." Klaus smiled, loving just the sight and sound of it. His David Michael Katz.

Speaking of dear old DMK, he was already drifting off again, laying in the sand with one arm draped across his chest where Klaus used to be before he perked up to study the newly fixed dog tags.

"Can I wear them? Just for today. I promise, I'll give them back. I won't lose them." Klaus rambled as the idea came to his head. He prodded Dave in his side, trying to illicit a response. Something about having Dave's name rest close to his heart just made him stupidly happy.

"Klaus… They're yours."

"…What?"

"Yeah. You can have them."

Despite the cheesy beam that Klaus broke into, he shook his head.

"No. David, they mean a lot to you. I can tell."

"Exactly why I want you to wear them."

It took everything for Klaus not to squeal like a fucking five-year-old. Instead, he just bit his bottom lip excitedly and wiggled himself back against Dave.

"You spoil me."

"Honestly, I wish I could actually get you something. We haven't seen a real town in two weeks though."

"Shut the fuck up." Klaus slapped his arm.

"Ow…"

"I love it. I love it, I love it, I love it…"

"I love you."

Klaus crawled up to hang his face over Dave's, kissing him quickly on the lips.

"I love you too."

Dave just barely opened his eyes to grin back at him.

"Happy Birthday, kid."

He laid there with Dave for a quite a while longer. Long enough to acquire a pretty nice sunburn anyway, red only in the places that weren't shielded by Dave's arms as they drifted in and out of sleep.

"We should get back." Dave sadly admitted hours later, gently poking Klaus awake. He sighed and buried his face in Dave's neck.

"Hmmmmmm-okay. Tattoo time."

"Klaus. I'm not getting a tattoo."

Dave looked down at his new tattoo. Klaus spoke up.

"It looks-"

"Sexy?"

"How'd you know?" Klaus smiled from the make-shift tattoo chair, the pseudo-leather peeling at the seams and poking at his skin. He knew Dave would cave- especially after Big Al and Teddy got tatted with Klaus slated next. Klaus knew he wouldn't be the only one left out; not when Klaus was turning on the puppy-eyes and heavily pulling out the "birthday" card.

Plus, the tattoos were sick. They all agreed on Sky Soldier designs, each with their own additions until it was "worthy" enough for everyone to wear forever.

"A skull. It's gotta have a skull." Teddy had relentlessly pushed until they all gave in. Why, you may ask? "I don't know… 'Cause it's badass."

You better bet that Klaus waited for everyone else to go first before he sat in that chair though. No one was backing out on him today, no sir.

"Didn't it just work out perfectly?" Dave shook his head at Klaus, a small annoyed smile playing on his lips.

"Huh?"

"We're stationed in the middle of the jungle and it just so happens that we move into Da Nang when you decide you want everyone to ink their bodies."

Klaus giggled and shrugged, earning an irritated grunt from the tattoo artist who was about to touch the needle to his skin.

"Oops. My bad." Klaus apologized, trying to stay still. "What can I say, David? Things just work out for the best sometimes."

"Mm."

"You like it, right?"

Dave sighed and looked down at his red patch of skin, the dark ink etched into his muscles. His eyes lit up just a bit, making Klaus's stomach flutter happily.

"Yes, okay? I actually do."

"Katz!" A new voice jolted the small tattoo shack. A figure appeared in the door, sending Teddy and Al scattering from the entrance. The needle hovered just centimeters from Klaus's flesh, the artists looked peeved that his art kept being interrupted.

"Sir?" Dave immediately dropped his arms to the side and turned attentively towards the man that Klaus found slightly familiar.

"We're heading out. Suit up."

Dave's eyes flickered to Klaus who frowned at him in confusion. Dave turned back to the man that Klaus realized was Captain Smithers or Sombers or some shit. The captain tapped his wrist impatiently and stalked off, his face hard and robot-like. Klaus wasn't focused on him though. His attention was all on Dave who looked down at the floor before hesitantly meeting Klaus's eyes.

"…What."

"Klaus…"

"Don't Klaus me. What is he talking about?"

"It's just a quick op. In and out. We should be back by tonight so I can spend time with you guys and-"

"Where?"

"…What do you mean?"

"You know what I mean. Where?"

The room was silent, Al and Teddy both trying to divert their eyes and give the token squad-couple their privacy, but it was hard in a room that was no bigger than a half-bathroom.

"Downtown."

"Downtown downtown?"

"I…"

"Ow!" Klaus jumped at the sudden pain that flared up in his arms.

"Dứng yên!"

Klaus shot the tattoo artist a sour look but let him continue the tattoo that he had all but forgotten about. He just cringed through the pain, most of his mind still warped around trying to comprehend that Dave was leaving for downtown Da Nang. The thing about Da Nang? It's NVA territory. The only reason they weren't being blown up in their current coordinates was because they had a semi-safely established American base hidden outside the city in a shoddy suburb where they currently resided in.

"So, what? You're going in guns blazing to do… What, I don't understand-"

"I can't talk about this one."

Klaus blinked.

"Oh. Okay."

"Klaus-"

"I just don't get why you didn't tell me."

"Because I knew you'd be like this!"

"Worried about your life? Worried that they're throwing you in the lion's den like seasoned meat while I just wait here like some housewife gazing out the window, hoping my hubbie returns from the war?" Klaus angrily slurred the end out in an infuriated southern drawl, trying everything not to rise from his seat and end up with a tattoo needle ripping through his skin in a way that was anything but intentional.

"Dứng yên!"

"Dứng yên, Dứng yên! I get it!" Klaus shot back at the artist.

"Shit…" Al whispered to Teddy from the other side of the room, both of them trying to shrink back out of the situation.

"The meetings I could take. The strategy and planning… whatever. That was fine. But you told me I couldn't go out risking my life and freaking you out. You told me that."

"Throwing yourself in a minefield for attention is totally different, and you know it!"

"Different intention, same fucking thing!"

"Is not!"

"Is too!"

"I have to go." Dave shook his head.

"Fine. See you later. Hopefully." Klaus muttered. Dave rolled his eyes and moved forward, dropping to his knees beside Klaus's chair. He looked up, but Klaus looked away.

"Hey. Klaus. Look at me."

Klaus pouted but finally resigned.

"Let's not leave it like this. Not now."

"Why? Because you might not be coming back?"

"I'll come back, just… I…" Dave's eyes drilled into Klaus's; eyes that said, 'I don't want to say it, but you can never be too sure'. Klaus would admit, Dave was right. If something did happen and the last thing he said to Dave was tinged with venom, he'd never forgive himself. Still…

"You don't get to go out and throw your life at VC and then expect me to swoon to you beforehand because I might have to if I don't want to hate myself if you die. That's not fair." Klaus's words spilled quickly and angrily, but he meant every word. In fact, it wasn't fair. It was BS.

Dave seemed to realize it too. Still, it didn't change anything.

"I love you." He said, patiently. Klaus rolled his eyes. He hated that Dave always knew that Klaus would come around right before missions. The whole thing was fucked up.

"I love you too." Klaus mumbled, relaxing a bit just from feeling the words on his tongue. "Don't you dare die. Not today."

"But tomorrow I'm good, right?"

Klaus couldn't keep down his partial smile. He shook his head, a small chuckle escaping.

"Yeah. Tomorrow you can bite the dust if you really want."

Dave laughed too, but it faded. All sounds dissipated until the only thing left was the buzz of the tattoo machine. At this point, Klaus couldn't even feel it. He had to glance over to make sure the dude was still working on his arm.

"I'll see you later."

"Yeah." Klaus sighed, sticking his lower lip out at Dave who smiled sadly at him.

"Bye."

"Bye."

Dave waved awkwardly to Teds and Al and then headed out.

Well wasn't this just swell. Happy Birthday, your boyfriend is going out to the front lines for reasons he won't tell you; into danger you can't gage. Happy Birthday, your boyfriend is dead.

"Hey. Don't worry, Boots. We'll get some drinks going, some music, and before you know it, Katz will be back pestering you with stupid Elvis facts and shit." Teddy timidly came forward, putting a hand on Klaus's free shoulder. Klaus sighed and nodded.

"Thanks, Teds."

"Rumor is that some boot from the 101st squad back at camp scored some good shit from the town over." Al piped up. "I don't know what, but people were talking some magic mushrooms and snow. Not my thing, but-"

Klaus's head fell back so he could see an upside-down view of his friends behind him.

"Sold." Klaus cut in, feeling a storm coming on. Not outside, not in the sky, but inside of him. It was a tingling feeling he got when he knew he was starting down a potentially dangerous path; a path full of bad decisions for the sake of numbing whatever turmoil was digging into his gut.

He gave in to this sensation of impending doom though. He always did.

"Dứng yên!" The man yelled, waving the needle angrily at Klaus. This time, they all piped up in defense.

"Dứng yên, dứng yên!"

When Dave returned, things were already raging. Not in the way that things raged downtown today, but with the same energy. Instead of the rumble of tanks, the Earth shook with the rumble of a bass beat, music cranked way up. Instead of air punctuated with gunfire, it was riddled with bottle breaking on the floor and aluminum cans crunching under boots. Instead of shouts of anguish and orders, there were shouts of drunken gaiety.

When he entered the barracks, he barely recognized it. The cots had all been pushed to the walls, leaving the floor open for everyone to go wild… whatever that meant to them. All kinds of stuff was happening; it was hard to keep track or make out what was really going on in every corner in the darkness.

Dave had to wedge his shoulder between people to wiggle through the crowd of drunken not-so-soldiery soldiers. Bodies bumped into him from all sides, not at all unlike his predicament only an hour ago. This was a much less high-intensity situation though… or so Dave thought.

"Hey," Dave tried to shout of the pulsating music once Teddy's features were made semi-clear in the darkness. "Where's-"

"DAVID!"

Ah. Nevermind.

Dave managed to turn, lightly shoving some wobbly kid off of him to see Klaus bounding towards him, also not too stable on his feet. His tall lanky mass rammed into Dave's chest nearly sending both of them to the ground. Dave managed to catch Klaus's forearms and stumble back into a steady stance.

"Woah. Hey, kid." He offered both relieved to see him and hesitant to observe his already "gone" state. If it wasn't already clear that Klaus was currently shitfaced, he also held his own bottle of vodka in one hand by the neck, swinging it around as he rambled. "I can't hear you!" Dave shouted, gesturing towards his ears. While part of it was because the music was so loud, Dave had also been pretty close to some big explosions and constant gunfire today.

Honestly, the only thing he wanted to do was collapse in bed or out on a peacefully secluded patch of lawn with Klaus wrapped in his arms while they recounted their hours apart to each other. Dave held back and forced himself through this though, not wanting to make a day about Klaus, a day about him.

"I already forget." Klaus admitted, taking a swig and offering the bottle to Dave who shook his head. Klaus pouted.

"In a minute. Kind of just want to settle for a second."

"What better way to relax?"

Dave sighed and playfully pushed Klaus's head back, making him giggle and stumble. He resigned to taking the bottle though, sipping just to make Klaus happy. His attention was already diverted elsewhere though.

"Georgie! Georgie!" Klaus called to a soldier Dave knew by the name of George McCullen. He was from Eugie's former squad. Dave solely knew him as the dude who often hooked Klaus up though. Right now wasn't any different. George nodded at Klaus and shoved his way across the barracks to slip him a little baggie, Klaus pulling out MPC.

Even after all the time, Dave still didn't understand where Klaus just pulled that shit out of thin air. Sometimes, he didn't want to know.

Dave felt his own expression fall at the sight of the transaction, mostly because Klaus was already so out of it. It seemed like the last thing he needed was more stimulant. There was something about his behavior too- Dave knew that look in his eye. It was the same one he had before confronting Dave and then running out into a minefield. It was the same one he had when he pulled Dave along on that haphazard, self-led "mischief mission" to sneak out of the base on a drug run.

It was a hidden sense of wildness. It was a promise of uncontrollable reckless abandon. It was a relinquishment of all responsibility; a fall into every enticement and habit that Klaus fought day to day.

It was dangerous. Dave could feel it. Still, he had already been the bad guy today. Rightfully so, too. Dave felt awful for accepting the call to such a fucked-up mission today. He knew how dangerous it would be. He knew how worried sick it'd make Klaus. He didn't know that he would, in fact, nearly be killed multiple times in downtown Da Nang. He didn't know that they'd run into more trouble than they bargained for, leaving Dave to return at midnight rather than 9 PM as he thought.

Every second that went by, Dave just imagined Klaus with that same sickening feeling in his stomach that Dave himself felt whenever he worried about Klaus's wellbeing. Today was supposed to be an escape from that kind of shit. Plus, after Klaus brought up numerous good points within their argument at the tattoo shack, Dave had a lot to think about. In the end, he even came to a brand new conclusion that he wanted to tell Klaus about ASAP.

As it turned out though, Klaus might have not been so burdened by Dave's absence. He looked pretty damn distracted and high on life (plus multiple substances), which was fine. It was totally fine. Better, even. Of course, Dave didn't want him to worry about him.

But admittedly, it did hurt a little… mostly just because Klaus's attention was already more engrossed in his new baggie of pills than Dave who just came back from probably the worst operation of his two tours. Like Klaus said though, it wasn't fair for Dave to just keep disappearing on these missions and expecting Klaus to warp his life around it.

So, Dave kept quiet, his eyes just staring at Klaus until Klaus's own eyes met his tentatively. He hurriedly looked away, stuffing the pills in his back pocket.

"So, um…" Klaus swirled around the little bit of vodka left in the glass bottle, watching it with drunken wonder before taking a drink. "How was- whatever, that… Whatever that was. Wherever you were."

"Oh. Da Nang?"

Klaus giggled and shrugged.

Another drink.

"It was… I don't know. Don't worry about it." Dave tried to say with honesty. He glanced down at his hands that were tinged with the light red residue of the blood of the young soldier who had just died in Dave's arms. "Tonight's about you, right?"

"Well technically my birthday's over."

Dave couldn't tell if there was bitterness hidden in that statement, or if it was just drunken honesty. He let it go.

"I guess you're right."

Klaus offered the bottle again. This time Dave willingly took some, feeling the warmth of the alcohol spread throughout his chest and distract him from the annoyingly aching pains that were stabbing into him. He couldn't quite place why. Something about Klaus. Something about him and Klaus… it just was off.

"You invited a lot more people than I thought."

"WHAT?"

Dave motioned at the room of bodies.

"Lots of people!"

"Yeah! Kinda just built like a snowball. Why?"

"Nothing." Dave waved away. He had just imagined "celebrating with drinks" to be them and their immediate friends so that Dave could cuddle the shit out of him all he wanted. That's okay though. Dave guessed he should've been there in the first place then. "I just can't touch you as much is all."

"That a problem?"

Dave's head jerked towards Klaus in surprise. He was suddenly so accusational. Had he heard it right?

Klaus stared back at Dave, not shrinking back from his aggressiveness for a moment. They stayed like that, Dave unsure of how to proceed or even how to answer.

Klaus burst out into giggles, shaking his head at some kind of invisible joke. Still, Dave could sense a tinge of aggression there.

'Kay…

"Let's go dance! You and me!"

"I'm definitely going to need a drink before that."

"Then c'mon. We'll get you a beer."

Minutes later, buzzed and a little more at ease, Dave let Klaus drag him into the crowd. The Rolling Stones blared and everyone tried to talk over everyone else, the air full of a near-ear-splitting buzzing. Dave was astounded that the officers hadn't come by to break it up, but then again, he was often surprised about how much shenanigans they were allowed to get away with.

In that same realm, Dave was pleased to find that everyone was too drunk or high on whatever to really pay him and Klaus any mind as they danced together. It was kind of nice even if no one truly paid attention to them- just being able to dance in a crowd like every couple should be able to do.

They found Teds and Al again, all of them sharing in a round of shots and then doing more dancing… and more dancing… and then some more dancing.

At one point, Klaus dipped away from where they talked in a deformed circle about some new guy their squad was getting soon. Dave's eyes flickered over to check on his high-as-hell idiot, realizing with a nervous pang that he was gone. Just moving his eyes a few more feet to the left revealed that Klaus had just stepped aside. He was hunched over a baggie, already enclosing two pills between his fumbling fingers.

"Hey, hey…" Dave said, breaking from the group to put a hand on Klaus's elbow. He jerked away from Dave; just a bit, but enough for Katz to notice. "Why don't we wait on those, yeah?"

"What?"

"Just take a break, babe. Slow down."

Klaus blinked up at him, his eyebrows drawn together like he was trying to process that Dave had the audacity to suggest this.

"You don't get to do that." Klaus shot at him, his eyes flecked with red hot anger. Dave almost stepped back from the blow. What was his problem?

"Do what?"

"Disappear whenever you want. Go out and fling your life around with morally-questionable shitheads and then come back and try to tell me what to do. It's BS. You can't." Klaus finished, his pupils big and dark as ever. He yanked his arm away from Dave and took the pills.

It was Dave's turn to blink dumbly.

Then finally,

"You know, you're being a real asshole."

There was only so much of Klaus's bullshit that he could take, whether it was substance-induced or not. Klaus raised an eyebrow at Dave cockily, giving a haphazard half-shrug and washing the pills of who-knows-what-drug with a gulp of who-knows-what-alcohol.

Dave shook his head at him, not bothering to hide his disappointment. Klaus didn't care though. He was already shoving past Dave to get back to their friends, slinging an arm around Teddy's neck and jumping back into the conversation.

Dave was left alone, a few feet apart. He watched Klaus- the way he jumped back in so naturally with everyone else. This strange tension that he was hiding behind this happy-drunk facade… it was only with Dave.

And of course, Klaus couldn't just talk to him about it. He had to create this grand display to hide behind- to hide and to flash in front of Dave's face at the same time.

Christ's sake…

And the most confusing part was that five minutes later, Klaus would be wiggling his way back to Dave's side, walking his fingers down the back of his hand until they intertwined with Dave's.

Dave figured it'd be a good opportunity to pull Klaus outside and talk to him like actual adults, but he saw figures walk by outside, sniggering at the sight and sound of their make-shift party but with intentions to keep moving on.

Officers: Sergeant Bailey and Lieutenant Mads to be exact.

"Shit. I'll be right back." Dave said, letting his hand fall from Klaus's grasp.

"W- Wait, Dave!"

"One minute. I swear."

He had to catch them now. He had to put his decision to rest. It's been poking at his brain ever since he came to a definitive conclusion on today's operation.

So, Dave ducked out despite Klaus's protests. He didn't know how long he was out there with Mads and Bailey. It couldn't have been more than a minute or two, but truly, that's all Dave needed to tell them what he needed to say. His 'goodnight' to them was cut short when Teddy's voice projected from the party.